Effects of PC6 acupressure on acute and delayed nausea and vomiting induced by chemotherapy in patients with malignant neoplasm: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluating the intervention effect of PC6 acupressure on chemotherapy-induced acute, delayed nausea, and vomiting in malignant tumor patients. METHOD: Eleven databases had been retrieved from January 2010 through January 2022. The published meta-analysis literature was hand-searched, and the language was limited to English and Chinese. The protocol of this meta-analysis was registered with PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42022323693). Two reviewers independently selected relevant eligible articles, extracted data, and evaluated the risk of bias. Meta-analysis was statistically analyzed using software RevMan 5.3. RESULT: Ten randomized controlled trials with 975 patients were included. Only two studies were assessed as high quality; eight studies were evaluated as moderate. Meta-analysis showed that compared with the control group, PC6 acupressure reduced the occurrence number of acute (SMD = -0.39,95CI (-0.73, -0.05) P = 0.02), delayed (SMD = -0.51, 95% CI (-0.96, -0.05) P = 0.03) nausea and acute (SMD = -0.42,95% CI (-0.79, -0.06) P = 0.02), delayed (SMD = -0.37, 95% CI (-0.77, 0.03) P = 0.07) vomiting; it reduced the severity of acute (SMD = -0.34, 95% CI (-0.57, -0.11) P = 0.004), delayed (SMD = -0.79, 95% CI (-1.33, -0.25) P = 0.004) nausea and acute (SMD = -0.51, 95% CI (-0.79, -0.23) P = 0.0004), delayed (SMD = -0.50, 95% CI (-0.84, -0.17) P = 0.003) vomiting, while it did not reduced the experience time on acute and delayed CINV. CONCLUSION: The meta-analysis shows the effectiveness of PC6 acupressure in preventing and treating nausea and vomiting. Large, high-quality, well-designed randomized controlled trials are needed in the future to determine the efficacy of PC6 acupressure on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

The Prevalence of Cigarette Smoking Among Rural-to-Urban Migrants in China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The increasing rural-to-urban migrant population in China may be linked to the susceptibility to tobacco use. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of smoking among rural-to-urban migrants in China. METHODS: Major English and Chinese databases were searched for original studies on smoking prevalence among rural-to-urban migrants in China. A validated quality assessment tool was used to evaluate these studies. Subsequently, data were extracted to calculate the overall pooled estimate of prevalence using random effect model, and then stratified by gender, definition, location, and occupation. Meta-regression analysis was used to identify the source of heterogeneity among variables. RESULTS: We identified 17 eligible studies involving 32,694 migrants. The overall pooled prevalence estimate of smoking among rural-to-urban migrants was 27.25% (95% CI: 23.34, 31.34), with significant heterogeneity (I(2) = 98.2, p < .01). In stratified analysis, specific pooled prevalence estimates were 46.71% for male (95% CI: 40.51, 52.97) and 5.34% for female (95% CI: 2.90, 8.45); 26.71% (95% CI: 17.00, 37.71), and 24.96% (95% CI: 18.65, 31.86) in current and daily smoking group, respectively; 21.89% (95% CI: 15.80, 28.66) and 30.59% (95% CI: 20.04, 42.28) for migrants in North and South China, respectively; 48.34% (95% CI: 24.63, 72.46) in construction industry, 31.77% (95% CI: 15.54, 50.67) in manufacturing industry and 18.69% (95% CI: 11.37, 27.32) in service industry, respectively. Meta-regression analysis revealed that gender and occupation differences contributed to high heterogeneity. CONCLUSION: Cigarette smoking is still prevalent among rural-to-urban migrants, which may be influenced by gender and occupations. Policies should be designed and conducted to control smoking prevalence among these populations.

A review of microwave-assisted advanced oxidation processes for wastewater treatment.

Microwave (MW) technology has gained increasing interest in wastewater treatment due to its unique properties, such as fast and uniform heating, hot spots effect, and non-thermal effect. MW enhances the production of active radicals (e.g., OH, SO4-), which exerts a stronger integrated treatment effect in combination with advanced oxidation processes. Over the years, microwave-assisted advanced oxidation processes (MW-AOPs) have developed rapidly to degrade pollutants as innovative treatment approaches. This paper provides a detailed classification and a comprehensive review of MW-AOPs. The latest applications of MW in different advanced oxidation systems (oxidation systems, catalytic oxidation systems, and photochemical, electrochemical and sonochemical systems) are reviewed. The reaction parameters and performance of MW-AOPs in wastewater treatment are discussed, and the enhancement of pollutant degradation by MW is highlighted. In addition, the operating costs of MW-AOPs are evaluated. Some recommendations on MW-AOPs are made for future research. This review provides meaningful information on the potential development and evolution of MW-AOPs.

Gender Differences in the Association Between Serum Uric Acid and Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk Among Chinese Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Serum uric acid (sUA) level has been reported to be associated with arteriosclerotic cardiovascular risk, yet remains poorly defined in Chinese type 2 diabetes patients. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate gender differences in the association between sUA level and arteriosclerotic cardiovascular risk in Chinese type 2 diabetes patients. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted in six community health service centers in Shanghai, China from December 2014 to December 2016. A stratified random sampling method was used to recruit participants. From a total of 3977 type 2 diabetic patients, 2537 were included for the analysis of the association between sUA level and arteriosclerotic cardiovascular risk. Clinical and biochemical data were obtained from participants. Arteriosclerotic cardiovascular risk was evaluated by the ten-year risk profile for arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The associations between sUA level and arteriosclerotic cardiovascular risk were assessed via multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Of the 2537 participants, the average sUA level was 317±77umol/L in men and 294±73 umol/L in women, and 54.8% (1391/2537) of participants had high ten-year risk of arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), which was ≥20%. High ten-year risk of ASCVD odds ratio was increased by 1.596 (95% CI, 1.113-2.289, p for trend 0.004) comparing fourth to first quartiles of sUA in women. However, no significant association was found between sUA and high ten-year risk of ASCVD in men. CONCLUSION: This community-based study indicated that sUA levels were independently associated with high ten-year risk of ASCVD in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus, but not in men.

Serum Untargeted Metabolism Reveals the Mechanism of L. plantarum ZDY2013 in Alleviating Kidney Injury Induced by High-Salt Diet.

A high-salt diet (HSD) is one of the key risk factors for hypertension and kidney injury. In this study, a HSD C57BL/6J mice model was established with 4% NaCl, and then different concentrations of Lactobacillus plantarum ZDY2013 were intragastrically administered for 2 weeks to alleviate HSD-induced renal injury. For the study, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, non-targeted metabonomics, real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR, and Masson's staining were used to investigate the mechanism of L. plantarum ZDY2013 in alleviating renal damage. Results showed that HSD caused intestinal inflammation and changed the intestinal permeability of mice, disrupted the balance of intestinal flora, and increased toxic metabolites (tetrahydrocorticosteron (THB), 3-methyhistidine (3-MH), creatinine, urea, and L-kynurenine), resulting in serious kidney damage. Interestingly, L. plantarum ZDY2013 contributed to reconstructing the intestinal flora of mice by increasing the level of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium and decreasing that of Prevotella and Bacteroides. Moreover, the reconstructed intestinal microbiota significantly changed the concentration of the metabolites of hosts through metabolic pathways, including TCA cycle, ABC transport, purine metabolism, and histidine metabolism. The content of uremic toxins such as L-kynurenine, creatinine, and urea in the serum of mice was found to be decreased by L. plantarum ZDY2013, which resulted in renal injury alleviation. Our data suggest that L. plantarum ZDY2013 can indeed improve chronic kidney injury by regulating intestinal flora, strengthening the intestinal barrier, limiting inflammatory response, and reducing uremic toxins.

[Role of integrin-linked kinase in renal tubular epithelial-mesenchymal transition of mice with obstructive nephropathy].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of integrin-linked kinase (ILK) in kidneys of mice with unilateral ureteral obstruction and its relevance with the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. METHODS: Mice were randomly divided into two groups, sham operation (C, n = 20) and unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO, n = 40). The animals were sacrificed at day 1, 3, 7 and 14 respectively after the surgery. Tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF) was graded according to Masson staining. The protein level of ILK was examined by Western blot. Tissue/cytological expression for ILK, alpha-SMA and E-cadherin were investigated by immunohistochemistry. The mRNA levels of ILK, alpha-SMA and E-cadherin were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. RESULTS: In the control animals (group C), weak staining for ILK was detected mainly in the podocytes. Significant increase of staining for ILK in the experimental mice (UUO group) was detected from day 1 onward (t = 16.5, P < 0.01), reaching the peak at day 7. The protein expression of E-cadherin was continuously down-regulated from day 3 onward after surgery (t = 21.0, P < 0.01), while expression for alpha-SMA was up-regulated. From day 1 to day 7, the protein expression of ILK was positively correlated with alpha-SMA (R = 0.88, P < 0.01), but negatively correlated with E-cadherin (R = -0.87, P < 0.01). The mRNA expression of ILK and alpha-SMA analyzed by real-time PCR increased from postoperative day 1 and 3 respectively, but the mRNA expression of E-cadherin decreased from day 3 onward. CONCLUSION: Increasing expression of ILK occurs in the early phase of UUO mouse and may play an important role in the process of TIF through mediating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Influence of irbesartan on expression of ILK and its relationship with epithelial-mesenchymal transition in mice with unilateral ureteral obstruction.

AIM: Irbesartan, a new antagonist of the type 1 angiotensin II receptor, has been proven to be renal protective in both diabetic and non-diabetic nephropathy, but its exact mechanism is still uncertain. Here we investigated the influence of irbesartan on the expression of the integrin-linked kinase (ILK) and its relationship with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in mice with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). METHODS: The mice were randomly divided into 3 groups: sham operation (C, n=20), UUO (n=40), and UUO with irbesartan treatment (UUO+irbesartan, n=40). Irbesartan was given at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight per day by gavage. The experimental animals in the control group received the same volume of vehicle (0.9% saline solution). The animals were sacrificed at d 1, 3, 7, and 14, respectively, after the surgery. RESULTS: The expression of the ILK at mRNA and protein levels were significantly increased in the UUO group 1 d after the surgery, which was significantly decreased by treatment with irbesartan (P<0.01, respectively). The expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) was significantly increased, while E-cadherin was decreased in mice with UUO at d 3 after the surgery. Treatment with irbesartan significantly abrogated such effects (P<0.01). The immunohistochemistry analysis indicated that the protein expression of the ILK was positively correlated with alpha-SMA, but negatively with E-cadherin. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that irbesartan attenuated renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis in UUO mice, which may be related to the inhibition of ILK expression, subsequently preventing the tubular EMT.