New biopsy after antibiotic treatment: effect on outcomes of assisted reproduction in patients with infertility and chronic endometritis.

RESEARCH QUESTION: What is the effect of chronic endometritis on patients with infertility, the necessity of endometrial re-examination and the effect of improving chronic endometritis after one cycle of antibiotic treatment on pregnancy outcomes? DESIGN: Infertile patients (n = 4003) who underwent IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment were included. Pregnancy outcomes of groups positive for chronic endometritis were compared with groups that were negative (group 1). Patients that were positive were divided into the chronic endometritis new biopsy group (group 2) and chronic endometritis non-re-examination group (group 3). After doxycycline treatment and re-examination, the chronic endometritis new biopsy group was divided into improved chronic endometritis group (ICE) and not-improved chronic endometritis group (NICE), and their general indicators and reproductive outcomes were compared. RESULTS: No significant difference was observed in embryo implantation, early or late pregnancy loss, ectopic pregnancy, clinical pregnancy and live birth rates between groups 2 and 3. The clinical pregnancy and live birth rates in the NICE group were significantly lower than those in the ICE group (P = 0.008 and P = 0.001, respectively). After controlling for potential confounding factors, age, average number of high-quality embryos, endometrial thickness on the day of embryo transfer and number and type of embryo transfer were factors associated with live birth rates. CONCLUSIONS: Endometrial re-examination of women with chronic endometritis treated with doxycycline had no effect on pregnancy outcomes. The first cycle of doxycycline treatment could effectively improve reproductive outcomes of women with five or more CD138+ cells/high-power field.

Contrasting the Pb (II) and Cd (II) tolerance of Enterobacter sp. via its cellular stress responses.

Successful application of microorganisms to heavy metal remediation depends on their resistance to toxic metals. This study contrasted the differences of tolerant mechanisms between Pb2+ and Cd2+ in Enterobacter sp. Microbial respiration and production of formic acid showed that Enterobacter sp. had a higher tolerant concentration of Pb (>1000 mg l-1 ) than Cd (about 200 mg l-1 ). Additionally, SEM confirmed that most of Pb and Cd nanoparticles (NPs) were adsorbed onto cell membrane. The Cd stress, even at low concentration (50 mg l-1 ), significantly enlarged the sizes of cells. The cellular size raised from 0.4 × 1.0 to 0.9 × 1.6 µm on average, inducing a platelet-like shape. In contrast, Pb cations did not stimulate such enlargement even up to 1000 mg l-1 . Moreover, Cd NPs were adsorbed homogeneously by almost all the bacterial cells under TEM. However, only a few cells work as 'hot spots' on the sorption of Pb NPs. The heterogeneous sorption might result from a 'self-sacrifice' mechanism, i.e., some cells at a special life stage contributed mostly to Pb sorption. This mechanism, together with the lower mobility of Pb cations, caused higher microbial tolerance and removal efficiency towards Pb2+ . This study sheds evident contrasts of bacterial resistance to the two most common heavy metals.

Puzzling onsets of pneumonia sequentially after each session of bronchial thermoplasty: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) is a novel bronchoscopic intervention for severe persistent asthma. An increase in transient respiratory adverse events associated with BT were noted over the treatment periods, however, these events appear sporadic and should not always recur in a single individual and BT-related pneumonia has rarely been reported. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of uncontrolled severe asthma who developed puzzling pneumonia sequentially after each session of BT procedures. After each operation of three sequential BT procedures, she developed cough and purulent expectoration when her chest radiology showed new infiltrates right in the treatment regions. After empirical use of antibacterial agents plus physiotherapy and postural sputum drainage, her symptoms vanished and chest imaging resumed normal. CONCLUSION: The originality of our case report is related to the recurrence of pneumonia after three sequential BT procedures. To date, similar report has not been available in the literature. We hope to prompt alerts for post-BT respiratory infections, although most of them, along with other adverse events, are mild and tractable.

Application of Pb(II) to probe the physiological responses of fungal intracellular vesicles.

Vesicles (Ves) within fungal cells are the critical linkage between intracellular and extracellular systems. This study explored the application of Pb2+ to probe the physiology of intracellular Ves in Rhodotorula mucilaginosa (Rho). At low Pb2+ levels (0-500 mg/L), there was no evident change in the content of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) or microbial activity. At medium-high levels (1000-2000 mg/L), the sizes of Ves within the Rho cells were significantly enlarged, with abundant lead nano-particles (Pb NPs) formed either on the cell surface or interior, whereas the EPS content and bioactivity were still stable. At a high level (2500 mg/L), the Rho cells were severely deformed, with cell counts reduced by more than 99%. However, the EPS contents and the respiration rate of the surviving cells dramatically increased to the maximum values (i.e., 1785 mg/1010 cells and 37 mg C 10-10 cells h-1, respectively). The Ves surface adsorbed Pb cations with higher density, compared with the cell membrane. Moreover, fusion of some Ves to the membrane (functioning in transport) was observed under transmission electron microscope (TEM). Three pathways of detoxification via intracellular Ves were finally proposed, i.e., Ve-mediated transport (from intracellular to extracellular) of EPS components, absorption of Pb NPs on the Ve surface, and accumulation of Pb NPs within Ves. This study sheds light on the possibility of exploring microbial physiology via Pb2+ cations.

Impact of endometrial thickness during menstruation and endometrial scratching on the pregnancy in frozen-thawed embryo transfer.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the impact of endometrial thickness (EMT) during menstruation and endometrial scratching on the pregnancy in frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET). METHODS: About 1298 patients receiving FET were retrospectively analyzed and divided according to EMT on the 4th or 5th day of menstruation. Group A: EMT ≤ 3.0 mm; Group B: EMT 3.1-5.0 mm; Group C: EMT 5.1-7.0 mm and Group D: EMT > 7.0 mm. Patients in Group D were further divided to scratching group and nonscratching group. Endometrial growth was defined as the change in EMT from 4th or 5th day of menstruation to the day of embryo transferred. RESULTS: We found no significant differences in general conditions among four groups (P > 0.05). The average EMT during menstruation and differences in inter-group endometrial growth of four groups had statistical significance (P < 0.05). The pregnancy rate and implantation rate of Group D were significantly lower than other groups (P < 0.001). Pregnancy rate (68.29% vs 53.26%) and implantation rate (52.67% vs 36.34%) in endometrial scratching group were higher than those in nonscratching group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Higher EMT during menstruation adversely affects pregnancy outcomes following FET. Endometrial scratching may improve the receptivity of endometrium and increase the rate of embryo implantation and pregnancy.

[Comparison of the Effectiveness of Different Supraglottic Ventilation Methods during Bronchial Thermoplasty].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of high-frequency jet ventilation via Wei jet nasal airway and controlled ventilation with improved laryngeal mask airway during bronchial thermoplasty. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients undergoing bronchial thermoplasty were equally divided into two groups: group A (high-frequency jet ventilation through Wei jet nasal airway) and group B (controlled ventilation with improved laryngeal mask airway). Pulse oxygenation,heart rate,and mean arterial blood pressure were recorded after entering the operating room (T0), 1 minute after administration/induction (T1), bronchoscope inserting (T2), 15 minutes (T3)/30 minutes (T4)/45 minutes (T5) after ventilation,at the end of the operation (T6), and at the recovery of patients' consciousness (T7). The pH,arterial oxygen partial pressure,and arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure were recorded at T0, T4, and T6. The endoscope indwelling duration,operative time,patients' awakening time,adverse events during anesthesia,satisfactions of patients and operators, anesthesic effectiveness were also recorded. RESULTS: The arterial carbon dioxide partial pressur in group A at T4 and T6 were significantly higher than in group B (P<0.05). The pH in group A at T4 and T6 was significantly lower than in group B (P<0.05). The endoscope indwelling duration and the operative time in group B were significantly shorter than in group A (P<0.05) while the recovery of consciousness in group B was significantly longer than in group A (P<0.05). The satisfaction for operators and the efficacy of anesthesia in group B were better than in group A (P<0.05). The number of adverse events in group B was significantly smaller than in group A (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The improved laryngeal mask airway with controlled ventilation is more suitable for bronchial thermoplasty.

[Effectiveness and safety of bronchial thermoplasty in patients with severe asthma].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness and safety of bronchial thermoplasty (BT) in patients with severe asthma. METHOD: The China-Japan Friendship Hospital recruited 12 patients with severe asthma who were voluntary to take BT treatment from March 2014 to November 2014. The levels of airway inflammation and biological markers (percentage of blood eosinophils, percentage of sputum eosinophils, serum IgE, fractional exhaled nitric oxide) of the patients were examined before the treatment in order to identify the types of airway inflammation. The numbers of severe exacerbations and related hospitalizations within 1 year before and after BT were obtained for each patient. The occurrence of adverse events within 3 weeks after the treatment was collected. And the patient status within 1 year after the BT treatment was compared with that before the treatment, in terms of the number of severe exacerbations, exacerbation rate, the number of related hospitalizations, hospitalization rate and oral corticosteroid dose. RESULTS: For before and 1 year after the treatment, the numbers of subjects suffering severe exacerbations were 11 and 6, the numbers of total severe exacerbation were 76 and 16, the numbers of patients hospitalized due to acute attacks were 10 and 3, and the numbers of total hospitalizations were 56 and 6, respectively. The severe exacerbation rate, hospitalization rate and oral corticosteroid dose were significantly reduced 1 year after the treatment [(1.3±0.48 vs. 6.3±1.9) events/subject/year, (0.50±0.26 vs. 4.67±1.90) events/subject/year, (8.5±4.6 vs. 22.0±2.6) mg/d, P<0.05]. The most common adverse events within 3 weeks after BT treatment were cough (8 events), expectoration (20 events), temporary PEF reduction (7 events), wheezing (4 events), but most of these symptoms were relieved in 1 week. One subject suffered pneumonia after each of the 3 procedures but also recovered soon after an antibiotic therapy. No adverse events occurred because of BT treatment within 3 weeks after the treatment. Computed tomographic scans from baseline to 1 year after the BT treatment showed no structural abnormalities related to BT. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate the benefits of BT with regard to both asthma control (based on reduction in severe exacerbations and hospitalizations due to acute exacerbations) and safety. BT might offer a new approach to treating severe asthma.

[Airway inflammatory phenotypes of asthmatic patients].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the airway inflammatory phenotypes and clinical features of severe asthma compared to mild-moderate ("common") asthma. METHODS: A total of 946 cases of asthma were retrospectively analyzed in our hospital from January 2013 to December 2014. Sixty-one patients were classified to the severe asthma group, and 885 patients to the common asthma group. Severe asthma was diagnosed based on the protocol from ATS/ERS guidelines. All patients received induced sputum cell counts and pulmonary function tests, and 543 of them received fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) tests. The airway inflammatory phenotypes were defined and the clinical features of patients of severe asthma were studied. RESULTS: The distribution of airway inflammatory phenotypes of asthma was as follows: eosinophilic subtype (46.6%, 441/946), mixed granulocytic subtype (27.5%, 260/946), neutrophilic subtype (21.5%, 203/946), and paucigranulocytic subtype (4.4%, 42/946). There were no differences between the severe asthma group and the common asthma group in the distributions. Compared with common asthma patients, severe asthma patients had higher sputum eosinophil percentages (29.1 % ± 28.5% vs 22.2% ± 25.2%, t = 1.98, P < 0.05), higher FeNO values [(66.4 ± 64.1) ppb vs (48.0 ± 43.7) ppb, P < 0.01], lower percentages of FEV1% pred [(63.7 ± 24.1) % vs (84.7 ± 23.7)%, P < 0.01], and lower ratios of FEV1/FVC [(56.4 ± 15.1) % vs (69.1 ± 14.5)% P < 0.01]. In severe asthma patients, FeNO values were higher in the eosinophilic subtype and mixed granulocytic subtype (P < 0.05). Neutrophilic subtype patients had the lowest sputum eosinophil percentage [(1.8 ± 0.8)%, P < 0.01], the lowest percentage of FEV1% pred [(46.6 ± 16.1)%, P < 0.01], and the lowest ratios of FEV1/FVC [(45.2 ± 16.1)%, P < 0.01]. CONCLUSIONS: The common airway inflammatory phenotypes included eosinophilic subtype, mixed granulocytic subtype and neutrophilic subtype, in both severe and common asthma patients. Severe asthma patients had more severe eosinophilic airway inflammation and poorer lung function. Neutrophilic subtype might be the most intractable subtype with severely damaged pulmonary function in severe asthma.

The expression and distribution of aquaporin 3 in mouse embryos before and after vitrification.

PURPOSE: To determine the role of aquaporin 3 (AQP3) isoform in early embryonic development and protecting embryos subjected to freeze-thawing for assisted reproduction, we investigated the expression and distribution of AQP3 in mouse embryos at different developmental stages before and after vitrification. METHODS: Eight-cell embryos, morulae, and blastocysts were obtained from female mice that had been superovulated by controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. Immunofluorescence staining, laser confocal microscopy, and Western blot were used to determine the expression and distribution of AQP3 in preimplantation mouse embryos before and after vitrification. RESULTS: AQP3 was expressed at the 8-cell to blastocyst stage before and after vitrification. The expression and distribution of AQP3 was developmentally regulated at the 8-cell to blastocyst stage. The expression of AQP3 was significantly decreased in 8-cell embryos and early blastocysts after vitrification. However, at the morulae stage, the expression of AQP3 was increased after vitrification. CONCLUSIONS: The developmental and vitrification-dependent changes in AQP3 expression and distribution suggest that this transmembrane channel might regulate mouse embryo development and contribute to the protective response during vitrification.

Artesunate inhibits airway remodeling in asthma via the MAPK signaling pathway.

Background: Artesunate (ART), is a semi-synthetic water-soluble artemisinin derivative extracted from the plant Artemisia annua, which is often used to treating malaria. In vivo and in vitro studies suggested it may help decrease inflammation and attenuate airway remodeling in asthma. However, its underlying mechanism of action is not elucidated yet. Herein, an attempt is made to investigate the ART molecular mechanism in treating asthma. Methods: The BALB/c female mice sensitized via ovalbumin (OVA) have been utilized to establish the asthma model, followed by carrying out ART interventions. Lung inflammation scores by Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&E), goblet cell hyperplasia grade by Periodic Acid-Schiff (PAS), and collagen fibers deposition by Masson trichrome staining have been utilized for evaluating how ART affected asthma. RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analyses were performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The DEGs were analyzed by Gene Ontology (GO) terms, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, and Protein-Protein interaction (PPI) function analyses. Hub clusters were found by Cytoscape MCODE. Subsequently, Real-Time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) verified the mRNA expression profiles of DEGs. Finally, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blots have validated the relevant genes and potential pathways. Results: ART considerably attenuated inflammatory cell infiltration, mucus secretion, and collagen fibers deposition. KEGG pathway analysis revealed that the ART played a protective role via various pathways including the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway as one of them. Moreover, ART could alleviate the overexpression of found in inflammatory zone 1(FIZZ1) as revealed by IHC and Western blot analyses. ART attenuated OVA-induced asthma by downregulating phosphorylated p38 MAPK. Conclusion: ART exerted a protective function in a multitarget and multi-pathway on asthma. FIZZ1 was a possible target for asthma airway remodeling. The MARK pathway was one of the key pathways by which ART protected against asthma.

Role of clinical biomarkers in predicting the effectiveness of omalizumab.

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether baseline clinical biomarkers and characteristics can be used to predict the responsiveness of omalizumab. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of patients with severe asthma who received omalizumab treatment and collected their baseline data and relevant laboratory examination results along with case records of omalizumab treatment responsiveness after 16 weeks. We compared the differences in variables between the group of patients that responded to omalizumab therapy and the non-responder group, and then performed univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Finally, we analyzed the difference in response rate for subgroups by selecting cut-off values for the variables using Fisher's exact probability method. RESULTS: This retrospective, single-center observational study enrolled 32 patients with severe asthma who were prescribed daily high-dose inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting ß2 receptor agonists on long-acting muscarinic receptor antagonists with or without OCS. Data on age, sex, BMI, bronchial thermoplasty, FeNO, serum total IgE, FEV1, blood eosinophils, induced sputum eosinophils, blood basophils, and complications were not significantly different between the responder and non-responder groups. In the univariate and multivariate logistic regression, all the variants were not significant, and we were unable to build a regression model. We used normal high values and the mean or median of variables as cut-off values to create patient subgroups for the variables and found no significant difference in the omalizumab response rate between the subgroups. CONCLUSION: The responsiveness of omalizumab is not associated with pretreatment clinical biomarkers, and these biomarkers should not be used to predict the responsiveness of omalizumab.

Usage, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of an mHealth-based integrated modality for smoking cessation interventions in Western China.

INTRODUCTION: Many smokers have not accessed professional smoking cessation assistance due to limited smoking cessation services. We developed a novel mHealth-based integrated modality for smoking cessation (WeChat + Quitline modality, WQ modality) and applied it to a large public welfare project (China Western-QUIT Program) in western China. This study evaluated the usage, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of the WQ modality in the population of western China. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted between April and August 2021. Smokers or their relatives were recruited through online advertisements and medical staff referrals. After using the services of the WQ modality for one month, the self-reported awareness, use, and satisfaction with each service among the participants were collected by a telephone interview. We also evaluated the self-reported 7-day point prevalence of abstinence (PPA) and quit attempt rate among baseline current smokers. The usage data of each service were downloaded from quitline and WeChat platforms. RESULTS: Of the 17326 people from western China using the WQ modality, the largest number of users was WeChat official account (11173), followed by WeChat mini program (3734), WeChat group (669), and quitline (541 inbound calls, 605 outbound calls). At one month follow-up, over 70% of participants who completed the baseline survey (n=2221) were aware of WeChat-based services, and over 50% used them. However, the awareness rate (11.1%) and utilization rate (0.5%) of quitline were relatively low. The median satisfaction scores across all services were 9 out of 10 points (IQR: 8-9). Among the baseline current smokers (n=1257), self-reported 7-day PPA was 41.8% (526/1257), and another 225 smokers (17.9%) reported making a quit attempt. CONCLUSIONS: The WQ modality could be well used and accepted, and it has great potential to motivate and aid short-term smoking cessation in smokers from western China.

A Longitudinal Study of Trajectories and Factors Influencing Patient-Reported Outcomes in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Purpose: To explore the trajectory of patient-reported outcomes and the factors influencing them in patients with COPD. Patients and Methods: The study population, 236 patients with stable COPD who attended the outpatient clinic of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine in a tertiary care hospital in Nanning City between October 2020 and November 2021, answered the modified patient-reported outcome scale for COPD (mCOPD-PRO). Patient-reported outcomes were investigated at the time of the patient's outpatient visit (T1), 1 month after the visit (T2), 3 months after the visit (T3), and 6 months after the visit (T4). Latent class growth modeling was used to determine the number and shape of trajectories, and multinomial logistic regression analysis were used to explore influence factors of each class. Results: COPD patients' reported outcome trajectories were classified into 3 categories: health low-level group (14.80%), health risk group (54.70%), and good health group (30.50%). Logistic regression analysis showed that gender, BMI, smoking history, number of comorbidities, whether it was their first visit, and lung function classification were influential factors in patients' reported outcome trajectories (P<0.05). Female, obese, had a history of smoking, number of comorbid diseases >3, first diagnosis, and lung function class IV had a higher probability of entering the healthy low-level group. Conclusion: COPD patients have poor self-reported health levels during the first 6 months after the outpatient visit, and there is group heterogeneity in patient-reported outcome trajectories; medical staff should give patients specific nursing interventions based on their current development of COPD, self-reported changes, and other relevant influencing factors.

Health Priorities in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients with Multimorbidity: A Qualitative Study.

Purpose: To explore the health priorities of patients with multimorbidity in COPD and the factors as to why their condition is prioritized. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted from February to April 2022 at a hospital in China. A specially selected sample of 18 patients completed a general information sheet and face-to-face interviews. The Colaizzi method was used to analyze the data. Results: Participants reported their experience which fell into three themes: disease burden, health perception and views of others. In addition, participants explained that health knowledge from short videos on mobile apps influenced them, which in turn influenced their ranking. Conclusion: Our findings suggested that health priorities of patients with multimorbidity in COPD manifest differently. Specifically, our findings suggested that patients' health priorities are most influenced by disease burden, health perception, and the opinions of those around them. Nursing staff should fully understand each patients'own perspectives and provide them with personalized support.

Diagnostic and Staging Value of Serum Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme in Sarcoidosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the diagnostic and staging value of serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (sACE) in sarcoidosis. METHODS: Patients with suspected sarcoidosis treated in the Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine of the China-Japan Friendship Hospital from 2010 to 2020 were included. The data of sACE, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), complete blood count (CBC), lung function, bronchoalveolar lavage, and biopsy were collected. The differences between the sarcoidosis group and the nonsarcoidosis group and between different stages of sarcoidosis were compared. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used for the diagnostic test of sACE in sarcoidosis. RESULTS: A total of 84 cases with suspected sarcoidosis were included, among which 70 cases were confirmed to be sarcoidosis by biopsy. The mean value of sACE in sarcoidosis patients was 56.61 ± 30.80 U/L, which was significantly higher than that in nonsarcoidosis patients (28.07 ± 14.11 U/L, P = 0.001). The level of sACE in sarcoidosis patients with peripheral superficial lymph nodes and multiple system involvement was significantly higher than that in intrathoracic sarcoidosis patients (P = 0.009); the percentage of lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of sarcoidosis patients was 45.39 ± 22.87%, which was significantly higher than that of nonsarcoidosis patients (P < 0.001). There was no correlation between sACE and ESR (correlation coefficient = -0.167). According to ROC curve analysis, when sACE ≥ 44.0 U/L, the sensitivity of sarcoidosis diagnosis was 61.4%, the specificity was 92.9%, and the AUC was 0.819. CONCLUSION: sACE has a good specificity in the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. sACE values in patients with sarcoidosis with systemic involvement were higher than those with simple intrathoracic sarcoidosis.

Weakened Cd toxicity to fungi under coexistence of Pb in solution.

The coexistence of heavy metals in aquatic systems causes complex toxicity in microorganisms. In this study, we explored the influences of Pb2+ addition on Cd2+ toxicity in Rhodotorula mucilaginosa (Rho). Cd toxicity alone was tested with up to 200 mg/L Cd2+ to induce stress. Cell counts and Cd2+ removal rates declined to a minimum when the Cd2+ concentration reached 150 mg/L, confirming strong Cd-induced toxicity. Then, co-existence of Pb2+ and Cd2+ was established as Pb-CdH (Pb/Cd = 1, molar ratio), Pb-CdM (Pb/Cd = 10), and Pb-CdL (Pb/Cd = 100). The Pb-CdL and Pb-CdM treatments showed clear similarities in terms of their effects on cell counts, polysaccharide concentrations, and cell morphology. There was also no significant difference in their gene expression profiles. The competition between the two types of cations caused preferential extra/intracellular sorption of less toxic Pb2+. Moreover, the expression of genes related to glycolysis, the TCA cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation was significantly enhanced in the cells with Pb-CdH treatment, suggesting that these cells were functional. Furthermore, the excitability-caused increase in the cell count after Pb-CdH treatment (Cd2+ = 112.4 mg/L) was 30% higher than that of the 100 mg/L Cd2+ treatment. These results proved that the addition of Pb2+ in solution significantly weakened the toxicity of Cd2+.

Trait value and phenotypic integration contribute to the response of exotic Rhus typhina to heterogeneous nitrogen deposition: A comparison with native Rhus chinensis.

The temporal heterogeneity of nitrogen availability in soils is increasing due to agricultural deposition. We here compared the effects of gradually increasing nitrogen deposition rate and its increasing temporal heterogeneity patterns on the functional traits of seedlings of exotic species Rhus typhina and the native species Rhus chinensis. Nitrogen deposition rates of 0, 8, 20 g N m-2 year-1 and constant, single-peak, and double-peak nitrogen were added to simulate deposition rate and temporal heterogeneity. After 60 days of treatment, R. typhina seedlings had several advantageous growth trait values, such as higher total biomass production, but lower phenotypic plasticity than R. chinensis seedlings. R. typhina seedlings also had higher phenotypic integration, measured as the correlation among functional traits. The increased nitrogen deposition rate affected several traits of the two species differently. Thus, while R. chinensis seedlings allocated more biomass to leaves and less to roots with increasing N deposition, R. typhina seedlings had stable biomass allocation among all N treatments. Chlorophyll content, leaf phosphorus concentration, and water use efficiency increased, but the maximum net photosynthetic rate decreased, with N availability in R. chinensis, but not in R. typhina. Temporal heterogeneity had no significant effect on the total biomass of R. typhina and R. chinensis seedlings. Overall, the performance of R. typhina is better than that of R. chinensis seedlings under different nitrogen deposition treatments, which is due to the significantly advantageous trait values and greater phenotypic integration of R. typhina seedlings, whereas R. chinensis seedlings have higher phenotypic plasticity.

[Values of fractional exhaled nitric oxide in the diagnosis of chronic cough].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic value of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) in the diagnosis of chronic cough. METHODS: A total of 106 subjects with chronic cough and normal chest radiographs were recruited from October 2009 to September 2010. Based on the management guidelines of the Chinese Respiratory Society for cough, the golden standard methods were used to make the definite diagnosis of chronic cough, including sputum cell counts, pulmonary function tests, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, 24-h esophageal pH monitoring, skin pricking test and serum immunoglobulin E. All subjects received a FeNO test by a NIOXMINO analyzer. The values of FeNO to diagnose cough variant asthma (CVA) from chronic cough and EB from non-asthma cough were respectively assessed by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: Among them, the definite diagnoses were cough variant asthma (CVA, n = 39), eosinophilic bronchitis (EB, n = 30) and other causes (n = 37). The FeNO levels in CVA [(54 ± 21) ppb)] (1 ppb = 1 × 10(9) mol/L) were significantly higher than those in EB [(34 ± 17) ppb, P < 0.01] and other causes [(21 ± 10) ppb, P < 0.01]. And the FeNO levels in EB were higher than those in other causes (P < 0.01). To diagnose CVA from chronic cough, the optimal FeNO cutoff value was 40 ppb with a sensitivity of 75%, a specificity of 86%, a positive predictive value of 77%, a negative predictive value of 86% and an accuracy of 81%. To diagnose EB from non-asthma chronic cough, the optimal FeNO cutoff value was 31 ppb with a sensitivity of 63%, a specificity of 92%, a positive predictive value of 88%, a negative predictive value of 92% and an accuracy of 72% respectively. CONCLUSION: There are significant differences between the FeNO levels of different causes of chronic cough. A marked elevation of FeNO level helps to make a final diagnosis of CVA or EB. FeNO test is useful for making the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of chronic cough in clinic practices.

The Clinical Efficacy of Three Different Follicle-Stimulating Hormones for Follicle Growth and Development in Long-Protocol Controlled Ovarian Hyperstimulation Treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the use and clinical efficacy of three different follicle-stimulating hormones (FSHs) for follicle growth and development in long-protocol controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH). METHODS: A total of 540 gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists' long protocol treatment cycles at our hospital between January 2015 and May 2020 and met the inclusion criteria were retrospectively analyzed. The cycles were divided into three groups based on their indexes (groups A, B, and C). Each of the groups received a different type of FSH during treatment. A cross-group comparison was then undertaken to evaluate the growth and development of the three largest follicles and the patients' pregnancy-related indexes between the normal-response and high-response populations. RESULTS: In the normal-response populations, the number of high-quality embryos obtained in groups A and B was significantly higher than in group C, and the FSH dosage was significantly lower than in group C (P < 0.05). There were more follicles with a diameter of 16-18 mm found in group A than in group C on the day of hCG injection (hCG day) (P < 0.05), but there were no significant differences in the groups in other indicators. In the high-response populations, the number of oocytes retrieved and high-quality embryos obtained in group A were significantly higher than in group C (P < 0.05), and the total dosage and duration of FSH stimulation in group C were significantly higher than groups A and B (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Three different types of FSH led to comparable growth rates of the three largest follicles and clinical pregnancy rates per fresh cycle in long-protocol COH treatment.