Quantifying Nocturnal Scratch in Atopic Dermatitis: A Machine Learning Approach Using Digital Wrist Actigraphy.

Nocturnal scratching substantially impairs the quality of life in individuals with skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis (AD). Current clinical measurements of scratch rely on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) on itch over the last 24 h. Such measurements lack objectivity and sensitivity. Digital health technologies (DHTs), such as wearable sensors, have been widely used to capture behaviors in clinical and real-world settings. In this work, we develop and validate a machine learning algorithm using wrist-wearing actigraphy that could objectively quantify nocturnal scratching events, therefore facilitating accurate assessment of disease progression, treatment effectiveness, and overall quality of life in AD patients. A total of seven subjects were enrolled in a study to generate data overnight in an inpatient setting. Several machine learning models were developed, and their performance was compared. Results demonstrated that the best-performing model achieved the F1 score of 0.45 on the test set, accompanied by a precision of 0.44 and a recall of 0.46. Upon satisfactory performance with an expanded subject pool, our automatic scratch detection algorithm holds the potential for objectively assessing sleep quality and disease state in AD patients. This advancement promises to inform and refine therapeutic strategies for individuals with AD.

The uncovered biases and errors in clinical determination of bone age by using deep learning models.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate AI biases and errors in estimating bone age (BA) by comparing AI and radiologists' clinical determinations of BA. METHODS: We established three deep learning models from a Chinese private dataset (CHNm), an American public dataset (USAm), and a joint dataset combining the above two datasets (JOIm). The test data CHNt (n = 1246) were labeled by ten senior pediatric radiologists. The effects of data site differences, interpretation bias, and interobserver variability on BA assessment were evaluated. The differences between the AI models' and radiologists' clinical determinations of BA (normal, advanced, and delayed BA groups by using the Brush data) were evaluated by the chi-square test and Kappa values. The heatmaps of CHNm-CHNt were generated by using Grad-CAM. RESULTS: We obtained an MAD value of 0.42 years on CHNm-CHNt; this result indicated an appropriate accuracy for the whole group but did not indicate an accurate estimation of individual BA because with a kappa value of 0.714, the agreement between AI and human clinical determinations of BA was significantly different. The features of the heatmaps were not fully consistent with the human vision on the X-ray films. Variable performance in BA estimation by different AI models and the disagreement between AI and radiologists' clinical determinations of BA may be caused by data biases, including patients' sex and age, institutions, and radiologists. CONCLUSIONS: The deep learning models outperform external validation in predicting BA on both internal and joint datasets. However, the biases and errors in the models' clinical determinations of child development should be carefully considered. KEY POINTS: • With a kappa value of 0.714, clinical determinations of bone age by using AI did not accord well with clinical determinations by radiologists. • Several biases, including patients' sex and age, institutions, and radiologists, may cause variable performance by AI bone age models and disagreement between AI and radiologists' clinical determinations of bone age. • AI heatmaps of bone age were not fully consistent with human vision on X-ray films.

Nasogastric tube feeding improves nutritional status and physical state in esophageal cancer patients during chemoradiotherapy: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the complication rates, nutritional status, and physical state between esophageal cancer (EC) patients managed by nasogastric tube (NGT) feeding versus those managed by oral nutritional supplementation (ONS) during chemoradiotherapy. METHODS: EC patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy managed by nonintravenous nutritional support in our institute were retrospectively recruited and divided into an NGT group and an ONS group based on the nutritional support method. The main outcomes, including complications, nutritional status, and physical state, were compared between groups. RESULTS: The baseline characteristics of EC patients were comparable. There were no significant differences in the incidence of treatment interruption (13.04% vs. 14.71%, P = 0.82), death (2.17% vs. 0.00%, P = 0.84), or esophageal fistula (2.17% vs. 1.47%, P = 1.00) between the NGT group and ONS group. Body weight loss and decrease in albumin level were significantly lower in the NGT group than in the ONS group (both P < 0.05). EC patients in the NGT group had significantly lower Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS2002) and Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) scores and significantly higher Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) scores than patients in the ONS group (all P < 0.05). The rates of grade > 2 esophagitis (10.00% vs. 27.59%, P = 0.03) and grade > 2 bone marrow suppression (10.00% vs. 32.76%, P = 0.01) were significantly lower in the NGT group than in the ONS group. There were no significant differences in the incidence of infection and upper gastrointestinal disorders or therapeutic efficacy between groups (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: EN through NGT feeding leads to significantly better nutritional status and physical state in EC patients during chemoradiotherapy than EN via ONS. NGT may also prevent myelosuppression and esophagitis..

The Prognostic Value of Johns Hopkins Hospital Nutrition Support Score in Older Patients Undergoing Cardiovascular Surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Clarify the prognostic value of the Johns Hopkins Hospital Nutrition Support (JHHNS) score on clinical outcomes in older patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). DESIGN: A retrospective observational study. SETTING: A teaching and university hospital and tertiary referral center. PARTICIPANTS: The authors analyzed 328 older patients aged ≥65 who underwent cardiovascular surgery with CPB in 2020. INTERVENTIONS: Malnutrition risk was identified by the JHHNS score calculated based on specific preoperative and intraoperative objective parameters. Patients were divided into low- and high-JHHNS groups. Early morbidity, including pneumonia, bacteremia, wound infection, cerebrovascular accident, gastrointestinal bleeding, acute kidney injury, delirium, requirement for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and readmission to the intensive care unit (ICU), were the primary outcome; whereas in-hospital mortality, length of ICU and hospital stay, duration of mechanical ventilation and short-term mortality were secondary outcomes. The independent risk factors for postoperative complications were analyzed by logistic regression analyses. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The JHHNS score identified 21.0% of patients at risk for malnutrition. Patients in the high-JHHNS group had prolonged median length hospital stay (21 v 24 days, p = 0.002) and mechanical ventilation (13.0 v 16.0 hours, p = 0.038), and more patients in this subgroup stayed longer than 3 days in ICU (30.1% v 43.5%, p = 0.036). Besides, they experienced more postoperative complications (11.2% v 39.1%, p < 0.001). Furthermore, multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the JHHNS score independently predicted the risk of postoperative complications. No significant intergroup difference was observed for the short-term mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The JHHNS score was an independent predictor for postoperative complications but did not significantly affect short-term mortality in older patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery with CPB.

Periconception Red Blood Cell Folate and Offspring Congenital Heart Disease : Nested Case-Control and Mendelian Randomization Studies.

BACKGROUND: Periconception folic acid supplementation has been suggested to protect against congenital heart disease (CHD), but the association between maternal red blood cell (RBC) folate, the gold-standard biomarker of folate exposure, and subsequent offspring CHD risk is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To quantify the association between periconception maternal RBC folate and offspring CHD risk. DESIGN: Prospective, nested, case-control study and 1-sample Mendelian randomization. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02737644). SETTING: 29 maternity institutions in 12 districts of Greater Shanghai, China. PARTICIPANTS: All 197 mothers of offspring with CHD and 788 individually matched mothers of unaffected offspring from the SPCC (Shanghai Preconception Cohort). MEASUREMENTS: Maternal RBC folate was measured before or at early pregnancy. Odds ratios [ORs] were estimated using conditional logistic regression after adjustment for covariates. Mendelian randomization was done using the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T as the genetic instrument. RESULTS: Case patients had lower median maternal RBC folate concentrations than control participants (714 nmol/L [interquartile range, 482 to 1008 nmol/L] vs. 788 nmol/L [557 to 1094 nmol/L]). Maternal RBC folate concentrations were inversely associated with offspring CHD (adjusted OR per 100 nmol/L, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.89 to 0.99]). The adjusted OR for mothers with periconception RBC folate of 906 nmol/L or more (vs. <906 nmol/L) was 0.61 (CI, 0.40 to 0.93). Mendelian randomization showed that each 100-nmol increase in maternal RBC folate concentrations was significantly associated with reduced offspring CHD risk (OR, 0.75 [CI, 0.61 to 0.92]). LIMITATION: Potential confounding due to unmeasured covariates in the nested case-control study. CONCLUSION: Higher maternal RBC folate is associated with reduced offspring CHD risk. For primary CHD prevention, higher target RBC folate levels than currently recommended for neural tube defect prevention may be needed and warrant further study. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: National Key Research and Development Program of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences.

Deciphering soil amendments and actinomycetes for remediation of cadmium (Cd) contaminated farmland.

Soil heavy metal pollution is one of the most serious environmental problems in China, especially cadmium (Cd), which has the most extensive contaminated soil coverage. Therefore, more economical and efficient remediation methods and measures are needed to control soil Cd contamination. In this study, different amendments (biochar (B), organic fertilizer (F), lime (L)) and actinomycetes (A) inoculants were applied to Cd contaminated farmland to explore their effects on wheat growth. Compared with Control, all treatments except A treatment were able to significantly increase the underground parts dry mass of wheat, with the highest increase of 57.19 %. The results showed that the B treatment significantly increased the plant height of wheat by 3.45 %. All treatments increased wheat SOD activity and chlorophyll content and reduced the MDA, which contributes to wheat stress resistance under Cd contamination. F, L and AF treatments can significantly reduce the Cd content in wheat above- and underground parts by up to 56.39 %. Soil amendments can modify the physical and chemical properties of the soil, which in turn affects the absorption of Cd by wheat. Moreover, the addition of soil amendments significantly affects the composition and structure of the rhizospheric soil bacterial community at the wheat jointing stage. The application of organic fertilizer increases the richness and diversity of the bacterial community, while lime makes it significantly decreases it. T-test and microbiome co-occurrence networks show that actinomycetes could not only effectively colonize in local soil, but also effectively enhance the complexity and stability of the rhizosphere microbial community. Considering the practical impact of different treatments on wheat, soil microorganisms, economic benefits and restoration of soil Cd contamination, the application of organic fertilizer and actinomycetes in Cd contaminated soil is a more ideal remediation strategy. This conclusion can be further verified by studying larger repair regions and longer consecutive repair cycles to gain insight into the repair mechanism.

Clinical study of modified INFIX combined with sacroiliac joint screws for pelvic instable injuries.

OBJECTIVE: The INFIX technique is becoming one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures for anterior pelvic ring instability injuries. The purpose of this article is to compare the clinical outcomes of modified anterior subcutaneous internal fixation (M-INFIX) with conventional anterior subcutaneous internal fixation (C-INFIX) for anterior pelvic ring instability injuries. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 36 cases of unstable pelvic injuries treated operatively at our institution, 20 of which were treated with C-INFIX and 16 with M-INFIX. Data collected included age, gender, ISS score, fracture typing, operative time, operative bleeding, postoperative complications, fracture healing time, Matta score, Majeed score, and follow-up time. Statistical sub-folding of each variable between the two groups was performed. RESULTS: There was no statistical difference between the C-INFIX and M-INFIX groups in terms of age, gender, ISS (Injury Severity Score), follow-up time, fracture typing, fracture healing time, and Majeed score (P > 0.05). the M-INFIX had a significantly lower incidence of postoperative complications than the C-INFIX group, especially in the incidence of Lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN) injury (P < 0.05). In contrast, the M-INFIX group had statistically higher operative time, intraoperative bleeding, and Matta score than the C-INFIX group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study was based on a modified application of the surgical experience with C-INFIX and showed better clinical outcomes in terms of complication rates and quality of repositioning than the conventional surgical approach. These findings indicate that further analytical studies of this study would be valuable.

Comparison of diagnosis-related group based reimbursement and case-mix index within hospitalized patients before and after modified malnutrition diagnosis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Lack of professional and accurate diagnosis of malnutrition led to a reduction in Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) payment and a decrease in Case-Mix Index (CMI). The aim of this study was to explore the effects of adding a proper nutritional diagnosis and modifying complication groups on DRG payment and CMI. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis was performed on patients ad-mitted to the hospital from January to June 2022 who had received a nutritional assessment. Patients were diagnosed as well-nourished, mild malnutrition, moderate malnutrition or severe malnutrition according to patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA) scores within 24 hours of admission. CMI and DRG hospital internal control standards were recalculated and compared with the original values. RESULTS: A total of 254 patients were enrolled, including 40 patients with mild malnutrition, 74 patients with moderate malnutrition and 122 patients with severe malnutrition. Of all subjects, 111 changed complication groups. The median of the DRG hospital internal control standard (12006.09 vs. 13797.19, p=0.01) and the median of CMI (0.91 vs. 1.04, p=0.026) were significantly higher than those before the diagnostic change. In patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the CMI value, hospital control standard of DRG, and the classification of DRG were significantly different from those before diagnosis revision (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Fully identification and correct coding of malnutrition cases are conducive for hospitals to receive appropriate DRG compensation, and further contribute to the improvement of medical quality and the economic sustain-ability of hospitals.

RBC Folate and Serum Folate, Vitamin B-12, and Homocysteine in Chinese Couples Prepregnancy in the Shanghai Preconception Cohort.

BACKGROUND: The protective effects of maternal folate on neural tube defects are well-established. Emerging evidence has shown paternal folate also is related to pregnancy outcome and offspring health. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the status of red blood cell (RBC) folate and serum folate, vitamin B-12, and homocysteine (Hcy) and their associated factors in a cohort of pregnancy-preparing couples. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study involving 14,178 participants from the extension of the Shanghai Preconception Cohort conducted in 2018-2021. Circulating biomarker concentrations were measured, and the prevalence of abnormal status was reported. Linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine associations of demographic factors (age, education, and income), lifestyle factors (smoking, drinking, and folic acid supplement use), and BMI with concentrations of the folate-related biomarkers, abnormal status of folate (deficiency and insufficiency) and vitamin B-12 (deficiency and marginal deficiency), and hyperhomocysteinemia. RESULTS: The geometric mean (95% CI) concentrations of RBC folate, serum folate, vitamin B-12, and Hcy were 490 nmol/L (485, 496 nmol/L), 20.1 nmol/L (19.8, 20.3 nmol/L), 353 pmol/L (350, 357 pmol/L), and 7.54 µmol/L (7.48, 7.60 µmol/L) in females, respectively, and 405 nmol/L (401, 409 nmol/L), 13.5 nmol/L (13.4, 13.7 nmol/L), 277 pmol/L (274, 279 pmol/L), and 12.0 µmol/L (11.9, 12.2 µmol/L) in males, respectively. Prevalence of abnormal status was higher in males than females for the 4 folate-related biomarkers: RBC folate deficiency (<340 nmol/L, 32.2% compared with 18.9%), serum folate deficiency (<10.0 nmol/L, 26.5% compared with 7.3%), RBC folate insufficiency (<906 nmol/L, 96.6% compared with 90.1%), serum folate insufficiency (<15.9 nmol/L, 65.5% compared with 31.4%), vitamin B-12 marginal deficiency (148-221 pmol/L, 21.4% compared with 8.8%), and hyperhomocysteinemia (>15.0 µmol/L, 22.1% compared with 2.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Most pregnancy-preparing couples failed to achieve the optimal RBC folate status (>906 nmol/L) as recommended by the WHO. These findings call for attention to the insufficiency status of folate and promising strategies to improve the folate status of the pregnancy-preparing population not exposed to folic acid fortification.

Real time monitoring and prediction of time to endpoint maturation in clinical trials.

In clinical trials, almost all key milestone dates can be defined in terms of time to endpoint maturation (TTEM). The real time monitoring and accurate prediction of TTEM have a significant impact on clinical trial planning and execution and can bring significant value to clinical trial practitioners. TTEM is defined as the time to achieve or observe a certain number or percentage of some endpoint of interest. It is a combination of time to site initiation, time to subject enrollment after site initiation and time to event of interest after subject enrollment. To better predict TTEM during the trial, the future site initiation and subject enrollment have to be taken into account while predicting the number of events. In this article, we propose a novel simulation-based framework combining time to site initiation, time to subject enrollment and time to event in order to predict TTEM. A nonhomogeneous Poisson process with a quadratic time-varying rate function is used to model site initiation and subject enrollment and more advanced time to event models had been explored and integrated on top of them, such as Weibull, piecewise exponential, and model averaging which is equivalent to a Bayesian model selection strategy. To evaluate the predictive performance of the proposed methodology, we conducted extensive simulations and applied the methodology to 14 randomly selected real oncology phase 2 and phase 3 studies in both solid tumor and hematology with a total 31 study-endpoint combinations. The predictive performance of the proposed methodology was then compared with popular and commonly available commercial software, for example, East (Cytel, Cambridge, MA, USA). From both simulation and real data, the proposed methodology can significantly improve the prediction accuracy by up to 54% compared to the commonly available method.

Maternal liver dysfunction in early pregnancy predisposes to gestational diabetes mellitus independent of preconception overweight: A prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the associations of maternal liver dysfunction and liver function biomarkers (LFBs) with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are independent of overweight. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. METHODS: A sub-cohort of pregnant women with seven LFBs examined at 9-13 weeks of gestation and with complete GDM evaluation at mid-gestation were extracted from the prospective Shanghai Preconception Cohort Study. Associations of liver dysfunction, defined as having any elevated LFB levels, and individual LFB levels with GDM incidence were assessed by adjusting body mass index and other covariates in the multivariable logistic regression model. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CI were reported. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incident GDM. RESULTS: Among 6211 pregnant women, 975 (15.7%) developed GDM. Liver dysfunction was associated with increased odds of GDM (OR 1.63; 95% CI 1.38-1.92). This association persisted after adjustment for BMI (adjusted OR [aOR] 1.37; 95% CI 1.15-1.63). Higher γ-glutamyl transferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and albumin levels were also linked with GDM (aOR per 1 SD: 1.15, 95% CI 1.08-1.23; 1.10, 1.03-1.17; 1.21, 1.13-1.29 and 1.19, 1.11-1.27, respectively). Similar magnitudes of associations were observed between normal weight and overweight pregnant women. CONCLUSION: Maternal liver dysfunction in early pregnancy predisposes women to subsequent GDM, and this association is independent of being overweight preconception. Our findings of an increased risk even in normal-weight pregnant women adds new mechanistic insights about the pathophysiological role of liver function in GDM aetiology. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Maternal liver dysfunction in early pregnancy is associated with GDM incidence independent of preconception overweight.

Associations between nutrition risk scores and sarcopenia in gastrointestinal cancer patients: a cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: Sarcopenia is an independent risk factor for poor prognosis of cancers. The nutritional risk screening 2002 (NRS2002) and patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA) tools are widely used tools for nutrition risk screening and assessing. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether NRS2002 and PG-SGA scores are associated with sarcopenia in gastrointestinal cancers. METHODS: A consecutive cohort comprised of 432 gastrointestinal cancer patients was conducted. We used NRS2002 and PG-SGA to assess their nutrition status. Sarcopenia was diagnosed with CT scan at the third lumber vertebra level. The correlations of nutritional scores with SMI, nutritional categories with sarcopenia were assessed by Spearman's correlation test and point biserial correlation. The cut-off value of nutritional scores for identifying sarcopenia was obtained by maximum Youden index. Logistic regression was used to confirm the associations. RESULTS: Sarcopenia patients had higher NRS2002 (2.63 ± 1.16 vs. 2.15 ± 1.20, p < 0.001) and PG-SGA (8.69 ± 1.16 vs. 5.56 ± 3.28, p < 0.001) scores. The NRS2002 (r = -0.198, p < 0.001) and PG-SGA (r = -0.409, p < 0.001) scores were significantly and negatively correlated with skeletal muscle mass index. The cut-off value of PG-SGA score for predicting sarcopenia was 7. In multivariate logistic regression, the PG-SGA exceeded 7 score (OR = 7.489, 95% CI: 4.122-13.608, p < 0.001) was significantly associated with increased risk of sarcopenia, while NRS2002 score showed no significant association with sarcopenia. CONCLUSIONS: PG-SGA ≥ 7 was associated with increased risk of sarcopenia and could serve as a useful criterion for capturing sarcopenia in gastrointestinal cancers. Routine PG-SGA evaluation for patient with gastrointestinal cancers is important.

The associations between lipid profiles and visceral obesity among gastrointestinal cancer patients: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Visceral obesity is associated with cancer incidence and prognosis. Altered lipid profiles are frequently seen in visceral obese patients. The blood test of lipid profiles is more convenient and has no radical side effects than computed tomography (CT), which is presently the most accurate way to measure visceral fat area. This article aims to investigate the associations between lipid profiles and visceral obesity in gastrointestinal cancer patients. METHODS: In total, 399 patients newly diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer were enrolled in this observational study. Lipid profiles were obtained from blood samples, and visceral fat mass area (VFA) was measured by CT. VFA ≥ 100 cm2 was considered visceral obesity. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was utilized to evaluate the prognostic powers of lipid parameters for viscerally obese gastrointestinal cancer patients. RESULTS: Patients who had visceral obesity had higher triglyceride (TG) levels (1.20 ± 0.60 vs. 0.87 ± 0.57 mmo/L, P < 0.001), total cholesterol (TC) levels (3.57 ± 0.84 vs. 3.40 ± 0.82, P = 0.044), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) levels (2.08 ± 0.66 vs. 1.94 ± 0.66, P = 0.047) and lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) levels (0.88 ± 0.24 vs. 1.00 ± 0.26, P < 0.001) than those in the normal group. TG was positively correlated with VFA (r = 0.299, P < 0.001), while HDL-C was inversely correlated with VFA (r = -0.237, P < 0.001). TG and HDL-C had predictive capacity for visceral obesity at cutoff levels of 0.92 mmol/L (AUROC 0.700, 95% CI, 0.653-0.745, P < 0.001) and 0.98 mmol/L (AUROC 0.700, 95% CI, 0.585-0.682, P < 0.001), respectively. TG > 0.92 mmol/L with HDL-C < 0.98 mmol/L was linked with an increased risk of visceral obesity (OR = 4.068, 95% CI, 2.338-7.079, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Lipid profiles were significantly correlated with VFA. Gastrointestinal cancer patients with TG > 0.92 mmol/L and HDL-C < 0.98 mmol/L were at elevated risk of visceral obesity in the Chinese population. Identifying visceral obesity and taking proper actions in gastrointestinal cancers are helpful for overall tumor prognosis.

Histone deacetylase 1 and 3 inhibitors alleviate colon inflammation by inhibiting Th17 cell differentiation.

BACKGROUND: The etiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), is not completely clear, but its pathogenesis is closely related to T helper 17 (Th17) cells. Several histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors have been shown to exert potent anti-inflammatory effects and modulate Th17 cell polarization. Owing to the large variety and broad expression of HDACs, finding specific therapeutic targets for IBD is of clinical importance. METHODS: The proportions of Th17 cells and interleukin (IL)-17A produced between patients with UC and healthy volunteers were compared. The differentiation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) into Th17 cells was induced in vitro. Differentiated Th17 cells were treated with RGFP109 (RG), a selective inhibitor of HDAC1 and 3, to observe its effects on these cells. Subsequently, colitis was induced in mice and treated with RG. The proportion of Th17 cells, the severity of colitis in mice, and colon histopathology and immunohistochemistry were evaluated respectively. RESULTS: The proportion of Th17 cells and IL-17A production was significantly increased in patients with UC than in healthy individuals. RG inhibited the differentiation of human PBMCs into Th17 cells and reduced IL-17A secretion in vitro. RG-treated colitis mice had a lower Th17 ratio, mild colon inflammation, and decreased expression of HDAC1 and 3 in the colon. CONCLUSIONS: HDAC1 and 3 inhibitors can modulate the differentiation of inflammatory Th17 cells, downregulate IL-17A levels, and exert anti-inflammatory effects in experimental colitis mice, indicating that HDAC1 and 3 may be potential therapeutic targets for patients with IBD.

Preoperative CT simulation of iliosacral screws for treating unstable posterior pelvic ring injury.

BACKGROUND: The percutaneous iliosacral screw is a common procedure for treating pelvic posterior ring instability. Traditional X-ray fluoroscopy screw placement has the advantages of decreased bleeding and trauma, but it also has some drawbacks, such as increased radiation exposure and screw dislocation. The purpose of this study was to establish a safe, effective, and quick approach for putting iliosacral screws for the treatment of unstable posterior pelvic ring damage utilizing simulated screws based on preoperative computed tomography (CT) planning. METHODS: From February 2019 to June 2020, we retrospectively assessed 41 patients with posterior pelvic ring instability who were treated with percutaneous iliosacral screws in our institution, and randomly separated them into two groups: conventional surgery (n = 20) and preoperative planning (n = 21). Pelvic radiographs (anteroposterior, inlet, outlet), as well as normal CT scans of the pelvis, were all taken postoperatively to confirm the screw position. After that, the screw insertion time, the radiation exposure time, and the screw misplacement rate (as assessed by postoperative CT) were all examined. Screw position grading was evaluated by Smith grading. RESULTS: In the conventional surgery group, 26 screws were inserted in 20 patients, with each screw insertion taking 23.15 ± 4.19 min and 1.02 ± 0.17 min to expose to radiation. Eight of the 26 screws were misplaced (30.8%). In the preoperative planning group, 24 screws were inserted in 21 patients, with each screw taking 19.57 ± 4.05 min to implant and 0.67 ± 0.09 min to expose to radiation. One of 24 screws was misplaced (4.2%). Screw insertion time, radiation exposure time, and screw dislocation rate were all significantly reduced when preoperative planning aided iliosacral screw placement (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative CT simulation of iliosacral screws for placement planning, screw trajectory, and intraoperative screw placement is a safe way for reducing surgical time, radiation exposure, and ensuring accurate screw placement.

HTRA1 Variants and the Interaction with Smoking Confer the Genetic Susceptibility to Ischemic Stroke.

High temperature requirement protein A1 (HtrA1) was identified as the causative gene of autosomal recessive arteriopathy and associated with lacunar ischemic stroke (IS) in European. This study aimed at evaluating the association of HTRA1 with IS and four tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped in a cohort of 4,098 Chinese. The mRNA level of HTRA1 in 72 IS cases and 72 hypertension controls were measured and compared. In whole population, SNP rs2268350 (C>T) was significantly associated with IS incidence (P=0.034). Stratification analysis observed significant association of rs2268350 in male, smoking and drinking populations, rs2672587 (C>G) in smoking and nonsmoking populations and rs3793917 (C>G) in smoking, nonsmoking and nondrinking populations with stroke respectively (P<0.05). The additive interaction and multiplicative interaction between rs2268350 and smoking were both of significant (P<0.05) after adjustment for the covariates. There was a cumulated risk of IS among genotypes of rs3793917 (P=0.009) and rs2672587 (P=0.047) in smoking population. The mRNA level of HTRA1 in non-smokers with rs2268350 CC was significantly higher than smokers with rs2268350 CT/TT (P=0.046) in IS cases. Our findings support that HTRA1 confers the genetic susceptibility to IS and smoking might modify the genetic effect of HTRA1 on IS by suppressing HTRA1 mRNA expression.

Serum lipid levels in relation to clinical outcomes in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus: an observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Research on dyslipidemia during pregnancy in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has rarely been conducted in Asia. The present study aimed to evaluate maternal mid-trimester lipid profile in relation to GDM and clinical outcomes in these high-risk populations. METHODS: The medical records of 632 pregnant women in the second trimester were retrospectively analyzed. Maternal fasting serum lipids were assayed for total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), apolipoprotein A1 (Apo A1) and Apo B concentrations during the second trimester. The atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) was calculated as log (TG/HDL). The clinical outcomes were collected by evaluating delivery mode, postpartum hemorrhage, prematurity, macrosomia, birth weight, body length and neonatal Apgar 5 min score. RESULTS: Levels of TG and AIP were elevated while decreased HDL-C was observed in women with GDM compared with that of the control group. Significant differences were observed in gestational weeks at birth, cesarean section, postpartum hemorrhage, birth weight, body length, prematurity and macrosomia between the two groups. Compared with women with hyperlipidemia, the incidence of GDM and cesarean section was lower in normal lipid group. Women in the hyperlipidemia group had smaller gestational weeks at birth than those in the control group. According to the logistic regression analysis, each unit elevation in AIP increased the risk of GDM by 18.48 times (OR = 18.48, CI: 2.38-143.22). Besides, age (OR = 1.11, CI: 1.06-1.16) and pre-pregnancy BMI (OR = 1.15, CI: 1.07-1.24) were the risk factors of GDM. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggested that reasonable lipid control in the second trimester might reduce the incidence of GDM and be a potential strategy for improving clinical outcomes in these high-risk women.

Chronic kidney disease: prevalence and association with handgrip strength in a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Poor physical function is strongly associated with mortality and poor clinical outcomes in adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Handgrip strength (HGS) is an important index for physical function in the general population, and the association between HGS and CKD is worth investigating. METHODS: From September to November 2015, we conducted a cross-sectional study consisting of 10,407 participants in Jurong City, China. Age-related and sex-specific HGS percentile curves were constructed using the GAMLSS method. In addition, logistic regression was applied to estimate the association between HGS and the presence of CKD with odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Participants with low HGS tended to be older and were more likely to have CKD (8.73 %). Smoothed centile curves of HGS showed a similar shape in both sexes: participants peaked at approximately 20-35 years old and gradually decreased after the age of 50. In addition, independent of age and other factors, the decreased presence of CKD was significantly identified in individuals with moderate (OR: 0.64, 95 % CI: 0.49-0.83) and high HGS (OR: 0.37, 95 % CI: 0.23-0.58). CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that HGS was significantly negatively associated with CKD in Chinese community-dwelling persons.

Defect Width Assessment Based on the Near-Field Magnetic Flux Leakage Method.

Magnetic flux leakage (MFL) testing has been widely used as a non-destructive testing method for various materials. However, it is difficult to separate the influences of the defect geometrical parameters such as depth, width, and length on the received leakage signals. In this paper, a "near-field" MFL method is proposed to quantify defect widths. Both the finite element modelling (FEM) and experimental studies are carried out to investigate the performance of the proposed method. It is found that that the distance between two peaks of the "near-field" MFL is strongly related to the defect width and lift-off value, whereas it is slightly affected by the defect depth. Based on this phenomenon, a defect width assessment relying on the "near-field" MFL method is proposed. Results show that relative judging errors are less than 5%. In addition, the analytical expression of the "near-field" MFL is also developed.

A Fault Diagnosis Method Considering Meteorological Factors for Transmission Networks Based on P Systems.

Bad meteorological conditions may reduce the reliability of power communication equipment, which can increase the distortion possibility of fault information in the communication process, hence raising its uncertainty and incompleteness. To address the issue, this paper proposes a fault diagnosis method for transmission networks considering meteorological factors. Firstly, a spiking neural P system considering a meteorological living environment and its matrix reasoning algorithm are designed. Secondly, based on the topology structure of the target power transmission network and the action logic of its protection devices, a diagnosis model based on the spiking neural P system considering the meteorological living environment is built for each suspicious fault transmission line. Following this, the action messages of protection devices and corresponding temporal order information are used to obtain initial pulse values of input neurons of the diagnosis model, which are then modified with the gray fuzzy theory. Finally, the matrix reasoning algorithm of each model is executed in a parallel manner to obtain diagnosis results. Experiment results achieved out on IEEE 39-bus system show the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.