Development and Reliability and Validity Analysis of the Knowledge,Attitude, and Practice Evaluation Scale for Teachers' Early Childhood Sex Education.

Objective To develop the knowledge,attitude,and practice evaluation scale for teachers' early childhood sex education and analyze the reliability and validity of the scale,providing evaluation tools for the research on teachers' early childhood sex education. Methods On the basis of relevant guidelines,publications,and the theory of knowledge,attitude,and practice,a preliminary pool of items for the scale was formed by group discussions.The scale was drafted after two rounds of Delphi expert consultation.In May 2023,stratified cluster sampling was conducted,and 535 preschool teachers from Changshou District,Chongqing were selected for a survey.Cronbach's α coefficient,split-half reliability,exploratory factor analysis,and content validity were adopted to assess the reliability and validity of the scale. Results An evaluation scale for teachers' early childhood sex education was formulated,involving 27 items in 3 dimensions of knowledge,attitude,and practice.The total Cronbach's α coefficient of the scale was 0.875,and that of the knowledge,attitude,and practice dimensions were 0.902,0.743,and 0.879,respectively.The total split-half reliability of the scale was 0.937,and that of the knowledge,attitude,and practice dimensions were 0.934,0.821,and 0.912,respectively.The content validity of the scale was good,with a factor loading range of 0.500-0.836 and a cumulative variance contribution rate of 61.57.The average score of teachers' knowledge,attitude,and practice in sex education was 72.85±7.13,with a good rate of 70.84%. Conclusions The developed scale for evaluating teacher's early childhood sex education demonstrates good reliability and validity,and it can be used to evaluate the teachers' knowledge,attitude,and practice in early childhood sex education.The evaluation results indicate that teachers have low levels of knowledge,attitude,and practice in sex education,and relevant departments need to carry out training on the sex education for young children.

[Current Situation and Influencing Factors of Kindergarten Teachers' Participation in Training for Preschool Sex Education].

Objective To understand the current situation and influencing factors of kindergarten teachers' participation in training for preschool sex education in Luzhou city,and provide a basis for improving the sex education literacy of kindergarten teachers in the future. Methods A multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method was adopted,and a questionnaire survey was conducted from December 2021 to January 2022 on the knowledge,attitude,and practice of preschool sex education among all the teachers in 24 kindergartens in Luzhou city. Results Among the 461 teachers,43.0% had participated in lectures/courses/training activities related to preschool sex education;99.1% hoped to participate in lectures/courses/training activities related to preschool sex education;82.6% learned about child sexual knowledge through school education;75.5% expressed the hope to learn about child sexual knowledge through expert training.The results of multivariate Logistic regression showed that except private kindergartens as an inhibiting factor (OR=0.57,95%CI=0.37-0.87,P=0.008),high monthly income (OR=3.52,95%CI=1.13-9.30,P=0.011),more ways to know about sex education knowledge (OR=2.87,95%CI=1.76-4.70,P<0.001),and social support (OR=1.58,95%CI=1.04-2.38, P=0.030) were promoting factors for teachers to participate in the training for preschool sex education. Conclusion The kindergarten teachers presented a participation rate but a high demand for the training for preschool sex education.They mainly obtain the sex education knowledge from school education.The nature of kindergarten,monthly income of teachers,social support situation,and ways of understanding sex education knowledge are the key factors influencing the teachers' participation in the training for preschool sex education.

Hydrogel dressings on neurotrophic keratitis in an experimental animal model.

AIM: To investigate the therapeutic effects of hydrogel dressings on neurotrophic keratitis in rats. METHODS: Male Wistar rats, aged 42-56d, were randomly divided into control, experimental, and treatment groups, each consisting of five rats. The experimental and treatment groups underwent neurotrophic keratitis modeling in both eyes. After successful modeling, biomedical hydrogels formed with polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl pyrrolidone were used in treatment group for 7d. Ocular irritation response and keratitis index scores, Schirmer's test, tear film break-up time (BUT), sodium fluorescein staining, and hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. RESULTS: The neurotrophic keratitis model was successfully established in rats with severe ophthalmic nerve injury, characterized by keratitis, ocular irritation, reduced tear secretion measured by decreased BUT and Schirmer test values, corneal epithelial loss, and disorganized collagen fibers in the stromal layer. Following treatment with hydrogel dressings, significant improvements were observed in keratitis scores and ocular irritation symptoms in model eyes. Although the recovery of tear secretion, as measured by the Schirmer's test, did not show statistical differences, BUT was significantly prolonged. Fluorescein staining confirmed a reduction in the extent of corneal epithelial loss after treatment. HE staining revealed the restoration of the structural disorder in both the epithelial and stromal layers to a certain extent. CONCLUSION: Hydrogel dressing reduces ocular surface irritation, improves tear film stability, and promotes the repair and restoration of damaged epithelial cells by maintaining a moist and clean environment on the ocular surface in the rat model.

Safety assessment of asenapine in the FAERS database: real adverse event analysis and discussion on neurological and psychiatric side effects.

PURPOSE: This study aims to comprehensively assess the safety of Asenapine by conducting an comprehensive statistical analysis of adverse event reports in the FAERS database, with a particular focus on potential adverse reactions related to its use in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. METHODS: Event reports from the first quarter of 2009 to the third quarter of 2023 were collected and analyzed. Detailed examinations of gender, age, reporter identity, and other aspects were conducted to reveal the fundamental characteristics of Asenapine-related adverse events. Signal mining techniques were employed to systematically evaluate various adverse reactions associated with Asenapine. RESULTS: The study found that adverse event reports involving Asenapine were more common among female patients, with the age group mainly distributed between 18 and 45 years. Physicians were the primary reporters of adverse events, and psychiatric disorders, neurological disorders, and gastrointestinal disorders were the most common areas affected by adverse reactions. In addition to known adverse reactions, potential risks not mentioned in the drug label were identified, such as anosognosia, attentional drift, and psychogenic compensation disorder. CONCLUSION: Asenapine carries the risk of various adverse reactions alongside its therapeutic effects. In clinical practice, physicians should closely monitor the occurrence of neurological disorders, psychiatric disorders, and gastrointestinal system disorders.

Are children with IgA nephropathy different from adult patients?

BACKGROUND: Previously, several studies have indicated that pediatric IgA nephropathy (IgAN) might be different from adult IgAN, and treatment strategies might be also different between pediatric IgAN and adult IgAN. METHODS: We analyzed two prospective cohorts established by pediatric and adult nephrologists, respectively. A comprehensive analysis was performed investigating the difference in clinical and pathological characteristics, treatment, and prognosis between children and adults with IgAN. RESULTS: A total of 1015 children and 1911 adults with IgAN were eligible for analysis. More frequent gross hematuria (88% vs. 20%, p < 0.0001) and higher proteinuria (1.8 vs. 1.3 g/d, p < 0.0001) were seen in children compared to adults. In comparison, the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was lower in adults (80.4 vs. 163 ml/min/1.73 m2, p < 0.0001). Hypertension was more prevalent in adult patients. Pathologically, a higher proportion of M1 was revealed (62% vs. 39%, p < 0.0001) in children than in adults. S1 (62% vs. 28%, p < 0.0001) and T1-2 (34% vs. 8%, p < 0.0001) were more frequent in adults. Adjusted by proteinuria, eGFR, and hypertension, children were more likely to be treated with glucocorticoids than adults (87% vs. 45%, p < 0.0001). After propensity score matching, in IgAN with proteinuria > 1 g/d, children treated with steroids were 1.87 (95% CI 1.16-3.02, p = 0.01) times more likely to reach complete remission of proteinuria compared with adults treated with steroids. CONCLUSIONS: Children present significantly differently from adults with IgAN in clinical and pathological manifestations and disease progression. Steroid response might be better in children.

Effect of Regional Brain Activity Following Repeat Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in SCA3: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a noninvasive neuroregulatory technique used to treat neurodegenerative diseases, holds promise for spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) treatment, although its efficacy and mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to observe the short-term impact of cerebellar rTMS on motor function in SCA3 patients and utilize resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) to assess potential therapeutic mechanisms. Twenty-two SCA3 patients were randomly assigned to receive actual rTMS (AC group, n = 11, three men and eight women; age 32-55 years) or sham rTMS (SH group, n = 11, three men and eight women; age 26-58 years). Both groups underwent cerebellar rTMS or sham rTMS daily for 15 days. The primary outcome measured was the ICARS scores and parameters for regional brain activity. Compared to baseline, ICARS scores decreased more significantly in the AC group than in the SH group after the 15-day intervention. Imaging indicators revealed increased Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuation (ALFF) values in the posterior cerebellar lobe and cerebellar tonsil following AC stimulation. This study suggests that rTMS enhances motor functions in SCA3 patients by modulating the excitability of specific brain regions and associated pathways, reinforcing the potential clinical utility of rTMS in SCA3 treatment. The Chinese Clinical Trial Registry identifier is ChiCTR1800020133.

Re-injection off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy for the simultaneous detection of N2O, H2O and CO with a mid-infrared QCL laser.

Off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy (OA-ICOS) has attracted much interest because it potentially allows highly sensitive field measurements with robust optical alignment. In this paper, a novel instrument that employs a high-finesse optical cavity as an absorption cell has been developed for sensitive measurements of multi-component gases N2O, H2O and CO in the atmosphere based on a mid-infrared quantum cascade laser (QCL) and OA-ICOS. In order to improve the energy utilization and increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the signal, a new type of optical path structure of the laser re-injection method is adopted. Furthermore, the system performance can be effectively improved by using a new intervention method of injecting radio frequency (RF) white noise into a laser driver to suppress cavity mode noise and combining the wavelength modulation method (WMS). We compared the sensitivity of the second harmonic signal demodulation between the re-injection method and the standard OA-ICOS, and the SNR increased by 2.68 times compared to the latter. Analysis of the spectral measurements with Allan variance indicates that within an integration time of 1 s, the measurement accuracy of N2O, H2O, and CO is 6.71 ppb, 13.945 ppm, and 1.81 ppb, respectively, and within an integration time of 820 s, the measurement accuracy of N2O, H2O, and CO can be further improved to 1.26 ppb, 2.089 ppm, and 172 ppt, respectively. Our approach represents an underlying analytical method that provides guidelines for monitoring of representative gases in the atmosphere, industrial processes, emergency safety, etc.

Clinical and pathological characteristics of acute kidney injury caused by diquat poisoning.

Introduction: Diquat poisoning leads to kidney injury, hepatotoxicity, rhabdomyolysis, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and respiratory failure. Diquat has high mortality and no specific antidote. The pathology of acute kidney injury caused by diquat poisoning has been mainly investigated in animal studies and autopsies, and typically shows renal tubular necrosis. To our knowledge, antemortem renal biopsy has not been reported in humans.Case reports: Two males and one female presented following deliberate diquat self-poisoning. Their main clinical manifestations were abdominal pain, nausea, and emesis. All developed acute kidney injury. Kidney biopsy was performed in two cases which showed acute tubular necrosis with renal interstitial edema and multifocal inflammatory cell infiltration. Treatments given included gastric lavage, catharsis, early hemoperfusion combined with continuous kidney replacement therapy or hemodialysis, administration of glucocorticoids, and antioxidant therapy. All patients survived.Discussion: Despite potentially lethal ingestions three patients survived oral diquat poisoning with intensive supportive care. No clear relationship can be made between any of the therapies given and patient outcome.Conclusions: Kidney biopsy in these patients confirmed proximal renal tubular injury was the major pathological finding although interstitial injury was also present. The role of therapies that address renal pathology requires further study.

Noninvasive external therapy of traditional Chinese medicine for preventing postpartum urinary retention in women with vaginal delivery: A network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: To compare the effect of different noninvasive external therapies of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on the prevention of postpartum urinary retention (PUR) using a network meta-analysis (NMA). METHODS: A search of the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFangDate, VIP, China Biomedical Literature Database, PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science databases were reviewed for related randomized controlled trials dated between database inception and December 31, 2022, on the prevention of PUR by noninvasive TCM. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted the data, and assessed the risk of bias in the included studies; then, a NMA was performed using Revman5.3 software, State13.1 software, and frequency methodology. RESULTS: In total, 16 studies involving 3637 cases of parturients and 9 types of noninvasive TCM external treatments were incorporated into the NMA. The NMA results show that based on routine nursing, in terms of reducing the incidence of urinary retention, acupoint compressing combined with auricular acupressure is ranked first, followed by acupoint hot compress, acupoint massage combined with auricular acupressure, Yin-Yang therapy, acupoint massage, auricular acupressure, acupoint compressing, and routine nursing. In terms of urination time, acupoint compressing combined with auricular acupressure ranked first, followed by acupoint massage combined with auricular acupressure, acupoint electrical stimulation, acupoint compressing, TCM heating therapy, acupoint massage, auricular acupressure, and routine nursing. In terms of reducing residual urine volume after the first urination, acupoint compressing combined with auricular acupressure was ranked first, followed by auricular acupressure, acupoint compressing, acupoint massage, TCM heating therapy, and routine nursing. CONCLUSION: Current evidence shows that acupoint compressing combined with auricular acupressure may be the best noninvasive TCM treatment for preventing PUR based on routine nursing; however, further high-quality clinical randomized controlled trials are needed for validation and support.

HMGCS2 serves as a potential biomarker for inhibition of renal clear cell carcinoma growth.

3-Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA synthase 2 (HMGCS2) is the rate-limiting enzyme for ketone body synthesis, and most current studies focus on mitochondrial maturation and metabolic reprogramming. The role of HMGCS2 was evaluated in a pan-cancer multi-database using R language, and HMGCS2 was lowly expressed or not differentially expressed in all tumor tissues compared with normal tissues. Correlation analysis of clinical case characteristics, genomic heterogeneity, tumor stemness, and overall survival revealed that HMGCS2 is closely related to clear cell renal cell carcinoma (KIRC). Single-cell sequencing data from normal human kidneys revealed that HMGCS2 is specifically expressed in proximal tubular cells of normal adults. In addition, HMGCS2 is associated with tumor immune infiltration and microenvironment, and KIRC patients with low expression of HMGCS2 have worse prognosis. Finally, the results of cell counting kit 8 assays, colony formation assays, flow cytometry, and Western blot analysis suggested that upregulation of HMGCS2 increased the expression of key tumor suppressor proteins, inhibited the proliferation of clear cell renal cell carcinoma cells and promoted cell apoptosis. In conclusion, HMGCS2 is abnormally expressed in pan-cancer, may play an important role in anti-tumor immunity, and is expected to be a potential tumor prognostic marker, especially in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Method of adaptive wide dynamic range gas concentration detection based on optimized direct absorption spectroscopy.

For wide dynamic range gas concentration detection based on tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS), direct absorption spectroscopy (DAS) and wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) are usually used in combination. However, in some application scenarios such as high-speed flow field detection, natural gas leakage, or industrial production, the requirements of wide-range, fast response and calibration-free must be met. Taking applicability and cost of TDALS-based sensor into consideration, a method of optimized direct absorption spectroscopy (ODAS) based on signal correlation and spectral reconstruction is developed in this paper. This method can achieve adaptive selection of the optimal benchmark spectrum for spectral reconstruction. Moreover, methane (CH4) is taken as an example to carry out the experimental verification. Experimental results proved that the method satisfies wide dynamic range detection of more than 4 orders of magnitude. It is worth noting that when measuring large absorbance with concentration of 75 × 104 ppm with DAS and ODAS method, respectively, the maximum value of residual is reduced from 3.43 to 0.07. Furthermore, whether measuring gas of small or large absorbance with different concentrations, which vary from 100 ppm to 75 × 104 ppm, the correlation coefficient between standard concentrations and inverted concentrations is 0.997, showing the linear consistency of the method in wide dynamic range. In addition, the absolute error is 1.81 × 104 ppm when measuring large absorbance of 75 × 104 ppm. It greatly improves the accuracy and reliability with the new method. In summary, the ODAS method can not only fulfill the measurement of gas concentration in wide range, but also further expand the application prospects of TDLAS.

Development of a Rapid Measurement Method for Analysis of the NOx Conversion Process Based on Quantum Cascade Laser Absorption Spectroscopy.

In this study, a method for double-beam quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy (DB-QCLAS) was developed. Two mid-infrared distributed feedback quantum cascade laser beams were coupled in an optical cavity for the monitoring of NO and NO2 (NO at 5.26 µm; NO2 at 6.13 µm). Appropriate lines in the absorption spectra were selected, and the influence of common gases in the atmosphere, such as H2O and CO2, was avoided. By analyzing the spectral lines under different pressure conditions, the appropriate measurement pressure of 111 mbar was selected. Under this pressure, the interference between adjacent spectral lines could be effectively distinguished. The experimental results show that the standard deviations for NO and NO2 were 1.57 ppm and 2.67 ppm, respectively. Moreover, in order to improve the feasibility of this technology for detecting chemical reactions between NO and O2, the standard gases of NO and O2 were used to fill the cavity. A chemical reaction instantaneously began, and the concentrations of the two gases were immediately changed. Through this experiment, we hope to develop new ideas for the accurate and rapid analysis of the process of NOx conversion and to lay a foundation for a deeper understanding of the chemical changes in atmospheric environments.

Short-term efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in SCA3: A prospective, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is the most common autosomal dominant ataxia globally. No effective treatment is currently available for SCA3. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive form of brain stimulation, demonstrated to improve symptoms in patients with neurodegenerative cerebellar ataxias. The present study investigated whether treatment with rTMS over the cerebellum for 15 consecutive days improved measures of ataxia in SCA3 patients. METHODS: A double-blind, prospective, randomized, sham-controlled trial was carried out on 44 SCA3 patients. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: real or sham stimulation. Each participant underwent 30 minutes of 1Hz rTMS stimulation (a total of 900 pulses) for 15 consecutive days. The primary outcome measure was the score on the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS), and secondary outcomes were from the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). RESULTS: Nausea was the only adverse effect reported by 2 participants from the sham and real group. After 15 days of treatment, there was a significant improvement in all performance scores in both real and sham stimulation groups. However, compared to the sham group, the improvements were significantly larger in the real group for the ICARS (P = 0.002), SARA (P = 0.001), and BBS (P = 0.001). INTERPRETATION: A 15 days treatment with rTMS over the cerebellum improves the symptoms of ataxia in SCA3 patients. Our results suggest that rTMS is a promising tool for future rehabilitative approaches in SCA3.

Method for demodulating the overlapping absorption spectra of CO and CH4.

When measuring the concentrations of individual gases in gas mixtures via laser absorption spectroscopy, the widening of adjacent absorption spectral lines can cause them to overlap, which hinders the calculation of the gas concentrations. In this study, the causes of this hindrance are analyzed. By using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) algorithm, the relative error in the measured CO concentration for a mixture of CO and CH4 gases was less than 10% even when the volume ratio VCH4/CO (The ratio of CH4 gas concentration to CO gas concentration) reached 100. These results show that the PLS algorithm is able to determine accurate concentrations even with significant broadening and interference of spectral lines in mixed gases.

Comparisons of the energy efficiency and intraocular safety of two torsional phacoemulsification tips.

BACKGROUND: During cataract phacoemulsification surgery, an Intrepid® balanced (IB) tip can achieve a larger amplitude, which may lead to higher energy efficiency than a Kelman (K) tip when paired with a torsional phaco platform. In this retrospective cohort study, we compared their energy efficiency and damage to the cornea under a new energy setting. METHODS: The medical records of 104 eyes of 79 patients were reviewed, with 47 eyes belonging to the IB group and 57 eyes belonging to the K group. All surgeries were performed on an Alcon Centurion® platform with gravity infiltration. Surgical parameters, visual outcome, central corneal thickness (CCT) changes, and endothelial cell density (ECD) loss rate were recorded and calculated. RESULTS: No significant differences in postoperative best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), total ultrasound time, estimated fluid aspirated, CCT changes, or ECD loss rate were observed between the two groups. We divided the included eyes into soft nucleus and hard nucleus subgroups and found lower cumulative dissipated energy (CDE, 8.15 ± 8.02 vs 14.82 ± 14.16, P = 0.023), cumulative torsional energy (CTE, 8.06 ± 7.87 vs 14.13 ± 13.02, P = 0.027), and cumulative longitudinal energy (CLE, 0.09 ± 0.17 vs 0.69 ± 1.37, P = 0.017) in the IB group than in the K group, implying less energy used and higher energy efficiency of the IB tip. CONCLUSION: Lower CLE in the IB group indicates fewer phaco tip obstructions and a significantly higher capability to conquer hard nuclei with IB tips with statistical significance. With an ultra-perfusion cannula, the balanced tip does not cause more corneal damage.

Clinical effect of different prednisone regimens in the treatment of children with primary nephrotic syndrome and risk factors for recurrence. / ä¸åŒæ–¹æ¡ˆæ³¼å°¼æ¾æ²»ç–—å„¿ç«¥åŽŸå‘æ€§è‚¾ç— ç»¼åˆå¾çš„ç–—æ•ˆåŠå¤å‘å±é™©å› ç´ åˆ†æž.

OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical effect of full-dose prednisone for 4 or 6 weeks in the treatment of children with primary nephrotic syndrome and its effect on recurrence. METHODS: A prospective non-randomized controlled clinical trial was performed on 89 children who were hospitalized and diagnosed with incipient primary nephrotic syndrome from December 2017 to May 2019. The children were given prednisone of 2 mg/(kg·day) (maximum 60 mg) for 4 weeks (4-week group) or 6 weeks (6-week group), followed by 2 mg/(kg·day) (maximum 60 mg) every other day for 4 weeks and then a gradual reduction in dose until drug withdrawal. The children were regularly followed up for 1 year. The two groups were compared in terms of the indices including remission maintenance time and recurrence rate. A Cox regression analysis was used to assess the risk factors for recurrence. RESULTS: Within 3 months after prednisone treatment, the 4-week group had a significantly higher recurrence rate than the 6-week group (P<0.05). After 1-year of follow-up, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the recurrence rate, remission maintenance time, and recurrence frequency (P>0.05). The risk of recurrence increased in children with an onset age of ≥6 years or increased 24-hour urinary protein (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: For the treatment of incipient primary nephrotic syndrome, full-dose prednisone regimen extended from 4 weeks to 6 weeks can reduce recurrence within 3 months. The children with an onset age of ≥6 years or a high level of urinary protein should be taken seriously in clinical practice, and full-dose prednisone treatment for 6 weeks is recommended to reduce the risk of recurrence.

Molecules related to diabetic retinopathy in the vitreous and involved pathways.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most common complications of diabetes and major cause of blindness among people over 50 years old. Current studies showed that the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) played a central role in the pathogenesis of DR, and application of anti-VEGF has been widely acknowledged in treatment of DR targeting retinal neovascularization. However, anti-VEGF therapy has several limitations such as drug resistance. It is essential to develop new drugs for future clinical practice. The vitreous takes up 80% of the whole globe volume and is in direct contact with the retina, making it possible to explore the pathogenesis of DR by studying related factors in the vitreous. This article reviewed recent studies on DR-related factors in the vitreous, elaborating the VEGF upstream hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway and downstream pathways phosphatidylinositol diphosphate (PIP2), phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. Moreover, factors other than VEGF contributing to the pathogenesis of DR in the vitreous were also summarized, which included factors in four major systems, kallikrein-kinin system such as bradykinin, plasma kallikrein, and coagulation factor XII, oxidative stress system such as lipid peroxide, and superoxide dismutase, inflammation-related factors such as interleukin-1ß/6/13/37, and interferon-γ, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) system such as MMP-9/14. Additionally, we also introduced other DR-related factors such as adiponectin, certain specific amino acids, non-coding RNA and renin (pro) receptor in separate studies.

[Clinical assessment of moderate-dose glucocorticoid in the treatment of recurrence of primary nephrotic syndrome in children: a prospective randomized controlled trial]. / ä¸­ç­‰å‰‚é‡ç³–çš®è´¨æ¿€ç´ æ²»ç–—æ¿€ç´ æ•æ„Ÿè‚¾ç— ç»¼åˆå¾å¤å‘æ‚£å„¿çš„å‰çž»æ€§éšæœºå¯¹ç §ç ”ç©¶.

OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical effect and adverse drug reactions of different doses of glucocorticoid (GC) in the treatment of children with recurrence of steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS). METHODS: A total of 67 children who were hospitalized and diagnosed with SSNS recurrence in the Department of Nephrology, Children's Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, from November 2017 to December 2019 were enrolled. They were randomly divided into a moderate-dose GC group (32 children) and a full-dose GC group (35 children). The two groups were compared in terms of urinary protein clearance, recurrence rate within 6 months, and incidence rate of GC-associated adverse reactions. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the urinary protein clearance rate between the moderate-dose GC and full-dose GC groups (91% vs 94%, P>0.05). There was also no significant difference in the recurrence rate within 6 months between the two groups (41% vs 36%, P>0.05). At 6 months of follow-up, compared with the full-dose GC group, the moderate-dose GC group had a significantly lower cumulative dose of prednisone [(87±18) mg/kg vs (98±16) mg/kg, P=0.039] and a significantly lower proportion of children with an abnormal increase in body weight (6% vs 33%, P=0.045). The logistic regression analysis showed that prednisone dose ≥10 mg/alternate day at enrollment was a risk factor for recurrence within 6 months in children with SSNS (P=0.018). CONCLUSIONS: For children with SSNS recurrence, moderate-dose GC has similar effects to full-dose GC in the remission induction rate and the recurrence rate within 6 months, with a lower cumulative dose and fewer GC-associated adverse reactions within 6 months than full-dose GC.

Effects of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Cerebellar Metabolism in Patients With Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3.

Background: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is the most common autosomal dominant hereditary ataxia, and, thus far, effective treatment remains low. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can improve the symptoms of spinal cerebellar ataxia, but the mechanism is unclear; in addition, whether any improvement in the symptoms is related to cerebellar metabolism has not yet been investigated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of low-frequency rTMS on local cerebellar metabolism in patients with SCA3 and the relationship between the improvement in the symptoms and cerebellar metabolism. Methods: A double-blind, prospective, randomized, sham-controlled trial was carried out among 18 SCA3 patients. The participants were randomly assigned to the real stimulation group (n = 9) or sham stimulation group (n = 9). Each participant in both the groups underwent 30 min of 1 Hz rTMS stimulation (a total of 900 pulses), differing only in terms of stimulator placement, for 15 consecutive days. To separately compare pre- and post-stimulation data (magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) data and the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS) score) in the real and sham groups, paired-sample t-tests and Wilcoxon's signed-rank tests were used in the analyses. The differences in the ICARS and MRS data between the two groups were analyzed with independent t-tests and covariance. To explore the association between the changes in the concentration of cerebellar metabolism and ICARS, we applied Pearson's correlation analysis. Results: After 15 days of treatment, the ICARS scores significantly decreased in both the groups, while the decrease was more significant in the real stimulation group compared to the sham stimulation group (p < 0.001). The analysis of covariance further confirmed that the total ICARS scores decreased more dramatically in the real stimulation group after treatment compared to the sham stimulation group (F = 31.239, p < 0.001). The values of NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr in the cerebellar vermis, bilateral dentate nucleus, and bilateral cerebellar hemisphere increased significantly in the real stimulation group (p < 0.05), but no significant differences were found in the sham stimulation group (p > 0.05). The analysis of covariance also confirmed the greater change in the real stimulation group. This study also demonstrated that there was a negative correlation between NAA/Cr in the right cerebellar hemisphere and ICARS in the real stimulation group (r = - 0.831, p = 0.02). Conclusion: The treatment with rTMS over the cerebellum was found to induce changes in the cerebellar local metabolism and microenvironment in the SCA3 patients. The alterations may contribute to the improvement of the symptoms of ataxia in SCA3 patients.

A New Adaptive GCC Method and Its Application to Slug Flow Velocity Measurement in Small Channels.

In this work, an adaptive generalized cross-correlation (AGCC) method is proposed that focuses on the problem of the conventional cross-correlation method not effectively realizing the time delay estimation of signals with strong periodicity. With the proposed method, the periodicity of signals is judged and the center frequencies of the strongly periodical components are determined through the spectral analysis of the input signals. Band-stop filters that are used to suppress the strongly periodical components are designed and the mutual power spectral density of the input signals that is processed by the band-stop filters is calculated. Then, the cross-correlation function that is processed is the inverse Fourier transform of the mutual power spectral density. Finally, the time delay is estimated by seeking the peak position of the processed cross-correlation function. Simulation experiments and practical velocity measurement experiments were carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed AGCC method. The experimental results showed that the new AGCC method could effectively realize the time delay estimation of signals with strong periodicity. In the simulation experiments, the new method could realize the effective time delay estimation of signals with strong periodicity when the energy ratio of the strongly periodical component to the aperiodic component was under 150. Meanwhile, the cross-correlation method and other generalized cross-correlation methods fail in time delay estimation when the energy ratio is higher than 30. In the practical experiments, the velocity measurement of slug flow with strong periodicity was implemented in small channels with inner diameters of 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm and 3.0 mm. With the proposed method, the relative errors of the velocity measurement were less than 4.50%.