Serum vitamin D is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Chinese males with normal weight and liver enzymes.

AIM: Considering the characterization of vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor of ectopic fat deposition, the association of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 [25(OH)D3] levels with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was evaluated in Chinese men with normal body mass index (BMI) and enzyme markers of liver function. METHODS: A total of 514 participants (22 to 79 years old) with normal BMI and liver enzymes were identified for analysis. Abdominal ultrasound was performed to diagnose NAFLD, and the fatty liver index (FLI) was calculated to quantify liver steatosis. Serum 25(OH)D3 levels were determined by an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. RESULTS: Among the entire study population, the mean levels of serum 25(OH)D3 were 15.32±5.77 ng/mL. However, when serum 25(OH)D3 levels were compared between non-NAFLD subjects (n=438) and NAFLD subjects (n=76), the latter showed significantly lower levels (15.65±5.89 ng/mL vs 13.46±4.65 ng/mL, P=0.002). In addition, serum 25(OH)D3 levels were found to be significantly correlated with FLI after adjustment for age and BMI (r=-0.108, P=0.014). Logistic regression showed that serum 25(OH)D3 levels were independently correlated with NAFLD (OR: 0.937, 95% CI: 0.884-0.993, P=0.028). Furthermore, stepwise regression analysis revealed that serum 25(OH)D3 levels were inversely associated with FLI (ß=-0.055, P=0.040). CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that serum 25(OH)D3 levels were inversely associated with NAFLD, even in subjects with normal total body fat, suggesting a potential role of lower levels of vitamin D in the occurrence and development of NAFLD.

High performance liquid chromatography method for residues analysis of thidiazuron in apple and soil.

A rapid, sensitive and reliable analytical method for thidiazuron residues in apple and soil was established. The residual levels of the pesticide in apple and soil were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detector. Samples of apple and soil were extracted with acetonitrile-water solutions, and then cleaned up by Florisil or C(18) cartridges. The results showed good linearity (r(2)=1.000) over the concentration range of 0.01-5.0 mg/L. Limits of quantification (LOQ) of the method were 0.01 mg/kg for both soil and apple. Recovery from the apple and soil samples were 83.36%-84.08% and 85.27%-89.83%, respectively, and the corresponding relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the recovery data were 0.155%-0.524% and 0.475%-4.79% for the three fortified levels (0.01, 0.1, 0.5 mg/kg). The analyte in the samples were further confirmed by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). It was demonstrated that the proposed method was simple and efficient, and particularly suitable for detecting thidiazuron residues in apple and soil.

Analysis of risk factor for pediatric intensive care unit delirium in children: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to survey the prevalence of delirium in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and explore the associated risk factors. DESIGN: A retrospective case-control study. SETTING: Two PICUs within a tertiary-A general hospital. PATIENTS: Patients aged from 1 month to 7 years who stayed in either PICU for at least 1 day were included. METHODS: A total of 639 patients admitted to PICU of a tertiary-A general hospital from December 2018 to August 2019 were enrolled. Demographic, clinical, laboratory data and length of stay in the PICU were collected. The patients were screened twice a day with the Chinese version of Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium (CAPD), and were divided into the delirium group and the non-delirium group. A risk factor analysis was conducted, with ICU pediatric delirium as primary outcome, by performing a multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the 639 patients, the prevalence of ICU pediatric delirium was 31.30%. Of the 200 children with delirium across 3703 study days, 36% children were hyperactive, 41% were hypoactive, and 23% displayed the mixed type of delirium. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, PRISM IV score (OR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.42-3.41), hypoxia (OR, 2.69; 95% CI, 1.53-4.71), metabolic dis-function (OR, 3.73; 95% CI, 2.08-6.71), duration of infection (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.10-1.36), and mechanical ventilation (OR, 3.78; 95% CI, 2.25-6.35) were statistically correlated with ICU pediatric delirium. The ROC curve analysis shows the combination CRP with duration of infection has good predictive performance. CONCLUSIONS: Age, PRISM IV score, ICU retention time, metabolic dis-function, duration of infection, hypoxia, CRP and mechanical ventilation were the independent risk factors for ICU pediatric delirium. We suggest that active preventive measures should be taken to reduce the occurrence of ICU pediatric delirium.

[Influence of mandibulotomy approaches on oral function following radical resection of tongue carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the influences of postoperative oral function in patients with median or paramedian mandibulotomy during the radical resection of tongue carcinoma and to provide evidence for the choice of osteotomy location for mandibulotomy. METHODS: The clinical data of 126 patients who underwent combined radical neck dissection with mandibulectomy and glossectomy followed by simultaneous reconstruction were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups according to the position of mandibulotomy: median mandibulotomy group (median group, n=60) and paramedian mandibulotomy group (paramedian group, n=66). The fourth edition of the University of Washington Quality of Life Questionnaire (UW-QOL) was used to compare the differences in oral functions, such as swallowing, mastication, and speech, between the two groups during regular follow-up. SPSS 24.0 software package was used for statistical analysis, and P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Six months after the operation, no significant differences in swallowing, mastication, and speech functions were found between the median and paramedian groups. However, the swallowing and speech functions in the paramedian group were better than those in the median group 1 year after the operation (P<0.05), whereas no statistical difference in mastication function was observed between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation of the postoperative oral function results showed that paramedian mandibulotomy was a better surgical approach than median mandibulotomy. Paramedian mandibulotomy is worth prioritizing in the radical resection of tongue carcinoma.

In vitro fermentation behaviors of fucosylated chondroitin sulfate from Pearsonothuria graeffei by human gut microflora.

A fucosylated chondroitin sulfate (FCS-pg) with highly repeated structure from Pearsonothuria graeffei was subjected to a in vitro fermentation model to investigate its fermentability and effects on human gut microflora. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) measurement found FCS-pg can be fermented to short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) by gut microflora from partial human fecal samples. 16S rRNA gene-based polymerase chain reaction-based denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) profiling and real-time quantitative PCR analysis showed that FCS-pg mainly increased the proportions of Clostridium cluster XI, Bacteriodes prevotella group, Bifidobacterium genus, Clostridium cluster I and Clostridium cluster XIVab, whereas the numbers of the Enterobacteriaceae and Lactobacillus decreased. These results indicated that FCS-pg was mainly fermented by Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium and Clostridium. It increased the content of probiotics bacteria in achieving health-enhancing effect, was slightly different than most sulfated polysaccharides from marine animals. The current study provides useful new information on the mechanism of absorption and functional activity on FCS-pg within the gastrointestinal tract of the human body.

hTERT gene polymorphism correlates with the risk and the prognosis of thyroid cancer.

OBJECTIVES: The study explored the association between rs10069690C/T and rs2736100G/T of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) gene, and the prognosis of thyroid cancer. METHODS: The study had 452 thyroid cancer patients recruited as case group who hospitalized in Jingzhou Central Hospital from January 2001 to June 2004 and 452 healthy people recruited as control group at the same area. The hTERT gene polymorphisms at rs10069690 C/T and rs2736100 G/T were tested by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. The association between patients' life quality and hTERT gene polymorphisms six months after surgery was evaluated based on the Cancer patients' quality of life index rating scale. RESULTS: There were statistical differences in genotype and allele frequencies of rs10069690 C/T between the case group and control group (both P < 0.05). An association between rs10069690C/T polymorphism and an increased risk of thyroid cancer was shown by logistic regression analysis (CT vs. CC, OR = 1.333, 95%CI = 1.006-1.766, P = 0.045; TT vs. CC, OR = 1.910, 95%CI = 1.084-3.367, P = 0.023; CT + TT vs. CC, OR = 2.246, 95%CI = 1.078-1.840, P = 0.006; T vs. C, OR = 1.376, 95%CI = 1.104-1.715, P = 0.004). Genotype frequency of rs2736100G/T between the two groups had no statistical differences (P > 0.05). After stratification according to age, T stage, tumor size and tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage, the distribution frequencies of CC genotype and CT + TT genotype of rs10069690C/T showed significant difference (P < 0.05). The life quality of patients with CC genotype was better than that of patients with CT $+$ TT genotype. The results of Cox regression model multifactor analysis showed that age, T stage, tumor size and rs10069690C/T were independent risk factors of thyroid cancer prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: hTERT gene polymorphism at rs10069690C/T is associated with the risk and prognosis of thyroid cancer, but hTERT gene polymorphism at rs2736100G/T is not.

Effectiveness of treatment of iron deficiency anemia in rats with squid ink melanin-Fe.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is the one of the most common nutritional problems and is encountered all over the world. This study analysed the effects of squid ink melanin-Fe (SM-Fe) on IDA in rats. Forty weanling SD male rats were used and thirty-two rats were fed an iron-deficient diet for 4 weeks. Then SM-Fe (dosages of iron is 6 mg kg(-1) BW) was given to the IDA rats once a day for 3 weeks by intragastric administration, with FeCl3 and FeSO4 (dosages of iron is 6 mg kg(-1) BW) as positive controls. While the IDA model group and the control group were administrated distilled deionized water each day for 3 weeks. The content of haemoglobin (Hb), serum iron (SI), total iron binding capacity (TIBC), serum ferritin (SF), transferrin receptor (sTfR), erythropoietin (EPO), and iron content in the liver and spleen were measured. The results showed that the content of Hb, SI, SF, EPO, iron content in the liver and spleen were significantly increased in the iron supplement groups (SM-Fe, FeCl3 and FeSO4) compared with the model group (P < 0.05), while TIBC and sTfR were significantly decreased in the iron supplement groups compared with the model group (P < 0.05). In comparison with the FeCl3 and FeSO4 groups, a higher bioavailability of iron and fewer side effects were observed in the SM-Fe group. The present study indicated that SM-Fe is an effective source of iron supplement for IDA rats and might be exploited as a new iron fortifier.

Effect of three cooking methods on nutrient components and antioxidant capacities of bamboo shoot (Phyllostachys praecox C.D. Chu et C.S. Chao).

Three cooking methods, namely boiling, steaming, and stir-frying for 5 to 10 min, were used to evaluate the effect on nutrient components, free amino acids, L-ascorbic acid, total phenolic contents, and antioxidant capacities of bamboo shoots (Phyllostachys praecox). Results showed that boiling and stir-frying had a great effect on the nutrient components and they decreased the contents of protein, soluble sugar, and ash, and caused a great loss in the total free amino acids (decreased by 38.35% and 34.86%, respectively). Significant differences (P<0.05) in free amino acids were observed in the samples cooked by different methods. Stir-fried bamboo shoots had a high fat content which increased by 528.57% because of the addition of edible oil. After boiling, the L-ascorbic acid and total phenolic contents were significantly reduced, while steaming increased total phenolic content by 3.98% and stir-frying well-preserved L-ascorbic acid (78.87% of its previous content). Results of the antioxidative property study showed that stir-frying could increase antioxidant capacities of bamboo shoots. It is concluded that stir-frying is more suitable for bamboo shoots because it could obtain the maximum retention of antioxidant capacities.