Morphology and epidemiological study of idiopathic scoliosis among primary school students in Chaozhou, China.

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic scoliosis (IS) affects patients' quality of life, yet there have been few reports of its morphology and epidemiological study in the southeast region of China. The aim of this study is to access the curve characteristics, prevalence, and factors associated with IS in Chaozhou city. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed in 2018, in which scoliosis screening was conducted among 5497 primary school students in Chaozhou city. Then, a case-control study based on the screening involving 2547 children was followed for the exploration of the associated factors. The questionnaires covering demographic characteristics, postural habits, cognition and self-sensation of scoliosis, and physical conditions were addressed for the investigation. ORs with 95%CIs were calculated based on logistic regression analysis to evaluate the factors associated with scoliosis. RESULTS: The prevalence of IS among primary school students was 6.15% in Chaozhou city, with 4.04% for males and 8.71% for females. The average Cobb angle was 15° (range 8 to 37°). Multiple logistic regression analysis suggested that female (OR=2.45), BMI (OR=0.67), having myopia (OR=1.49), self-sensation of scoliosis with symptoms (OR=5.52), insufficient sleep time (OR=2.65, 3.33), and less exercise time (OR=7.09, 7.29) were significantly associated with IS. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of IS among primary school students in Chaozhou was at an average level, and it was significantly higher in females than in males. Lower body mass, having myopia, insufficient sleep time, and lower physical activity were associated with IS.

Investigation on the Therapeutic Mechanism of Danbie Capsules for Endometriosis: A Network Pharmacology Approach.

Objective: To explore the active substances and targets of Danbie Capsules in Endometriosis therapy. Methods: This study was conducted through TCMSP and published literature screened and obtained 183 active substances of Danbie Capsules, combined and intersected with Endometriosis target genes collected and screened in the GEO database, obtained 24 target genes for Endometriosis treatment, and mapped the target network map of Danbie Capsules active substances against Endometriosis. The network was analyzed with the aid of Cytoscape version 3.9.1. With the aid of the platform of the STRING data analysis, PPI network analysis was conducted on 24 anti-Endometriosis targets of the Danbie Capsules. Results: The research results obtained three critical active substances, namely, Quercetin, ß-sitosterol, and Luteolin. Seven critical targets were identified, and two representative genes (TP53 and AKT1) have been verified in Macromolecular docking and immunohistochemical verification. Conclusion: The active substances of Danbie Capsules in the treatment of Endometriosis are Quercetin, ß-sitosterol and Luteolin, and the main targets are TP53 and AKT1.

The Toxoplasma monocarboxylate transporters are involved in the metabolism within the apicoplast and are linked to parasite survival.

The apicoplast is a four-membrane plastid found in the apicomplexans, which harbors biosynthesis and organelle housekeeping activities in the matrix. However, the mechanism driving the flux of metabolites, in and out, remains unknown. Here, we used TurboID and genome engineering to identify apicoplast transporters in Toxoplasma gondii. Among the many novel transporters, we show that one pair of apicomplexan monocarboxylate transporters (AMTs) appears to have evolved from a putative host cell that engulfed a red alga. Protein depletion showed that AMT1 and AMT2 are critical for parasite growth. Metabolite analyses supported the notion that AMT1 and AMT2 are associated with biosynthesis of isoprenoids and fatty acids. However, stronger phenotypic defects were observed for AMT2, including in the inability to establish T. gondii parasite virulence in mice. This study clarifies, significantly, the mystery of apicoplast transporter composition and reveals the importance of the pair of AMTs in maintaining the apicoplast activity in apicomplexans.

A Case of Coma Bullae Associated with Brachioradial Artery.

We present the first case of coma bullae observed in a 67-year-old woman due to pressure and ischemia associated with brachioradial artery. A skin biopsy taken from the ulcer border revealed extensive loss of the epidermis, fibrosis of dermis, mild infiltration by lymphocytes and neutrophils, and necrosis of the focal eccrine ducts. CT angiography of the right upper limb showed a high origin of the radial artery, meanwhile both high originating radial artery and the anastomoses were tortuous and were of relatively small caliber. The diagnosis of coma bullae was made. After tissue debridement, the skin lesions gradually recovered, leaving atrophic scars.

A smart sewer detection approach based on wavelet denoising of in-sewer temperature sensing measurement.

Urban sewer detection is important for the proper conveyance of sanitary water to wastewater treatment plant prior to environmental discharge. An effective approach to address this important process still needs to be developed. This study introduced a novel data-driven approach to sewer detection utilizing in-sewer distributed temperature sensing (DTS) measurement combined with wavelet-based denoising of DTS data. It underlines that the effective denoising of DTS data, and consequently the accurate determination of DTS noise threshold, is pivotal to reliable sewer detection. DTS background noise is chiefly influenced by the threshold rescaling. A reliable DTS background noise threshold was found to be ±0.25 °C in a field study, established with the threshold rescaling of a level-dependent estimation of level noise, and the associated threshold selection rule of heuristics threshold or minimum maximum variance. Deviation from this threshold could hamper the identification of true inflow or infiltration points. Applying the established threshold to the study site, our study identified two sewer problematic points including a groundwater infiltration point, and a clean water inflow point based on generated three-value image. Further interpretation of the three-value image revealed that both groundwater infiltration and clean water inflow into the sewer exhibited intermittent instead of constant behavior, which was due to time-variable water head difference associated with sewage discharge variation over the daily period and rainfall events. Thus, the methodology offers considerable potential for urban sewer detection, especially for its performance to capture intermittent sewer infiltrations and inflows without draining sewers.

Grocott Methenamine Silver Staining Is the Optimal Approach to Histological Diagnosis of Pulmonary Cryptococcosis.

Background: Histological staining methods for Cryptococcus identification vary in accuracy. This study aimed to investigate the clinical value of Grocott methenamine silver (GMS), periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), and Alcian blue (AB) staining in the diagnosis of pulmonary cryptococcosis (PC). Methods: From April 2004 to June 2021, the clinical and pathological data of 152 patients with PC were collected from the Department of Pathology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center. The sensitivity and identifiability of GMS, PAS, and AB staining for histological diagnosis were systematically evaluated using statistical methods combined with the microscopic characteristics of PC cases. Results: Statistical analysis showed that the detection rates of GMS, PAS, and AB staining were 100.0% (152/152), 94.7% (144/152), and 81.6% (124/152), respectively. McNemar's test showed that the sensitivity of GMS was significantly higher than those of PAS (P = 0.008) and AB stains (P < 0.001). Both PAS and AB stains had obvious non-specific staining, which interfered with the detection of Cryptococcus, and increased diagnostic difficulties. In contrast, in GMS staining, Cryptococcus spores were prominent with a clean background and were clearly observed at low or medium power magnification, with the identifiability significantly better than those of PAS or AB staining. Conclusion: GMS staining had sensitivity up to 100%, and identifiability that was better than those of PAS and AB staining. GMS is the best method for histological diagnosis of PC.

Clinical efficacy of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor versus panretinal photocoagulation for patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The argument on the optimal treatment for patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) remains to be resolved. Therefore, the primary objective of the present study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy versus panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) for patients with PDR. METHODS: Two independent investigators followed The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses reporting guidelines and the recommendations of the Cochrane Collaboration to conduct this meta-analysis. The electronic databases of EMBASE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched from the inception to April 2021 using the following key terms: "proliferative diabetic retinopathy," "anti-vascular endothelial growth factor," and "panretinal photocoagulation," for all relevant studies. We identified literature that met the following inclusion criteria: patients with PDR; studies focusing on assessing anti-VEGF therapy and PRP; the following outcome measures must be shown: anatomical outcomes, including complete regression and recurrence of neovascularization, mean change in best corrected vision acuity from baseline to the end of follow-up period. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to evaluate the risk of bias of included randomized clinical trials by 2 independent reviewers. RESULTS: This protocol will provide a reliable theoretical basis for the following research. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: 10.17605/OSF.IO/UHYDR.

Psychological resilience, self-acceptance, perceived social support and their associations with mental health of incarcerated offenders in China.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to analyze the mental health status of incarcerated offenders in the detention centers and related factors; and introduce psychological resilience, self-acceptance and perceived social support for further analyses, to explore the relationships between them and mental health in these special populations. METHODS: Incarcerated offenders in two detention centers of Guangdong province were recruited. General demographic questionnaire, Self-acceptance Questionnaire (SAQ), Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), Connor and Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-20) were addressed to the participants for investigation. Pearson correlation analysis, multiple linear regression and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were used to identify the associations and related factors. RESULTS: Scores for GHQ-20, CD-RISC, SAQ and PSSS were 7.72 ± 4.49, 57.85 ± 17.30, 40.94 ± 5.40 and 42.99 ± 9.90, respectively. Some socio-demographic factors influenced significantly to the mental health status. After adjusting for socio-demographic factors, the scores of self-acceptance (B = -0.23, P < 0.001), perceived social support (B = -0.10, P < 0.001) and psychological resilience (B = -0.06, P < 0.001) were negatively associated with scores of mental health. Further SEM analyses suggested self-acceptance and resilience had not only mediating effects respectively, but also multiple mediating effects between perceived social support and mental health (r = -0.11, P < 0.01; r = -0.12, P < 0.01; r = -0.04, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The levels of mental health, psychological resilience, self-acceptance and perceived social support among incarcerated offenders are generally low, and influenced by socio-demographic factors. In addition, self-acceptance, perceived social support and resilience are protective factors for mental health status of offenders; and self-acceptance and resilience mediate the association between perceived social support and mental health.

Pathology analysis of a rare case of diffuse pulmonary lymphangiomatosis.

Diffuse pulmonary lymphangiomatosis (DPL) is a rare lymphatic disorder characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of lymphatic vessels. Histologically benign, however, it can lead to death because of its progression. In this paper, we would like to present an unusual case of diffuse pulmonary lymphangiomatosis involving a 28-year-old young female who was suffered chest pain and polypnea for one year, and also a lot of chylous effusion in left chest. Lymphoma and lymphangitic metastasis was the primary diagnosis in other hospitals. However, histologic sections of pleural biopsy revealed diffuse pleural lymphatic proliferation characteristic of DPL, wherein the histologic findings can be subtle and could be overlooked as nonspecific reactive changes or misdiagnosed as an idiopathic interstitial lung disease. Recognition of the characteristic lymphangitic distribution of abnormally dilated or reduplicated lymphatic spaces is the key to the correct diagnosis.

Coexistence of p16/CDKN2A homozygous deletions and activating EGFR mutations in lung adenocarcinoma patients signifies a poor response to EGFR-TKIs.

OBJECTIVES: Activating mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are strongly predictive of EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) activity in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, primary resistance to EGFR-TKIs occurs in approximately 20-30% of NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations. The goal of this study was to determine whether p16/CDKN2A homozygous deletion (HD) is associated with primary resistance to EGFR-TKIs in lung adenocarcinoma patients with EGFR activating mutations. METHODS: We investigated 127 patients with stage IIIB or IV lung adenocarcinoma harboring activating EGFR mutations, and who had received EGFR-TKIs as first-line therapy. Dual-color fluorescence in situ hybridization for p16/CDKN2A and chromosome 9 was performed in tumor biopsy samples obtained before initiation of EGFR-TKI treatment. RESULTS: p16/CDKN2A HD was detected in 24.4% (31/127) of patients, and the overall response rate in patients with and without this mutation was 48.4% and 78.1%, respectively (P=0.0027). The median progression-free survival was 5.3 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.582-6.018) for patients with p16/CDKN2A HD and 10.5 months (95% CI: 9.365-11.635 months) for patients without the mutation (P=0.001). No correlations between p16/CDKN2A HD and patient characteristics including gender, age, smoking history, EGFR mutation type, tumor-node-metastasis stage, and performance status were found. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that the coexistence of p16/CDKN2A HDs and activating EGFR mutations in lung adenocarcinoma patients signifies a poor response to EGFR-TKI therapy.