The efficacy and mechanism of positive psychological intervention on well-being for colostomy patients: a randomized controlled trial.

AIMS: The positive psychology intervention (PPI) is an effective therapy designed to motivate individuals' positive quality and power, to help them survive in an adverse situation, and to establish a high-quality personal and social life. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and mechanism of PPI on the psychological capital, psychological distress, and life satisfaction among colostomy patients. METHODS: Patients (n = 120) with permanent stomas were recruited and randomly assigned into two groups. Patients in the experimental group (n = 60) received standard care and PPI, whereas patients in the control group (n = 60) only received standard care. The psychological capital, psychological distress, and life satisfaction were measured and compared between two groups before the intervention, the immediate post-intervention, and follow-up. RESULTS: All 120 patients completed the study. The hope, optimism, resilience, psychological distress, and life satisfaction score of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group at T1 and T2 (P < 0.05). Self-efficacy score of the experimental group had no significant difference at the two time points after the intervention than the control group (P > 0.05). Changes in hope and resilience which belong to psychological capital mediated the intervention's efficacy on changes in PPI on life satisfaction (ß = 0.265, P = 0.005; ß = 0.686, P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: PPI could effectively improve psychological capital, psychological distress, and life satisfaction among patients with stomas. Besides, our findings add novel support that increased hope and resilience are the active ingredients that promote intervention change.

Use of Tregs as a cell-based therapy via CD39 for benign prostate hyperplasia with inflammation.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) occurs most commonly among older men, often accompanied by chronic tissue inflammation. Although its aetiology remains unclear, autoimmune dysregulation may contribute to BPH. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) prevent autoimmune responses and maintain immune homeostasis. In this study, we aimed to investigate Tregs frequency, phenotype, and function in BPH patients and to evaluate adoptive transfer Tregs for immunotherapy in mice with BPH via CD39. Prostate specimens and peripheral blood from BPH patients were used to investigate Treg subsets, phenotype and Treg-associated cytokine production. Sorted CD39+/- Tregs from healthy mice were adoptively transferred into mice before or after testosterone propionate administration. The Tregs percentage in peripheral blood from BPH patients was attenuated, exhibiting low Foxp3 and CD39 expression with low levels of serum IL-10, IL-35 and TGF-ß. Immunohistochemistry revealed Foxp3+ cells were significantly diminished in BPH prostate with severe inflammatory. Although the Tregs subset was comprised of more effector/memory Tregs, CD39 was still down-regulated on effector/memory Tregs in BPH patients. Before or after testosterone propionate administration, no alterations of BPH symptoms were observed due to CD39- Tregs in mice, however, CD39+ Tregs existed more potency than Tregs to regulate prostatic hyperplasia and inhibit inflammation by decreasing IL-1ß and PSA secretion, and increasing IL-10 and TGF-ß secretion. Furthermore, adoptive transfer with functional Tregs not only improved prostate hyperplasia but also regulated muscle cell proliferation in bladder. Adoptive transfer with Tregs may provide a novel method for the prevention and treatment of BPH clinically.

Relationships among structural empowerment, innovative behaviour, self-efficacy, and career success in nursing field in mainland China.

AIM: The purpose of the study is to explore the relationships among structural empowerment, innovative behaviour, self-efficacy, and career success by nurses in mainland China. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was designed, and participants were recruited from 6 tertiary hospitals in Tianjin, China. The study used an anonymous questionnaire, filled voluntarily by 460 nurses in spring 2017. Structural equation modelling analyses were conducted. RESULTS: The results reveal that innovative behaviour is positively associated with career success and self-efficacy, which, in turn, mediates the relationship between structural empowerment and career success. Structural empowerment is positively associated with innovative behaviour and career success. Self-efficacy is positively associated with career success and mediates the relationship between innovative behaviour and career success. CONCLUSION: Higher perceived structural empowerment, innovative behaviour, and self-efficacy can increase career success of Chinese nurses.

Dihydroartemisinin induces apoptosis in human gastric cancer cell line BGC-823 through activation of JNK1/2 and p38 MAPK signaling pathways.

Dihydroartemisinin (DHA), a semi-synthetic derivative of artemisinin, is associated with a broad range of biological properties including antitumor activity. However, the effect of DHA on gastric cancer has not been clearly clarified. The aim of this study was to investigate the role and mechanism of DHA in human gastric cancer cell line BGC-823. Cell viability was assessed by MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was analyzed with flow cytometry. The expressions of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) and their phosphorylated forms as well as apoptosis related proteins were examined by western blot analysis. The results demonstrated that DHA inhibited cell viability of BGC-823 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. DHA treatment upregulated the expression of Bax, cleaved caspase-3 and -9, and degraded form of PARP, and downregulated the Bcl-2 expression and Bcl-2/Bax ratio. Meanwhile, DHA increased the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, JNK1/2 and p38 MAPK. Synthetic inhibitors of JNK1/2 or p38 MAPK kinase activity, but not inhibitor of ERK1/2, significantly abolished the DHA-induced activation of caspase-3 and -9. In vivo tumor-suppression assay further indicated that DHA displayed significant inhibitory effect on BGC-823 xenografts in tumor growth. These results indicate that DHA induces apoptosis of BGC-823 cells through JNK1/2 and p38 MAPK signaling pathways and DHA could serve as a potential additional chemotherapeutic agent for treatment of gastric cancer.

Novel Luminescent Multilayer Films with Magnetic and Electronic Microenvironment.

Luminescent multilayer thin films (MTFs) based on exfoliated magnetic layered double hydroxides (LDHs) with/without oppositely-charged montmorillonite (MMT) nanosheets were fabricated via layer-by-layer self-assembly method. In this work, we chose transition metal-bearing LDHs nanosheets to offer magnetic field for the chromophores. At the same time, the oppositely-charged nanosheets can provide additional electronic microenvironment (EME). As a result, both EME and magnetic field have remarkable influences on enhancing the luminescent lifetimes of chromophores, which suggests a new pathway to develop the novel light-emitting materials and optical devices.

Kinematic Modeling and Experimental Study of a Rope-Driven Bionic Fish.

This paper presents a biomimetic fish robot featuring a flexible spine driven by cables, which integrates the cable-driven mechanism with a flexible spine. The drive system separates the body and tail fin drives for control, offering enhanced flexibility and ease in achieving phase difference control between the body and tail fin movements compared to the conventional servo motor cascaded structure. A prototype of the biomimetic fish robot was developed, accompanied by the establishment of a kinematic model. Based on this model, a control method for the biomimetic fish is proposed. Additionally, we introduce the concept of prestress to establish a numerical model for the biomimetic fish. Using multi-physical field simulation software, we simulate the two-dimensional autonomous swimming process of the biomimetic fish under different flapping frequencies and solve for its swimming characteristics as well as hydrodynamic properties. Both the simulation and experimental results validate the accuracy of our kinematic model.

Duration time of labor progression for pregnant women of vaginal birth after cesarean in Hubei, China.

OBJECTIVE: There have been limited reports on the duration of labor progression in pregnant women undergoing vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). This study aimed to investigate the duration of labor progression during VBAC in Hubei, China. METHODS: A total of 359 pregnant women undergoing VBAC were enrolled as the VBAC group, meeting the following criteria: singleton pregnancy, gestational age ≥ 37 weeks, live birth, history of cesarean delivery, and a willingness to attempt a vaginal delivery. At the same time, 359 primiparas successfully undergoing vaginal delivery were randomly enrolled in the control group at a 1:1 ratio. Subsequently, the durations of the first, second, and third stages of labor were comparatively analyzed between the two groups. RESULTS: The duration of the first, second, and total stages of labor in the VBAC group was significantly shorter than that in the control group (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the duration of the third stage of labor between the two groups (p > 0.05). The amount of blood loss, the rate of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), and episiotomy were higher in the VBAC group than in the control group (p < 0.05). The rate of labor analgesia and intrapartum fever in the VBAC group was significantly lower than that in the control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The duration of labor progression of the first, second, and total stages of VBAC is shorter than that in primiparous women in our observation in China.

Efficacy and safety of fecal microbiota transplantation for treatment of ulcerative colitis: A post-consensus systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have assessed the efficacy and safety of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) as a therapy for ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the treatment processes and outcomes of these studies vary. AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of FMT for treating UC by conducting a systematic meta-analysis. METHODS: The inclusion criteria involved reports of adult patients with UC treated with FMT, while studies that did not report clinical outcomes or that included patients with infection were excluded. Clinical remission (CR) and endoscopic remission (ER) were the primary and secondary outcomes, respectively. RESULTS: We included nine studies retrieved from five electronic databases. The FMT group had better CR than the control group [relative risk (RR) = 1.53; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.19-1.94; P < 0.0008]. ER was statistically significantly different between the two groups (RR = 2.80; 95%CI: 1.93-4.05; P < 0.00001). Adverse events did not differ significantly between the two groups. CONCLUSION: FMT demonstrates favorable performance and safety; however, well-designed randomized clinical trials are still needed before the widespread use of FMT can be recommended. Furthermore, standardizing the FMT process is urgently needed for improved safety and efficacy.

FABP5 can substitute for androgen receptor in malignant progression of prostate cancer cells.

Fatty acid­binding protein 5 (FABP5) and androgen receptor (AR) are critical promoters of prostate cancer. In the present study, the effects of knocking out the FABP5 or AR genes on malignant characteristics of prostate cancer cells were investigated, and changes in the expression of certain key proteins in the FABP5 (or AR)­peroxisome proliferator activated receptor­Î³ (PPARγ)­vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling pathway were monitored. The results obtained showed that FABP5­ or AR­knockout (KO) led to a marked suppression of the malignant characteristics of the cells, in part, through disrupting this signaling pathway. Moreover, FABP5 and AR are able to interact with each other to regulate this pathway, with FABP5 controlling the dominant AR splicing variant 7 (ARV7), and AR, in return, regulates the expression of FABP5. Comparisons of the RNA profiles revealed the existence of numerous differentially expressed genes (DEGs) comparing between the parental and the FABP5­ or AR­KO cells. The six most abundant changes in DEGs were found to be attributable to the transition from androgen­responsive to androgen­unresponsive, castration­resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) cells. These findings have provided novel insights into the complex molecular pathogenesis of CRPC cells, and have demonstrated that interactions between FABP5 and AR contribute to the transition of prostate cancer cells to an androgen­independent state. Moreover, gene enrichment analysis revealed that the most highly enriched biological processes associated with the DEGs included those responsive to fatty acids, cholesterol and sterol biosynthesis, as well as to lipid and fatty acid transportation. Since these pathways regulated by FABP5 or AR may be crucial in terms of transducing signals for cancer cell progression, targeting FABP5, AR and their associated pathways, rather than AR alone, may provide a new avenue for the development of therapeutic strategies geared towards suppressing the malignant progression to CRPC cells.

Experimental treatment efficacy of dmrFABP5 on prostate cancer singly or in combination with drugs in use.

Enzalutamide is a drug used to treat prostate cancer (PC) and docetaxel is a drug for chemotherapeutic treatment of diverse cancer types, including PC. The effectiveness of these drugs in treating castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is poor and therefore CRPC is still largely incurable. However, the bio-inhibitor of fatty acid-binding protein 5 (FABP5), dmrFABP5, which is a mutant form of FABP5 incapable of binding to fatty acids, has been shown recently to be able to suppress the tumorigenicity and metastasis of cultured CRPC cells. The present study investigated the possible synergistic effect of dmrFABP5 combined with either enzalutamide or docetaxel on suppressing the tumorigenic properties of PC cells, including cell viability, migration, invasion and colony proliferation in soft agar. A highly significant synergistic inhibitory effect on these properties was observed when dmrFABP5 was used in combination with enzalutamide on androgen-responsive PC 22RV1 cells. Moreover, a highly significant synergistic inhibitory effect was also observed when dmrFABP5 was combined with docetaxel, and added to 22RV1 cells and to the highly malignant, androgen-receptor (AR)-negative Du145 cells. DmrFABP5 alone failed to produce any suppressive effect when added to the FABP5-negative cell line LNCaP, although enzalutamide could significantly suppress LNCaP cells when used as a single agent. These synergistic inhibitory effects of dmrFABP5 were produced by interrupting the FABP5-related signal transduction pathway in PC cells. Thus, dmrFABP5 appears to be not only a potential single therapeutic agent, but it may also be used in combination with existing drugs to suppress both AR-positive and AR-negative PC.

Research and Experiment on a Bionic Fish Based on High-Frequency Vibration Characteristics.

This paper takes the high-frequency vibration characteristics of a bionic robot fish as the research object. Through research on the vibration characteristics of a bionic fish, we quantified the role of voltage and beat frequency in high-speed and stable swimming. We proposed a new type of electromagnetic drive. The tail is made of 0° silica gel to simulate the elastic characteristics of fish muscles. We completed a series of experimental studies on the vibration characteristics of biomimetic robotic fish. Through the single-joint fishtail underwater experiment, the influence of vibration characteristics on parameters during swimming was discussed. In terms of control, the central mode generator control method (CPG) control model is adopted, and a replacement layer is designed in combination with particle swarm optimization (PSO). By changing the elastic modulus of the fishtail, the fishtail resonates with the vibrator, and the swimming efficiency of the bionic fish is improved. Finally, through the prototype experiment, it is found that the bionic robot fish can achieve high-speed swimming through high-frequency vibration.

Research on the Spring Creep Based on the Load Simulator of the Double Torsion Spring Steering Gear.

In this paper, creep at room temperature is studied using a mechanical double-spring steering-gear load table, and the results are used to determine the accuracy of theoretical and simulated data. A creep equation at room temperature, based on the parameters obtained by a new macroscopic tensile experiment method, is used to analyze the creep strain and creep angle of a spring under force. The correctness of the theoretical analysis is verified by a finite-element method. Finally, a creep strain experiment of a torsion spring is carried out. The experimental results are 4.3% lower than the theoretical calculation results, which demonstrates the accuracy of the measurement, with an error of <5% achieved. The results shows that the equation used for the theoretical calculation is highly accurate and can meet the requirements of engineering measurement.

Common-path interferometer with a tri-window.

A common-path interferometer is proposed with a tri-window. It is built using a 4f optical system with Ronchi ruling as a spatial filter. The input rectangular aperture is formed by three windows; the central window supports a phase object, and the other two are used for reference beams. Using an appropriate grating period relative to input aperture size, an interferogram containing three patterns can be obtained in the output plane. The object phase can then be reconstructed from the three patterns using just one interferogram. The experiments are carried out to demonstrate the feasibility and reliability of the proposed scheme.

Theoretical analyzing of monomers adsorbing in nano-slits.

A revised model based on Aranovich-Donohue Theory was built in this paper and was used to indicate the adsorbing behaviors of monomers in nano slits. This work tried to establish a theoretical model and get the fundamental mechanisms of the in situ-monomer-intercalation process which is the most common production method of polymer-layer silicate intercalated nanocomposite. According to the results, the multilevel adsorption and 3D phase transition phenomenon in nano slits predicted by Aranovich-Donohue Theory do not exit in reality. They are probably aroused by system errors caused by simple mean field approximation treatments. The nano slits have obvious boundary effects on density profile distribution of monomers. When the pore size increase, the density differences will be diminished. The adsorbing amounts will go up sharply in a narrow low-bulk-concentration region and will decrease rapidly at most bulk-concentration-regions accompanied by the increasing of interaction energies of adsorbates. This should attribute to the capillary condensation phenomenon. The newly established model will be definitely helpful to reveal the fundamental mechanisms of in situ-monomer-intercalation process for polymer-layer silicate intercalated nanocomposite.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Monolepta hieroglyphica (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae).

Monolepta hieroglyphica (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is an important agricultural insect pest. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of M. hieroglyphica was sequenced using Illumina HiSeq X Ten. The mitogenome was 16,213 bp long and comprised 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs) and a putative control region (CR). The nucleotide composition of the M. hieroglyphica mitochondrial genome was significantly biased (A, G, C and T accounted for 41.04%, 8.01%, 11.76% and 39.18%, respectively) with 80.23% A + T content. Two rRNAs were located between tRNA-Leu and the CR, separated by tRNA-Val. The CR, located between 12 s rRNA and tRNA-Ile, was 1661 bp long. The length of the 22 tRNAs ranged from 61 to 71 bp. Phylogenetic analyses of 29 Chrysomelidae-Galerucinae species based on 13 mitochondrial protein-coding genes reconstructed using Bayesian 3.2.0 showed that the M. hieroglyphica mitogenome was clustered with the existing three different species of the Monolepta genus mitogenomes in a monophyletic manner. The M. hieroglyphica mitogenome provides an important data resource for further studies and contributes to our understanding of the phylogeny of this group.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Monolepta hieroglyphica (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae).

Monolepta hieroglyphica (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is an important agricultural insect pest. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of M. hieroglyphica (GenBank accession number MW732714) was sequenced using Illumina HiSeq X Ten. The mitogenome was 16,213 bp long and comprised 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs) and a putative control region (CR). The nucleotide composition of the M. hieroglyphica mitochondrial genome was significantly biased (A, G, C and T accounted for 41.04%, 8.01%, 11.76% and 39.18%, respectively) with 80.23% A + T content. Two rRNAs were located between tRNA-Leu and the CR, separated by tRNA-Val. The CR, located between 12 s rRNA and tRNA-Ile, was 1,661 bp long. The length of the 22 tRNAs ranged from 61 to 71 bp. Phylogenetic analyses of 29 Chrysomelidae-Galerucinae species based on 13 mitochondrial protein-coding genes reconstructed using Bayesian 3.2.0 showed that the M. hieroglyphica mitogenome was clustered with the existing three different species of the Monolepta genus mitogenomes in a monophyletic manner. The M. hieroglyphica mitogenome provides an important data resource for further studies and contributes to our understanding of the phylogeny of this group.

Porcine-Stimulated Human Tr1 Cells Showed Enhanced Suppression in Xenoantigen Stimulation Response.

Type 1 regulatory T (Tr1) cells play a fundamental role in maintaining and inducing immune tolerance. Our preliminary study demonstrated that an interleukin- (IL-) 10-mediated pathway is a possible regulatory mechanism underlying the xenoantigen-specific human Treg enhanced suppressive capacity. Here, we developed a feasible protocol for expanding IL-10-induced xenoantigen-specific human Tr1 cells in vitro which would be more efficient in transplantation immunotherapy efficiency. In this study, xenoantigen-specific Tr1 cells are generated from human naive CD4+ T cells expanded for two subsequent xenoantigen-stimulation cycles with recombinant human IL-10. The phenotype and suppressive capacity of xenoantigen-stimulated Tr1 cells are assessed, and the mechanism of their suppression is studied. Tr1 cells can be induced by porcine xenoantigen stimulation combined with IL-10, IL-2, and IL-15, displaying an increased expression of CD49b, CTLA-4, and LAG-3 without expressing Foxp3 which also showed an effector memory Treg phenotype and expressed high levels of CD39. After xenoantigen stimulation, the IL-10 and IL-5 gene expression in Tr1 cells increased, secreting more IL-10, and xenoantigen-stimulated Tr1 cells changed their T cell receptor (TCR) Vß repertoire, increasing the expression of TCR Vß2, TCR Vß9, and TCR Vß13. In a pig to human mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR), xenoantigen-stimulated Tr1 cells displayed enhanced suppressive capacity via CD39 in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, IL-5 could affect the proliferation of xenoantigen-specific Tr1 cells, but not their phenotypes' expression. This study provides a theory and feasible method for immune tolerance induction in clinical xenotransplantation.

[Application of an intervention plan based on unplanned readmission risk model in the rehabilitation of patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated with cardiogenic shock after percutaneous coronary intervention].

OBJECTIVE: To study and analyze the application effect of intervention plan based on unplanned readmission risk model (LACE) in the rehabilitation of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated with cardiac shock (CS) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: Ninety-three patients with AMI complicated with CS who received PCI in Tianjin Union Medical Center from January 2019 to December 2020 were enrolled. The patients were divided into LACE intervention group (n = 46) and routine intervention group (n = 47) according to the different nursing intervention methods. The patients in the routine intervention group received routine interventions, including drug care, diet care, psychological care, health education and telephone follow-up, while those in the LACE intervention group were assessed for the risk of LACE, and then intervention measures were formulated according to the score of LACE index, including strengthening risk awareness, life behavior, daily life ability, self-care ability, health recovery and health needs. The follow-up period in both groups was 3 months. The changes of cardiac function, incidence of adverse cardiac events, readmission rate, self-management ability after intervention and quality of life level before and after intervention were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in cardiac function or quality of life before intervention between the two groups. After intervention for 3 months, the cardiac function and quality of life in the two groups were improved as compared with those before intervention. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in the LACE intervention group was significantly higher than that in the routine intervention group (0.533±0.076 vs. 0.492±0.072, P < 0.05), the left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) was significantly lower than that in the routine intervention group (mm: 47.09±7.01 vs. 53.23±7.15, P < 0.01), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-brief (WHOQOL-BREF) score was also significantly higher than that in the routine intervention group (66.32±6.19 vs. 55.79±7.26, P < 0.01). The scores of self-management ability in the coronary heart disease self-management scale (CSMS) after intervention in the LACE intervention group were significantly higher than those in the routine intervention group (adverse hobbies score: 17.37±3.24 vs. 14.21±2.73, symptoms score: 14.82±3.11 vs. 10.56±2.65, emotional cognition score: 16.17±2.83 vs. 12.95±2.41, first aid score: 11.85±1.94 vs. 10.62±1.56, disease knowledge score: 15.58±2.73 vs. 12.68±2.61, daily life score: 17.80±2.61 vs. 14.33±2.36, treatment compliance score: 11.47±1.84 vs. 8.56±1.23, all P < 0.01). The incidence of adverse cardiac events and readmission rate in the LACE intervention group were significantly lower than those in the routine intervention group (10.87% vs. 29.79%, 4.35% vs. 17.02%, both P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The intervention plan based on LACE risk model can effectively promote postoperative rehabilitation of patients with AMI complicated with CS after PCI, and also help to improve patients' self-management ability and quality of life, which is worthy of clinical promotion and application.

Short Chain Fatty Acids Prevent Glyoxylate-Induced Calcium Oxalate Stones by GPR43-Dependent Immunomodulatory Mechanism.

Calcium oxalate (CaOx) stones are the most common type of kidney stones and are associated with high recurrence, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and inflammation. However, it remains uncertain whether SCFAs affect the formation of CaOx stones through immunomodulation. We first performed mass cytometry (CyTOF) and RNA sequencing on kidney immune cells with glyoxylate-induced CaOx crystals (to elucidate the landscape of the associated immune cell population) and explored the role of SCFAs in renal CaOx stone formation through immunomodulation. We identified 29 distinct immune cell subtypes in kidneys with CaOx crystals, where CX3CR1+CD24- macrophages significantly decreased and GR1+ neutrophils significantly increased. In accordance with the CyTOF data, RNA sequencing showed that most genes involved were related to monocytes and neutrophils. SCFAs reduced kidney CaOx crystals by increasing the frequency of CX3CR1+CD24- macrophages and decreasing GR1+ neutrophil infiltration in kidneys with CaOx crystals, which was dependent on the gut microbiota. GPR43 knockdown by transduction with adeno-associated virus inhibited the alleviation of crystal formation and immunomodulatory effects in the kidney, due to SCFAs. Moreover, CX3CR1+CD24- macrophages regulated GR1+ neutrophils via GPR43. Our results demonstrated a unique trilateral relationship among SCFAs, immune cells, and the kidneys during CaOx formation. These findings suggest that future immunotherapies may be used to prevent kidney stones using SCFAs.

Study on quantitative diagnosis model of TCM syndromes of post-stroke depression based on combination of disease and syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Post-stroke depression (PSD) is one of the most common stroke complications with high morbidity. Researchers have done much clinical research on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment, but very little research on diagnosis. Based on the thought of combination of disease and syndrome, this study will establish a unified and objective quantitative diagnosis model of TCM syndromes of PSD, so as to improve the clinical diagnosis and treatment of PSD. OBJECTIVE: First: To establish a unified and objective quantitative diagnosis model of TCM syndromes in PSD under different disease courses, and identify the corresponding main, secondary, and concurrent symptoms, which are based on the weighting factor of each TCM symptom. Second: To find out the relationship between different stages of PSD and TCM syndromes. Clarify the main syndrome types of PSD under different stages of disease. Reveal the evolution and progression mechanism of TCM syndromes of PSD. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a retrospective study of PSD TCM diagnosis. Three hundred patients who were hospitalized in the First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of TCM with complete cases from January 2014 to January 2019 are planned to be recruited. The study will mainly collect the diagnostic information from the cases, find the related indicators of TCM and Western medicine in PSD, and clarify the relationship between different disease stages and TCM syndromes. Finally, the PSD TCM syndrome quantitative diagnosis model will be established based on the operation principle of Back Propagation (BP) artificial neural network. CONCLUSION: To collect sufficient medical records and establish models to speed up the process of TCM diagnosis.