Gastrointestinal manifestations of critical ill heatstroke patients and their associations with outcomes: A multicentre, retrospective, observational study.

BACKGROUND: Extreme heat exposure is a growing health problem, and the effects of heat on the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is unknown. This study aimed to assess the incidence of GI symptoms associated with heatstroke and its impact on outcomes. AIM: To assess the incidence of GI symptoms associated with heatstroke and its impact on outcomes. METHODS: Patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) due to heatstroke were included from 83 centres. Patient history, laboratory results, and clinically relevant outcomes were recorded at ICU admission and daily until up to day 15, ICU discharge, or death. GI symptoms, including nausea/vomiting, diarrhoea, flatulence, and bloody stools, were recorded. The characteristics of patients with heatstroke concomitant with GI symptoms were described. Multivariable regression analyses were performed to determine significant predictors of GI symptoms. RESULTS: A total of 713 patients were included in the final analysis, of whom 132 (18.5%) patients had at least one GI symptom during their ICU stay, while 26 (3.6%) suffered from more than one symptom. Patients with GI symptoms had a significantly higher ICU stay compared with those without. The mortality of patients who had two or more GI symptoms simultaneously was significantly higher than that in those with one GI symptom. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that older patients with a lower GCS score on admission were more likely to experience GI symptoms. CONCLUSION: The GI manifestations of heatstroke are common and appear to impact clinically relevant hospitalization outcomes.

[Characteristics of atmospheric pollutants during the period of summer and autumn in Shijiazhuang].

Atmospheric pollutants and their concentration change characteristics during Beijing Olympics in Shijiazhuang were studied. Air quality was measured by automatic on-line continuous monitoring equipments in summer and autumn of 2007 and 2008. The objectives of this study were to identify the effect of pollutants decrease on atmospheric environment, and develop the potential influence to Beijing and surrounding areas. The results show that the pollutants concentration often exceeds state criterion except nitrogen oxides, O3 concentration in summer and autumn is higher, averaged hourly maximum concentration (O3-Max) is (177.2 +/- 63.0) and (105.8 +/- 61.7) microg x m(-3), the concentrations of NO and NO2 are (4.5 +/- 4.0), (32.7 +/- 12.4) microg x m(-3) and (21.5 +/- 16.9), (60.5 +/- 16.9) microg x m(-3) respectively, SO2 concentration is (72.0 +/- 27.5) and (92.0 +/- 44.4) microg x m(-3), PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations reach to (102.3 +/- 47.6), (153.3 +/- 58.3) microg x m(-3) and (95.8 +/- 50.0), (147.4 +/- 67.0) microg x m(-3). Generally, pollutants declined obviously in Olympics period, the concentrations of NOx, O3-Max, SO2, PM2.5 and PM10 are (43.8 +/- 15.0), (142.0 +/- 54.9), (52.4 +/- 18.8), (76.7 +/- 35.1) and (116.5 +/- 38.8) microg x m(-3), and the reduction ratio of SO2, PM2.5 and PM10 are 34.6%, 22.8% and 21.0% compared with the whole monitoring period in 2008. The actuality of atmospheric pollution in summer and autumn was analyzed systemically, and which provided scientific evidences for evaluating the control measures of pollutants emission.

Transfection and expression of exogenous gene in laying hens oviduct in vitro and in vivo / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

To examine whether or not the regulatory sequence of chicken ovalbumin gene can drive transgene expression specifically in hen oviduct, the authors constructed an oviduct-specific expression vector (pOV), containing 3.0 kilobases (kb) of the 5'-flanking sequence and 3.0 kb of the 3'-flanking sequence of the chicken ovalbumin gene. Jellyfish green fluorescence protein (EGFP) reporter gene and bacterial LacZ reporter gene were respectively inserted into the downstream of the 5'-regulatory region. The recombinants were named as pOVEGFP and pOVLacZ. Two transfer systems, in vitro and in vivo, were used to verify the function of the vector. In vitro, the plasmid DNA pOVEGFP and pEGFP-N1 were transfected respectively by the polyethyleneimine procedure into the primary chicken oviduct epithelium (PCOE) and fibroblasts cells isolated from laying hens. In vivo, the recombinant vector pOVLacZ was injected into egg-laying hens via wing vein and the tissues were collected for RT-PCR analysis. The results showed that expression of pEGFP-N1 was achieved at low level in oviduct epithelial cells and at high level in fibroblasts, but that the recombinant vector was not expressed in both cells. RT-PCR analysis showed that the LacZ gene was transcribed in the oviduct, but not in the heart, liver, kidney and spleen of the injected hens. Accordingly, the beta-galactosidase activity was only detected in the oviduct magnum (116.7 mU/ml) and eggs (16.47 mU/ml). These results indicated that the cloned regulation regions of chicken ovalbumin gene could drive exogenous gene expression specifically in the oviducts of hens. In vivo gene injection via wing vein may serve as a rapid production system of recombinant proteins in chicken eggs. In addition, the cultured primary oviduct cells from laying hens were not efficient temporary expression systems for analyzing the function of regulating elements of ovalbumin gene.