Corrigendum: Prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia in pregnant women with various thalassemia genotypes: thoughts on iron supplementation in pregnant women with thalassemia genes.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1005951.].

Evaluating the value of progressive muscle relaxation therapy for patients with lumbar disc herniation after surgery based on a difference-in-differences model.

We evaluate the value of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) for patients with lumbar disc herniation after surgery based on a difference-in-differences model. A total of 128 patients with lumbar disc herniation who underwent surgery were randomly assigned to undergo either conventional intervention (conventional intervention group, n = 64) or conventional intervention combined with PMR (PMR group, n = 64). Perioperative anxiety level, stress level and lumbar function were compared between the two groups and compared pain between the two groups before and 1 week and 1 and 3 months after surgery. After 3 months, no one was lost to follow-up. At 1 day before surgery and 3 days after surgery, Self-rating Anxiety Scale score in the PMR group was significantly lower than that in the conventional intervention group (P < 0.05). At 30 min before surgery, heart rate and systolic blood pressure in the PMR group were significantly lower than those in the conventional intervention group (P < 0.05). After intervention, the scores of subjective symptoms, clinical signs and restrictions on activities of daily living were significantly higher in the PMR group than those in the conventional intervention group (all P < 0.05). Visual Analogue Scale score in the PMR group was significantly lower than that in the conventional intervention group (all P < 0.05). The amplitude of change in VAS score in the PMR group was greater than that in the conventional intervention group (P < 0.05). PMR can relieve perioperative anxiety and stress in patients with lumbar disc herniation, reduce postoperative pain and improve lumbar function.

Prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia in pregnant women with various thalassemia genotypes: Thoughts on iron supplementation in pregnant women with thalassemia genes.

Background: There are limited studies on iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) in carriers of various thalassemia genotypes. However, for pregnant women (PW) with high iron demand, ignoring the phenomenon of carrying the thalassemia genes combined with IDA may lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Methods: The hematological phenotype indexes of 15,051 PW who received a prenatal diagnosis of thalassemia in our hospital were analyzed, and the plasma ferritin (PF) of 714 anemic pregnant women (APW) was determined. Results: The results showed that 87.43% of APW without thalassemia suffered from IDA. Among APW with various thalassemia genotypes, we found that 40.00∼77.78% of subjects with α-thalassemia silent genotypes [αCS (or QS)α/αα (40.00%), -α3.7(or 4.2)/αα (57.65%), and αWSα/αα (77.78%)] and 18.18∼84.21% of subjects with α-thalassemia minor genotypes [αCS (or QS)α/-α3.7(or 4.2) (18.18%), -α3.7(or 4.2)/-α3.7(or 4.2) (40.00%), αα/-SEA (44.55%), and αWSα/-α3.7(or 4.2) (84.21%)] developed IDA, while in subjects with α-thalassemia intermedia genotypes, only αWSα/-SEA was associated with IDA, with an incidence of 16.67%. However, the incidence of IDA in APW with common ß-thalassemia minor genotypes (ßCD17(A>T)/ß, ßCD41/42 (-TTCT)/ß, ßCD71/72(+A)/ß, ßIVS-II-654(C>T)/ß, and ß-28(A>G)/ß) was less than 10.85%. In addition, the APW with ß-thalassemia minor had a higher PF level than the APW without thalassemia. Conclusion: Our study is the first to reveal differences in the prevalence of IDA among PW with various thalassemia genotypes, indicating that the possibility of IDA should be fully considered when managing PW with α-thalassemia silent or minor genotypes in high-risk areas, and that iron supplementation should be monitored dynamically for PW with ß-thalassemia minor genotypes.

Effects of Rapid Rehabilitation Nursing Based on the Syndrome Differentiation and Treatment Theory of TCM on Sleep and Life Quality of Patients Undergoing Multi-Endoscope Gallbladder-Preserving Cholecystolithotomy.

Objective: The current study aimed to explore the effects of rapid rehabilitation nursing based on the syndrome differentiation and treatment theory of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on the sleep and life quality of patients undergoing multi-endoscope gallbladder-preserving cholecystolithotomy (MEGPCL). Methods: 112 patients who underwent MEGPCL were chosen as subjects for this study. These 112 subjects were randomly divided into observational and control groups, with 56 cases in each group. The control group was treated with conventional western medicine rapid rehabilitation nursing intervention, and the observation group was treated with TCM treatment theory of syndrome differentiation rapid rehabilitation nursing intervention. The recovery rates of gastrointestinal function of the two groups werecompared and evaluated. The psychological resilience, pain degree, treatment compliance, self-care ability, sleep quality, and patient's life quality prior to and following the interventive therapy were determined by the CD-RISC, SF-MPQ, Kolcaba score, BMQ, ESCA, PSQI, and GLQI, respectively. The prevalence of postoperative complications such as different infections and lower limb venous thrombosis during hospitalization were statistically analyzed in the two designed groups. Results: It was revealed that in the observation group, the time span for anus exhaust and anus defecation, bowel sound recovery, feeding, and hospital stay was less than in the control group (all P < 0.05). After the intervention, Kolcaba and CD-RISC scores were higher in the observation group as compared to control group, while SF-MPQ scores were less than the control group (all P < 0.05). BMQ, ESCA, and GLQI scores were also higher in the observation group, and PSQI score was less than the control group (all P < 0.05). It was also observed that the incidence of postoperative complications was lower in the observation group (all P < 0.05). Conclusion: The application of TCM syndrome differentiation theory in the rehabilitation nursing of patients undergoing MEGPCL can improve treatment compliance, relieve postoperative pain, promote postoperative gastrointestinal function recovery, restores sleep quality, and improve patients' life quality.

Aqueous Extract and Polysaccharide of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Induce Apoptosis and G0/G1 Phase Cell Cycle Arrest by PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway in Mesangial Cells.

Mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (MesPGN) is a common renal disease that lacks effective drug intervention. Aconiti Lateralis Radix (Fuzi), a natural Chinese medical herb, is found with significant therapeutic effects on various diseases in the clinic. However, its effects on MesPGN have not been reported. This study is aimed to discuss the therapeutic effects of the aqueous extract of Aconiti Lateralis Radix (ALR) and the polysaccharides of Aconiti Lateralis Radix (PALR) on MesPGN as well as the underlying mechanism. In this study, we, firstly, studied the anti-MesPGN mechanism of ALR and PALR. ALR and PALR inhibit the proliferation of the mesangial cells through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, induce the G0/G1 phase of block and apoptosis, inhibit the activity of Cyclin E and CDK2, increase the expression of Bax, cleaved caspase-8/caspase-8, and cleaved caspase-3/caspase-3 proteins, and effectively inhibit the growth of the mesangial cells. Overall, our data suggest that ALR and PALR may be potential candidates for MesPGN and that PALR is more effective than ALR.

Effects of active vitamin D on insulin resistance and islet ß-cell function in non-diabetic chronic kidney disease patients: a randomized controlled study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to observe the effects of active vitamin D supplementation on insulin resistance and islet ß-cell function (HOMA-ß) in patients with non-diabetic chronic kidney disease (NDCKD). METHODS: A total of 134 patients with NDCKD who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the prospective controlled study and categorized as such: 60 patients in the non-dialysis (ND) group; 36, hemodialysis (HD) group; and 38, peritoneal dialysis (PD) group. Each group was divided into two equal-numbered subgroups for vitamin D supplementation. Those in the experimental subgroups received calcitriol 0.5 ug/day orally, and were followed-up for 6 months. A total of 117 patients were followed-up, including 57 patients in the ND group; 29, HD group; and 31, PD group. Changes in the insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) and HOMA-ß index were calculated and compared at the time of enrollment and after 1, 3, and 6 months of intervention. RESULTS: (1) Mean HOMA-IR value: In the ND group, mean HOMA-IR value of the experimental group significantly decreased compared with that of the control group after 3 months of intervention (P = 0.02). In the HD and PD groups, there was no statistical difference between the experimental and control groups (P > 0.05). (2) Mean HOMA-ß index: In the ND group, mean HOMA-ß index of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group after 1 month of active vitamin D treatment (P = 0.03), and, with an extended intervention time, the index gradually increased (P < 0.001). In the HD group, mean HOMA-ß index of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group after 3 months of active vitamin D treatment (P = 0.01). Among PD patients, mean HOMA-ß index of the patients in the experimental group was higher than that of the control group after 6 months of active vitamin D treatment (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Active vitamin D supplementation improved insulin resistance and HOMA-ß after 6 months in ND patients, but only improved HOMA-ß in the dialysis patients, with no significant effect on insulin resistance.

Melatonin supplementation in the culture medium rescues impaired glucose metabolism in IVF mice offspring.

Increasing evidence suggests that in vitro fertilization (IVF) may be associated with an increased risk of developing obesity and metabolic diseases later in life in the offspring. Notably, the addition of melatonin to culture medium may improve embryo development and prevent cardiovascular dysfunction in IVF adult mice. This study aimed to determine if melatonin supplementation in the culture medium can reverse impaired glucose metabolism in IVF mice offspring and the underlying mechanisms. Blastocysts used for transfer were generated by natural mating (control group) or IVF with or without melatonin (10-6  M) supplementation (mIVF and IVF group, respectively) in clinical-grade culture media. Here, we first report that IVF decreased hepatic expression of Fbxl7, which was associated with impaired glucose metabolism in mice offspring. Melatonin addition reversed the phenotype by up-regulating the expression of hepatic Fbxl7. In vitro experiments showed that Fbxl7 enhanced the insulin signaling pathway by degrading RhoA through ubiquitination and was up-regulated by transcription factor Foxa2. Specific knockout of Fbxl7 in the liver of adult mice, through tail intravenous injection of recombinant adeno-associated virus, impaired glucose tolerance, while overexpression of hepatic Fbxl7 significantly improved glucose tolerance in adult IVF mice. Thus, the data suggest that Fbxl7 plays an important role in maintaining glucose metabolism of mice, and melatonin supplementation in the culture medium may rescue the long-term risk of metabolic diseases in IVF offspring.

Assessment of the Multiphase Mechanical Properties of the Longmaxi Formation Shale Using Nanoindentation Tests.

Mechanical properties are some of the most important parameters for understanding well drilling and hydraulic fracturing designs in unconventional reservoir development. As an effective tool, nanoindentation has been used to determine the mechanical properties of rocks at the nanoscale. In this study, the Longmaxi Formation shale samples from the Yibin area of China were collected and analyzed to obtain the multiphase mechanical properties. The mineral compositions and organic geochemistry of the shale samples were studied using X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, and a carbon/sulfur analyzer. The pore structures of the shale samples at the micro- and nanoscales were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical parameters of the shale samples, such as the hardness and elastic modulus, were investigated using the nanoindentation method to identify three mineral phases: brittle minerals, soft matters, and complex minerals at the interfaces between brittle minerals and soft matters. The uncertainty characteristics of the mechanical parameters of the three mineral phases were evaluated using the Weibull model, and the factors interfering with the mechanical parameters were analyzed for the different shale samples. The results showed that the brittle minerals had the largest recovered elastic deformations and the smallest residual deformations, while the soft matters had the largest residual deformations and the smallest recovered elastic deformations. The analysis results of the coefficients of variation and the Weibull modulus both confirmed that the scatter of the hardness was higher than that of the elastic modulus because of the uncertain contact area, and the hardness and elastic modulus of the soft matters had the highest uncertainty among the three mineral phases. The elastic modulus increased nonlinearly with increasing hardness according to a power function for the whole shale sample. The elastic modulus and hardness both had a favorable linear relationship with the total organic carbon (TOC) content, illustrating that the TOC content was one of the significant factors that affected the mechanical parameters of the shale samples.

An LC-MS/MS- and hURAT1 cell-based approach for screening of uricosuric agents.

Urate anion exchanger 1 (URAT1) expressed in the proximal renal tubules is responsible for about 90% of the reabsorption of uric acid. URAT1 is identified as an important target of uricosuric drugs. Here we present an LC-MS/MS-based approach, combined with URAT1-transgenic MDCK cells, for the assessment of uric acid. Cell lysis was executed with 50 mM NaOH to release uric acid. 1,3-15N2 uric acid was employed as the internal standard. The harvested uric acid, along with the stable isotope-labeled uric acid, was analyzed by LC-MS/MS in multiple reactions monitoring and negative modes. Validation, i.e. determination of selectivity, precision, accuracy, extraction recovery, and matrix effect, and feasibility was evaluated by use of the approach developed. The linearity was observed in the range of 1.0-250 µM (r = 0.9960) with limit of detection of 50 nM and limit of quantitation of 200 nM. The precision and accuracy were found to be RSD ≤ 20% and 80-120% of the nominal value, respectively. Uric acid uptake showed concentration and time dependency in URAT1-transgenic cells. The observed inhibitory effects of three URAT1-targeted uricosuric drugs were consistent with those reported in literature. The stable isotope dilution-based approach was proven to be selective, sensitive, and convenient, which is a good in vitro model for URAT1-targeted drug candidate screening.

Potential Applications of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT in the Evaluation of Salivary Gland Uptake Function: Preliminary Observations and Comparison with 99mTcO4 - Salivary Gland Scintigraphy.

Purpose: To preliminarily evaluate the feasibility and potential of using 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT in evaluating the function of salivary glands and lacrimal glands in comparison with 99mTc-pertechnetate (99mTcO4 -) salivary gland scintigraphy (SGS). Methods: A retrospective study was performed in 15 patients with different degrees of xerostomia and suspected salivary gland dysfunction. Each patient underwent 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT first and SGS the next day, and the findings of both scans were compared. Results: The results of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT and SGS were consistent in 12/15 patients (80%) and were inconsistent in the remaining patients (20%). For 5 (33.3%) of 15 patients, 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT provided more information than did SGS. Additionally, 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT corrected the misdiagnosis by SGS for 1 patient. Conclusions: 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT is a potentially useful imaging tool for evaluating the function of salivary glands and lacrimal glands. 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT can be a promising supplement to SGS, and its clinical value deserves further study.

Development of a novel oil-in-water emulsion and evaluation of its potential adjuvant function in a swine influenza vaccine in mice.

BACKGROUND: Vaccination is the principal strategy for prevention and control of diseases, and adjuvant use is an effective strategy to enhance vaccine efficacy. Traditional mineral oil-based adjuvants have been reported with post-immunization reactions. Developing new adjuvant formulations with improved potency and safety will be of great value. RESULTS: In the study reported herein, a novel oil-in-water (O/W) Emulsion Adjuvant containing Squalane (termed EAS) was developed, characterized and investigated for swine influenza virus immunization. The data show that EAS is a homogeneous nanoemulsion with small particle size (~ 105 nm), low viscosity (2.04 ± 0.24 cP at 20 °C), excellent stability (at least 24 months at 4 °C) and low toxicity. EAS-adjuvanted H3N2 swine influenza vaccine was administrated in mice subcutaneously to assess the adjuvant potency of EAS. The results demonstrated that in mice EAS-adjuvanted vaccine induced significantly higher titers of hemagglutination inhibition (HI) and IgG antibodies than water-in-oil (W/O) vaccines or antigen alone, respectively, at day 42 post vaccination (dpv) (P < 0.05). EAS-adjuvanted vaccine elicited significantly stronger IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies and higher concentrations of Th1 (IFN-γ and IL-2) cytokines compared to the W/O vaccine or antigen alone. Mice immunized with EAS-adjuvanted influenza vaccine conferred potent protection after homologous challenge. CONCLUSION: The O/W emulsion EAS developed in the present work induced potent humoral and cellular immune responses against inactivated swine influenza virus, conferred effective protection after homologous virus challenge and showed low toxicity in mice, indicating that EAS is as good as the commercial adjuvant MF59. The superiority of EAS to the conventional W/O formulation in adjuvant activity, safety and stability will make it a potential veterinary adjuvant.

Optimization on Preparation Conditions of Salidroside Liposome and Its Immunological Activity on PCV-2 in Mice.

The aim of this study was to optimize the preparation conditions of salidroside liposome with high encapsulation efficiency (EE) and to study the immunological enhancement activity of salidroside liposome as porcine circovirus type 2 virus (PCV-2) vaccine adjuvant. Response surface methodology (RSM) was selected to optimize the conditions for the preparation of salidroside liposome using Design-Expert V8.0.6 software. Three kinds of salidroside liposome adjuvants were prepared to study their adjuvant activity. BALB/c mice were immunized with PCV-2 encapsulated in different kinds of salidroside liposome adjuvants. The PCV-2-specific IgG in immunized mice serum was determined with ELISA. The results showed that when the concentration of ammonium sulfate was 0.26 mol·L(-1), ethanol volume 6.5 mL, temperature 43°C, ethanol injection rate 3 mL·min(-1), and salidroside liposome could be prepared with high encapsulation efficiency of 94.527%. Salidroside liposome as adjuvant could rapidly induce the production of PCV-2-specific IgG and salidroside liposome I adjuvant proved to provide the best effect among the three kinds of salidroside liposome adjuvants.

Xist repression shows time-dependent effects on the reprogramming of female somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells.

Although the reactivation of silenced X chromosomes has been observed as part of the process of reprogramming female somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), it remains unknown whether repression of the X-inactive specific transcript (Xist) can greatly enhance female iPSC induction similar to that observed in somatic cell nuclear transfer studies. In this study, we discovered that the repression of Xist plays opposite roles in the early and late phases of female iPSCs induction. Our results demonstrate that the downregulation of Xist by an isopropyl ß-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG)-inducible short hairpin RNA (shRNA) system can greatly impair the mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET) in the early phase of iPSC induction but can significantly promote the transition of pre-iPSCs to iPSCs in the late phase. Furthermore, we demonstrate that although the knockdown of Xist did not affect the H3K27me3 modification on the X chromosome, macroH2A was released from the inactivated X chromosome (Xi). This enables the X chromosome silencing to be a reversible event. Moreover, we demonstrate that the supplementation of vitamin C (Vc) can augment and stabilize the reversible X chromosome by preventing the relocalization of macroH2A to the Xi. Therefore, our study reveals an opposite role of Xist repression in the early and late stages of reprogramming female somatic cells to pluripotency and demonstrates that the release of macroH2A by Xist repression enables the transition from pre-iPSCs to iPSCs.

trans-10,cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid improved growth performance, reduced lipid deposition and influenced CPT I kinetic constants of juvenile Synechogobius hasta.

trans-10,cis-12 (t10c12) Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) reduced body lipid deposition in various experimental animals, but the mechanisms involved were still emerging. Carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT I) catalyzes an important regulatory step in lipid metabolism. At present, no studies, to our knowledge, have evaluated the kinetic constants influenced by dietary CLA in fish. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that changes in body lipid content in fish as a response to dietary t10c12 CLA was related to the change of CPT I kinetic constants [Michaelis constant (K m), maximal velocity and catalytic efficiency for carnitine and palmitoyl-CoA]. Juvenile Synechogobius hasta were fed three experimental diets with fish oil replaced with 0 (control), 1, or 2 % t10c12 CLA for 8 weeks. Weight gain, specific growth rate and protein efficiency rate increased with dietary t10c12 CLA level. Dietary t10c12 CLA addition significantly reduced lipid contents both in liver and muscle. Dietary CLA addition also improved CPT I activities in muscle but did not significantly influence hepatic CPT I activity. CPT I kinetic parameters (K m, V max and catalytic efficiency) were significantly influenced by t10c12 CLA. CPT I catalytic efficiencies with carnitine and palmitoyl-CoA as substrates were higher in muscle and liver of fish fed increasing t10c12 CLA. For the first time, the findings demonstrated effect of dietary CLA addition on CPT I kinetics in fish and supported our starting hypothesis that dietary t10c12 CLA addition induced alterations in CPT I kinetic constants of muscle and liver. Increased CPT I catalytic efficiency might be the main reason for reduced lipid deposition in these tissues by dietary t10c12 CLA supplementation.

Simultaneous determination of harpagoside and cinnamic acid in rat plasma by liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and its application to pharmacokinetic studies.

A simple and sensitive method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of harpagoside and cinnamic acid in rat plasma using high-performance liquid chromatography system coupled to a negative ion electrospray mass spectrometric analysis. The plasma sample preparation was a simple deproteinization by the addition of two volumes of acetonitrile. The analytes were separated on an Intersil C8-3 column (2.1 mm i.d.x250 mm, 5 microm) with acetonitrile-5 mm ammonium formate aqueous solution (60:40, v/v) as mobile phase at a flow-rate of 0.2 mL/min. Detection was performed on a quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with electrospray ionization (ESI) source operated under selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. [M+HCOO]- at m/z 539 for harpagoside, [M-H]- at m/z 147 for cinnamic acid and [M-H]- at m/z 137 for salylic acid (internal standard) were selected as detecting ions, respectively. The method was validated over the concentration range 7-250 ng/mL for harpagoside and 5-500 ng/mL for cinnamic acid. The lower limits of quantitation for harpagoside and cinnamic acid were 7 and 5 ng/mL, respectively. The intra- and inter-day precisions (RSD%) were within 9.5% and the assay accuracies (RE%) ranged from -5.3 to 3.0% for both analytes. Their average recoveries were greater than 86%. Both analytes were proved to be stable during all sample storage, preparation and analysis procedures. The method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of harpagoside and cinnamic acid following oral administration of Radix Scrophulariae extract to rats.

Acupuncture plus point-injection for 32 cases of obstinate urticaria.

In order to observe the therapeutic effects of acupuncture plus point-injection for obstinate urticaria, 64 cases of obstinate urticaria were randomly divided into the following two groups. 32 cases in the treatment group were treated with acupuncture at the points of Quchi (LI11), Xuehai (SP10), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP6) and Fengchi (GB20) plus point-injection at the points of Zusanli (ST36) and Quchi (LI11). 32 cases in the control group were treated with antihistamines (such as Acrivastine, Cinnarizine or Ranitidine). The results showed that the therapeutic effect in the treatment group was obviously better than that in the control group (P < 0.05), with a much lower relapse rate in the former than that in the latter (P < 0.01).