Deaths of children under 5 years old in Changsha in 2016 - 2021 / 公共卫生与预防医学

Objective To analyze the death status and main causes of death among children under 5 years old in Changsha from 2016 to 2021, and to provide a scientific basis for formulating preventive measures for children's health care. Methods The data of 1 761 deaths of children under 5 years old in Changsha City from 2016 to 2021 were collected, and the mortality trend, the order of causes of death and the utilization of pre-death medical care services were retrospectively analyzed. Results The 7-day neonatal mortality, 28-day neonatal mortality, 0-1-year-old neonatal mortality, and the mortality rate of children under 5 years old (U5MR) in Changsha City from 2016 to 2021 were 0.76‰, 1.28‰, 2.41‰, and 3.86‰, respectively. All the mortality rates showed a decreasing trend (P<0.05). U5MR in males was significantly higher than that in females (P<0.05), and U5MR in rural areas was significantly higher than that in urban areas (P<0.05). The top five causes of U5MR were drowning, premature delivery or low birth weight, pneumonia, other congenital anomalies, and accidental asphyxia, respectively. The death places of children under 5 years old were mainly medical and health institutions, and 81.72% of them were treated in hospitals before death. Conclusion From 2016 to 2021, the mortality rate of children under the age of 5 in Changsha City has gradually decreased. Preventing congenital malformations, reducing preterm birth or low birth weight, improving the treatment level of pneumonia, and preventing accidents such as drowning and accidental suffocation are the key to reducing the mortality rate of children under 5 years old.

Relationship between ruminative thinking, life events and learning value doubt among junior high school students / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To explore the mediating effect of rumination between life events and learning value doubt among junior high school students, so as to provide reference for the psychological health education of junior high school students.@*Methods@#From March to July 2023, a total of 930 junior high school students from Guangdong, Jiangsu and Hebei were selected by a combination of convenient sampling methods. Participants completed the Scales of Value of Learning (SVL), Ruminative Response scale (RRS) and Adolescent Self rating Life Events Checklist (ASLEC). The t test and ANOVA were used for inter group comparisons and Pearson correlation analysis was used for correlation analysis and bootstrap method was used for mediating effect test.@*Results@#The life events of junior middle school students were positively correlated with learning value doubt ( r =0.18), rumination ( r = 0.65 ) and its three dimensions (brooding, reflective pondering, and symptom focused rumination) ( r =0.60, 0.59, 0.66). Learning value doubt was positively correlated with rumination ( r =0.15) and its three dimensions ( r =0.07, 0.13, 0.19) ( P <0.05).The symptom focused rumination (effect size=0.09, 95% CI =0.06-0.11) and brooding (effect size=-0.07, 95% CI =-0.09--0.04) dimensions partially mediated the relationship between life events and learning value doubt. In the two influential pathways, symptom focused rumination exerts a stronger impact, and the difference was statistically significant (effect size=0.15, 95% CI =0.11- 0.20 , excluding 0) ( P <0.05).@*Conclusions@#Life events experienced by junior high school students can positively predict learning value doubt through symptom focused rumination, and negatively predict learning value doubt through brooding. Active attention should be paid to the mental health status of junior high school students, intervene promptly when they experience life events, reduce symptom based rumination, and improve their learning enthusiasm.

Impact of Smoke-Free Legislation on Acute Myocardial Infarction and Subtypes of Stroke Incidence in Shenzhen, China, 2012-2016: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

OBJECTIVE@#This study assesses the impact of smoke-free legislation on the incidence rate for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stroke in Shenzhen.@*METHODS@#Data on ischemic ( n = 72,945) and hemorrhagic ( n = 18,659) stroke and AMI ( n = 17,431) incidence covering about 12 million people in Shenzhen from 2012 to 2016 were used. Immediate and gradual changes in incidence rates were analyzed using segmented Poisson regression.@*RESULTS@#Following the smoke-free legislation, a 9% (95% CI: 3%-15%) immediate reduction was observed in AMI incidence, especially in men (8%, 95% CI: 1%-14%) and in those aged 65 years and older (17%, 95% CI: 9%-25%). The gradual annual benefits were observed only in hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke incidence, with a 7% (95% CI: 2%-11%) and 6% (95% CI: 4%-8%) decrease per year, respectively. This health effect extended gradually to the 50-64 age group. In addition, neither the immediate nor gradual decrease in stroke and AMI incidence rates did not show statistical significance among the 35-49 age group ( P > 0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Smoke-free legislation was enforced well in Shenzhen, which would generate good experiences for other cities to enact and enforce smoke-free laws. This study also provided more evidence of the health benefits of smoke-free laws on stroke and AMI.

Investigation on whole blood collection in Tianjin after fully lifting COVID-19 prevention and control measures / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To investigate the situation of whole blood collection in Tianjin after COVID-19 prevention and control measures were fully lifted. 【Methods】 The relevant data on whole blood collection of voluntary blood donors in Tianjin 15 days before Spring Festival (2023.01.07-2023.01.21, when China has managed COVID-19 with measures against Class B infectious disease instead of Class A infectious diseases) and 15 days before Spring Festival in 2018 (2018.02.01- 2018.02.15) and 2019 (2019.01.21-2019.02.04) before the breakout of COVID-19 were retrospectively collected and compared. 【Results】 The comparison between the above period in 2023, 2018 and 2019 was as follows: the number of blood donors was 6 124 vs 3 940 vs 4 069; blood collection volume (U) was 9 623 vs 7 378 vs 7 808; the proportion of first-time blood donors, local blood donors and group blood donors was 69.17% (4 236/6 124) vs 65.86% (2 595/3 940) vs 62.05% (2 525/4 069), 59.31% (3 632/6 124) vs 23.27% (9170) vs 18.19% (740/4 069) and 43.42% (2 659/6 124) vs 8.05% (317/2 595) vs 0.15% (6/4 069) (all P<0.05). 【Conclusion】 The adjustment of COVID-19 prevention and control policy has a significant impact on voluntary blood donation, and the corresponding adjustment of blood donor recruitment strategy in blood centers should be conducted to increase the whole blood collection.

Confirmation of HBV infection of HBsAg-negative NAT suspicious sample from blood donors / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To explore the HBV infection of initially reactive but discriminatory test non-reactive (NAT suspicious) samples of voluntary blood donors after PANTHER individual nucleic acid testing (ID-NAT) in Tianjin. 【Methods】 From January to August 2021, after routine testing and PANTHER ID-NAT, a total of 66 HBsAg-NAT reactive but discriminatory test non-reactive samples(referred to as NAT suspicious samples) were tested from 69 362 blood samples. Among which, 23 samples were selected by simple random sampling method and enriched by ultra-high speed centrifugation. HBV DNA was detected by supersensitive fluorescence quantification PCR (qPCR)and ID-NAT, and electrochemiluminescence was supplemented for two and half pairs of hepatitis B detection. 【Results】 Among 23 suspicious NAT samples, 14 were confirmed HBV DNA positive by serological and molecular biological tests, and the anti-HBc positive rate of HBV infected individuals was 92.8%. 92.8% (13/14) of the infected individuals were occult hepatitis B virus infection(OBI). A total of 10 samples were detected for viral load by qPCR, of which 5 were quantifiable, with viral load of (11~464) IU/mL and a median of 15.4 IU/mL. 【Conclusion】 60% of the NAT suspicious samples were detected as HBV DNA positive. Anti-HBc testing can exclude most OBI undetectable by NAT, and the sensitivity of NAT should be improved to ensure the safety of blood transfusion.

Determination of monosaccharide composition of polysaccharide and free monosaccharides in Cistanches Herba by ion chromatography-integral pulsed amperometry / 药学学报

Polysaccharides and free monosaccharides are important active components in Cistanches Herba, which have functions of anti-aging and immunological activity regulation. The study of monosaccharide composition in polysaccharide and free monosaccharide can lay a foundation for the study of primary structure, spatial structure of Cistanche polysaccharide and biological activity of Cistanches Herba. In this study, a method of water extraction and alcohol precipitation was used to extract Cistanche polysaccharide. Trifluoroacetic acid was selected as the hydrolytic acid for polysaccharide hydrolysis. An orthogonal experimental method is established. Three levels of acid concentration, hydrolysis temperature and hydrolysis time were selected to investigate the optimal hydrolysis condition. The optimal hydrolysis condition was 0.08 mol·L-1 trifluoroacetic acid hydrolysis at 100 ℃ for 3 h. The free monosaccharides of Cistanches Herba were extracted by water extraction. The established ion chromatogram integrated pulsed amperometry method can efficiently separate 11 monosaccharides in a short time. The method has good repeatability and high sensitivity, methodological experiment results meet the requirements of quantitative determination. It can accurately determine the monosaccharide composition of Cistanche polysaccharide and free monosaccharide content. Ion chromatography does not require derivatization operation and the pre-treatment steps are simple. This method can measure fructose, but PMP derivation-HPLC method can't. The monosaccharide composition of Cistanche polysaccharide include fucose, arabinose, rhamnose-galactose, glucose, xylose, mannose, fructose, ribose and glucuronic acid, among which the contents of glucose and fructose are relatively high. The free monosaccharides in the water extract of Cistanches Herba include glucose, fructose and mannose.

Progress of diagnosis and treatment for gastrointestinal neuroendocrine neoplasms / 肿瘤研究与临床

Gastrointestinal neuroendocrine neoplasm (GI-NEN) is an important part of digestive system tumor. With the progress of diagnosis and the further understanding of GI-NEN, the diagnostic rate is increasing. However, GI-NEN is a rare tumor, thus clinicians are not familiar with the diagnosis and treatment. Misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis of GI-NEN often occur, and the treatment regimen is not standardized. In recent years, some progresses of the diagnosis and treatment have been made in GI-NEN, especially in the aspects of pathology, imaging diagnosis, radionuclide therapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy, which have improved the diagnosis rate and efficacy for GI-NEN. This paper reviews recent literatures of GI-NEN, summarizes its epidemiology, pathological diagnosis, image diagnosis, surgery, targeted therapy, radionuclide therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and separates GI-NEN into metastatic and non-metastatic groups for detailed review to provide a reference for guiding clinical diagnosis and treatment as well as exploring the new treatment regimens of GI-NEN.

Review of health hazards and control strategies of sugar-sweetened beverages / 环境与职业医学

The global production and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) has been on the rise in recent decades. The intake of SSBs has been increasing in China, and it is more prevalent among children and adolescents. As research continues to intensify, more and more studies have shown that, in addition to the increased risks of dental caries and obesity reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), SSBs intake can also increase risks of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, gout, and cancer, and early death, adding to the burden of disease. Due to the health risks associated with the overconsumption of SSBs, many countries around the world have taken measures to control the intake. The main measures currently in place are taxation of SSBs, restrictions on marketing and sales of SSBs, front-of-package labeling and reducing availability of SSBs in schools. In China, the main measures currently in place are to control the sales of beverages in schools, with Shenzhen taking the lead in implementing health warning labeling to alcoholic beverages and carbonated beverages, extending the measures to reduce SSBs intake beyond school grounds.

The effect of Jiegeng decoction on lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in mice based on metabolomics / 药学学报

One of the traditional prescriptions for treating lung diseases, Jiegeng decoction (JGT), is still unknown in terms of its chemical makeup and mechanism. In this study, Q-Exactive-Orbitrap MS technology was used to identify the chemical constituents of JGT, and metabolomics was used to examine the effect of JGT on metabolites in the lung tissue of mice with acute lung injury (ALI) model. The potential biomarkers were screened by fold change (FC) > 1.5 or FC < 0.67 and P < 0.05, and enriched for metabolic pathways. A total of 40 compounds, including triterpenoid saponins, flavonoids and glycosides, were identified by mass spectrometry analysis of JGT. All animal experiments were approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (No. TCM-LAEC2021106). The results showed that JGT improved the lung coefficient, and lung tissue morphology of mice with ALI, lowered the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and reduced myeloperoxidase (MPO) content in lung tissue. The metabolomic results showed that JGT could regulate 22 metabolites associated with ALI, among which leukotriene D4, docosapentaenoic acid, hypoxanthine, L-5-oxoproline, and other metabolites were mainly associated with the body′s inflammatory response and oxidative stress, and were enriched in the pathways of glutathione metabolism, purine metabolism, and primary bile acid biosynthesis. This study analyzed the potential mechanism of JGT in the treatment of ALI through metabolomics, providing an important theoretical basis for the clinical application of JGT.

Summary of the 2022 Report on Cardiovascular Health and Diseases in China / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Recent decades have seen the remarkable development of China in medical accessibility and quality index, and the application of a number of new advanced cardiovascular technologies benefits more patients. However, according to the Annual Report on Cardiovascular Health and Diseases in China published in this article, which was organized and summarized by National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, there is still a huge population living with risk factors of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and the morbidity and mortality of CVD are increasing. It is estimated that there are around 330 million patients suffering from CVD currently, including 245 million of hypertension, 13 million of stroke, 45.3 million of peripheral artery disease, 11.39 million of coronary heart disease (CHD), 8.9 million of heart failure, 5 million of pulmonary heart disease, 4.87 million of atrial fibrillation, 2.5 million of rheumatic heart disease, and 2 million of congenital heart disease. Tobacco use, diet and nutrition factors, physical activity, overweight and obesity, and psychological factors are what affect cardiovascular health, while hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, metabolic syndrome, and air pollution are the risk factors for CVD. In this article, in addition to risk factors for CVD, we also report the epidemiological trends of CVD, including CHD, cerebrovascular disease, arrhythmias, valvular heart disease, congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, pulmonary vascular disease and venous thromboembolism, and aortic and peripheral artery diseases, as well as the basic research and medical device development in CVD. In a word, China has entered a new stage of transforming from high-speed development focusing on scale growth to high-quality development emphasizing on strategic and key technological development to curb the trend of increasing incidence and mortality of CVD.

Differentiation Between Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Mimics Using Quantitative Analysis of Fsciculation with Muscle Ultrasound / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

Objective To determine the diagnostic accuracy of the intensity of fasciculation evaluated by muscle ultrasound in the differential diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods We prospectively recruited patients who had ALS and neuropathy-radiculopathy attending Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2017 to 2020. Healthy adults from a community were recruited as healthy controls. Muscle strength was assessed using the Medical Research Council (MRC) scale. At the first visit to the hospital, patients were assessed for maximal grade of fasciculations, total fasciculation score, and fasciculation grade in 16 muscle groups of bilateral upper and lower limbs using ultrasonography. The sensitivity and specificity of maximal grade of fasciculations, total fasciculation score, and fasciculation grade for the diagnosis of ALS were assessed by receiver operating characteristic analyses. Results The percentage of limb muscles with a maximal fasciculation grade higher than grade 2 in ALS patients and neuropathy-radiculopathy patients was 84.9% and 9.8%, respectively (χ2 = 172.436, P < 0.01). Of the 16 limb muscles detected, the total fasciculation score [median (interquartile range)] was 29 (15, 41) in ALS patients and 3 (0, 8) in neuropathy-radiculopathy patients (Z = 9.642, P < 0.001). Remarkable fasciculations were seen in ALS patients whose muscles with a MRC score ranging from 2 to 4, followed by patients with MRC score 5, and then in those with MRC score 0 and 1. The sensitivity and specificity of total fasciculation score for diagnosis of ALS were 80.6% and 93.4%, respectively (cut-off value 14). In patients with ALS, for muscles with MRC score 4 and 5, the percentage of muscles with fasciculation grades ≥ 3 was 42.3% and 24.1% respectively, while in neuropathy-radiculopathy patients, the percentage for muscles with MRC score 4 and 5 was only 1.7% and 0, respectively. Conclusion A combined analysis of fasciculation intensity and MRC score of the limb muscles may be helpful for differential diagnosis of ALS.

Prevalence of smoking in adults aged 40 years and above in China, 2019-2020 / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To understand the prevalence of smoking and its change in adults aged ≥40 years in China and provide evidence for the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) prevention and control strategies. Methods: The data of this study were obtained from COPD surveillance in China during 2014-2015 and during 2019-2020. The surveillance covered 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities). A multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling were used to select residents aged ≥40 years, and face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect the information about their tobacco use. After complex sampling weighting of the samples, the current smoking rate, average age to start smoking and average daily cigarette consumption of people with different characteristics during 2019-2020 were estimated, and the changes in the current smoking rate and average daily cigarette consumption were analyzed from 2014-2015 to 2019-2020. Results: During 2019-2020, the current smoking rate in adults aged ≥40 years was 27.2%, and the rate was much higher in men (52.1%) than in women (2.5%).The average age of the smokers to start smoking was 20.0 years old, and men usually started smoking at younger age (19.6 years) compared with women (27.9 years). The average daily cigarette consumption of daily smokers was 18.0 sticks, and the consumption of men (18.3 cigarettes) was higher than that of women (11.1 cigarettes). Compared with the surveillance results during 2014-2015, the current smoking rate had decreased by 2.8 percentage points in the general population, 4.1 percentage points in males, 1.6 percentage points in females, and the urban and rural areas fell by 3.1 percentage points and 2.5 percentage points, respectively. The average daily cigarette consumption decreased by 0.6 sticks. Conclusions: In recent years, the current smoking rate and average daily cigarette consumption in adults aged ≥40 years decreased in China, but smoking is still common in more than quarter of this population and more than half of men aged ≥40 years. It is necessary to take targeted tobacco control measures based on population and regional characteristics to further reduce the smoking level of the population.

Performance of pulmonary function test in people aged 40 years and above in China, 2019-2020 / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To understand the performance of pulmonary function tests in people aged ≥40 years and its changes in China, and provide evidence for the evaluation of the effect of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) prevention and control in China. Methods: The subjects of the survey were from COPD surveillance during 2014-2015 and during 2019-2020, which covered 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) in China. The survey used multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method, the trained investigators conducted face-to-face interview to know whether subjects had previous pulmonary function testing or not. Complex sampling weighting was used to estimate the rate of pulmonary function testing in people aged ≥40 years, and the pulmonary function testing rates of the two COPD surveillance periods were compared. Results: A total of 148 427 persons were included in the analysis, including 74 591 persons during 2014-2015 and 73 836 persons during 2019-2020. In 2019-2020, the pulmonary function testing rate in Chinese residents aged ≥40 years was 6.7% (95%CI: 5.2%-8.2%), the rate in men (8.1%, 95%CI: 6.7%-9.6%) was higher than that in women (5.4%, 95%CI: 3.7%- 7.0%), and the rate in urban residents (8.3%, 95%CI: 6.1%-10.5%) was higher than that in rural residents (4.4%, 95%CI: 3.8%-5.1%). The rate of pulmonary function testing increased with the increase of education level. During 2019-2020, the residents with history of chronic respiratory diseases had the highest rate of pulmonary function testing (21.2%, 95%CI: 16.8%-25.7%), followed by the residents with respiratory symptoms (15.1%, 95%CI: 11.8%-18.4%) , the pulmonary function testing rate in those who knew the name of chronic respiratory disease was higher than that in those who did not knew the name of respiratory disease, and the pulmonary function testing rate in former smokers was higher than that in current smokers and non-smokers. Those exposed to occupational dust and/or harmful gases had a higher rate of pulmonary function testing compared with those who were not exposed, and those who used polluted fuels indoors had a lower rate of pulmonary function testing than those who did not use polluted fuels indoors (all P<0.05). Compared with 2014-2015, the pulmonary function testing rate in residents aged ≥40 years in China increased by 1.9 percentage points during 2019-2020, and the rate of pulmonary function testing in groups with different characteristics all increased, and the rates of pulmonary function testing increased by 7.4 percentage points and 7.1 percentage points in residents with respiratory symptoms and in those with history of chronic respiratory diseases (all P<0.05). Conclusions: Compared with 2014-2015, the rate of pulmonary function testing increased in China during 2019-2020 and the increase in residents with history of chronic respiratory diseases and respiratory symptoms was relatively obvious, but the overall pulmonary function testing rate was still at a low level. Effective measures should be taken to further increase the rate of pulmonary function testing.

Effects of Toxoplasma gondii infection on mouse and human uterine natural killer cells / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To examine the effects of Toxoplasma gondii infection on the proportion, quantity, differentiation and function of mouse and human uterine natural killer cells (uNK cells), so as to explore the role of uNK cells in abortion of early pregnancy caused by T. gondii infection. Methods Pregnant mice were injected intraperitoneally with T. gondii tachyzoites on day 6.5 of pregnancy, and the abortion mouse model caused by T. gondii infections was constructed. Mouse uterine lymphocytes were isolated on day 9.5 of pregnancy. Human uterine lymphocytes were isolated from fresh human decidual specimens after abortion in normal early pregnancy and co-cultured with tachyzoites of the T. gondii RH strain for 48 h at T. gondii/uterine lymphocytes ratios of 0.5:1, 1:1 and 2:1. The phenotypes of mouse uNK cells (CD122, NK1.1, DX5) and human uNK cells (CD3, CD56, CD11b, CD27) and the expression of intracellular cytokines interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were detected by flow cytometry. Mouse and human uNK cells were sorted by magnetic beads, and the cytotoxicity of uNK cells was tested using the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay at effector/target cell ratios of 1:1, 5:1, 10:1 and 20:1 with mouse or human uNK cells as effector cells and mouse YAC-1 cells or human K562 cells as target cells. Results On day 9.5 of pregnancy, the mouse abortion rate was significantly higher in the infected group than that in the control group (83.02% vs. 3.51%; χ2 = 71.359, P < 0.001). Significantly lower absolute number of uNK cells [(4 547 ± 1 610) cells/mouse vs. (8 978 ± 3 339) cells/mouse; U = 2.000, P < 0.05], lower NK1.1 expression on uNK cell surface [(74.53 ± 8.37)% vs. (93.00 ± 1.11)%; U = 0.000, P < 0.05], higher proportion of NK1.1-DX5-cells [(20.10 ± 8.03)% vs. (5.04 ± 0.68)%; U = 0.000, P < 0.05], lower proportion of NK1.1+ DX5+ cells [(21.70 ± 12.48)% vs. (45.75 ± 2.26)%; U = 0.000, P < 0.05] and higher IFN-γ expression [(16.74 ± 1.36)% vs. (8.13 ± 1.90)%; U = 0.000, P < 0.05] were detected in the infected group than in the control group, while no significant difference was seen in TNF-α expression between the two groups [(67.98 ± 9.20)% vs. (52.93 ± 10.42)%; U = 2.000, P > 0.05]. The mouse uNK cells showed a strong cytotoxicity in the infected group, and the cytotoxicity gradually increased with the effector/target cell ratio. The cytotoxicity of uNK cells against YAC-1 cells was 2.30%, 4.32%, 8.12% and 12.65% in the infected group and 1.21%, 1.63%, 2.51% and 3.22% in the control group at effector/target cell ratios of 1:1, 5:1, 10:1 and 20:1, respectively. Following co-culture of human uterine lymphocytes and tachyzoites of the T. gondii RH strain for 48 h, the proportion [TOX 2:1 group vs. control group: (6.61 ± 1.75)% vs. (17.48 ± 4.81)%; F = 7.307, P < 0.01], and absolute number of human uNK cells in uterine lymphocytes of human uNK cells in uterine lymphocytes [TOX 2:1 group vs. control group: (12 104 ± 5 726) cells/well vs. (65 285 ± 21 810) cells/well; H = 11.540, P < 0.01] were significantly lower in the infected group than in the control group. A lower proportion of CD56brightCD16- NK cells [TOX 2:1 group vs. control group: (25.25 ± 5.90)% vs. (36.03 ± 4.51)%; F = 3.213, P > 0.05] and higher proportion of CD56dimCD16+ NK cells [TOX 2:1 group vs. control group: (11.15 ± 2.15)% vs. (7.09 ± 2.24)%; F = 2.992, P > 0.05] were detected in uNK cells in the infected group than in the control group, and the ratio of CD56brightCD16- cells/CD56dimCD16+ cells was significantly lower in the infected group than in the control group [TOX2:1 group vs. control group: (2.37 ± 0.92) vs. (5.58 ± 2.39); H = 8.228, P < 0.05]. In addition, the proportion of CD11b+CD27- cells in human uNK cells was significantly higher in the infected group than in the control group [TOX 2:1 group vs. control group: (30.28 ± 6.91)% vs. (17.48 ± 4.67)%; H = 6.556, P < 0.05], while no significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of IFN-γ [TOX 2:1 group vs. control group: (14.13 ± 1.28)% vs. (15.19 ± 1.64)%; F = 1.639, P > 0.05] or TNF-α expression [TOX 2:1 group vs. control group: (54.76 ± 10.02)% vs. (50.33 ± 3.67)%; F = 0.415, P > 0.05]. Human uNK cells presented a strong cytotoxicity in the infected group, and the cytotoxicity gradually increased with the effector/target cell ratio. The cytotoxicity of human uNK cells against K562 cells was 11.90%, 28.11%, 49.91% and 73.35% in the infected group and 12.21%, 21.63%, 33.51% and 48.22% in the control group at effector/target cell ratios of 1:1, 5:1, 10:1 and 20:1, respectively. Conclusions T. gondii infection presents diverse effects on the differentiation and secretion ability of mouse and human uNK cells. However, T. gondii infection causes a reduction in the absolute number and enhances the cytotoxicity of both mouse and human uNK cells.

Qishen Taohong Granule () as Adjuvant Therapy for Improving Cardiac Function and Quality of Life in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure: A Randomized Controlled Trial / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To confirm the improvement of cardiac function and quality of life (QOL) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) via Chinese medicine (CM) Qishen Taohong Granule (, QTG).@*METHODS@#This study was a single-center, prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial. Seventy-six patients from 27 to 84 years old diagnosed with CHF New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II or III in stage C were enrolled and randomly assigned at a 1:1 ratio to receive QTG or trimetazidine (TMZ), in addition to their standard medications for the treatment of CHF. The study period was 4 weeks. The primary outcomes included cardiac function evaluated by NYHA classification and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), as well as QOL evaluated by CHF Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Survival Scale (CHFQLS). The secondary outcomes included 6-min walking test (6MWT), CM syndrome score, symptom and sign scores and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). All indices were measured at baseline and the end of the trial.@*RESULTS@#At the 4-week follow-up period, the effective rate according to NYHA classification in the QTG group was better than that in the TMZ group (74.29% vs. 54.29%, P<0.05). But there was no significant difference in post-treatment level of LVEF between the two groups (P>0.05). The CHFQLS scores improved by 13.82±6.04 vs. 7.49±2.28 in the QTG and TMZ groups, respectively (P<0.05). Subgroup analysis of the CHFQLS results showed that physiological function, role limitation and vitality were significantly higher in the QTG group than in the TMZ group (15.76±7.85 vs. 7.40±3.36, P<0.05; 16.00±8.35 vs. 10.53±4.64, P<0.05; 15.31±8.09 vs. 7.89±4.60, P<0.05). Compared with TMZ group, treatment with QTG also demonstrated superior performance with respect to 6MWT, CM syndrome, shortness of breath, fatigue, gasping, general edema and NT-proBNP level. No significant adverse reactions or adverse cardiac events occurred during treatment in either group.@*CONCLUSION@#In addition to conventional treatments, the use of QTG as an adjuvant therapy significantly improved cardiac function and QOL in patients with CHF class II or III in stage C. [Registration No. ChiCTR1900022036 (retrospectively registered)].

Construction of aquaporin 9 gene knockout mice using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system / 解剖学报

Objective To construct homozygous aquaporin 9(AQP-9)

The renal protective effect of saxagliptin combined with metformin on type 2 diabetic mice and its relationship with redox balance / 中国药理学通报

Aim To evaluate the reno-proteetion of saxagliptin combined with metformin in mice with T2DM anrl its relationship with redox balance.Meth¬ods C57BL/6J mice were fed with high fat diet and injected with low dose STZ intraperitoneally to establish T2DM mouse model.Then they were randomly divided into T2DM group, glibenclamide group ( Gli group), metformin group ( Met group) , saxagliptin group ( Sax group) and saxagliptin + metformin group ( S + M group) , and normal control group ( NC group) with 8 mice in each group.Eight weeks after intervention the mice were weighed.Blood, urine and renal tissue sam¬ples were collected to measure GHbA,c, FBG, Alb, 8-OHdG, 8-iso-PG, SOD, GSH, GSSG and Ucr.The pathological morphology of renal tissues in each group was observed.Results Saxagliptin combined with metformin reduced significantly the levels of Alb/Ucr ( UACR) , 8-0HdG/Ucr( UOCR) , 8-iso-PG/Ucr( UP- CR) , increased the activity of SOD and GSH/GSSG ratio, and improved the pathological changes of renal tissues, which were superior to those in Met group and Sax group.Conclusions Saxagliptin combined with metformin have a synergistic protective effect on the kidneys of type 2 diabetic mice.The mechanism is partly related to alleviating oxidative stress and impro¬ving redox balance in vivo.

The role of a disintegrin-like and metalloproteinase with throm bospondin typeⅠmotifs-8 in lung adenocarcinomaand its mechanism / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective:To explore the role of a disintegrin-like and metalloproteinase with throm bospondin typeⅠmotifs-8(ADAMTS8) gene in lung adenocarcinoma and its mechanism.Methods:Selected lung adenocarcinoma data sets GSE75037 and GSE116959 and lung adenocarcinoma transcriptome data and clinical information from the TCGA database; useed R software to analyze differential genes in lung adenocarcinoma tissues, and performed GO enrichment analysis and KEGG signal pathway enrichment for differential genes set analysis; analyzed the expression of ADAMTS8 gene in lung adenocarcinoma and its correlation with patient survival and prognosis; CCK-8 experiment detects the effect of ADAMTS8 overexpression or knockdown on the proliferation of A549 cells; Western blot detected ADAMTS8 overexpression or knockdown effect on Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Results:The combined analysis found that 395 genes were up-regulated in lung adenocarcinoma samples, and 716 genes were down-regulated; ADAMTS8 was under-expressed in lung adenocarcinoma tissues, and its expression level was related to tumor stage; low-expression of ADAMTS8 was associated with shorter survival time, poor prognosis, Cox regression analysis showed that ADAMTS8 can be used as an independent prognostic marker for patients with lung adenocarcinoma; CCK-8 results showed that overexpression of ADAMTS8 can inhibit the proliferation of A549 cells, knocking down ADAMTS8 can promote the proliferation of A549 cells ( P<0.05); Western blot results showed that after overexpression of ADAMTS8, the protein levels of β-catenin, cyclin D1 and c-Myc in cells were significantly reduced ( P<0.05), while knocking down ADAMTS8 could cause the protein levels of β-catenin, cyclin D1 and c-Myc in cells increased significantly ( P<0.05). Conclusions:ADAMTS8 is under-expressed in lung adenocarcinoma and can be used as an independent prognostic marker for patients. Overexpression of ADAMTS8 may inhibit the proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma cells by inhibiting the activity of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

The value of serum anti-Mullerian hormone combined with transvaginal color Doppler ultrasonography in predicting ovarian reserve function in infertility patients / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) combined with transvaginal color Doppler ultrasonography (vaginal color ultrasound) for ovarian reserve function in infertility patients.Methods:A total of 105 infertility patients diagnosed and treated in Dezhou People′s Hospital from January 2018 to October 2020 were selected as study subjects. Among them, 32 patients with less than 5 eggs obtained after the first treatment (low ovarian response) were included in group A, and 73 patients with 5 to 15 eggs obtained (normal ovarian response) were included in group B. Serum AMH levels were measured, antral follicle count (AFC), ovarian volume (OV), and ovarian stromal peak diastolic systolic velocity (PSV) were recorded by vaginal ultrasound. The levels of above index in A, B groups, patients aged > 35 years old, and those aged ≤35 years old were compared. Moreover, the correlation among serum AMH level and aged, ultrasonic parameters were analyzed. The efficacy of serum AMH level and AFC, OV and PSV in predicting low ovarian response was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results:The levels of serum AMH, AFC, OV and PSV in group A were lower than those in group B: (0.69 ± 0.28) μg/L vs. (1.43 ± 0.44) μg/L, (8.52 ± 2.29) eggs vs. (11.15 ± 2.56) eggs, (3.12 ± 0.70) cm 3 vs. (4.50 ± 1.31) cm 3, (8.80 ± 2.14) cm/s vs. (15.80 ± 4.43) cm/s, the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The levels of serum AMH, AFC, OV and PSV in aged > 35 years old group were lower than those in aged ≤35 years old group: (0.64 ± 0.20) g/L vs. (1.71 ± 0.46) μg/L, (8.35 ± 2.68) eggs vs. (12.17 ± 2.79) eggs, (3.05 ± 0.78) cm 3 vs. (5.02 ± 1.26) cm 3, (9.01 ± 3.04) cm/s vs. (17.90 ± 4.19) cm/s, the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). Serum AMH level was negatively correlated with age ( r = -0.317, P<0.05), and positively correlated with AFC, OV and PSV ( r = 0.288, 0.326, 0.370, P<0.05). The sensitivity and specificity for the evaluation of low ovarian response by AMH+AFC+OV+PSV were 96.90% and 100.00% respectively. Conclusions:The sensitivity and specificity of serum AMH combined with vaginal color ultrasound for the evaluation of ovarian reserve function in infertility patients are both high.

Characteristics of fundus fluorescein angiography in retinopathy of prematurity with spontaneous regression / 中华眼底病杂志

Objective:To investigate the fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) characteristics of spontaneous regression in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and the range of retinal vascularization.Methods:A clinical retrospective study. A total of 82 eyes of 41 infants with ROP, who underwent FFA from January 2019 to December 2021 in Department of Ophthalmology of Xijing Hospital after completion of ROP regression, were included. There were 25 males (50 eyes) and 16 females (32 eyes). ROP was diagnosed in Zone Ⅱ in 44 eyes, with 38 eyes in stage 2 and 6 eyes in stage 3, and in zone Ⅲ in 38 eyes of stage 2. All patients underwent FFA examination under general anesthesia, at postmenstrual age of 70.70±12.25 weeks, after the natural regression of ROP was completed. Focus on the retinal vascular development, as well as choroid circulation and macular abnormalities, and compare and observe the differences between zone Ⅱ and Ⅲ after spontaneous regression. The extent of retinal vascularization was determined by the ratio between the distance of the center of the disc to the border of the vascularized zone (DB) and the center of the disc to the fovea distance (DF). The width of avascular area, recorded as the distance from the ora serrata to the vascular termination, was counted by disc diameters (DD). The measurement data between zone Ⅱ and zone Ⅲ ROP were compared by the independent sample t-test, and the count data were compared by χ2 test or Fisher exact probability test. Results:The linear choroidal pattern was present in 9 eyes (21.95%, 9/41), and the tortuous arteries in the posterior retina were detected in 32 eyes (39.02%, 32/82). It was noted that increased branching of vessels presented in 45 eyes (54.88%, 45/82), straight shape of vessels shown in 27 eyes (32.93%, 27/82), circumferential vessels arisen in 45 eyes (54.88%, 45/82), arteriovenous shunt appeared in 18 eyes (21.95%, 18/82), and capillary bed lost in 46 eyes (56.10%, 46/82) in areas from initial ridge to vascular termini. Punctate or linear dye leakage was observed in 23 eyes (28.05%, 23/82) during the late phase of FFA. Macular abnormalities, such as the absence of foveal avascular zone and hypoperfusion, were observed in 28 eyes (34.15%, 28/82), of which the macular ectopia presented in 1 eye. The mean DB/DF ratio of all the 82 eyes on the temporal side was 4.63±0.29 and 3.77±0.23 in the nasal. The mean avascular area on the temporal retina was 1.74±1.00 DD. Compared with ROP in zone Ⅲ, increased branching of vessels and dye leakage were more common ( χ2=9.303, 10.774; P=0.002, 0.001), the extent of temporal retinal vascularization was smaller ( t=-2.285, P=0.026), and the avascular area of the retina was more significant ( t=5.491, P<0.001) in zone Ⅱ ROP. Conclusions:Even after completion of spontaneous regression in ROP, incomplete retinal vascularization and vascular abnormalities may exist permanently in FFA, including those such as the tortuous arteries in the posterior retina, increased branching and straight shape of vessels, circumferential vessels, capillary bed lost and macular abnormality. Further appropriate follow-up is needed for long-term safety.