Epidemiological investigation of allergic rhinitis in central cities and countrysides of Inner Mongolia region / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of allergic rhinitis (AR) in 3 central cities (Chifeng, Hohhot, Ordos) and the surrounding rural areas of Inner Mongolia region, and to look for possible risk factors related to the disease. Methods: From March to October of 2019, a multi-stage stratified random sampling epidemiological survey was conducted in Chifeng, Hohhot, Ordos and rural areas. The AR-related factors of the population were obtained in the form of face-to-face questionnaire survey, and the skin prick test (SPT) was taken for the participants. AR disease was diagnosed according to the "Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis (2015, Tianjin)". The daily airborne pollen situation in the three regions was monitored during the same period. SPSS 23.0 was used to analyze all survey results. Results: A total of 6 818 questionnaires were recovered, with 6 393 valid questionnaires. The self-reported prevalence of AR was 27.72% (1 772/6 393) and the confirmed prevalence of AR was 17.10% (1 093/6 393). The prevalence of perennial AR was 1.83% (117/6 393) while the prevalence of seasonal AR was 15.27% (976/6 393). The prevalence of AR diagnosed in females was higher than that in males (19.19% vs 15.34%, χ²=16.594, P<0.001) and the prevalence of females in the two age groups of 36-45 years and 46-55 years was significantly higher than that of males (18.17% vs 9.73%, 14.13% vs 7.25%, χ2 value was 23.848, 18.772, respectively, all P<0.001). The prevalence of confirmed diagnoses in ethnic minorities was higher than that of Han nationality, and the prevalence of confirmed diagnoses in urban areas was higher than that in rural areas (23.13% vs 16.20%, 27.27% vs 9.71%, χ2 value was 24.516, 336.024, respectively, all P<0.001). The main nasal symptoms of AR patients were sneezing (91.31%), nasal congestion (85.91%) and nasal itching (85.00%). The most common concomitant disease of AR was allergic conjunctivitis (73.99%). Asthma (OR=6.629), food allergy (OR=3.236), drug allergy (OR=1.786), application of antibiotics (OR=1.553), recent home decoration (OR=2.307), and smoking (OR=1.322) were the AR related risk factors. The highest proportion of SPT positive reactions was Artemisia annua (80.15%). The peak period of clinical symptoms of AR patients in Inner Mongolia region was July to September, which was consistent with the second peak period of airborne pollen monitoring. Conclusions: The prevalence of AR in central cities and the surrounding rural areas of Inner Mongolia region is 17.10%, and Artemisia species is the most important pollen allergen in this area. History of asthma, food allergy, drug allergy, antibiotic use, home decoration and smoking history are the related risk factors for AR.

Determination of serum IL-23 and its significance in patients with severe chronic hepatitis B / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the level of the serum IL-23 and its correlation with serum biochemical indices of liver function tests and HBV DNA load in patients with chronic severe hepatitis B.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty patients with chronic severe hepatitis B (severe hepatitis group) and 18 healthy controls (control group) were enrolled in the study. The serum IL-23 expression level was detected by ELISA method. The correlation between IL-23 and ALT, AST, TBil, HBV DNA load was analyzed using Pearson's correlation analysis, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Serum IL-23 expression level in severe hepatitis group was significantly higher than that of control group (P < 0.05). Serum IL-23 level was positively correlated with serum ALT, AST, respectively (P < 0.05), but was not correlated with TBil and HBV DNA load, respectively (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Serum IL-23 expression level was increased in patients with chronic severe hepatitis B and was associated with the severe of inflammation. We, therefore, believe that IL-23 might be involved in the pathogenesis of chronic severe hepatitis B.</p>

Comparison of once daily and twice daily administration of glimepiride with same total dosage in type 2 diabetes / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

A total of 126 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were randomized into two groups:one received glimepiride 1 mg twice daily and the other 2 mg once daily.Fasing blood glucose(BG),BG 2 h after meals(breakfast,lunch and dinner)and HbA_(IC)were tested,△and standard deviation of the 4 point BG were calculated.It was found that two kinds of administration of glimepiride were equally effective in decreasing BG and once daily aministration could ease better the fluctuation of BG.