Ultrasound evaluation of gastric emptying of high-energy semifluid solid beverage in parturients during labor at term: a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: What to intake during labor is controversial. The purpose of this study was to compare the gastric emptying of high-energy semifluid solid beverage (HESSB) versus that of carbohydrate (CHO) solution of equal calories and volume by evaluating the gastric antral cross-sectional area (CSA) using ultrasonography in parturients during labor at term. METHODS: The study was conducted at a maternity and infant hospital between June and October 2020. Forty parturients scheduled for epidural labor analgesia during labor at term were randomly assigned to receive HESSB (300 mL, n = 20) or CHO (300 mL, n = 20). Gastric antral CSA was measured at baseline and 5, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after consumption of the drink. The primary outcome was gastric antral CSA at 120 min in the HESSB group and CHO group. RESULTS: The gastric antral CSA between the HESSB group and CHO group at 120 min was not statistically significant (2.73 cm2 ± 0.55 vs. 2.55 cm2 ± 0.72, P = 0.061). All patients returned to baseline at 120 min after intake of 300 mL isocaloric HESSB and CHO, confirmed by evaluation of gastric antral CSA. The visual analog scale score for satiety was higher in the HESSB group (P < 0.001), with better taste satisfaction (7[5-8] vs. 5[4-6], P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The change of gastric antral cross-sectional area after HESSB is similar to the corresponding calories and volume of CHO and the gastric emptying of HESSB can be emptied within 2 h with better taste satisfaction and satiety in pregnant women under labor analgesia.

Association between micronutrients intake and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease: a cross-sectional study based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has been proposed to replace the term non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in 2020. The association between micronutrients and MAFLD has not been reported. Therefore, this study aims to explore the association between micronutrients intake and MAFLD. This was a cross-section study based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The dietary intake of copper, zinc, iron, and selenium was evaluated using the 24-h dietary recall interview. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the association between micronutrients and MAFLD, and the results were shown as odds ratio (OR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs). A total of 5976 participants were finally included for analysis, with 3437 participants in the MAFLD group. After adjusting potential confounders, copper intake at quartile Q3 (OR = 0⋅68, 95 % CI 0⋅50, 0⋅93) and Q4 (OR = 0⋅60, 95 % CI 0⋅45, 0⋅80) was found to be associated with lower odds of MAFLD. Iron intake at Q2 (OR = 0⋅64, 95 % CI 0⋅45, 0⋅92) and Q3 (OR = 0⋅61, 95 % CI 0⋅41, 0⋅91) was associated with the lower odds of MAFLD. Our findings found that high intake of copper and adequate intake of iron were associated with MAFLD, which may provide guidance for the management of MAFLD.

Adherence to pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy among patients with chronic pancreatitis in East China: a mixed methods study.

Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) has been recommended as the preferred method for pancreatic exocrine insufficiency caused by chronic pancreatitis (CP). However, at present, the patient-related factors for the poor PERT management are not clear, and there are no studies on the adherence to PERT in patients with CP in East China. This was a mixed-method study following the principle of sequential explanatory design and included two parts: a quantitative and qualitative study. A cross-sectional survey of medication adherence (MA) was first carried out, followed by a semi-structured interview to further explore and explain the influencing factors of adherence to PERT. Of the 148 patients included in this study, 48.0% had poor MA and only 12.8% had good MA. Multivariate logistic regression showed that lower levels of education and income were contributing factors for non-adherence to PERT. Semi-structured interviews with 24 patients revealed that the reasons for non-adherence also included lack of knowledge, self-adjustment of PERT, lifetime of medication, side effects of PERT, forgetfulness, financial burdens, and accessibility issues. The adherence to PERT was poor among patients with CP in East China. Healthcare providers should personalize medication strategies to improve patients' MA.

Serpine2, a potential novel target for combating melanoma metastasis.

Early stages of melanoma can be treated by surgical resection of tumor, but there is still no effective treatment once it is progressed to metastatic phases. Although growing family of both metastasis promoting and metastasis suppressor genes have been reported, the molecular mechanisms governing melanoma metastatic cascade are still not completely understood. Therefore, defining the molecules that govern melanoma metastasis may aid the development of more effective therapeutic strategies for combating cancer. In the present study, we found that Serpin Peptidase Inhibitor 2, Serpine2 was involved in the metastasis of melanoma cells. The requirement of Serpine2 in the migration of melanoma cells was confirmed by gene silencing and over-expression in vitro. Moreover, down-regulation of Serpine2 expression strikingly inhibited melanoma cellular metastasis in vivo. Finally, we found that Serpine2 promotes melanoma metastasis through the glycogen synthesis kinase 3ß, GSK-3ß signaling pathway. To conclude, our findings suggested a novel mechanism underlying the metastasis of melanoma cells which might serve as a new intervention target for the treatment of melanoma.

Investigation and analysis of incidence of awareness in patients undergoing cardiac surgery in Beijing, China.

BACKGROUND: Awareness under general anesthesia is a serious complication which leads to psychiatric disorders. The incidence of awareness in patients undergoing cardiac surgery has been reported in as many as 1.5% - 23% in foreign countries. But so far, medical literature about awareness during cardiac surgery is still rare in China. Therefore, we investigated the incidence of awareness in patients undergoing different kinds of cardiac surgery, the phases when awareness occurred and the effect of cardiopulmonary bypass on the incidence of awareness in coronary artery bypass grafting in Beijing. METHODS: Patients' recall of awareness during cardiac surgery was assessed. One hundred patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in Chaoyang Hospital, Beijing, one hundred patients undergoing CABG and one hundred patients undergoing valve replacement or septal defect repair in Fuwai Hospital, Beijing, were interviewed 3-6 days after surgery. Every report about patients on recall of awareness was recorded. An independent research team, blinded to patients' surgery and anesthesia, assessed every report of awareness. RESULTS: The incidence of awareness of patients received CABG under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), off -pump CABG, septal repair or valve replacement under CPB was 4.7% (5 of 106 cases), 9.6% (9 of 94 cases) and 4% (4 of 100 cases), respectively. CPB did not greatly affect the incidence of awareness during the period of CABG (P > 0.05). The incidence of awareness of patients who received CABG under CPB did not increase significantly, in comparison with that of patients who received septal repair or valve replacement under CPB in Fuwai Hospital (P > 0.05). Awareness easily occurred before bypass grafting or CPB. CONCLUSIONS: Awareness mainly occurs before bypass grafting or CPB in cardiac surgery. Most cases with awareness have auditory perceptions. CPB is not a main factor which affects the incidence of awareness of CABG. Surgical types do not affect the incidence of awareness of patients under CPB.

[Computer aid design of antisense oligonucleotide in gene therapy--review].

In this paper, the situation on antisense oligonucleotide as a means of gene therapy was outlined, and the main factors impeding its progress at present was summarized. The one of main factors is the efficiency of antisense oligonucleotide as a drug and the other is the side-effect in clinical use. At the level of cell and gene, these influential factors were analyzed in detail. The main factor that makes side-effect in using antisense oligonucleotide is the difficulty to distinguish effectively homologous-gene from target gene. The another factor is the secondary structure and three-dimensional structure of target gene that seriously affect antisense oligonucleotide to arrive at target position. The third problem is what can affect antisense oligonucleotide transmission and quick annealing. How use computer technique to analyze fully the target gene of antisense oligonucleotide including the secondary structure and homology of target gene, and to design effective antisense oligonucleotide, in order to reduce its side-effect in clinical use of antisense oligonucleotide as a drug of gene therapy, and the computer-aid design method were described.