Internet Use, Life Satisfaction, and Subjective Well-Being Among the Elderly: Evidence From 2017 China General Social Survey.

Purpose: The research objectives of this study are to test the scientific propositions of whether Internet use promotes life satisfaction among the elderly, whether there is variability in the effect of Internet use on the well-being of the elderly, and through what channels Internet use affects the elderly's life satisfaction. Method: Using data from the 2017 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), this paper employed linear regression, ordered logit model, and the propensity score matching (PSM) approach to investigate the association of Internet use with life satisfaction among the elderly in China. Results: The results show that Internet use was significantly and negatively associated with the life satisfaction of the Chinese elderly. Further analysis on group heterogeneity demonstrates that the negative association was more prominent among the participants who were males, at a lower age, had lower income and education, non-agricultural registered, and relatively healthy. Finally, the mediating effect indicates that Internet use may affect life satisfaction among the elderly through the channel of reducing their perceptions of social justice. Conclusions: In order to avoid the negative effects of using the Internet, the following policy suggestions are put forward: Improve the elderly's attitudes toward Internet use; pay attention to the sense of fairness of the elderly to improve life satisfaction; guide the elderly to reduce the time of using the Internet.

Ultrasound assessment of skin thickness and stiffness: the correlation with histology and clinical score in systemic sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Ultrasound is a useful tool to evaluate and quantify skin lesions. Few studies have assessed the criterion validity of skin ultrasound in systemic sclerosis (SSc). The aims of the study were to investigate skin thickness and stiffness using ultrasound and shear wave elastography (SWE) in SSc and to validate skin ultrasound measurements against histological skin thickness. METHODS: A total of 22 patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc), 22 with limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc), and 22 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were enrolled. Skin thickness and stiffness were measured by B-mode ultrasound with SWE imaging on the bilateral fingers and hands. Additional ultrasound evaluation was carried out in 13 patients (9 dcSSc and 4 lcSSc) on their dorsal forearms, followed by skin biopsy conducted in the same skin areas. Correlations between ultrasound measurements and histological skin thickness and modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) were investigated using Spearman's correlation. RESULTS: Compared with controls, ultrasound-measured skin thickness and skin stiffness were significantly higher in patients with SSc (p < 0.001) and even higher in those with dcSSc. No clear correlation could be established between ultrasound-determined skin thickness and stiffness at the same site. Ultrasound-measured skin thickness correlated well with histological skin thickness (r = 0.6926, p = 0.009). A weaker association was also observed between histological skin thickness and local mRSS (r = 0.5867, p = 0.050). CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound is a reliable tool for quantifying skin involvement in SSc. Ultrasound-measured skin thickness showed good agreement with histological skin thickness.

Cardiovascular events in hyperuricemia population and a cardiovascular benefit-risk assessment of urate-lowering therapies: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Hyperuricemia and gout have become public health concerns; many important guidelines have recommended xanthine oxidase inhibitors (XOIs) as the first-line urate-lowering therapies (ULTs) to treat chronic gout with hyperuricemia. However, whether treating hyperuricemia and gout with ULTs modifies cardiovascular risks remains controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the incident risk of cardiovascular (CV) events (CVE) in hyperuricemia population, assess the cardiovascular benefit-risk of ULTs in hyperuricemia patients with or without gout in diverse cardiovascular risk sub-groups, and specify the safety of different ULTs. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Wanfang, Chongqing VIP (CQVIP, en.cqvip.com), and China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database for prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in English and Chinese. Potential medications included XOIs, and uricosurics. RCTs were divided into sub-groups analysis based on blinding status and patients' history of CV diseases. Risk ratios (RRs) were calculated and were reported with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by fixed-effects or random-effects model. RESULTS: Seven prospective cohort studies and 17 RCT studies were included. The risks of both major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) (RR = 1.72, 95% CI 1.28-2.33) and CVE (RR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.12-1.62) were higher in the hyperuricemia population than non-hyperuricemia one. In seven RCT studies where XOIs were compared with no-treatment or placebo, the results of five low CV risk studies showed that XOIs lowered the risks of both MACE (RR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.20-0.62) and CVE (RR = 0.61, 95% CI 0.44-0.85); whereas two high CV risk studies showed that XOIs lowered the risk of CVE (RR = 0.69, 95% CI 0.54-0.88) rather than MACE (RR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.29-1.35). In nine RCT studies where the cardiovascular safety between febuxostat and allopurinol were compared, no statistical difference was found in the risk of MACE or CVE. CONCLUSIONS: The hyperuricemia population does have a higher incidence of CVE, and the results suggested that XOIs might reduce the incidence of MACE and total CVE. In addition, from the perspective of cardiovascular safety, febuxostat equaled allopurinol in our meta-analysis.

Computational identification of protein kinases and kinase-specific substrates in plants.

The protein phosphorylation catalyzed by protein kinases (PKs) plays an essential role in almost all biological progresses in plants. Thus, the identification of PKs and kinase-specific substrates is fundamental for understanding the regulatory mechanisms of protein phosphorylation especially in controlling plant growth and development. In this chapter, we describe the computational methods and protocols for the identification of PKs and kinase-specific substrates in plants, by using Vitis vinifera as an example. First, the proteome sequences and experimentally identified phosphorylation sites (p-sites) in Vitis vinifera were downloaded. The potential PKs were computationally identified based on preconstructed Hidden Markov Model (HMM) profiles and ortholog searches, whereas the kinase-specific p-sites, or site-specific kinase-substrate relations (ssKSRs) were initially predicted by the software package of Group-based Prediction System (GPS) and further processed by the iGPS algorithm (in vivo GPS) to filter potentially false positive hits. All primary data sets and prediction results of Vitis vinifera are available at: http://ekpd.biocuckoo.org/protocol.php.

Five-year epidemiological survey of valvular heart disease: changes in morbidity, etiological spectrum and management in a cardiovascular center of Southern China.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study is to analyze the epidemiological profile of patients with abnormal valvular structure and function and highlight the etiological spectrum and management of valvular heart disease (VHD) in a single cardiovascular center of Southern China in five years. METHODS: The retrospective study included 19,428 consecutive patients (9,441 men and 9,987 women with a mean age of 52.03±20.50 years) with abnormal valvular structure and function who were screened by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) or transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) at the in-patient department of Guangdong General Hospital from January 2009 to December 2013. Data on baseline characteristics, potential etiology, treatment strategies and discharge outcomes were collected from electronic medical records. RESULTS: There were 13,549 (69.7%) patients with relatively definite etiology for VHD. VHD was rheumatic in 7,197 (37.0%) patients, congenital in 2,697 (13.9%), degenerative in 2,241 (11.5%), ischemic in 2,460 (12.7%). The prevalence decreased significantly in rheumatic VHD from 2009 to 2013 (from 42.8% to 32.8%, P<0.001), but increased markedly in congenital VHD (from 9.0% to 12.3%, P<0.001), ischemic VHD (from 9.2% to 11.3%, P=0.003) and degenerative VHD (from 8.8% to 14.5%, P<0.001). Meantime, the prevalence of ischemic VHD increased after the age of 45, similar to that of degenerative VHD. From 2009 to 2013, the proportion of patients with VHD undergoing open cardiac valvular surgery decreased (from 49.5% to 44.3%, P<0.001) and that of patients treated with general medication increased (from 49.2% to 54.1%, P<0.001). However, there was markedly increment in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) from 2009 to 2013 (from 0.3% to 4.4%, P<0.001). Increasing tendencies were showed in aortic mechanical valve replacement (from 32.1% to 34.5%, P=0.001) and double mechanical valve replacement (from 20.9% to 22.3%, P=0.035), especially in mitral valvuloplasty (from 8.5% to 15.7%, P<0.001). However, the proportion of patients undergoing bioprosthetic valve replacement decreased from 2009 to 2013 (from 26.3% to 15.5%, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Despite a significant shift from rheumatic towards degenerative etiology from 2009 to 2013, rheumatic VHD remains the leading etiology in Southern China, with a significant increase in the prevalence of ischemic, congenital and degenerative VHD. General medication and cardiac valvular surgery remain the main treatment options. The proportion of VATS increased markedly from 2009 to 2013, and mechanical valve replacement and mitral valvuloplasty showed an increasing tendency.

Laparoscopic peritoneal dialysis catheter implantation with an intra-abdominal fixation technique: a report of 53 cases.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, the safety, and outcomes of renal replacement therapy with the laparoscopic technique for peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter implantation with an intra-abdominal fixation. METHODS: Medical records of 53 patients with end-stage renal disease who underwent laparoscopic PD catheter implantation with an intra-abdominal fixation in our department from December 2008 to October 2009 were reviewed retrospectively. Their surgical procedure, operative outcomes, postoperative complications, and follow-up outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: All patients underwent laparoscopic PD catheter implantation with an intra-abdominal fixation successfully. Neither conversion to open surgery nor major intraoperative complications were observed. The median operative time was 24.2±10.5 minutes. The operative cost was 837.3±107.0 US$. Two patients (3.8%) had catheter obstruction peritonitis 12 and 15 months after surgery, respectively, and both of them had the catheter removed. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic PD catheter implantation with an intra-abdominal fixation of the catheter tip is feasible and safe. It had a low incidence of PD catheter migration and other PD-related postoperative complications with the benefit of minimal invasiveness, a shorter operation time, and quicker postoperative recovery.

PPSP: prediction of PK-specific phosphorylation site with Bayesian decision theory.

BACKGROUND: As a reversible and dynamic post-translational modification (PTM) of proteins, phosphorylation plays essential regulatory roles in a broad spectrum of the biological processes. Although many studies have been contributed on the molecular mechanism of phosphorylation dynamics, the intrinsic feature of substrates specificity is still elusive and remains to be delineated. RESULTS: In this work, we present a novel, versatile and comprehensive program, PPSP (Prediction of PK-specific Phosphorylation site), deployed with approach of Bayesian decision theory (BDT). PPSP could predict the potential phosphorylation sites accurately for approximately 70 PK (Protein Kinase) groups. Compared with four existing tools Scansite, NetPhosK, KinasePhos and GPS, PPSP is more accurate and powerful than these tools. Moreover, PPSP also provides the prediction for many novel PKs, say, TRK, mTOR, SyK and MET/RON, etc. The accuracy of these novel PKs are also satisfying. CONCLUSION: Taken together, we propose that PPSP could be a potentially powerful tool for the experimentalists who are focusing on phosphorylation substrates with their PK-specific sites identification. Moreover, the BDT strategy could also be a ubiquitous approach for PTMs, such as sumoylation and ubiquitination, etc.