Effect of Mechanical Tension on the Long-Chain Noncoding RNA Expression Profile of Human Skin Regeneration.

This study investigates the potential gene regulation of long-chain noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) during skin regeneration by analyzing the changes in the lncRNA expression profile during skin regeneration under mechanical tension. Through the effect of mechanical tension on human skin tissue, the authors observed that after the accelerated differentiation and proliferation of skin epidermal cells, the lncRNA expression profile was compared with that of normal epidermal cells, and differential expression of lncRNA in skin tissue was found. Fifty-three lncRNAs were differentially expressed between the experimental and control groups, and compared with the control group, 22 lncRNAs were upregulated and 31 lncRNAs were downregulated in the experimental group. In addition, through the annotation of the functions of gene ontology and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes, it was further clarified that the main signaling pathway of lncRNAs in the process of skin tissue expansion is involved in the regulation of skin tissue regeneration, and the regulatory network of lncRNAs and microRNAs was established. The results of this study will provide a theoretical basis for the mechanism of lncRNA regulation of skin regeneration, and changes in the lncRNA expression profile can also provide clues for the study of the biological regulation mechanism of skin regeneration.

Reconsidering treatment guidelines for acute myocardial infarction during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 affects healthcare resource allocation, which could lead to treatment delay and poor outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on AMI outcomes. METHODS: We compared outcomes of patients admitted for acute ST-elevation MI (STEMI) and non-STEMI (NSTEMI) during a non-COVID-19 pandemic period (January-February 2019; Group 1, n = 254) and a COVID-19 pandemic period (January-February 2020; Group 2, n = 124). RESULTS: For STEMI patients, the median of first medical contact (FMC) time, door-to-balloon time, and total myocardial ischemia time were significantly longer in Group 2 patients (all p < 0.05). Primary percutaneous intervention was performed significantly more often in Group 1 patients than in Group 2 patients, whereas thrombolytic therapy was used significantly more often in Group 2 patients than in Group 1 patients (all p < 0.05). However, the rates of and all-cause 30-day mortality and major adverse cardiac event (MACE) were not significantly different in the two periods (all p > 0.05). For NSTEMI patients, Group 2 patients had a higher rate of conservative therapy, a lower rate of reperfusion therapy, and longer FMC times (all p < 0.05). All-cause 30-day mortality and MACE were only higher in NSTEMI patients during the COVID-19 pandemic period (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 pandemic causes treatment delay in AMI patients and potentially leads to poor clinical outcome in NSTEMI patients. Thrombolytic therapy should be initiated without delay for STEMI when coronary intervention is not readily available; for NSTEMI patients, outcomes of invasive reperfusion were better than medical treatment.

Avoiding Structural Collapse to Reduce Lead Leakage in Perovskite Photovoltaics.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have become a promising candidate for the next-generation photovoltaic technologies. As an essential element for high-efficiency PSCs however, the heavy metal Pb is soluble in water, causing a serious threat to the environment and human health. Due to the weak ionic bonding in three-dimensional (3D) perovskites, drastic structure decomposition occurs when immersing the perovskite film in water, which accelerates the Pb leakage. By introducing the chemically stable Dion-Jacobson (DJ) 2D perovskite at the 3D perovskite surface, the film dissolution is significantly slowed down, which retards lead leakage. As a result, the Pb contamination is dramatically reduced under various extreme conditions. In addition, the PSCs device deliver a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 23.6 % and retain over 95 % of their initial PCE after the maximum power point tracking for over 1100 h.

Visualizing reaction and diffusion in xanthan gum aerosol particles exposed to ozone.

Atmospheric aerosol particles with a high viscosity may become inhomogeneously mixed during chemical processing. Models have predicted gradients in condensed phase reactant concentration throughout particles as the result of diffusion and chemical reaction limitations, termed chemical gradients. However, these have never been directly observed for atmospherically relevant particle diameters. We investigated the reaction between ozone and aerosol particles composed of xanthan gum and FeCl2 and observed the in situ chemical reaction that oxidized Fe2+ to Fe3+ using X-ray spectromicroscopy. Iron oxidation state of particles as small as 0.2 µm in diameter were imaged over time with a spatial resolution of tens of nanometers. We found that the loss off Fe2+ accelerated with increasing ozone concentration and relative humidity, RH. Concentric 2-D column integrated profiles of the Fe2+ fraction, α, out of the total iron were derived and demonstrated that particle surfaces became oxidized while particle cores remained unreacted at RH = 0-20%. At higher RH, chemical gradients evolved over time, extended deeper from the particle surface, and Fe2+ became more homogeneously distributed. We used the kinetic multi-layer model for aerosol surface and bulk chemistry (KM-SUB) to simulate ozone reaction constrained with our observations and inferred key parameters as a function of RH including Henry's Law constant for ozone, HO3, and diffusion coefficients for ozone and iron, DO3 and DFe, respectively. We found that HO3 is higher in our xanthan gum/FeCl2 particles than for water and increases when RH decreased from about 80% to dry conditions. This coincided with a decrease in both DO3 and DFe. In order to reproduce observed chemical gradients, our model predicted that ozone could not be present further than a few nanometers from a particle surface indicating near surface reactions were driving changes in iron oxidation state. However, the observed chemical gradients in α observed over hundreds of nanometers must have been the result of iron transport from the particle interior to the surface where ozone oxidation occurred. In the context of our results, we examine the applicability of the reacto-diffusive framework and discuss diffusion limitations for other reactive gas-aerosol systems of atmospheric importance.

Analysis of Influencing Factors of Poststroke Depression: Is Higher Body Mass Index Always a Risk Factor of Poststroke Depression?

Poststroke depression (PSD) is a common complication of stroke. We sought to investigate the influencing factors of PSD and explored the association between body mass index (BMI) and PSD. A total of 397 stroke patients in a hospital in Qiqihar City, China, were included in this study in 2016. The order of independent variable importance was the score of the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale, frequency of stroke, age, BMI, and sleep duration. Sleep duration of 7 hours or more (compared with <7 hours) was negatively associated with the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) score in all quantiles. BMI of 28.0 kg/m or more (compared with 24.0-28.0 kg/m) was negatively associated with SDS score, and the coefficients manifested a continuous increasing trend from P30 to P84.1 in patients aged 65 years or more. In addition, the relationship between BMI and SDS score demonstrated a "U"-shaped curve in patients aged less than 65 years. The National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score, the frequency of stroke, sleep duration, and BMI were the influencing factors of PSD. BMI played different roles in the two age groups.

Whole-genome sequencing revealed armadillo repeat containing 5 (ARMC5) mutation in a Chinese family with ACTH-independent macronodular adrenal hyperplasia.

Primary macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (PMAH), also known in the past as bilateral macronodular adrenalhyperplasia or adrenocorticotropin (ACTH)-independent macronodular adrenal hyperplasia, is a rare type of Cushing's syndrome (CS) and is associated with bilateralenlargement of the adrenal glands. It accounts for <1% of all endogenous cases of CS. In order toidentify the pathogenic mutations in the causative gene of (AIMAH pedigrees, Whole-genome sequencing of three patients in family I was used to retrieve candidate causative genes. Meanwhile, the causative gene was identified by Sanger sequencing from the two pedigrees. Sequencing of ARMC5 exons of three patients was carried out to identify somatic mutations. Moreover, haploid clone of one tumor DNA sample was conducted. ARMC5 was the causative gene of two pedigrees confirmed by whole-genome sequencing (WGA) and Sanger sequencing. The variant sites of the two families were c.C943T (p.R315W) and c.C1960T (p.R654X), respectively. Autosomal dominant inheritance of AIMAH was confirmed by genotypes of one family member. Several somatic mutations were discovered in tumor DNA samples. In addition, haploid clone of tumor DNA was confirmed by germline mutation and somaticmutation, which suggested the pathogenic mechanism of "two-hit-model." ARMC5 was the causative gene of AIMAH pedigrees. This AIMAH in this study presented autosomal dominant inheritance, fitting to Mendelian inheritance law. However, the pathogenic mode of this disease showed as compound heterozygote.

Cardiovascular disease outcomes in metabolically healthy obesity in communities of Beijing cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between metabolically healthy obese (MHO) phenotype and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS: A total of 9393 subjects aged ≥40 years were enrolled in the cohort study (2011-2015). The participants were stratified by body mass index category and metabolic risk at baseline, and incidence of CVD was ascertained at follow-up. RESULTS: The MHO accounted for 6.7%. Compared with the metabolically healthy normal weight (MHNW) group, MHO subjects demonstrated increased risk of CVD events (HR = 1.91; 95% CI, 1.13-3.24). In people with obesity, there was no significant difference on increasing risk of incidence of CVD in the metabolically unhealthy individuals compared with metabolically healthy individuals (HR = 1.19; 95% CI, 0.74-1.91). Female (OR = 1.97; 95% CI, 1.06-3.64), smoking (OR = 2.09; 95% CI, 1.06-4.10), a larger waist circumference (OR = 1.07; 95% CI, 1.03-1.10) and higher LDL cholesterol levels (OR = 1.55; 95% CI, 1.20-2.00) were independent risk factors of the development of the MHO to the metabolically unhealthy obese (MUO) phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of CVD events of MHO phenotypes is similar to MUO phenotypes; both are higher than the MHNW phenotypes.

Multi-genic pattern found in rare type of hypopituitarism: a whole-exome sequencing study of Han Chinese with pituitary stalk interruption syndrome.

Pituitary stalk interruption syndrome (PSIS) is a rare type of hypopituitarism manifesting various degrees of pituitary hormone deficiency. Although mutations have been identified in some familial cases, the underpinning mechanisms of sporadic patients with PSIS who are in a vast majority remain elusive, necessitating a comprehensive study using systemic approaches. We postulate that other genetic mechanisms may be responsible for the sporadic PSIS. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a study in 24 patients with PSIS of Han Chinese with no family history using whole-exome sequencing (WES) and bioinformatic analysis. We identified a group of heterozygous mutations in 92% (22 of 24) of the patients, and these genes are mostly associated with Notch, Shh, Wnt signalling pathways. Importantly, 83% (20 of 24) of the patients had more than one mutation in those pathways suggesting synergy of compound mutations underpin the pathogenesis of sporadic PSIS.

Type B insulin resistance syndrome with Scleroderma successfully treated with multiple immune suppressants after eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Type B insulin resistance is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by the presence of autoantibodies against the insulin receptor. Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection may play a causative role in the autoimmune diseases. CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we present a rare case of a 48-year old female patient, who had type B insulin resistance with systemic scleroderma and was successfully treated with multiple immune suppressants after eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection. CONCLUSION: The present case suggests H pylori infection-related pathological mechanism may contribute to type B insulin resistance syndrome and autoimmune disorders. Treatment toward H pylori may be helpful to relieve syndrome of type B insulin resistance for H pylori positive patients.

Malignant insulinoma: Report of 6 patients and literature review.

OBJECTIVE: Patients with malignant insulinoma always present with symptoms of severe hypoglycemia and have poor life expectancy. In addition, inoperable metastatic malignant insulinomas are very difficult to manage. The aim of this report is to present our successful experiences in diagnosis and treatment of this disease in 6 patients. PATIENTS/METHODS: Six patients (male 2, female 4) with malignant insulinomas were admitted into our hospital. Their clinical histories, including clinical presentations, endocrine evaluations, radiological images, pathological examination and treatments, were reviewed. RESULTS: The diagnosis of malignant insulinoma combined with liver metastases was confirmed in all patients by endocrine evaluation and radiological images. Patients 1-3 underwent surgical management. The primary and metastasized tumors were completely resected. After successful surgery, no hypoglycemia recurred. Patients 4-6 did not undergo surgery because of systemic disease and poor health. Instead, they were administrated with diazoxide 50 mg Three Times a Day (TID), with final doses up to 200-300 mg TID. These 3 patients had good responses to diazoxide administration. After treatment, the frequency and severity of hypoglycemia were improved significantly. All 6 patients had better life quality than previously expected. CONCLUSION: Combination of surgical and medical approaches can improve life quality and prolong survival of patients with malignant insulinomas.

Correlation between Pituitary Stalk Interruption Syndrome and Prokineticin Receptor 2 and Prokineticin 2 Mutations.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the correlation between pituitary stalk interruption syndrome (PSIS) and prokineticin receptor 2 (PROKR2) and prokineticin 2 (RROK2) mutations. METHODS: PROKR2 and RROK2 genotypes were identified by multiplex polymerase chain reaction analysis with exon-flanking primers and by automated sequencing techniques with peripheral blood DNA samples from 59 patients with PSIS. RESULTS: Of these 59 PSIS patients, 6 showed intragenic deletions at the PROKR2 locus. Of them, 5 patients exhibited intragenic subsititution of exon 2 (c.991G>A), and the remaining one patient exhibited intragenic subsititution of exon 2 (c.1057C>T). No PROK2 mutation was found in these PSIS patients. CONCLUSION: PROKR2 may be the susceptibility gene of PSIS.

Clinical Features of Pituitary Stalk Interruption Syndrome in 114 Cases.

Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics of pituitary stalk interruption syndrome(PSIS). Methods The clinical data including clinical manifestations,laboratory tests,and imaging findings of 114 PSIS patients in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Results Of these 114 PSIS patients,102 cases (89.4%) were male. The average age was 21.1?6.1 years. A history of breech delivery was documented in 91 cases (91.9%). Short stature was found in 89 cases (71.8%) and bone age delayed (6.1?5.1) years. Secondary sex characteristics were poor or undeveloped in most patients. The prevalence of deficiencies in growth hormone,gonadotropins,corticotropin,and thyrotropin were 100.0%,94.0%,84.2%,and 74.6%,respectively. Hyperprolactinemia was found in 28.1% of patients. Three or more pituitary hormone abnormalities were found in 105 cases(92.1%). Compared with the 5 cases with history of cephalic delivery,no difference were found in the aspects of height(t=0.297,P=0.634),penile length(t=1.205,P=0.882),testicular volume (U=99.000,P=0.348),growth hormone peak (U=89.000,P=0.186),adrenocorticotropic hormone peak(U=131.000,P=0.967),luteinizing hormone peak(U=98.500,P=0.582),thyroid-stimulating hormone (U=82.000,P=0.162),and the height of anterior pituitary (t=1.676,P=0.107) in the 53 cases with history of breech delivery. Conclusions The clinical manifestations,symptoms,hormone deficiencies were severe in our series. The condition severities were not remarkably different in patients with different delivery ways.

Reactive Oxygen Species Production Mediated by Humic-like Substances in Atmospheric Aerosols: Enhancement Effects by Pyridine, Imidazole, and Their Derivatives.

Ambient particulate matter (PM) can cause adverse health effects via their ability to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS). Humic-like substances (HULIS), a complex mixture of amphiphilic organic compounds, have been demonstrated to contain the majority of redox activity in the water-extractable organic fraction of PM. Reduced organic nitrogen compounds, such as alkaloids resulting from biomass burning emissions, are among HULIS constituents. In this study, we examined the redox activities of pyridine, imidazole and their alkyl derivatives using a cell-free dithiothreitol (DTT) assay under simulated physiological conditions (37 °C, pH = 7.40). These compounds were found to have little redox activity on their own as measured by the DTT assay, but they enhanced ROS generation catalyzed by 1,4-naphthoquinone (as a model quinone compound) and HULIS isolated from multiple aerosol samples. The enhancement effect by the individual nitrogen-containing bases was determined to be proportional to their amount in the assay solutions. It is postulated that the underlying mechanism involves the unprotonated N atom acting as a H-bonding acceptor to facilitate hydrogen-atom transfer in the ROS generation cycle. The enhancement capability was found to increase with their basicity (i.e., pKa of their conjugated acids, BH(+)), consistent with the proposed mechanism for enhancement. Among the imidazole homologues, a linear relationship was observed between the enhancement factors (in log scale) of the unprotonated form of the imidazole compounds (B) and the pKa of their conjugated acids (BH(+)). This relationship predicts that the range of alkylimidazole homologues (C6-C13) observed in atmospheric HULIS would be 1.5-4.4 times more effective than imidazole in facilitating HULIS-mediated ROS generation. Our work reveals that the ability of atmospheric PM organics to catalyze generation of ROS in cells could be affected by coexisting redox inactive organic constituents and suggests further work deploying multiple assays be conducted to quantify redox capabilities and enhancement effects of the HULIS components.

Acquired generalized lipodystrophy in a young lean Chinese girl. Case Report.

Lipodystrophies is a really rare group of diseases characterized by altered body fat amount and/or repartition and serious insulin resistance.We reported a lean Chinese girl with acquired generalized lipodystrophy, who had a long history of poorly controlled diabetes mellitus (DM) despite with extremely high dose insulin (6 u/kg/d) therapy, combined with severe hypertriglyceridemia and acanthosis nigricans. The differential diagnosis of Lipodystrophies should be considered in lean patients presenting with early onset DM, combined with serious insulin resistance.

Selective electrooxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 5-formyl-furan-2-formic acid on non-metallic polyaniline catalysts: structure-function relationships.

The biomass-derived HMF oxidation reaction (HMFOR) holds great promise for sustainable production of fine chemicals. However, selective electrooxidation of HMF to high value-added intermediate product 5-formyl-furan-2-formic acid (FFCA) is still challenging. Herein, we report the electrocatalytic HMFOR to selectively produce FFCA using carbon paper (CP) supported polyaniline (PANI) as a catalyst. The PANI/CP non-metallic hybrid catalyst with moderate oxidation capacity exhibitsoptimized FFCA selectivity up to 76% in alkaline media, which has reached the best performance in reported literature studies. Identification and quantification of active sites for the HMFOR are further realized via linking the activity to structural compositions of PANI; both polaronic-type nitrogen (N3) and positively charged nitrogen (N4) species are proved responsible for adsorption and activation of HMF, and the intrinsic activity of N4 is higher than that of N3. The present work provides new physical-chemical insights into the mechanism of the HMFOR on non-metallic catalysts, paving the way for the establishment of structure-function relations and further development of novel electrochemical synthesis systems.

Optimized gated a SPECT-derived myocardial salvage index: its prognostic significance in predicting major adverse cardiac events following acute myocardial infarction percussion.

PURPOSE: Estimate myocardial salvage index (MSI) using a single-gated Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (GSMPI) early after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and compare its predictive value with the traditional method especially for post-PCI left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) improvement and major adverse cardiac events (MACEs). METHODS: GSMPI was performed in 62 patients with AMI early after PCI (3-10 days). The MSI and the conventional parameters were obtained, including total perfusion deficit, LVEF, peak ejection rate (PER), and peak filling rate (PFR). The new calculation method (scoring evaluation method means the extent of abnormality is the percentage of the total scores of abnormal segments divided by the sum of the maximum scores of all myocardial segments using 4-point and 5-point scale semi-quantitative scoring method) and the reference method (number evaluation method means the extent of abnormality is the percentage of the number of abnormal segments divided by the total number of myocardial segments) were applied to acquire the MSI. We compared the predictive ability of the 2 methods based on the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for LVEF improvement 6 months after PCI using MSI. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for depicting survival curves for predicting MACEs by the 2 methods. Cox proportional-hazards regression was applied to confirm the independent predictors of MACEs. RESULTS: The MSI obtained by the new method indicated stronger prognostic significance in LVEF improvement [area under the curve (AUC): 0.793, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.620-0.912, P < .001] compared with the reference method (AUC: 0.634, 95%CI 0.452-0.792, P = .187). Delong's test revealed a statistically significant difference in AUCs between the 2 methods (P < .05, 95%CI 0.003-0.316). The diagnostic value of the scoring evaluation method was higher than that of the number evaluation method. The Cox prevalence of MACEs was substantially higher in the < median MSI group than in the ≥ median MSI group (hazard ratio: 0.172; 95% CI 0.041-0.724; P < .05] using the new method, whereas no considerable differences were observed between the 2 groups using the reference method (P = .12). Further, the multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that MSI was an independent indicator for predicting MACEs (P < .05). CONCLUSION: The MSI obtained from a simple GSMPI early after PCI, using the scoring evaluation method, was a reliable prognostic indicator for predicting LVEF improvement and MACEs in AMI. It remarkably improved the prognostic value compared with the previous reference methods.

Pituitary stalk interruption syndrome in 58 Chinese patients: clinical features and genetic analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Pituitary stalk interruption syndrome (PSIS) is rare and its clinical features and pathogenesis are poorly understood. This study characterized the clinical and genetic features of PSIS in Chinese patients. DESIGN AND PATIENTS: Clinical data of 58 patients with PSIS and 46 patients with GH deficiency but a normal pituitary stalk (NPS) were retrospectively analysed. HESX1, LHX4, OTX2 and SOX3 polymorphisms were screened in 33 PSIS patients, and GH1 and GHRHR in 4 NPS patients. RESULTS: Deficiency of GH was 100% in both PSIS and NPS groups. Other deficiency rates for PSIS and NPS groups were as follows: ACTH, 77·6% and 23·9%; TSH, 43·1% and 10·9%; LH/FSH, 94·2% and 47·4%; and combined pituitary hormone, 93·1% and 41·3% respectively. In PSIS and NPS patients, the percentages of anterior pituitary hypoplasia were 98·3% and 54·3%, pituitary stalk abnormality were 100% and 0%, and ectopic neurohypophysis were 91·4% and 0%. A novel heterozygous sequence variant (c.142A>T, p.T48S) was found in HESX1 in one PSIS patient, 3 polymorphisms (c.63T>C, p.G21G; c.450C>T, p.N150N; and c.983A>G, p.N328S) in LHX4 in 7, 1 and 31 PSIS patients, respectively, and a hemizygous polymorphism (c.157G>C, p.V53L) in SOX3 in one PSIS patient. No OTX2 abnormality was detected in PSIS patients, and no GH1 or GHRHR polymorphisms in NPS patients. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with NPS, PSIS patients had more severe anterior pituitary hormone deficiency, lower anterior pituitary hormone secretion and higher probability of abnormal pituitary morphology. HESX1, LHX4 and SOX3 polymorphisms may be associated with PSIS.

Female sex hormones are associated with the reduction of serum sodium and hypertension complications in patients with aldosterone-producing adenoma.

This study was conducted to evaluate gender-related differences in clinical characteristics and vascular complications in patients with aldosterone-producing adenomas (APA). Clinical characteristics, biochemical markers and incidence of vascular complications were compared by gender in 187 consecutive patients with APA confirmed by pathological diagnosis. Patients were separated into two groups based on ages either older or younger than 49 years, the average age of menopause among Chinese women (<49 y and ≥49 y). Males had significantly higher BMI than females in the age group of <49 years (p = 0.017). In the <49 years group, males had significantly higher serum sodium levels (p = 0.003). However, no such gender differences in clinical characteristics were observed in patients ≥49 years. A higher proportion of vascular complications was observed in males as compared to females aged <49 years but the difference was not statistically significant (51.4% vs. 34.8%, p = 0.105). The only gender difference observed in vascular complications between patients aged ≥49 years was that a significantly greater proportion of males had cerebrovascular complication compared to females (p = 0.006). Our data suggest that female sex hormones are implicated in reducing serum sodium concentration and vascular complications in female APA patients.

Effects of a multivitamin/multimineral supplement on young males with physical overtraining: a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blinded cross-over trial.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of vitamin-mineral supplement on young males with physical overtraining. METHODS: Two hundred and forty male Chinese field artillery personnel who undertook large scale and endurance military training and were on ordinary Chinese diet were randomized to receive a multivitamin/multimineral supplement or a placebo for 1 week. After a 1-week wash-out period, a cross-over with 1 week course of a placebo or multivitamin/multimineral supplement was conducted. Blood and urine samples were analyzed for adrenal, gonadal and thyroid hormones. In addition, cellular immune parameters (CD3+, CD3+CD4+, CD3+CD8+, CD4/CD8, CD3-CD56+, CD3-CD19+) were examined and psychological tests were performed before and after the training program and nutrition intervention. RESULTS: After a large scale and endurance military training, the participants showed significantly increased thyroid function, decreased adrenal cortex, testosterone and immunological function, and significantly increased somatization, anger and tension. Compared to placebo, multivitamin/ multimineral intervention showed significant effects on functional recovery of the pituitary - adrenal axis, pituitary-gonadal axis, pituitary- thyroid axis and immune system as well as psychological parameters. CONCLUSION: High-intensity military operations have significant impacts on the psychology, physical ability and neuroendocrine-immune system in young males. Appropriate supplementation of multivitamin/multimineral can facilitate the recovery of the psychology, physical ability and neuroendocrine-immune system in young males who take ordinary Chinese diet.

[The clinical characteristics of multi-detector computed tomography of congenital adrenal hyperplasia].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the imaging features of congenital adrenal cortex hyperplasia (CAH). METHODS: A total of 45 patients clinically confirmed as CAH were retrospectively analyzed to investigate the imaging features and strengthening way of the multi-detector-row Computed tomography. RESULTS: The imaging features of all the cases presented as following: 25 with bilateral adrenal hyperplasia, 6 with unilateral adrenal hyperplasia, 6 with adrenal nodular hyperplasia, 2 with adrenal hyperplasia and unilateral solid cystic lesion, 2 with adrenal hyperplasia and double side real cystic lesion, 1 with adrenal hyperplasia and unilateral cystic changes and 3 with normal adrenal. The unilateral or bilateral hyperplasia adrenal could be homogeneously enhanced, while the enhanced performance of other cases was inequitable. CONCLUSIONS: The adrenal imaging features of CAH by multi-detector-row CT are variable, with the bilateral adrenal hyperplasia as the main form, which could be restored to normal morphology after hormone replacement therapy.No regression of the tumor size is observed in cases with adrenal mass. CT scanning combined with clinical manifestation and biochemical examination could facilitate the diagnosis of CAH.