Gender differences among long-stay inpatients with schizophrenia in China: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: We sought to examine the independent correlates of long-term hospitalization in a sample of Chinese inpatients with schizophrenia (SCZ) from a gender-based perspective. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that was carried out in a tertiary psychiatric hospital. All adult inpatients in this hospital were screened from January to March 2020, 251 of whom were identified as long-stay inpatients with SCZ (LSIS) and 224 as short-stay inpatients with SCZ (SSIS). Demographic and clinical information of the two groups was collected through medical records, scale assessments and interviews. Gender differences were analyzed, and independent correlates of long-stay between genders were explored by logistic regression analyses. Results: Compared to SSIS, greater proportions of LSIS patients were male (64.1%), single (82.1%), unemployed (81.7%) and had no family caregivers (54.2%). For LSIS per se, proportionally more males were single (88.8%), had no family caregiver (65.8%), had concomitant physical disease (65.2%) and had a history of hazardous behavior (27.3%) than their female counterparts. For females, the top independent risk factors for a long stay included poor functioning (OR = 5.9, 95% CI: 2.9-12.0), older age (OR = 4.3, 95% CI: 2.1-9.1) and being single (OR = 3.9, 95% CI: 1.8-8.4). Similar to women, both older age (OR = 5.3, 95% CI: 2.5-11.2) and poor functioning (OR = 4.0, 95% CI: 2.1-7.9) were also independent factors for long-term hospitalization of male patients; however, having no family caregiver (OR = 10.2, 95% CI: 4.6-22.6) was the primary risk factor for men. Conclusions: Both clinical and nonclinical factors play important roles in long-term hospitalization in Chinese patients with schizophrenia. There are overlaps and distinctions across genders with respect to the independent factors of long stays. These findings provide clues for developing better service strategies for this population, and highlight the importance of paying attention to gender differences in further research in this field.

Efficacy of erzhu jiedu recipe on hepatitis B cirrhosis with hyperalphafetoproteinemia: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B cirrhosis with hyperalphafetoproteinemia is the intermediate stage of liver cirrhosis progressing to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), there is no effective way to treat precancerous lesions of liver in modern medicine. In recent decades, clinical and experimental evidence shows that Chinese medicine (CM) has a certain beneficial effect on Hepatitis B Cirrhosis. Therefore, this trial aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a CM erzhu jiedu recipe (EZJDR) for the treatment of Hepatitis B Cirrhosis with Hyperalphafetoproteinemia. METHODS: We designed a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. A total of 72 patients of Hepatitis B Cirrhosis with hyperalphafetoproteinemia were randomized in 2 parallel groups. Patients in the control group received placebo granules similar to the EZJDR. In the EZJDR group, patients received EZJDR twice a day, after meals, for 48 weeks. The primary efficacy measures were changes in serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and alpha-fetoprotein alloplasm (AFP-L3); The secondary indicators of efficacy are changes in liver function indicators, HBV-DNA level; Liver stiffness measurement (LSM); Hepatic portal vein diameter; T lymphocyte subgroup indexes during treatment. All data will be recorded in case report forms and analyzed by Statistical Analysis System software. Adverse events will also be evaluated. RESULTS: The results showed that EZJDR can significantly inhibit the levels of AFP and AFP-L3 in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis and hyperalphafetoproteinemia and have good security. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study protocol was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Shuguang Hospital, affiliated with University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai (NO.2018-579-08-01). TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered on Chinese Clinical Trial Center (NO.ChiCTR1800017165).

[A method for detecting bovine leukocyte adhesion deficiency in Holstein calves using polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism analysis].

Bovine leukocyte adhesion deficiency (BLAD) is an autosomal recessive disease caused by A-->G mutation in the CD18 gene. The disease is characterized by greatly reduced expression of the heterodimeric beta2 integrin adhesion molecules on leukocytes, resulting in multiple defects in leukocyte function and significant deficits on performance traits in Holstein cattle. In this study, primers were designed to amplify the CD18 gene fragment and BLAD was detected by PCR-SSCP in a simple, highly accurate and high throughput manner. Results were confirmed by DNA sequencing. This study provides a more reliable and useful method for extensive screening of BLAD and also offers a theoretical basis for molecular diagnosis in Holstein calves.

Small envelope protein E of SARS: cloning, expression, purification, CD determination, and bioinformatics analysis.

AIM: To obtain the pure sample of SARS small envelope E protein (SARS E protein), study its properties and analyze its possible functions. METHODS: The plasmid of SARS E protein was constructed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the protein was expressed in the E coli strain. The secondary structure feature of the protein was determined by circular dichroism (CD) technique. The possible functions of this protein were annotated by bioinformatics methods, and its possible three-dimensional model was constructed by molecular modeling. RESULTS: The pure sample of SARS E protein was obtained. The secondary structure feature derived from CD determination is similar to that from the secondary structure prediction. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that the key residues of SARS E protein were much conserved compared to the E proteins of other coronaviruses. In particular, the primary amino acid sequence of SARS E protein is much more similar to that of murine hepatitis virus (MHV) and other mammal coronaviruses. The transmembrane (TM) segment of the SARS E protein is relatively more conserved in the whole protein than other regions. CONCLUSION: The success of expressing the SARS E protein is a good starting point for investigating the structure and functions of this protein and SARS coronavirus itself as well. The SARS E protein may fold in water solution in a similar way as it in membrane-water mixed environment. It is possible that beta-sheet I of the SARS E protein interacts with the membrane surface via hydrogen bonding, this beta-sheet may uncoil to a random structure in water solution.