A Novel Balloon Catheter-based Dilation Intervention for Patients with Cricopharyngeus Achalasia After Stroke: A Randomized Study.

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of a novel balloon catheter in dilation intervention for patients with cricopharyngeus achalasia after stroke. Thirty-four patients with cricopharyngeus achalasia after stroke received routine swallowing rehabilitation training and were randomly assigned to an experimental group (Exp, n = 17) that received dilation therapy using the novel balloon catheter once daily for 5 days per week or a control group (Con, n = 17) that received dilation therapy with a 14-Fr ordinary urinary catheter once daily for 5 days per week. The intervention duration, Eating Assessment Tool (EAT)-10 scores, and Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) scores were recorded at baseline and each day during intervention. The time for a patient's FOIS score to be ≥ 3 as well as the recovery time for oral intake of water, liquid food, mushy food, and solid food were recorded or estimated. Complications were also recorded during intervention. The intervention duration was shorter in the Exp group than in the Con group (p = 0.005). The Exp group patients improved faster than the Con group patients, with a shorter recovery time for oral intake of liquid food (p = 0.002), mushy food (p = 0.001), and solid food (p = 0.001). At the time of intervention termination, EAT-10 scores were lower in the Exp group than in the Con group (p = 0.005). The Exp group had a similar incidence of complications as the Con group but with better tolerability (p = 0.028). Compared with the urinary catheter, the novel balloon catheter for dilation in patients with cricopharyngeus achalasia after stroke may lead to a better and more rapid recovery.

Effect of public health interventions on COVID-19 cases: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: As the epidemic of COVID-19 is gradually controlled in China, a summary of epidemiological characteristics and interventions may help control its global spread. METHODS: Data for COVID-19 cases in Hubei Province (capital, Wuhan) was extracted until 7 March 2020. The spatiotemporal distribution of the epidemic in four periods (before 10 January, 10-22 January, 23 January-6 February and 7 February-7 March) was evaluated, and the impacts of interventions were observed. RESULTS: Among 67 706 COVID-19 cases, 52 111 (76.97%) were aged 30-69 years old, and 34 680 (51.22%) were women. The average daily attack rates (95% CI) were 0.5 (0.3 to 0.7), 14.2 (13.2 to 15.1), 45.7 (44.0 to 47.5) and 8.6 (7.8 to 9.3) cases per 106 people in four periods, and the harmonic means (95% CI) of doubling times were 4.28 (4.01 to 4.55), 3.87 (3.78 to 3.98), 5.40 (4.83 to 6.05) and 45.56 (39.70 to 52.80) days. Compared with the first period, daily attack rates rose rapidly in the second period. In the third period, 14 days after 23 January, the daily average attack rate in and outside Wuhan declined by 33.8% and 48.0%; the doubling times increased by 95.0% and 133.2%. In the four periods, 14 days after 7 February, the daily average attack rate in and outside Wuhan decreased by 79.1% and 95.2%; the doubling times increased by 79.2% and 152.0%. CONCLUSIONS: The public health interventions were associated with a reduction in COVID-19 cases in Hubei Province, especially in districts outside of Wuhan.

MoO2-ordered mesoporous carbon hybrids as anode materials with highly improved rate capability and reversible capacity for lithium-ion battery.

A novel hybrid of MoO2-ordered mesoporous carbon (MoO2-OMC) was prepared through a two-step solvothermal chemical reaction route. The electrochemical performances of the mesoporous MoO2-OMC hybrids were examined using galvanostatical charge-discharge, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The MoO2-OMC hybrid exhibits significantly improved electrochemical performance of high reversible capacity, high-rate capability, and excellent cycling performance as an anode electrode material for Li ion batteries. It is revealed that the MoO2-OMC hybrid could deliver the first discharge capacity of 1641.8 mA h g(-1) with an initial Coulombic efficiency of 63.6%, and a reversible capacity as high as 1049.1 mA h g(-1) even after 50 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g(-1), much higher than the theoretical capacity of MoO2 (838 mA h g(-1)) and OMC materials. The MoO2-OMC hybrid demonstrates an excellent high rate capability with capacity of ∼600 mA h g(-1) even at a charge current density of 1600 mA g(-1) after 50 cycles, which is approximately 11.1 times higher than that of the OMC (54 mA h g(-1)) materials. The improved rate capability and reversible capacity of the MoO2-OMC hybrid are attributed to a synergistic reaction between the MoO2 nanoparticles and mesoporous OMC matrices. It is noted that the electrochemical performance of the MoO2-OMC hybrid is evidently much better than the previous MoO2-based hybrids.

Effect of robotic-assisted gait training on gait and motor function in spinal cord injury: a protocol of a systematic review with meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Robotic-assisted gait training (RAGT) has been reported to be effective in rehabilitating patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). However, studies on RAGT showed different results due to a varied number of samples. Thus, summarising studies based on robotic-related factors is critical for the accurate estimation of the effects of RAGT on SCI. This work aims to search for strong evidence showing that using RAGT is effective in treating SCI and analyse the deficiencies of current studies. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The following publication databases were electronically searched in December 2022 without restrictions on publication year: MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Various combinations of keywords, including 'motor disorders', 'robotics', 'robotic-assisted gait training', 'Spinal Cord Injuries', 'SCI' and 'gait analysis' were used as search terms. All articles on randomised controlled trials (excluding retrospective trials) using RAGT to treat SCI that were published in English and Chinese and met the inclusion criteria were included. Outcomes included motor function, and gait parameters included those assessed by using the instrumented gait assessment, the Berg Balance Scale, the 10-m walk speed test, the 6-min walk endurance test, the functional ambulation category scale, the Walking index of SCI and the American Spinal Injury Association assessment scale. Research selection, data extraction and quality assessment were conducted independently by two reviewers to ensure that all relevant studies were free from personal bias. In addition, the Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool was used to assess the risk of bias. Review Manager V.5.3 software was used to produce deviation risk maps and perform paired meta-analyses. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval is not required for systematic reviews and network meta-analyses. The results will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal or presented at a conference. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022319555.

Effects of rhythmic auditory stimulation on motor function and balance ability in stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical randomized controlled studies.

Objective: Rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) belongs to neurologic music therapy, which has attracted clinical attention because of its efficacy in motor function after stroke. This study aimed to summarize the effectiveness of rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) for the treatment of motor function and balance ability in stroke through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: All studies were retrieved from six databases. The effects of RAS on stroke were determined using the following indicators: motor function including step length, step cadence, velocity, Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA); and balance ability including overall balance index (OBI) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS). The risk map of bias of the quality of the studies and the meta-analysis results of the indicators was prepared using RevMan 5.2 software. Results: A total of 1,363 abstracts were retrieved. Among them, 325 duplicate studies were eliminated, and 971 studies were excluded after reading the titles and abstracts. In addition, by downloading the full text for further reading and screening, 47 studies were excluded. A total of 22 studies were included in the systematic review, and 18 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Assessment of quality, based on the PEDro scale, two studies had low quality, three studies had excellent quality, and the other studies had good quality; based on the Cochrane Collaborative Network Bias Risk Assessment Scale. A total of 15 studies specifically explained the random methods used. Meanwhile, seven studies did not report random sequence generation. A total of 10 studies reported that the evaluation of experimental results was blinded. In the meta-analysis, the results of motor function [namely, velocity (SMD = 0.99, 95% CI (0.43, 1.55)), step length (SMD = 0.97, 95% CI (0.74, 1.20)), and step cadence (MD = 5.16, 95% CI (4.17, 6.14)), FMA (MD = 2.93, 95% CI (2.04, 3.83))], were statistically significant (P < 0.01). The results of balance ability [OBI (MD = -0.51, 95% CI (-0.86, -0.16)) and BBS (MD = 2.93, 95% CI (1.67, 4.20))], were also statistically significant (P < 0.01). Among all the outcome indicators, three indicators were included in more than 10 studies: these are step length, step cadence, and velocity. The results showed that the two sides of the funnel chart were asymmetrical, thus these results all showed heterogeneity. The GRADEpro GDT online tool was used to evaluate the quality of evidence for the outcome indicators in the included studies. Five outcome indicators were included, of which three were low-quality indicators and two were moderate-quality indicators. Conclusions: RAS could improve gait parameters, walking function, and balance ability of individuals with stroke. However, studies or samples of outcome indicators for balance ability of stroke patients is relatively insufficient, which also requires further research in the future. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO, identifier: CRD42021225102.

Associations of Gain in Weight-Related Anthropometric Indices with a Marker of Lipid Peroxidation: A Cohort Study Among Urban Adults in China.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is reported to be associated with oxidative stress which can cause lipid peroxidation. However, the effects of gain in various weight-related anthropometric indices on lipid peroxidation remain unclear. We aimed to examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between altered weight-related anthropometric indices and a marker of lipid peroxidation among urban adults in China. METHODS: A total of 3762 participants from the Wuhan-Zhuhai cohort were included in the present study, with a follow-up of 3 years. Six weight-related anthropometric indicators were measured and calculated, including waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), a body shape index (ABSI), and body adiposity index (BAI). Individual urinary 8-iso-prostaglandin-F2α (8-iso-PGF2α) was determined via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to evaluate lipid peroxidation. We used generalized linear models to analyze the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of weight-related anthropometric indices with a marker of lipid peroxidation and stratified analyses to estimate effect modification. RESULTS: We found significant relationships between WHR, WHtR, ABSI, and urinary 8-iso-PGF2α at baseline. Each 1% increase in WHR, WHtR, and ABSI was significantly associated with a 0.007, 0.004, and 0.104 increase in log-transformed 8-iso-PGF2α concentration, respectively (P<0.05). In longitudinal analysis, positive dose-response relationships were observed between gains in BMI, BAI, and increased 8-iso-PGF2α after adjusting for potential confounders (P trend<0.05). We also found that gender and smoking status modified the association of BMI gain and 8-iso-PGF2α increment, and such an association was more obvious in female and non-smokers. CONCLUSION: Our research implied that gain in anthropometric indices may result in a higher level of lipid peroxidation.

Systemic Inflammation Mediates the Associations Between Abdominal Obesity Indices and Lung Function Decline in a Chinese General Population.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies reported that obesity indices were inversely associated with lung function. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We aimed to assess the potential mediating effect of systemic inflammation in the associations between obesity indices and lung function decline among a general population. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 3442 participants from the Wuhan-Zhuhai cohort. Plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) was assayed as a marker of systemic inflammation. The relationships among several obesity indices (body mass index, BMI; waist circumference, WC; waist-to-hip ratio, WHR; waist-to-height ratio, WHtR), plasma CRP and lung function were assessed by generalized linear models. The role of CRP in the associations between obesity indices and lung function was analyzed using mediation analysis. RESULTS: We observed inverse associations between abdominal obesity indices (WC, WHR and WHtR) and lung function parameters, including forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) (all P<0.05). Each 1-unit increase in WC was associated with a 3.39 mL decrease in FEV1 and a 3.96 mL decrease in FVC (all P<0.05). Each 1% increase in WHR and WHtR was associated with a 5.42 mL and a 14.23 mL decrease in FEV1, and a 5.70 mL and a 16.92 mL decrease in FVC (all P<0.05). Mediation analysis indicated that plasma CRP partly mediated the associations between abdominal obesity and lung function. The mediated proportions of CRP in associations of WC, WHR and WHtR with FEV1 were 7.96%, 9.59% and 5.76%, respectively. The mediated proportions of CRP in associations of WC and WHR with FVC were 8.33% and 11.40%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Abdominal obesity indices were negatively associated with lung function, and the associations may be partly mediated by systemic inflammation.

Effects of environmental and lifestyle exposures on urinary levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites: A cross-sectional study of urban adults in China.

Urinary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) metabolites, biomarkers of internal PAH exposure, are commonly used to explore the effects of PAH on human health. However, the correlation between environmental PAH exposure and the species or levels of urinary PAH metabolites remains unclear. We collected detailed information on PAH exposure sources, including cigarette smoking, cooking, traffic and diet habits via structured questionnaires, and determined 12 urinary monohydroxylated PAH metabolites (OH-PAHs) among 4092 participants from the Wuhan-Zhuhai cohort. Linear mixed models and generalized linear models were conducted to explore the associations of urinary metabolite levels with single or multiple PAH exposure sources. We also calculated the standardized regression coefficients to further compare the contributions of different sources to urinary OH-PAH levels. Our results showed that increasing levels of urinary 1-, 2-hydroxynaphthalene (1-, 2- OHNa) and 2-hydroxyfluorene (2-OHFlu) were significantly correlated with tobacco smoking (all P < 0.01). The concentrations of 1-, 2- OHNa and 9-hydroxyfluorene (9-OHFlu) were positively correlated with dietary intake (all P < 0.05). Individuals who spent a long time in traffic showed elevated levels of 9-OHFlu and 1-hydroxyphenanthrene (1-OHPh) compared with individuals who spent a short time in traffic (all P < 0.05). Self-cooking was associated only with elevated 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) levels. Moreover, good kitchen ventilation resulted in significantly decreased urinary low-molecular-weight OH-PAH levels. These findings suggested that cigarette smoking, self-cooking, high dietary PAH intake and a long time spent in traffic were associated with increased levels of specific urinary PAH metabolites, and good kitchen ventilation effectively reduced the exposure to low-molecular-weight PAHs in self-cooking participants.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk in urban adults: The mediating role of oxidatively damaged DNA.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure has been considered a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), whereas possible mechanisms for this association have not been fully understood. This study focused on exploring the potential effect of oxidatively damaged DNA on the relationships between PAH exposure and the 10-year atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) risk. Urinary levels of monohydroxy PAH metabolites (OH-PAHs) and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG, the typical biomarker for oxidatively damaged DNA) were measured among 3052 subjects in the baseline of the Wuhan-Zhuhai cohort. The relationships between urinary OH-PAHs, 8-oxodG and 10-year risk of ASCVD were analyzed by linear mixed models and logistic regression models, respectively. The mediation analysis was further applied to explore the role of 8-oxodG in the relationship between urinary OH-PAHs and 10-year ASCVD risk. After controlling for potential confounders, the log-transformed level of total urinary low molecular weight OH-PAHs (∑LMW OH-PAHs) was significantly associated with an elevated risk of 10-year ASCVD [odds ratio (OR) = 1.222, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.065-1.402]. More specifically, significantly positive dose-response relationships between total urinary hydroxynaphthalene (∑OHNa), hydroxyfluorene (∑OHFlu), hydroxyphenanthrene (∑OHPh) and 10-year ASCVD risk were observed (all P for trend <0.05). We also found positive relationships between urinary OH-PAH levels and 8-oxodG, as well as between urinary 8-oxodG levels and 10-year risk of ASCVD. Moreover, mediation analyses indicated that urinary 8-oxodG mediated 14.49%, 12.62% and 10.55% of the associations between urinary ∑LMW OH-PAHs, ∑OHNa, ∑OHFlu and 10-year ASCVD risk, respectively. These findings suggest that the oxidatively damaged DNA pathway may be a possible mechanism underlying PAH-associated ASCVD risk elevation.

Exposure to acrylamide and reduced heart rate variability: The mediating role of transforming growth factor-ß.

The potential adverse health effects of acrylamide have drawn worldwide attention and the World Health Organization has urged further urgent studies on its health threat. Herein we explored the exposure-response relationship and underlying mechanism between internal acrylamide exposure and heart rate variability (HRV) alteration, a marker of cardiac autonomic dysfunction. We measured six HRV indices and two urinary acrylamide metabolites (N-Acetyl-S-(2-carbamoylethyl)-l-cysteine, AAMA; N-Acetyl-S-(2-carbamoyl-2-hydroxyethyl)-l-cysteine, GAMA) for 2997 general Chinese adults from the Wuhan-Zhuhai cohort, of whom 2414 had data on plasma transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1). The associations among urinary acrylamide metabolites, HRV and TGF-ß1 were evaluated by linear mixed models and restricted cubic spline models. The mediating role of TGF-ß1 was investigated by conducting mediation analysis. We found significantly negative dose-response relationships of all urinary acrylamide metabolites and TGF-ß1 with all six HRV indices after adjusting for potential confounders (all P < 0.05). Urinary GAMA (ß=0.074, P < 0.05) rather than AAMA (ß=0.024, P > 0.05) was positively and dose-dependently associated with TGF-ß1, which in turn significantly mediated 5.71-7.41 % of the GAMA-associated HRV reduction. Our findings suggest for the first time that daily exposure of general population to acrylamide is associated with cardiac autonomic dysfunction, where a mechanism involving TGF-ß pathway may be involved.

Effect of Acupuncture on the Notch Signaling Pathway in Rats with Brain Injury.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture on the Notch signaling pathway in rats with traumatic brain injury and to explore the pathogenesis of acupuncture intervention on traumatic brain injury. METHODS: Feeney's freefall epidural impact method was used to establish a traumatic brain injury model in rats; the rats were randomly divided into a normal group, sham operation group, model group and acupuncture group. Acupuncture was performed in the Baihui (DU 20), Shuigou (DU 26), Fengfu (DU 16), Yamen (DU 15) and Hegu (LI 4) acupoints in the rat, and Yamen was punctured via Fengfu. Then, the rats in each group were randomly divided into three subgroups, namely the day 3 subgroup, day 7 subgroup and day 14 subgroup according to treatment duration. The modified neurological severity scores (mNss) method was used to perform neurobehavioral scoring for evaluating the degree of injury in the rats. The hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining method was used to observe the pathological change in the brain tissue of rats in each group. Real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) technology was used to detect changes in the Notch1, Hes1 and Hes5 gene expression levels in the cortex on the injured side. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression changes. RESULTS: One day after modeling, the mNss scores in the model group and in the acupuncture group were significantly higher than those in the normal and sham operation groups (P<0.01) ; there was no statistically significant difference between the normal group and the sham operation group. The scores decreased with increased treatment time, and the scores in the acupuncture group decreased more significantly than those in the model group (P<0.01). The pathological examination by the HE staining method demonstrated that the brain tissue of the rats in the acupuncture and model groups relatively significantly changed. The Notch1 gene expression level in the acupuncture group was significantly higher than the level in all of the other groups (P<0.01) ; the Hes1 and Hes5 gene expression levels were also higher in the acupuncture group. The expression changes of the Notch1 and Hes1 protein were consistent with that of mRNA. In each experimental group, the mNss score and the pathological results by the HE staining method were consistent with the mRNA results. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture could significantly promote high expression levels of Notch1, Hes1 and Hes5 in the brain tissue of traumatic brain injury rats. Therefore, acupuncture might be an important intervention for inducing endogenous stem cell proliferation and for promoting nerve repair.

Acupuncture Induces the Proliferation and Differentiation of Endogenous Neural Stem Cells in Rats with Traumatic Brain Injury.

Purpose. To investigate whether acupuncture induced the proliferation and differentiation of endogenous neural stem cells (NSCs) in a rat model of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods. 104 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal, model, and acupuncture groups. Each group was subdivided into three-day (3 d), seven-day (7 d), and fourteen-day (14 d) groups. The rat TBI model was established using Feeney's freefall epidural impact method. The rats in the acupuncture group were treated at acupoints (Baihui, Shuigou, Fengfu, Yamen, and bilateral Hegu). The normal and model groups did not receive acupuncture. The establishment of the rat TBI model and the therapeutic effect of acupuncture were assessed using neurobehavioral scoring and hematoxylin-eosin staining. The proliferation and differentiation of NSCs in TBI rats were analyzed using immunofluorescence microscopy. Results. The levels of nestin-expressing cells and bromodeoxyuridine/glial fibrillary acidic protein- (BrdU/GFAP-) and BrdU/S100 calcium-binding protein B-positive and BrdU/microtubule-associated protein 2- and BrdU/galactocerebrosidase-positive cells were more significantly increased at various time points in the acupuncture group than in the model group (P < 0.01), except for a decreased level of BrdU/GFAP-positive cells at 7 d and 14 d. Conclusion. Acupuncture induced the proliferation and differentiation of NSCs, thereby promoting neural repair in the TBI rats.

[Determination of inorganic anions and gluconate by two-dimensional ion chromatography].

A new two-dimensional ion chromatography method was developed to parallelly analyze two different types of samples with the application of valve switching technology-suppressed conductivity and pulsed amperometric analysis system, for concurrent determination of chloride, nitrite, sulfate, nitrate four inorganic anions and gluconate. The first dimensional chromatography was using Ionpac AG18+Ionpac AS18 anion analysis columns with a suppressed conductivity detector for the separation and detection of Cl-, NO2-, SO4(2-) and NO3-. Respectively, the elution was 5 and 20 mmol/L NaOH at an isocratic flow rate of 1.0 mL/min and sample injection volume of 25 µL. The second dimensional chromatography was utilizing two guard columns, CarboPac PA1 and CarboPac PA20, with 90 mmol/L NaOH solution for the isocratic eluent of 0.8 mL/min. Gluconate was enriched by an AG15 column and switched into the pulsed amperometric detector. The results showed that: each inorganic anion in 0. 1-5.0 mg/L and gluconate in 0.085 6-4.282 5 mg/L had a good linear relationship (R2 ≥ 0.994 5). The RSDs of the peak areas were between 1.05%-1.94%. The limits of detection were 0.61-2.17 µg/L for the anions and 24.24 µg/L for the gluconate. The recoveries were between 90.3% - 102.8%. The two detection modes parallelly have good separation efficiency, detection accuracy and the precision of the separation and are suitable for the analysis of complex samples.

Effect of acupuncture on proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells in brain tissues of rats with traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture on proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells in brain tissues of rats with traumatic brain injuny. METHODS: Thirty SD rats were randomly and equally allocated to the sham-operated, the model and the acupuncture groups. The traumatic brain injury model was established by the free drop method. For the rats in the acupuncture group, acupuncture was applied once a day for 7 days. Brain histotomy was carried out when treatments were completed. Immunohistochemical techniques were adopted to detect the cells that express nestin, neurofilament proteins (NF)-200 and glial fibrillary acidic proteins (GFAP), the markers of neural stem cells, neurons, astrocytes respectively. RESULTS: Compared to the sham-operated group, the number of nestin-positive cells and NF-200-positive cells in brain tissues was decreased significantly in the model group (P < 0.01), whereas the number of GFAP-positive cells was significantly increased P<0.01). Compared to the model group, the positive cells of nestin, NF-200, GFAP in brain tissues in the acupuncture group were increased obviously (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture can significantly increase the number of nestin-positive cells, NF-200-positive cells and GFAP-positive cells, indicating the significant increase of neural stem cells, neurons and astrocytes in number. Acupuncture can improve neuranagenesis by promoting the proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells in brain tissues. This might be one of the mechanisms for acupuncture to treat traumatic brain injury and to promote the repair of nervous function.

[Clinical observation on electroacupuncture for arousing consciousness of comatose patients with severe trauma brain injury].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the arousal effect of electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation of Baihui (GV 20), Shuigou (GV 26), etc. on severe craniocerebral injury patients. METHODS: A total of 90 cases of severe craniocerebral injury were randomly allocated to routine medication, naloxone and EA groups, with 30 cases in each group. For patients of the routine medication group, mild hypothermia therapy, medicines for dehydration, hormonal therapy, vascular dilation, cerebral nutrition supporting, anti-inflammation, etc. were given. For patients of the naloxone group, intravenous drip of naloxone 0.4 mg/kg in the first 3 days, 0.2 mg/kg for 7 days and 0. 1 mg/kg afterwards. For patients of the EA group, EA (1 Hz/50 Hz) was given for 30 min once daily. All the treatments were conducted once a day for 14 days. The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) were used for assessing the therapeutic effect. RESULTS: In comparison with pre-treatment in each one of the routine medication, naloxone and EA groups, GCS scores were all obviously increased in the 3 groups following the treatment, and one month's follow-up (P<0. 05). The GCS scores of both naloxone and EA groups were significantly higher than those of the routine medication group (P<0.05). No significant difference was found between the naloxone group and EA group in GCS scores (P>0. 05). According to the GOS, one month's follow-up showed that of the three 30 cases in the routine medication, naloxone and EA groups, 6, 12 and 14 were improved, 8, 10 and 10 moderate handicap, 8, 3 and 2 severe handicap, 5, 3 and 2 vegetative state, and 3, 2 and 2 dead, with the arousal rates being 46. 66% , 73. 33% and 80. 00%, respectively. The therapeutic effects of both naloxone and EA groups were significantly superior to those of the routine medication group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: EA intervention at early stage can promote the recovery of neurological function, accelerate the consciousness from coma and improve the outcomes of patients with severe traumatic brain injury.

[Applicability of traditional landscape metrics in evaluating urban heat island effect].

By using 24 landscape metrics, this paper evaluated the urban heat island effect in parts of Beijing downtown area. QuickBird (QB) images were used to extract the landscape type information, and the thermal bands from Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) images were used to extract the land surface temperature (LST) in four seasons of the same year. The 24 landscape pattern metrics were calculated at landscape and class levels in a fixed window with 120 mx 120 m in size, with the applicability of these traditional landscape metrics in evaluating the urban heat island effect examined. Among the 24 landscape metrics, only the percentage composition of landscape (PLAND), patch density (PD), largest patch index (LPI), coefficient of Euclidean nearest-neighbor distance variance (ENN_CV), and landscape division index (DIVISION) at landscape level were significantly correlated with the LST in March, May, and November, and the PLAND, LPI, DIVISION, percentage of like adjacencies, and interspersion and juxtaposition index at class level showed significant correlations with the LST in March, May, July, and December, especially in July. Some metrics such as PD, edge density, clumpiness index, patch cohesion index, effective mesh size, splitting index, aggregation index, and normalized landscape shape index showed varying correlations with the LST at different class levels. The traditional landscape metrics could not be appropriate in evaluating the effects of river on LST, while some of the metrics could be useful in characterizing urban LST and analyzing the urban heat island effect, but screening and examining should be made on the metrics.

[Dynamic changes of landscape pattern and eco-disturbance degree in Shuangtai estuary wetland of Liaoning Province, China].

The main objective of establishing natural reserve is to protect its natural resources from human disturbances and maintain its critical ecological service values. This paper introduced the concept of hemeroby, and by using remote sensing technology, systematically assessed the dynamic changes of landscape pattern and eco-disturbance degree in Shuangtai estuary wetland of Liaoning Province, China. Firstly, a knowledge-based expert system was used to classify the landscape into three first-level types based on eco-disturbance degree, i.e., undisturbed, partially disturbed, or completely disturbed, which were further classified into 30 second-level categories. Secondly, questionnaire and experts knowledge were adopted to determine the hemeroby index for each landscape type and to formulate a landscape classification system. Finally, the landscape classification maps and hemeroby indices were derived by using the Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM)/Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) data acquired on 30 April 1987, 7 June 1995, 12 June 2000, and 11 October 2006. The results indicated that from 1987 to 2006, the landscape patches in the study area became more fragmented, being most obvious for reed marsh. Undisturbed landscape type decreased in area, while partially and completely disturbed types were in adverse. The overall characteristics of the spatial distribution of hemeroby index were of most variable in the areas along the river and surrounding the estuary and being the highest in the areas surrounding the city, largely due to the rapid urbanization and the blooming fishery in the study area.

Gene responses to oxygen availability in Kluyveromyces lactis: an insight on the evolution of the oxygen-responding system in yeast.

The whole-genome duplication (WGD) may provide a basis for the emergence of the very characteristic life style of Saccharomyces cerevisiae-its fermentation-oriented physiology and its capacity of growing in anaerobiosis. Indeed, we found an over-representation of oxygen-responding genes in the ohnologs of S. cerevisiae. Many of these duplicated genes are present as aerobic/hypoxic(anaerobic) pairs and form a specialized system responding to changing oxygen availability. HYP2/ANB1 and COX5A/COX5B are such gene pairs, and their unique orthologs in the 'non-WGD' Kluyveromyces lactis genome behaved like the aerobic versions of S. cerevisiae. ROX1 encodes a major oxygen-responding regulator in S. cerevisiae. The synteny, structural features and molecular function of putative KlROX1 were shown to be different from that of ROX1. The transition from the K. lactis-type ROX1 to the S. cerevisiae-type ROX1 could link up with the development of anaerobes in the yeast evolution. Bioinformatics and stochastic analyses of the Rox1p-binding site (YYYATTGTTCTC) in the upstream sequences of the S. cerevisiae Rox1p-mediated genes and of the K. lactis orthologs also indicated that K. lactis lacks the specific gene system responding to oxygen limiting environment, which is present in the 'post-WGD' genome of S. cerevisiae. These data suggested that the oxygen-responding system was born for the specialized physiology of S. cerevisiae.