The skin photoprotective effect of trilinolein: Induction of cellular autophagy via the AMPK-mTOR signaling pathway.

Trilinolein (TL) is an active substance contained in traditional Chinese herbs; modern studies have shown that trilinolein has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects on the body. This study delves into the photoprotective effect of trilinolein on UVB-irradiated Human Skin Fibroblast (HSF) cells and the underlying mechanisms. Our findings reveal that trilinolein had a photoprotective effect on HSF cells: trilinolein enhanced cellular autophagy, restored UVB-inhibited cell proliferative viability, and curbing UVB-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptosis. Intriguingly, after inhibition of TL-induced autophagy via wortmannin, diminished trilinolein's photoprotective effects. Meanwhile, trilinolein was shown to modulate the AMPK-mTOR signaling pathway, thus enhance cellular autophagy in HSF cells, and this tendency was suppressed after the administration of compound C (AMPK inhibitor). In a mouse model of skin photodamage, trilinolein significantly mitigated photodamage extent through morphological and histopathological analyses. This study illuminates trilinolein could inhibit the photodamaging effects of UVB irradiation by regulating cellular autophagy through the AMPK-mTOR signaling pathway, suggesting its promising application in combating UV-induced skin disorders.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Promote Polarization of M2 Macrophages in Mice with Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure via Mertk/JAK1/STAT6 Signaling.

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a severe disease with a high mortality. Macrophage-related inflammation plays a crucial role in ACLF development. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) treatment was demonstrated to be beneficial in ACLF in our previous study; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Therefore, mouse bone marrow-derived MSCs were used to treat an ACLF mouse model or cocultured with RAW264.7/J774A.1 macrophages that were stimulated with LPS. Histological and serological parameters and survival were analyzed to evaluate efficacy. We detected changes of Mer tyrosine kinase (Mertk), JAK1/STAT6, inflammatory cytokines, and markers of macrophage polarization in vitro and in vivo. In ACLF mice, MSCs improved liver function and 48-h survival of ACLF mice and alleviated inflammatory injury by promoting M2 macrophage polarization and elevated Mertk expression levels in macrophages. This is significant, as Mertk regulates M2 macrophage polarization via the JAK1/STAT6 signaling pathway.

Targeting the Gut-Kidney Axis in Diarrhea with Kidney-Yang Deficiency Syndrome: The Role of Sishen Pills in Regulating TMAO-Mediated Inflammatory Response.

BACKGROUND Sishen Pills (SSPs) are commonly used to treat diarrhea with kidney-yang deficiency syndrome. Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) is produced through the metabolism of gut microbiota and can participate in diarrhea in kidney-yang deficiency syndrome by mediating the "gut-kidney axis" to transmit inflammatory factors. This study combined network pharmacology with animal experiments to explore whether SSPs can treat diarrhea with kidney-yang deficiency syndrome by affecting the interaction between TMAO and gut microbiota. MATERIAL AND METHODS A mouse model of diarrhea with kidney-yang deficiency syndrome was constructed by using adenine and Folium sennae decoction, and SSP decoction was used for treatment. This study utilized network pharmacology to predict the potential mechanisms of SSPs in treating diarrhea with kidney-yang deficiency syndrome. 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing was used to analyze gut mucosal microbial characteristics. ELISA was used to measure TMAO, NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3 (NLRP3), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), and transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) levels. We performed Masson and immunohistochemical (Occludin, ZO-1) staining of kidney and small intestinal tissues. The fluorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolysis spectrophotometric method was used to assess the microbial activity in contents of the small intestine. RESULTS Network pharmacology analysis revealed that SSPs can modulate 108 target points involved in the development of diarrhea, including IL-1ß and TNF. The experimental results demonstrated that SSP decoction significantly improved the general behavioral profiles of the mice, and also reduced TMAO, NLRP3, IL-1ß, and TGF-ß1 levels (P<0.05). Correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlations between TMAO concentrations and NLRP3, IL-1ß and TGF-ß1 levels (P<0.05). Pathological analysis revealed improvements in renal fibrosis and increased expression of the Occludin and ZO-1 proteins in intestinal tissue. In the SSP group, there was a significant increase in microbial activity (P<0.001). According to the sequencing results, the characteristic bacteria of the SSP and NR groups included Succinatimonas hippei, uncultured Solirubrobacter sp., and Clostridium tyrobutyricum. Furthermore, TMAO, NLRP3, IL-1ß, and TGF-ß1 were significantly positively correlated (P<0.05) with Succinatimonas hippei and Clostridium tyrobutyricum. By modulating Firmicutes, Succinatimonas hippei, and Clostridium tyrobutyricum, SSP decoction lowers TMAO levels to alleviate diarrhea with kidney-yang deficiency syndrome. CONCLUSIONS TMAO likely plays a significant role in the "gut-kidney axis" of diarrhea with kidney-yang deficiency syndrome. By adjusting gut microbiota to reduce the inflammatory response that is transmitted through the "gut-kidney axis" as a result of elevated TMAO levels, SSP decoction can alleviate diarrhea with kidney-yang deficiency syndrome.

Uterine Notch2 facilitates pregnancy recognition and corpus luteum maintenance via upregulating decidual Prl8a2.

The maternal recognition of pregnancy is a necessary prerequisite for gestation maintenance through prolonging the corpus luteum lifespan and ensuring progesterone production. In addition to pituitary prolactin and placental lactogens, decidual derived prolactin family members have been presumed to possess luteotropic effect. However, there was a lack of convincing evidence to support this hypothesis. Here, we unveiled an essential role of uterine Notch2 in pregnancy recognition and corpus luteum maintenance. Uterine-specific deletion of Notch2 did not affect female fertility. Nevertheless, the expression of decidual Prl8a2, a member of the prolactin family, was downregulated due to Notch2 ablation. Subsequently, we interrupted pituitary prolactin function to determine the luteotropic role of the decidua by employing the lipopolysaccharide-induced prolactin resistance model, or blocking the prolactin signaling by prolactin receptor-Fc fusion protein, or repressing pituitary prolactin release by dopamine receptor agonist bromocriptine, and found that Notch2-deficient females were more sensitive to these stresses and ended up in pregnancy loss resulting from abnormal corpus luteum function and insufficient serum progesterone level. Overexpression of Prl8a2 in Notch2 knockout mice rescued lipopolysaccharide-induced abortion, highlighting its luteotropic function. Further investigation adopting Rbpj knockout and DNMAML overexpression mouse models along with chromatin immunoprecipitation assay and luciferase analysis confirmed that Prl8a2 was regulated by the canonical Notch signaling. Collectively, our findings demonstrated that decidual prolactin members, under the control of uterine Notch signaling, assisted pituitary prolactin to sustain corpus luteum function and serum progesterone level during post-implantation phase, which was conducive to pregnancy recognition and maintenance.

AOB Nitrosospira cluster 3a.2 (D11) dominates N2O emissions in fertilised agricultural soils.

Ammonia-oxidation process directly contribute to soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in agricultural soils. However, taxonomy of the key nitrifiers (within ammonia oxidising bacteria (AOB), archaea (AOA) and complete ammonia oxidisers (comammox Nitrospira)) responsible for substantial N2O emissions in agricultural soils is unknown, as is their regulation by soil biotic and abiotic factors. In this study, cumulative N2O emissions, nitrification rates, abundance and community structure of nitrifiers were investigated in 16 agricultural soils from major crop production regions of China using microcosm experiments with amended nitrogen (N) supplemented or not with a nitrification inhibitor (nitrapyrin). Key nitrifier groups involved in N2O emissions were identified by comparative analyses of the different treatments, combining sequencing and random forest analyses. Soil cumulative N2O emissions significantly increased with soil pH in all agricultural soils. However, they decreased with soil organic carbon (SOC) in alkaline soils. Nitrapyrin significantly inhibited soil cumulative N2O emissions and AOB growth, with a significant inhibition of the AOB Nitrosospira cluster 3a.2 (D11) abundance. One Nitrosospira multiformis-like OTU phylotype (OTU34), which was classified within the AOB Nitrosospira cluster 3a.2 (D11), had the greatest importance on cumulative N2O emissions and its growth significantly depended on soil pH and SOC contents, with higher growth at high pH and low SOC conditions. Collectively, our results demonstrate that alkaline soils with low SOC contents have high N2O emissions, which were mainly driven by AOB Nitrosospira cluster 3a.2 (D11). Nitrapyrin can efficiently reduce nitrification-related N2O emissions by inhibiting the activity of AOB Nitrosospira cluster 3a.2 (D11). This study advances our understanding of key nitrifiers responsible for high N2O emissions in agricultural soils and their controlling factors, and provides vital knowledge for N2O emission mitigation in agricultural ecosystems.

Diarrhea accompanies intestinal inflammation and intestinal mucosal microbiota dysbiosis during fatigue combined with a high-fat diet.

OBJECTIVE: It was reported fatigue or a high-fat diet triggers diarrhea, and intestinal microbiota may play central roles in diarrhea. Therefore, we investigated the association between the intestinal mucosal microbiota and the intestinal mucosal barrier from fatigue combined with a high-fat diet. METHOD: This study divided the Specific pathogen-free (SPF) male mice into the normal group (MCN) and the standing united lard group (MSLD). The MSLD group stood on water environment platform box for 4 h/day for 14 days, and 0.4 mL lard was gavaged from day 8, twice daily for 7 days. RESULT: After 14 days, Mice in the MSLD group showed diarrhea symptoms. The pathological analysis showed structural damage to the small intestine in the MSLD group, with an increasing trend of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-17, and inflammation accompanied by structural damage to the intestine. Fatigue combined with a high-fat diet considerably decreased Limosilactobacillus vaginalis and Limosilactobacillus reuteri, and among them, Limosilactobacillus reuteri positively associated with Muc2 and negatively with IL-6. CONCLUSION: The interactions between Limosilactobacillus reuteri and intestinal inflammation might be involved in the process of intestinal mucosal barrier impairment in fatigue combined with high-fat diet-induced diarrhea.

The effectiveness of postoperative rehabilitation interventions that include breathing exercises to prevent pulmonary atelectasis in lung cancer resection patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The main aim of this systematic review was to determine the effectiveness of postoperative rehabilitation interventions that include breathing exercises as a component to prevent atelectasis in lung cancer resection patients. METHODS: In this review, we systematically and comprehensively searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science in English and CNKI and Wanfang in Chinese from 2012 to 2022. The review included any randomized controlled trials focusing on the effectiveness of postoperative rehabilitation interventions that include breathing exercises to prevent pulmonary atelectasis in lung cancer patients. Participants who underwent anatomic pulmonary resection and received postoperative rehabilitation interventions that included breathing exercises as a component were included in this review. The study quality and risks of bias were measured with the GRADE and Cochrane Collaboration tools, and statistical analysis was performed utilizing RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: The incidence of atelectasis was significantly lower in the postoperative rehabilitation intervention group (OR = 0.35; 95% CI, 0.18 to 0.67; I2 = 0%; P = 0.67) than in the control group. The patients who underwent the postoperative rehabilitation program that included breathing exercises (intervention group) had higher forced vital capacity (FVC) scores (MD = 0.24; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.41; I2 = 73%; P = 0.02), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) scores (MD = 0.31; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.60; I2 = 98%; P < 0.01) and FEV1/FVC ratios (MD = 9.09; 95% CI, 1.50 to 16.67; I2 = 94%; P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Postoperative rehabilitation interventions that included breathing exercises decreased the incidence rate of atelectasis and improved lung function by increasing the FVC, FEV1, and FEV1/FVC ratio.

Telenursing needs and influencing factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A cross-sectional study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the relationship between the demand for telenursing and the chronic illness resources available to patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), as well as the factors that affect this requirement. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. METHODS: This study included 586 participants with T2DM. A telenursing needs questionnaire developed by the research team was used to assess the telenursing needs of patients with T2DM, and the Chinese version of the Chronic Illness Resources Survey was used to assess the participants' community chronic disease resources. A one-way ANOVA and multiple regression analysis were used to determine the factors influencing the demand for telenursing and to estimate the relationship between chronic illness resources and the need for telenursing. The STROBE checklist was followed. RESULTS: The patients' telenursing needs, ranked from high to low, are as follows: individualized skills and safety; basic disease care; psychological and spiritual needs; respect and social support; and high-level health management. The chronic disease resource score was 3.47 ± .02, which suggested that patients with T2DM have relatively rich disease resources. Multiple regression analyses showed that resources for chronic diseases, the course of diabetes and complications, family income and other chronic diseases accounted for 79.6% of the variance in T2DM patients' telenursing needs. CONCLUSIONS: The telenursing needs of patients with T2DM are prominent, and primarily focus on basic nursing needs for the disease. To some extent, chronic disease resources affect the telenursing needs of patients with T2DM. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: It is crucial to pay attention to research on telenursing for T2DM patients from the patients' perspective. Enhancing resources for chronic diseases may help meet the telenursing needs of T2DM patients. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Parents and diabetes management specialists participated in designing the telenursing needs questionnaire.

[Association between early-life factors and pubertal timing in girls]. / ç”Ÿå‘½æ—©æœŸå› ç´ ä¸Žå¥³ç”Ÿé’æ˜¥å‘åŠ¨æ—¶ç›¸çš„å ³è”åˆ†æž.

OBJECTIVES: To study the association between early-life factors (including birth weight, method of birth, gestational age, and history of gestational metabolic disorders) and pubertal timing in girls. METHODS: The stratified cluster sampling method was used to select the girls in grades 2-3 and 7-8 from three primary schools and three middle schools in Guangzhou, China from March to December, 2019, and breast development was examined for all girls. A questionnaire survey was performed to collect the information on early-life factors. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to evaluate the association of gestational metabolic disorders, birth weight, method of birth, and gestational age with pubertal timing in girls. The Bootstrap method was used to assess the mediation effect of body mass index (BMI) (Z score) between high birth weight (≥4 000 g) and pubertal timing. RESULTS: A total of 1 665 girls were enrolled, among whom 280 (16.82%) were judged to have early pubertal timing. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that high birth weight was associated with the increased risk of early pubertal timing (OR=2.12, 95%CI: 1.19-3.66, P=0.008). Nevertheless, no significant association was observed between other early-life factors and pubertal timing (P>0.05). The OR for the mediation effect of BMI (Z score) between high birth weight and early pubertal timing was 1.25 (95%CI: 1.09-1.47), accounting for 29.33% of the total effect of high birth weight on early pubertal timing. CONCLUSIONS: High birth weight is associated with the increased risk of early pubertal timing in girls, and overweight/obesity may play a partial mediating role in the association between high birth weight and early pubertal timing in girls.

[Clinical and genetic analyses of Joubert syndrome in children]. / 儿童Joubertç»¼åˆå¾ä¸´åºŠåŠé—ä¼ å­¦åˆ†æž.

OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical and genetic features of Joubert syndrome (JS) in children. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data, genetic data, and follow-up data of 20 children who were diagnosed with JS in the Department of Children's Rehabilitation, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, from January 2017 to July 2022. RESULTS: Among the 20 children with JS, there were 11 boys and 9 girls. The common clinical manifestations were developmental delay (20 children, 100%), abnormal eye movement (19 children, 95%), and hypotonia (16 children, 80%), followed by abnormal respiratory rhythm in 5 children (25%) and unusual facies (including prominent forehead, low-set ears, and triangular mouth) in 3 children (15%), and no limb deformity was observed. All 20 children (100%) had the typical "molar tooth sign" and "midline cleft syndrome" on head images, and 6 children (30%) had abnormal eye examination results. Genetic testing was performed on 7 children and revealed 6 pathogenic genes, i.e., the CPLANE1, RPGRIP1L, MKS1, CC2D2A, CEP120, and AHI1 genes. CONCLUSIONS: For children with developmental delay, especially those with abnormal eye movement and hypotonia, it is recommended to perform a head imaging examination to determine the presence or absence of "molar tooth sign" and "midline cleft syndrome", so as to screen for JS to avoid missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis. There are many pathogenic genes for JS, and whole-exome sequencing can assist in the diagnosis of JS.

Lactase bacteria in intestinal mucosa are associated with diarrhea caused by high-fat and high-protein diet.

BACKGROUND: Excessive fat and protein in food can cause diarrhea by disturbing the intestinal microecology. Lactase is a functional enzyme strongly associated with diarrhea, while lactase bacteria in the intestine are an important source of microbial lactase. Therefore, we reconnoiter the relationship between diarrhea induced by a high-fat and high-protein diet (HFHPD) and intestinal mucosal lactase bacteria from the perspective of functional genes. RESULT: Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) were 23 and 31 in the normal group (NM) and model group (MD), respectively, and 11 of these were identical. The Chao1 and Observed specie indexes in the MD were higher than those in the NM, but this was not significant (P > 0.05). Meanwhile, the Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and Adonis test showed that the community structures of lactase bacteria in NM and MD were significantly different (P < 0.05). In taxonomic composition, lactase bacteria on the intestinal mucosa were sourced from Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. Where Actinobacteria were higher in NM, and Proteobacteria were higher in MD. At the genus level, Bifidobacterium was the dominant genus (over 90% of the total). Compared to NM, the abundance of Bifidobacterium were lower in MD, while MD added sources for lactase bacteria of Rhizobium, Amycolatopsis, and Cedecea. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that HFHPD altered the community structure of lactase bacteria in the intestinal mucosa, decreased the abundance of the critical lactase bacteria, and promoted the occurrence of diarrhea.

The impact of serum thyroid-stimulation hormone levels on the outcome of hepatitis B virus related acute-on-chronic liver failure: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: Thyroid dysfunction has been reported in severe liver diseases. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of serum thyroid-stimulation hormone (TSH) levels on the prognosis of patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 1,862 patients with HBV-related ACLF. Risk factors associated with 30-day and 90-day survival, hazard ratios (HRs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for TSH were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression. The Area Under the ROC curve (AUROC) analysis was carried out, and the cut-off values were calculated. After grouping by the cut-off value, survival was compared between the groups using the log-rank test. This study data is from the "Survival Cohort Study (SCS)", which has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03992898). RESULTS: Multivariate analysis indicated that an elevated TSH level was a highly significant predictor for 30-day survival (HR = 0.743, 95% CI: 0.629-0.878, P < 0.001) and 90-day survival (HR = 0.807, 95% CI: 0.717-0.909, P < 0.001). The AUROC of TSH level for 30-day and 90-day mortality were 0.655 and 0.620, respectively, with the same best cut-off values of 0.261 µIU/mL. Log-rank test showed that the group with higher TSH level had higher 30-day (78.5%, 95% CI: 76.1%-80.9% vs. 56.9%, 95% CI: 53.4%-60.4%; P < 0.001) and 90-day survival rate (61.5%, 95% CI: 58.6%-64.4% vs. 42.8%, 95% CI: 39.3%-46.3%; P < 0.001). Similar findings were observed in subgroups analysis. After adjusting for age and other risk factors, the higher level of TSH remained associated with 30-day survival (HR = 0.602, 95% CI: 0.502-0.721, P < 0.001) and 90-day survival (HR = 0.704, 95% CI, 0.609-0.814, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Serum TSH level significantly correlate with HBV-related ACLF patients' survival and may be of value for predicting 30-day and 90-day survival of patients with HBV-related ACLF.

Paenibacillus arenilitoris sp. nov., isolated from seashore sand and genome mining revealed the biosynthesis potential as antibiotic producer.

Strain IB182493T, a marine, aerobic, Gram-stain-negative and motile bacterium, was isolated from seashore sand of South China Sea. Cells grew optimally at 25-30 °C, pH 7.0-8.0 and with 2-4% NaCl (w/v). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison revealed that the strain formed a distinct lineage within the genus Paenibacillus, and was most closely related to Paenibacillus harenae DSM 16969 T (similarity 96.6%) and Paenibacillus alkaliterrae DSM 17040 T (similarity 96.1%). The chemotaxonomic characteristics of strain IB182493T included MK-7 as the predominant isoprenoid quinone, anteiso-C15:0 and iso-C16:0 as the major cellular fatty acids and meso-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diaminoacid in cell wall peptidoglycan. The polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol and two unidentified phospholipids. The DNA G + C content of strain IB182493T was 56.2 %. The values of whole genome average nucleotide identity (ANI) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) between the isolate and the closely related type strains were less than 84.7% and 23.6%, respectively. On the basis of phenotypic and chemotaxonomic properties, phylogenetic distinctiveness and genomic data, we named the strain as Paenibacillus arenilitoris sp. nov. and proposed that strain IB182493T (= MCCC 1K04626T = JCM 34215 T) in the genus Paenibacillus represents a novel species.

Contributions of HOTAIR polymorphisms to the susceptibility of cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Hox transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR), a lncRNA, functions as a critical regulator in cancer development. A plenty of case-control studies were conducted to assess the actual relationship of HOTAIR gene generic variants on cancer susceptibility, yet conflicting conclusions remain. Herein, we carried out this up-to-date meta-analysis to get a better understanding of such relationship by incorporating all eligible case-control studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six widely investigated polymorphisms were included in this meta-analysis: rs920778, rs4759314, rs7958904, rs874945, rs1899663, and rs12826786. We retrieved relevant studies from databases PubMed, EMBASE, Medline, CNKI and Wanfang update to June 2020. We applied odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to estimate the relationship strengths. RESULTS: Our findings indicate that rs920778, rs4759314, rs874945, rs12826786 polymorphism significantly increased with susceptibility to overall cancer. However, rs7958904, rs1899663 under any five genetic models could not impact susceptibility to overall cancer. Furthermore, altered cancer risk was detected when the data were stratified by cancer type, ethnicity, the source of controls, and HWE in all the SNPs. CONCLUSIONS: These findings of the meta-analysis suggest that HOTAIR polymorphisms may predispose to cancer susceptibility.

[Effect of rehabilitation treatment based on the ICF-CY Core Sets on activities of daily living in children with cerebral palsy: a prospective randomized controlled study].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of rehabilitation treatment based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-Children and Youth Version (ICF-CY) Core Sets on activities of daily living in children with cerebral palsy. METHODS: The children with cerebral palsy were divided into an observation group (n=63) and a control group (n=59) using a random number table. The children in the observation group were evaluated using the brief ICF-CY Core Sets for children under 6 years to identify intervention targets and develop rehabilitation plans and goals, and then specific methods were selected for rehabilitation treatment. The children in the control group were evaluated and treated with the traditional rehabilitation mode. The scores of the Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM) and the Infants-Junior Middle School Students' Social-Life Abilities Scale were assessed for both groups before treatment and after three courses of treatment. The intervention of environmental factors was compared between the two groups. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the scores of the WeeFIM and Social-Life Abilities scales between the two groups before treatment (P > 0.05). After treatment, both groups had significant increases in the scores of the WeeFIM and Social-Life Abilities scales (P < 0.001). The observation group had significantly higher scores of WeeFIM and Social-Life Abilities scales than the control group after treatment (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the use rate of orthosis between the two groups (P > 0.05), but the use rate of assistive devices for self-help, transfer and communication, the rate of facility renovation, and the rate of family rehabilitation guidance in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The rehabilitation treatment regimen for cerebral palsy based on the CF-CY Core Sets pays more attention to the influence of environmental factors in the process of rehabilitation and can effectively improve the activities of daily living of children with cerebral palsy.

Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of pediatric SARS-CoV-2 infections in China: A multicenter case series.

BACKGROUND: As of April 18, 2020, over 2,000,000 patients had been diagnosed with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) globally, and more than 140,000 deaths had been reported. The clinical and epidemiological characteristics of adult patients have been documented recently. However, information on pediatric patients is limited. We describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of pediatric patients to provide valuable insight into the early diagnosis and assessment of COVID-19 in children. METHODS AND FINDINGS: This retrospective, observational study involves a case series performed at 4 hospitals in West China. Thirty-four pediatric patients with COVID-19 were included from January 27 to February 23, 2020. The final follow-up visit was completed by March 16, 2020. Clinical and epidemiological characteristics were analyzed on the basis of demographic data, medical history, laboratory tests, radiological findings, and treatment information. Data analysis was performed for 34 pediatrics patients with COVID-19 aged from 1 to 144 months (median 33.00, interquartile range 10.00-94.25), among whom 14 males (41%) were included. All the patients in the current study presented mild (18%) or moderate (82%) forms of COVID-19. A total of 48% of patients were noted to be without a history of exposure to an identified source. Mixed infections of other respiratory pathogens were reported in 16 patients (47%). Comorbidities were reported in 6 patients (18%). The most common initial symptoms were fever (76%) and cough (62%). Expectoration (21%), vomiting (12%), and diarrhea (12%) were also reported in a considerable portion of cases. A substantial increase was detected in serum amyloid A for 17 patients (among 20 patients with available data; 85%) and in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein for 17 patients (among 29 patients with available data; 59%), whereas a decrease in prealbumin was noticed in 25 patients (among 32 patients with available data; 78%). In addition, significant increases in the levels of lactate dehydrogenase and α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase were detected in 28 patients (among 34 patients with available data; 82%) and 25 patients (among 34 patients with available data; 74%), respectively. Patchy lesions in lobules were detected by chest computed tomographic scans in 28 patients (82%). Ground-glass opacities, which were a typical feature in adults, were rare in pediatric patients (3%). Rapid radiologic progression and a late-onset pattern of lesions in the lobules were also noticed. Lesions in lobules still existed in 24 (among 32 patients with lesions; 75%) patients that were discharged, although the main symptoms disappeared a few days after treatment. All patients were discharged, and the median duration of hospitalization was 10.00 (8.00-14.25) days. The current study was limited by the small sample size and a lack of dynamic detection of inflammatory markers. CONCLUSIONS: Our data systemically presented the clinical and epidemiological features, as well as the outcomes, of pediatric patients with COVID-19. Stratified analysis was performed between mild and moderate cases. The findings offer new insight into early identification and intervention in pediatric patients with COVID-19.

Assessment of the Phenolic Profiles, Hypoglycemic Activity, and Molecular Mechanism of Different Highland Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Varieties.

The phenolic profiles, hypoglycemic activity, and molecular mechanism of the effect on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) of four highland barley varieties were investigated in the present study. The fundamental phenolics in highland barley were ferulic acid, naringin, and catechin, which mainly existed in bound form. These varieties showed favorable hypoglycemic activity via inhibition of α-glucosidase and α-amylase activities, enhancement of glucose consumption, glycogen accumulation and glycogen synthase 2 (GYS2) activity, and down-regulation of glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) activities. Specifically, ZQ320 variety exhibited the strongest hypoglycemic activity compared to the other varieties. Highland barley phenolics could inhibit gluconeogenesis and motivate glycogen synthesis via down-regulating the gene expression of G6Pase, PEPCK, and glycogen synthase kinase 3ß (GSK3ß), while activating the expression of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K), serine/threonine kinase (Akt), GYS2, and glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4). Therefore, phenolics from highland barley could be served as suitable candidates for therapeutic agent in T2DM to improve human health.

Effects of Orange Extracts on Longevity, Healthspan, and Stress Resistance in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Orange, with various bioactive phytochemicals, exerts various beneficial health effects, including anti-cancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. However, its anti-aging effects remain unclear. In this study, the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) model was used to evaluate the effects of orange extracts on lifespan and stress resistance. The results indicated that orange extracts dose-dependently increased the mean lifespan of C. elegans by 10.5%, 18.0%, and 26.2% at the concentrations of 100, 200, and 400 mg/mL, respectively. Meanwhile, orange extracts promoted the healthspan by improving motility, and decreasing the accumulation of age pigment and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels without damaging fertility. The survival rates of orange extract-fed worms were obviously higher than those of untreated worms against thermal and ultraviolet-B (UV-B) stress. Moreover, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were significantly enhanced while malondialdehyde (MDA) contents were diminished. Further investigation revealed that worms supplemented with orange extracts resulted in upregulated levels of genes, including daf-16, sod-3, gst-4, sek-1, and skn-1, and the downregulation of age-1 expression. These findings revealed that orange extracts have potential anti-aging effects through extending the lifespan, enhancing stress resistance, and promoting the healthspan.

[Autosomal dominant intellectual disability-40 caused by a de novo mutation of the CHAMP1 gene: a case report].

A boy, aged 6 months, had the manifestations of intellectual and motor developmental delay, head instability, general weakness, unawareness of grasping objects by hands, and unusual facies (slightly wide eye distance, epicanthus, esotropia, mouth-opening appearance, short philtrum, and low-set ears). Gene detection results showed a de novo heterozygous frameshift mutation of the CHAMP1 gene at the chromosomal location of chr13:115089847, and nuclear acid was changed to c.530delCinsTTT, resulting in a change in amino acid to p.S177Ffs*2. Therefore, the boy was diagnosed with autosomal dominant intellectual disability-40 caused by the mutation in the CHAMP1 gene. This case report suggests that for children with unexplained intellectual disability, especially those with generalized hypotonia and severe language disorder, the possibility of CHAMP1 gene mutation should be considered, and genetic testing should be performed as early as possible.

[Clinical effectiveness of Subjective Global Nutritional Assessment in hospitalized children with cerebral palsy].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the nutritional status of children with cerebral palsy (CP) and the clinical effectiveness of Subjective Global Nutritional Assessment (SGNA) in nutritional assessment of hospitalized children with CP. METHODS: A total of 208 children with CP, aged 1-5 years, who were hospitalized from April to October 2019 were enrolled as subjects. SGNA was used to investigate nutritional status, and the Z-score method recommended by the World Health Organization was used as a reference standard to validate the clinical effectiveness of SGNA. RESULTS: The detection rate of malnutrition in children with CP was 42.3% by SGNA and 39.4% by the Z-score method (P>0.05). The application of SGNA showed high consistency between different evaluators (κ=0.621, P<0.001). With the Z-score method as the reference standard, SGNA had a sensitivity of 80.5%, a specificity of 82.5%, a positive predictive value of 75.0%, and a negative predictive value of 86.7%, and high consistency was observed between the two evaluation methods (κ=0.622, P<0.001). SGNA was moderately consistent with weight-for-age Z-score and height-for-age Z-score (κ=0.495 and 0.478 respectively, P<0.001) and was poorly consistent with weight-for-height Z-score (κ=0.197, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There is a relatively high incidence rate of malnutrition in children with CP. SGNA can be used as a tool to assess the nutritional status of children with CP.