[Correlation between arousal threshold and occurrence of hypertension in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome].

Objective: To investigate the relationship between arousal threshold (ArTH) and hypertension in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSA). Methods: This study recruited 648 patients diagnosed with OSA at the Sleep Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2020 to August 2021, including 569 males and 79 females, aged 42(35,52) years. The basic demographic information and clinical data of all patients were collected, including blood pressure measurement, and relevant questionnaire scores, and nocturnal polysomnography (PSG) parameters. A clinical predictive model based on sleep apnea hypopnea index (AHI), lowest pulse oxygen saturation (LSpaO2) and hypopnea ratio (FHypopneas) was used to access the arousal threshold of OSA patients. Patients were divided into OSA group and OSA with hypertension group according to whether they were combined with hypertension. The differences in the above indexes between the two groups were analyzed to explore the relationship between arousal threshold and hypertension in OSA patients, using a binary logistic stepwise regression analysis. Results: A total of 648 OSA patients were enrolled, including 415 in the OSA with hypertension group and 233 in the OSA group. Compared with OSA group, OSA with hypertension group had older age, higher body mass index (BMI), higher blood pressure at bedtime and at awakening, higher AHI and lower proportion of hypopnea (all P<0.05). There were no significant differences between other general data and PSG parameters (all P>0.05). The proportion of patients with low arousal threshold (AHI<30 events per hour, LSpO2>82.5%, Fhypopneas>58.3%) in OSA with hypertension group was lower, and the proportion of phenotypic patients with low arousal threshold was significantly lower (30.1% vs. 52.4% P<0.001). Binary logistic stepwise regression analysis showed that the high arousal threshold (OR=1.930, 95%CI:1.326-2.808, P=0.001) was an independent risk factor for OSA complicated with hypertension. Conclusion: The arousal threshold is associated with the development of hypertension in OSA patients, and OSA patients with a high arousal threshold have a higher risk of developing hypertension.

[Effect of obstructive sleep apnea on the severity of acute coronary syndrome].

Objective: To investigate the effects of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on myocardial damage, coronary multi-vessel lesion and postoperative indexes in patients with acute coronary syndrome(ACS). Methods: The patients, admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from September 2022 to October 2023 due to chest tightness and pain, diagnosed with ACS and accompanied by emergency/elective percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)at, were prospectively enrolled. Portable sleep monitor was used to monitor after stabilization of condition(postoperative day 2±1). The patients were divided into the OSA group (AHI≥15/h) and the control group (AHI<15/h) according to apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). The hematologic indices, echocardiographic parameters, coronary vascular scores and postoperative indicators between the groups were compared. Binary logistic regression model was used to analyze the risk factors for muti-vessel lesion in patients with ACS. Results: One hundred and four ACS patients who met the inclusion criteria were ultimately included, including 85 males (81.7%) and 19 females (18.3%), aged (57.3±10.8) years, of whom 48.1% (50/104) were complicated with OSA. Body mass index (BMI), prevalence of hypertension and diabetes, triglyceride (TG), glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and D-dimer in the OSA group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). There were statistically significant differences in sleep parameters between the two groups (P<0.05). The patients in the OSA group exhibited higher troponin T (cTnT) [M(Q1,Q3),54.0 (9.3,343.8) ng/L vs 15.0 (7.8,38.8) ng/L, P<0.05], larger left atrial internal diameters [41.4 (39.3,45.2) mm vs 40.2 (37.1,42.0) mm, P<0.05], more diseased vessels [2 (1, 3) vs 1 (1, 2), P<0.001], a higher percentage of muti-vessel lesion[60.0%(30/50)vs 29.6%(16/54),P<0.05], and a higher incidence of cardiovascular complications during hospitalization[10.0%(5/50)vs 0(0/54), P=0.017]. The results of binary logistic regression analysis suggested that after adjusting for confounders, AHI (OR=1.035, 95%CI: 1.008-1.063, P=0.011) was independently associated with the development of muti-vessel lesion in patients with ACS. Conclusions: ACS patients with OSA suffer more severe myocardial damage, are more likely to develop structural abnormalities of left heart and multi-vessel lesion, and have a higher incidence of postoperative complications. High AHI is a risk factor for multi-vessel lesion in ACS patients.

[Correlation analysis of polyclonal plasma cell proportion in the bone marrow with clinical characteristics of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma].

Objective: To explore the correlation of bone marrow polychonal plasma cell proportion (pPC% ) and clinical features in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) patients. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 317 patients with NDMM admitted to Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from January 2018 to January 2023 was performed. The results of the pPC% in all patients were clear. The relationship between the pPC% and clinical characteristics was analyzed. Results: A total of 317 patients were included, comprising 180 males and 137 females. The median age at diagnosis was 61 (26-91) years, and 55.8% were 60 years or older. The pPC% in the bone marrow of patients with NDMM was different in the DS, International Staging System (ISS), and revised ISS (R-ISS) stages (P=0.002, 0.010, and 0.049, respectively), whereas no statistical difference in pPC% was observed among patients with different FISH risk stratigrams (P=0.971). The correlation coefficient between pPC% and hemoglobin (HGB) at the first diagnosis in patients was 0.211 (P<0.01). The correlation coefficients with serum calcium, serum creatinine, M protein level, and ß(2)-microglobulin were -0.141, -0.120, -0.181, and -0.207, respectively, and the results of the significance test were P=0.012, 0.033, 0.004, and 0.002, respectively, indicating a negative correlation. Compared with the patients with a pPC% of ≥2.5%, the group of patients with a pPC% of <2.5% had significantly higher levels of light chain, serum calcium, serum creatinine, M protein, and ß(2)-microglobulin at the initial diagnosis (P<0.05) ; lower HGB level (P<0.001) ; and a higher proportion of patients in ISS stage Ⅲ (P=0.034) . Conclusion: In this study, the pPC% in patients with NDMM was associated with clinical features of good prognosis, including higher HGB, lower serum calcium, serum creatinine, M protein quantity, ß(2)-microglobulin, light chain involvement, lower proportion of advanced disease (DS stage and ISS stage Ⅲ), and clinical features showing lower tumor burden.

Anisotropic Galvanomagnetic Effects in Single Cubic Crystals: A Theory and Its Verification.

A theory of anisotropic galvanomagnetic effects in single cubic crystals and its experimental verifications are presented for the current in the (001) plane. In contrast to the general belief that galvanomagnetic effects in single crystals are highly sensitive to many internal and external effects and have no universal features, the theory predicts universal angular dependencies of longitudinal and transverse resistivity and various characteristics when magnetization rotates in the (001) plane, the plane perpendicular to the current, and the plane containing the current and [001] direction. The universal angular dependencies are verified by experiments on Fe_{30}Co_{70} single cubic crystal film. The findings provide new avenues for fundamental research and applications of galvanomagnetic effects, because single crystals offer advantages over polycrystalline materials for band structure and crystallographic orientation engineering.

Breath biomarkers of pediatric malaria: reproducibility and response to antimalarial therapy.

BACKGROUND: Many insect-borne pathogens appear to manipulate the odors of their hosts in ways that influence vector behaviors. In our prior work, we identified characteristic changes in volatile emissions of cultured Plasmodium falciparum parasites in vitro and during natural human falciparum malaria. In the current study, we prospectively evaluate the reproducibility of these findings in an independent cohort of children in Blantyre, Malawi. METHODS: We enrolled febrile children under evaluation for malaria and collected breath from children with and without malaria, as well as healthy controls. Using gas-chromatography/mass spectrometry, we characterized breath volatiles associated with malaria. By repeated sampling of children with malaria before and after antimalarial use, we determined how breath profiles respond to treatment. In addition, we investigated the stage-specificity of biomarkers through correlation with asexual and sexual stage parasitemia. RESULTS: Our data provide robust evidence that P. falciparum infection leads to specific, reproducible changes in breath compounds. While no individual compound served as adequate classifier in isolation, selected volatiles together yielded high sensitivity for diagnosis of malaria. Overall, the results of our predictive models suggest the presence of volatile signatures that reproducibly predict malaria infection status and determine response to therapy, even in cases of low parasitemia.

[Establishment of a rapid method for detection of influenza A/B virus' antigens].

This study aims to develop a rapid and convenient test card for simultaneous detection of influenza A and influenza B viruses using quantum dot-based immunochromatographic assay. The test card consists of a test strip and a plastic casing. The test strip is composed of absorbent paper, a buffer pad, nitrocellulose membrane (NC membrane), sample pad, quantum dot-labeled antibody pad, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) board. The NC membrane is coated with mouse monoclonal antibodies against influenza A and influenza B viruses for the T lines (test lines), and reference proteins A and B for the C line (control line). The quantum dot-labeled antibody pad contains mouse monoclonal antibody-quantum dot conjugates against influenza A and influenza B viruses. The results showed that the detection limit of the test card for both viruses ranged from 1.51 ×102 to 2.71×103 TCID50/ml, indicating its sensitivity for accurate detection of influenza A and influenza B viruses without being affected by various variants. The test card exhibited specific reactions with different subtypes of influenza A and influenza B virus culture fluids and showed no cross-reactivity with adenovirus, novel coronavirus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, respiratory syncytial virus, Staphylococcus aureus, and other pathogens. Overall, the sensitivity and specificity of the test card for simultaneous detection of influenza A and influenza B viruses meet the requirements for clinical use. It offers the advantages of simplicity, rapidity, and no requirement for special equipment, enabling quick auxiliary diagnosis to prevent disease transmission.

Partial cellular reprogramming stably restores the stemness of senescent epidermal stem cells.

OBJECTIVE: Adult stem cell senescence and exhaustion are important drivers of organismal age. Restored stem cell self-renewal has revealed novel therapeutic targets for decreasing the incidence of age-associated diseases (AADs) and prolonging the human health span. Transient ectopic expression of the reprogramming factors Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc (collectively known as OSKM) in somatic cells can induce partial cellular reprogramming and effectively ameliorate their age-associated hallmarks. However, how this form of rejuvenation is applied to senescent stem cells remains unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Integrin-α6highCD71high epidermal stem cells (ESCs) with low self-renewal ability were sorted by flow cytometry and then treated by the interrupted reprogramming induced by transient expression of OSKM. The ability of secondary clones' generation and self-proliferation in vitro, as well as stem cell marker p63, were detected to determine their self-renewal ability. Besides, gene and protein of epidermal cell markers were detected to determine whether their cell identities were retained. Finally, DNA methylation age (eAge) and DNA dehydroxymethylase/methyltransferase were analyzed to explore the alternation of their global DNA methylation pattern during this rejuvenation. RESULTS: The partial reprogramming restored the youthful self-renewal and proliferation in senescent ESCs, including larger secondary clone generation, higher expression of stem cell marker p63 and proliferation marker Ki67, and faster proliferation speed, in each case without abolishing epithelial cellular identity. Moreover, the rejuvenation of adult stem cells could be maintained for 2 weeks after reprogramming factor withdrawal, which was more stable than that of differentiated somatic cells. Additionally, we found that partial reprogramming counteracted the acceleration of eAge in senescent epidermal stem cells and DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) may play a crucial role in this process. CONCLUSIONS: Partial reprogramming has high therapeutic potential for reversing adult stem cell age, providing an advanced way to treat AADs.

An investigation of the PM2.5 concentrations and cumulative inhaled dose during subway commutes in Changchun, China.

Air quality in subway systems is crucial as it affects the health of passengers and staff. Although most tests of PM2.5 concentrations in subway stations have taken place in public areas, PM2.5 is less understood in workplaces. Few studies have estimated the cumulative inhaled dose of passengers based on real-time changes in PM2.5 concentrations as they commute. To clarify the above issues, this study first measured PM2.5 concentrations in four subway stations in Changchun, China, where measuring points included five workrooms. Then, passengers' exposure to PM2.5 during the whole subway commute (20-30 min) was measured and segmented inhalation was calculated. The results showed that PM2.5 concentration in public places ranged from 50 to 180 µg/m3, and was strongly correlated with outdoors. While the PM2.5 average concentration in workplaces was 60 µg/m3, and it was less affected by outdoor PM2.5 concentration. Passenger's cumulative inhalations in single commuting were about 42 µg and 100 µg when the outdoor PM2.5 concentrations were 20-30 µg/m3 and 120-180 µg/m3, respectively. The PM2.5 inhalation in carriages accounted for the largest proportion of the entire commuting, about 25-40%, because of the longer exposure time and higher PM2.5 concentrations. It is recommended to improve the tightness of the carriage and filter the fresh air to improve the air quality inside. The average daily PM2.5 inhaled by staff was 513.53 µg, which was 5-12 times higher than that of passengers. Installing air purification devices in workplaces and reminding staff to take personal protection can positively protect their health.

[Research on rapid detection technology of airborne pathogenic organisms based on up-conversion phosphor technology].

Objective: To explore the application of up-conversing phosphor technology (UPT) to detect pathogenic organisms in the air. Methods: The performance of UPT was verified with Staphylococcus aureus, Yersinia pestis and Escherichia coli O157 as simulated strains, including stability, specificity, sensitivity and response time tests; Air particle sampler is used to collect air samples in the field microenvironment test chamber, and UPT is used for detection. At the same time, compared with the traditional culture method, the practicability of UPT is verified. Results: The coefficient of variation in laboratory was 9.62% and 8.02% when the concentration of 107 CFU/ml and 108 CFU/ml were detected by UPT. The results were less than the allowable target, and the detection system had good stability. The specificity of UPT was verified by Staphylococcus aureus. The results showed that no non-Staphylococcus aureus was detected, and the positive detection rate of different kinds of Staphylococcus aureus was 100%. The specificity of the detection system was good. The sensitivity of UPT for detecting Staphylococcus aureus was 104 CFU/ml. Detection sensitivity of Yersinia pestis ≥103 CFU/ml; The detection sensitivity of Escherichia coli O157 is ≥103 CFU/ml, and the response time of UPT to bacteria is within 15 min (all 10 min 15 s). The detection results of bacteria contentration in the air of the on-site microenvironment test cabin by UPT showed that when the concentration of Escherichia coli O157 in the air reached above 104 CFU/m3, the detection results of UPT were positive, and with the increase of air concentration, the numerical concentration measured by UPT showed an upward trend, which was positively correlated with the concentration of bacteria in the air. Conclusion: UPT may be feasible as a rapid method to evaluate the species and contentration of pathogenic organisms in the air.

Role of SSW on thermal-gradient induced domain-wall dynamics.

We study the thermal gradient (TG) induced domain wall (DW) dynamics in a uniaxial nanowire in the framework of the Stochastic-Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation. TG drives the DW in a certain direction, and DW (linear and rotational) velocities increase with TG linearly, which can be explained by the magnonic angular momentum transfer to the DW. Interestingly, from Gilbert damping dependence of DW dynamics for fixed TG, we find that the DW velocity is significantly smaller even for lower damping, and DW velocity increases with damping (for a certain range of damping) and reaches a maximal value for critical damping which is contrary to our usual desire. This can be attributed to the formation of standing spin wave (SSW) modes (from the superposition of the spin waves and their reflection) together with travelling spin wave (TSW) modes. SSW does not carry any net energy/momentum to the DW, while TSW does. Dampingαcompels the spin current polarization to align with the local spin, which reduces the magnon propagation length and thusαhinders to generate SSWs, and contrarily the number of TSWs increases, which leads to the increment of DW speed with damping. For a similar reason, we observe that DW velocity increases with nanowire length and becomes saturated to maximal value for a certain length. Therefore, these findings may enhance the fundamental understanding as well as provide a way of utilizing the Joule heat in the spintronics (e.g. racetrack memory) devices.

Topological Equivalence of Stripy States and Skyrmion Crystals.

Stripy states, consisting of a collection of stripy spin textures, are the precursors of skyrmion crystals (SkXs). The common belief is that stripy states and SkXs are topologically unconnected and that transitions between SkXs and stripy states are phase transitions. Here, we show that both stripy states and SkXs are skyrmion condensates and they are topologically equivalent. By gradually tuning the stripe whose width goes from smaller than to larger than skyrmion-skyrmion separation, the structure of a skyrmion condensate transforms smoothly and continuously from various stripy phases, including helical states and mazes, to crystals, showing that stripy states are topologically connected to SkXs.

[Genetic mutation profiles for children with congenital hypothyroidism in Fujian province].

Objective: To explore the mutation characteristics of pathogenic genes in children with congenital hypothyroidism (CH) in Fujian. Methods: The clinical data of 116 unrelated CH children diagnosed in Fujian Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital from January 2019 to September 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, including 50 females and 66 males, with an average age of (20±10) days at diagnosis. Targeted exome sequencing technology was used to detect the mutation frequency, type and distribution characteristics of 29 genes related to thyroxine synthesis or thyroid development. Results: Three hundred and fifty-one potential functional mutations were detected in 105 of 116 CH patients, with a detection rate of 90.5% (105/116). DUOX2 (66.4%, 77/116) was the most frequent mutated gene, followed by TG (23.3%, 27/116), DUOXA1 (23.3%, 27/116), and TPO (12.1%, 14/116), which were all involved in thyroid hormone synthesis. Among the 105 children with CH, 70 cases carried double allele mutation. Except for 3 cases of thyroid dysplasia related genes (2 cases of TSHR and 1 case of GLIS3), the rest were also related to thyroid hormone synthesis. The gene with the highest carrier rate was DUOX2 (68.8%, 59/70), followed by TG (8.6%, 6/70), TPO (4.3%, 3/70), DUOXA2 (1.4%, 1/70) and DUOXA1 (1.4%, 1/70). Conclusion: The main mutated genes in CH children in Fujian are the key genes involved in thyroid hormone synthesis, such as DUOX2, TG and TPO.

A theory of unusual anisotropic magnetoresistance in bilayer heterostructures.

The observation of magnetoresistance (MR) varying with the rotation of magnetization in the plane perpendicular to the electric current is an important discovery in spintronics in recent years. The famous conventional anisotropic MR (AMR) says that the resistance of a polycrystalline magnetic material must depend on magnetization component along the current direction only, thus cannot account for this newly observed unusual AMR (UAMR). This UAMR leads to the notion of the spin-Hall MR (SMR) in the famous SMR theory. However, the SMR theory may only explain UAMR observed in heavy-metal/magnetic-insulator bilayers, not other types of bilayers. Here, we present a two-vector theory that can explain not only all existing experiments on the unusual angular dependence of longitudinal and transverse resistivity when the magnetization rotates in three mutually perpendicular planes, but also how three amplitudes of MR angular oscillation are related to each other. The theory is very general and its correctness depends only on the assumption that the magnetization and interfacial field are the only vectors affecting electron transport besides of other scalar variables such as the temperatures and impurities. Experiments that can test this theory against the SMR theory are also proposed.

[Preliminary MRI evaluation of anterior repositioning splint in treatment of disc displacement with reduction of temporomandibular joint].

Objective: MRI images were used to study the efficacy of anterior repositioning splint (ARS) in the treatment of different types of disc displacement with reduction (DDWR) in temporomandibular joint. Methods: From September 2020 to December 2021, 26 patients with DDWR were enrolled in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. There were 5 males and 21 females with an average age of (20.8±5.8) years. ARS was used for 3-6 months. The changes of joint clicking, opening type and joint pain before and after treatment were compared. The changes of disc position, disc-condyle angle and condylar bone mass before and after treatment were compared by MRI. Paired t-test was performed on the disc-condyle angle before and after treatment, Fisher's exact test was performed on the change of disk position, and other count data were expressed as rate (%). Results: After ARS treatment, the effective rates of joint clicking,abnormal opening, joint pain and disc displacement were 97%(35/36), 14/18, 7/9 and 95%(36/38). MRI analysis found that there was a significant difference between the disc position before and after treatment (P<0.001), MRI analysis showed that the anterior disc displacement (48%, 25/52) and the anterolateral disc displacement (17%, 9/52) were the most common before treatment. In contrast, the normal superior disc (75%, 39/52) and the anterior disc displacement (17%, 9/52) were the most common after treatment, no significant changes were seen after treatment in the anteromedial disc displacement. The disc-condylar angle was (36.09±19.02) ° before ARS treatment and (3.94±10.12) ° after ARS treatment(t=9.23, P<0.001). After treatment, 46% (12/16) of the patients showed new bone formation, and the height of the condyle recovered. Conclusions: The clinical efficacy of ARS in the treatment of anterior disc displacement and anterolateral displacement of temporomandibular joint is remarkable, which can restore the disc-condylar relationship of most patients with indications.

[Progress in researches on the effect of artificial light at night on infertility].

Infertility is a serious social and public health problem, and the causes of infertility are also the focus of many researchers in recent years. Since the invention of the electric light, people's exposure to night light has increased rapidly, and the adverse effects on human health have also begun to enter the vision of researchers. Studies have shown that artificial lighting at night can affect the circadian rhythm of organisms and the secretion of melatonin (melatonin), and regular circadian rhythms and sufficient melatonin are conducive to successful reproduction. This article reviews the current research status of the effects of artificial lighting at night on infertility in recent years, which provides a new direction for researchers to study the influencing factors of infertility.

A theory of skyrmion crystal formation.

A generic theory about skyrmion crystal (SkX) formation in chiral magnetic thin films and its fascinating thermodynamic behaviours is presented. A chiral magnetic film can have many metastable states with an arbitrary skyrmion density up to a maximal value when the parameter κ, which measures the relative Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) strength, is large enough. The lowest energy state of an infinite film is a long zig-zag ramified stripe skyrmion occupying the whole film in the absence of a magnetic field. Under an intermediate field perpendicular to the film, the lowest energy state has a finite skyrmion density. This is why a chiral magnetic film is often in a stripy state at a low field and a SkX only around an optimal field when κ is above a critical value. The lowest energy state is still a stripy helical state no matter with or without a field when κ is below the critical value. The multi-metastable states explain the thermodynamic path dependences of the various metastable states of a film. The decrease of the κ value with the temperature explains why SkXs become metastable at low temperatures in many skyrmion systems. These findings open a new avenue for SkX manipulation and skyrmion-based applications.