[Prevalence Survey of Functional Dyspepsia and Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Chinese College Students Based on Rome â £ Diagnostic Criteria].

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of functional dyspepsia (FD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) among college students in China. Methods: An online questionnaire survey of college students aged 17-35 from across China was conducted. The online questionnaire survey was supplemented by an offline survey. A total of 2025 valid samples were included for statistical analysis. χ 2 test and logistic regression were performed for statistical analysis. Results: The prevalence of FD among college students who met the Rome Ⅳ diagnostic criteria was 5.5% (112/2025), with most of them, or 66.1% (74/112), suffering from postprandial discomfort syndrome (PDS). Smoking (odds ratio [ OR]=2.334, 95% confidence interval [ CI]: 1.187-4.589, P=0.014), depression ( OR=2.447, 95% CI: 1.421-4.214, P=0.001), and insomnia ( OR=1.947, 95% CI: 1.291-2.937, P=0.001) were positively correlated with the prevalence of FD. The prevalence of IBS was 1.9% (38/2025), with IBS-diarrhea dominant (IBS-D) being the most important subtype that accounted for 44.7%. Anxiety ( OR=3.63, 95% CI: 1.34-9.88, P=0.012) and insomnia ( OR=2.35, 95% CI: 1.18-4.68, P=0.015) were positively correlated with the prevalence of IBS. Conclusion: Based on Rome Ⅳ criteria, IBS and FD are not uncommon among Chinese university students. Psychological disorders and some related lifestyle factors may be related to the development of the disease. In the future, more series of studies based on different diagnostic criteria, different regions, and multiple factors should be conducted in China.

Multiple pathophysiological roles of midkine in human disease.

Midkine (MK) is a low molecular-weight protein that was first identified as the product of a retinoic acid-responsive gene involved in embryonic development. Recent studies have indicated that MK levels are related to various diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), renal disease and autoimmune disease. MK is a growth factor involved in multiple pathophysiological processes, such as inflammation, the repair of damaged tissues and cancer. The pathophysiological roles of MK are diverse. MK enhances the recruitment and migration of inflammatory cells upon inflammation directly and also through induction of chemokines, and contributes to tissue damage. In lung endothelial cells, oxidative stress increased the expression of MK, which induced angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) expression and the consequent conversion from Ang I to Ang II, leading to further oxidative stress. MK inhibited cholesterol efflux from macrophages by reducing ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) expression, which is involved in lipid metabolism, suggesting that MK is an important positive factor involved in inflammation, oxidative stress and lipid metabolism. Furthermore, MK can regulate the expansion, differentiation and activation of T cells as well as B-cell survival; mediate angiogenic and antibacterial activity; and possess anti-apoptotic activity. In this paper, we summarize the pathophysiological roles of MK in human disease.

Comparison of smear cytology with liquid-based cytology in pancreatic lesions: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) is a safe and accurate technique to confirm the diagnosis of pancreatic cancers. Recently, numerous studies comparing the diagnostic efficacy of smear cytology (SC) and liquid-based cytology (LBC) for pancreatic lesions yielded mixed results. AIM: To compare and identify the better cytology method for EUS-FNA in pancreatic lesions. METHODS: A comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane was undertaken through July 18, 2020. The primary endpoint was diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity and specificity). Secondary outcomes included sample adequacy and post procedure complications. In addition, factors affecting diagnostic efficacy were discussed. RESULTS: Data on a total of 1121 comparisons from 10 studies met the inclusion criteria. Pooled rates of sensitivity for SC and LBC were 78% (67%-87%) vs 75% (67%-81%), respectively. In any case, both SC and LBC exhibited a high specificity close to 100%. Inadequate samples more often appeared in LBC compared with SC. However, the LBC samples exhibited a better visual field than SC. Very few post procedure complications were observed. CONCLUSION: Our data suggested that for EUS-FNA in pancreatic lesions (particularly solid lesions), SC with Rapid On-Site Evaluation represents a superior diagnostic technique. If Rapid On-Site Evaluation is unavailable, LBC may replace smears. The diagnostic accuracy of LBC depends on different LBC techniques.

The role of advanced glycation end products in human infertility.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are heterogeneous products of the non-enzymatic interaction between proteins and reducing sugars. Numerous studies have shown that AGEs are associated with senescence, diabetes, vascular disease, aging and kidney disease. Infertility has been affected approximately 10 to15% of couples of reproductive ages. AGEs accumulation has been shown to play a crucial role in pathogenesis of infertility-related diseases. The present review provides the generation process, mechanism and pathological significance of AGEs and the novel treatment targeting AGEs for infertility.

[Key Stage of As Accumulation in Rice Under As Stress at Different Growth Stages].

The absorption and accumulation of As at different stages of rice growth are significantly different. To study the key growth stages of As accumulation in brown rice and to determine the contribution of As accumulation at different growth stages to As contribution in brown rice, a rice hydroponics experiment was carried out by adding external As during the different rice growth stages: tillering stage (30 d), jointing stage (16 d), booting stage (13 d), filling stage (17 d), dough stage (15 d), maturity stage (13 d), and full growth period (104 d). The results showed that: ① As stress at different growth stages had a significant effect on the biomass of rice plants. In comparison with the control CK, the treatments of As stress with five single-stages decreased the rice biomass, except during the tillering stage. Among these treatments, although the As stress at booting stage had the lowest rice biomass, the biomass of all the rice plants were higher than that for As stress in the full growth period. ② The content of As in brown rice for all the treatments of As stress at six single-stages, ranging from 0.08-0.24 mg ·kg-1, was higher than that of CK. Among these six treatments, the As stress at booting stage had the highest As content in brown rice, accounting for 64.9% of the As content in the full growth period. ③ The accumulation of As in brown rice for all the treatments of As stress at six single-stages was higher than that of CK, and ranged from 1.4-1.5 µg ·plant-1. Among these six treatments, the As stress at booting stage had the highest As accumulation, followed by filling stage. The accumulation of As in brown rice treated with As stress was highest in the full growth period with a value of 5.7 µg ·plant-1. ④ The relative contribution of As stress at the booting stage was the highest for the As accumulation in brown rice and reached to 40.3%, followed by filling stage with 26.0%. Therefore, the rice growth stages of the booting stage and filling stage were the key stages of As accumulation in brown rice.