Non-invasive brain stimulation improves pain in patients with central post-stroke pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Central post-stroke pain (CPSP) significantly interferes with the quality of life and psychological well-being of stroke patients. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has attracted significant attention as an emerging method for treating patients with CPSP. OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy of noninvasive brain stimulation on pain, and psychological status of patients with central post-stroke pain using meta-analysis. METHODS: A computerized search of multiple databases was performed for identification of randomized controlled trials involving NIBS-led treatment of CPSP patients. Two researchers worked independently on literature screening, data extraction, and quality assessment. Research was conducted from inception of the database until October 2023. RevMan 5.0 and Stata 15.0 software were used to conduct statistical analysis. RESULTS: Sixteen papers with 807 patients were finally included. The results showed that NIBS reduced patients' pain intensity [SMD = -0.39, 95% CI (-0.54, -0.24), p < 0.01] and was more effective in short-term CPSP patients. However, the included studies did not show a significant impact on psychological status, particularly depression. Subgroup analysis suggested that the M1 stimulation point was more effective than other stimulation points [SMD = -0.45, 95% CI (-0.65, -0.25), p < 0.001]. Other stimulation modalities also demonstrated favorable outcomes when compared to rTMS [SMD = -0.67, 95% CI (-1.09, -0.25), p < 0.01]. CONCLUSION: NIBS has a positive impact on pain relief in patients with CPSP, but does not enhance patients' psychological well-being in terms of anxiety or depression. Furthermore, large-sample, high-quality, and multi-center RCTs are needed to explore the benefits of different stimulation durations and parameters in patients with CPSP. The current study has been registered with Prospero under the registration number CRD42023468419.

A novel Burkholderia pyrrocinia strain effectively inhibits Fusarium graminearum growth and deoxynivalenol (DON) production.

BACKGROUND: Fusarium graminearum is a devastating fungal pathogen that poses a significant threat to global wheat production and quality. Control of this toxin-producing pathogen remains a major challenge. This study aimed to isolate strains with antagonistic activity against F. graminearum and at the same time to analyze the synthesis of deoxynivalenol (DON), in order to provide a new basis for the biological control of FHB. RESULTS: Total of 69 microorganisms were isolated from the soil of a wheat-corn crop rotation field, and an antagonistic bacterial strain F12 was identified as Burkholderia pyrrocinia by molecular biology and carbon source utilization. F. graminearum control by strain F12 showed excellent biological activities under laboratory conditions (95.8%) and field testing (63.09%). Meanwhile, the DON content of field-treated wheat grains was detected the results showed that F12 have significantly inhibited of DON, which was further verified by qPCR that F12 produces secondary metabolites that inhibit the expression of DON and pigment-related genes. In addition, the sterile fermentation broth of F12 not only inhibited mycelial growth and spore germination, but also prevented mycelia from producing spores. CONCLUSION: In this study B. pyrrocinia was reported to have good control of FHB and inhibition of DON synthesis. This novel B. pyrrocinia F12 is a promising biological inoculant, providing possibilities for controlling FHB, and a theoretical basis for the development of potential biocontrol agents and biofertilizers for agricultural use. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

High-precision binocular camera calibration method based on a 3D calibration object.

A high-precision binocular camera calibration method is proposed to address the issues of poor calibration accuracy and large calibration errors in current practical applications. This method uses a triangular stereo sphere as the calibration object and employs steps, such as ellipse fitting, Cholesky decomposition, homography matrix solution, and nonlinear optimization, to compute the intrinsic and extrinsic parameters, distortion parameters, and relative pose of the binocular camera. Moreover, this method simplifies the correspondences between primitives, enabling simultaneous calibration of multiple viewpoint cameras. This method is also suitable for both binocular cameras consisting of two different structured monocular cameras and those composed of two image sensors within the same structure. Experimental results showed that this method outperforms traditional algorithms in terms of binocular camera calibration accuracy, calibration errors between left and right cameras, and robustness, resulting in a significant improvement in overall algorithm performance.

Effect of ginger and P6 acupressure on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: a randomized controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of ginger with P6 acupressure in preventing and treating chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in cancer patients. METHOD: A total of 172 participants were randomly divided into the control, ginger, acupressure, and joint groups, who were hospitalized in the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from February and September 2022. The baseline characteristics, nausea, vomiting, and retching, benefit finding, functional living index-emesis, treatment satisfaction, and adverse reaction, were used in data collection. RESULTS: No significant difference was found in benefit finding and adverse reactions among the four groups (P > 0.05). Ginger significantly improved delayed CINV and function living index-nausea (P < 0.05) but had no significant effect on acute CINV, retching, and delayed vomiting, functional living index-emesis, and treatment satisfaction (P>0.05). Acute nausea and retching, delayed nausea, vomiting, and retching, functional living index-emesis, and treatment satisfaction were effectively improved in the acupressure and joint groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Ginger with P6 acupressure may contribute to improving CINV in patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Effect of Qiwei Baizhusan on Cognitive Dysfunction in Rats with Diabetic Encephalopathy Based on PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β Signaling Pathway / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo observe the therapeutic effect of Qiwei Baizhusan（QWBZS） on diabetic encephalopathy（DE） rat model， and to explore the possible mechanism of QWBZS in the treatment of DE based on phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase（PI3K）/protein kinase B（Akt）/glycogen synthase kinase-3β（GSK-3β） signaling pathway. MethodForty-eight SPF male Wistar rats were randomly divided into blank group（8 rats） and high-fat diet group（40 rats）. After 12 weeks of feeding， rats in the high-fat diet group were intraperitoneally injected with 35 mg·kg-1 of 1% streptozotocin（STZ） for 2 consecutive days to construct a DE model， and rats in the blank group were injected with the same amount of sodium citrate buffer. After successful modeling， according to blood glucose and body weight， model rats were randomly divided into model group， low， medium and high dose groups of QWBZS（3.15， 6.3， 12.6 g·kg-1）， combined western medicine group（metformin+rosiglitazone， 0.21 g·kg-1）， with 6 rats in each group. The administration group was given the corresponding dose of drug by gavage， and the blank group and the model group were given an equal volume of 0.9% sodium chloride solution by gavage， 1 time/day for 6 weeks. Morris water maze was used to detect the spatial memory ability of DE rats. Fasting insulin （FINS） level was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） and insulin resistance index（HOMA-IR） was calculated. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was used to observe the morphological changes of hippocampus in rats， ELISA was used to detect the indexes of oxidative stress in hippocampal tissues， real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR） was used to detect mRNA expression levels of PI3K， Akt， nuclear transcription factor-κB（NF-κB）， tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α） and interleukin-1β（IL-1β） in hippocampus， and Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of PI3K， Akt， phosphorylated（p）-Akt， GSK-3β and p-GSK-3β in hippocampus of rats. ResultCompared with the blank group， FINS and HOMA-IR values of the model group were significantly increased（P<0.01）， the path of finding the original position of the platform was significantly increased， and the escape latency was significantly prolonged（P<0.01）， the morphology of neuronal cells in hippocampal tissues was disrupted， the levels of reactive oxygen species（ROS） and malondialdehyde（MDA） in hippocampus of rats were increased， and the activity of superoxide dismutase（SOD） was decreased（P<0.05， P<0.01）， mRNA expression levels of PI3K and Akt were decreased（P<0.01）， mRNA expression levels of NF-κB， TNF-α and IL-1β were increased（P<0.05， P<0.01）， the protein expression levels of PI3K， p-Akt and p-GSK-3β were significantly decreased， and the protein expression of GSK-3β was significantly increased（P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the FINS and HOMA-IR values of the medium dose group of QWBZS and the combined western medicine group were significantly decreased（P<0.01）， the path of finding the original position of the platform and the escape latency were significantly shortened（P<0.01）， the hippocampal tissue structure of rats was gradually recovered， and the morphological damage of nerve cells was significantly improved， the contents of ROS and MDA in hippocampus of rats decreased and the level of SOD increased（P<0.01）， the mRNA expression levels of PI3K and Akt were increased（P<0.01）， and the mRNA expression levels of NF-κB， TNF-α and IL-1β were decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， the protein expression levels of PI3K， p-Akt and p-GSK-3β were significantly increased（P<0.01）， and the expression of GSK-3β was significantly decreased（P<0.01）. ConclusionQWBZS can alleviate insulin resistance in DE rats， it may repair hippocampal neuronal damage and improve learning and cognitive ability of DE rats by activating PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway.

Moxibustion modulates working memory in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between changes in brain activity associated with working memory and assessment scales of memory scores in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) before and after moxibustion therapy. METHODS: aMCI patients were randomized into the moxibustion treatment (MT) group and the placebo moxibustion (PM) group. Each group received either moxibustion therapy or a placebo moxibustion for eight weeks. Neuropsychological performance and functional brain responses to a working memory task were assessed at baseline and at the end of treatment. Memory function was evaluated individually by the Rivermead behavioral memory test (RBMT), and working memory was assessed by the N-back task. RESULTS: Compared with the PM group, RBMT score changes were significant ( < 0.05). In the MT group, the accuracy of the N-back texts increased compared with those before the intervention. After moxibustion intervention, the right insula, postcentral gyrus, precentral gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, thalamus, lingual gyrus, calcarine sulcus, posterior cingulate gyrus, middle frontal gyrus and anterior frontal gyrus were significantly activated (= 0.01, Cluster-level Family-Wise Error = 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that the insula, lingual gyrus and posterior cingulate gyrus were associated with changes in N-back score. Spearman correlation analysis showed that the postcentral gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, thalamus, lingual gyrus, and posterior cingulate gyrus were correlated with RBMT score changes. CONCLUSION: Moxibustion treatment improved memory in aMCI patients and was associated with the activation of the brain region of the insula, lingual gyrus, posterior cingulate gyrus, postcentral gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, and thalamus, which may be an important mechanism by which moxibustion improves the memory function.

Participation of pharmacists and patients in web-based pharmaceutical care consultation based on MEDICODE.

BACKGROUND: The participation of providers and patients in medical communication is the core element of shared decision making. Furthermore, web-based pharmaceutical care consultation is increasingly necessary, welcomed and popular. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the participation of pharmacists and patients in web-based pharmaceutical care consultation, so as to form the promotion strategy for both parties' participation. METHODS: Data of pharmacist-patient encounters was obtained from the online platform 'Good Doctor Website' from March 31, 2012 to June 22, 2019. MEDICODE was employed to analyze the participation of pharmacists and patients in web-based pharmaceutical care consultation using dialogue ratio, the preponderance of initiative, and dialogical roles (information provider, listener, instigator and participant). RESULTS: This study included 121 pharmacist-patient encounters which discussed 382 specifically named medications. On average, 3.75 specific themes were discussed per medication. Among the 29 specific themes observed, 16 were initiated primarily by patients and 13 by pharmacists, 22 were primarily monologue, 6 were primarily dialogue, and 1 was a combination of the two. Pharmacists and patients were information providers or listeners in most content theme categories, such as possible main effect, possible adverse effect, instructions, warnings, adherence, designation, and observed adverse effect. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacists and patients exchanged less drug-related information in web-based pharmaceutical care consultation. The exchange had more patient-dominated behaviors and more of a monologue. Furthermore, pharmacists and patients were mainly information providers or listeners in communication. The participation of both parties was insufficient.

Effect of ginger and P6 acupressure on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: a randomized controlled study / Efeitos das compressões de acuponto de gengibre e Neiguan sobre náuseas e vômitos induzidos por quimioterapia: um estudo randomizado e controlado / Efecto del jengibre y la acupresión de P6 en las náuseas y vómitos inducidos por la quimioterapia: estudio controlado aleatorizado

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the effect of ginger with P6 acupressure in preventing and treating chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in cancer patients. Method: A total of 172 participants were randomly divided into the control, ginger, acupressure, and joint groups, who were hospitalized in the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from February and September 2022. The baseline characteristics, nausea, vomiting, and retching, benefit finding, functional living index-emesis, treatment satisfaction, and adverse reaction, were used in data collection. Results: No significant difference was found in benefit finding and adverse reactions among the four groups (P > 0.05). Ginger significantly improved delayed CINV and function living index-nausea (P < 0.05) but had no significant effect on acute CINV, retching, and delayed vomiting, functional living index-emesis, and treatment satisfaction (P>0.05). Acute nausea and retching, delayed nausea, vomiting, and retching, functional living index-emesis, and treatment satisfaction were effectively improved in the acupressure and joint groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Ginger with P6 acupressure may contribute to improving CINV in patients undergoing chemotherapy.

RESUMEN Objetivo: Evaluar el efecto del jengibre con acupresión P6 en la prevención y tratamiento de las náuseas y vómitos (nviq) inducidos por la quimioterapia en pacientes con cáncer. Método: Se dividió al azar A un total de 172 participantes en los grupos control, jengibre, acupresión y conjunto, que fueron hospitalizados en el Hospital afiliado de la universidad médica Xuzhou entre febrero y septiembre de 2022. En la recolección de datos se utilizaron las características basales: náuseas, vómitos y náuseas, hallazgo de beneficios, índice de vida funcional, satisfacción con el tratamiento y reacciones adversas. Resultados: No se encontró diferencia significativa en el hallazgo del beneficio y las reacciones adversas entre los cuatro grupos (P >0.05). El jengibre mejoró significativamente las nviq diferidas y el índice de vida funcional (nausea) de forma significativa (P < 0.05), pero no tuvo un efecto significativo en las nvi, las náuseas y el vómito diferidos, la emesis del índice de vida funcional y la satisfacción con el tratamiento (P >0.05). Las náuseas agudas y las arcadas, las náuseas, los vómitos y las arcadas tardías, la medida del índice de vida funcional y la satisfacción con el tratamiento mejoraron efectivamente en los grupos de acupresión y articulares (P < 0,05). Conclusión: El jengibre con acupresión P6 puede contribuir a mejorar las nviq en pacientes sometidos a quimioterapia.

RESUMO Objetivo: Avaliar os efeitos da compressão do acuponto gengibre e Neiguan na prevenção e tratamento de náuseas e vômitos induzidos por quimioterapia em pacientes oncológicos. Métodos: Um total de 172 pacientes hospitalizados no Hospital Afiliado da Xuzhou Medical University de fevereiro a setembro de 2022 foram divididos aleatoriamente em grupo controle, grupo gengibre, grupo acuponto e grupo combinado. A recolha de dados incluiu principalmente dados basais, pontuação de náuseas, vómitos e vómitos, sensação de benefício da doença, índice de vida funcional, satisfação com o tratamento e efeitos adversos. Resultados: Não houve diferenças significativas no benefício da doença e efeitos adversos entre os quatro grupos (P >0,05). O gengibre melhorou significativamente o índice de vida funcional tardia e náusea (P < 0,05), mas não melhorou a NVI tardia e vómitos e vómitos retardados, o índice de vida funcional dos vómitos e a satisfação com o tratamento (P >0,05). Ambos os grupos de acuponto e combinação melhoraram náuseas agudas, vómitos, náuseas tardias, vómitos, vómitos, vómitos, índice de vida funcional e satisfação com o tratamento (P < 0,05). Conclusão: A acupuntura de gengibre e neiguan pode ajudar a melhorar a NVIQ em pacientes submetidos a quimioterapia.

Considerations on investigation on quality standard of Chinese patent medicine / 药学学报

Chinese patent medicine (CPM) is an important part of traditional and Chinese medicine (TCM). Its quality has direct impact on the safety and effectiveness of clinical use. The quality standard is the pivotal approach to guarantee the quality of CPM. Due to the complex material basis, multitudinous quality influencing factors and unveiled active ingredients, dose-effect relationship and action mechanism, the investigation on quality standard faces many difficulties. This paper surveys the current quality status of CPM and the general situation of CPM standards. At present, the dosing problem has the crucial impact on the quality of CPM. The current quality standard system of CPM is confirmed and the limitations are indicated. Based on the above analysis, the principles and considerations on investigation of quality standard are proposed as follows: ① Adhere to safety as the bottom line, strengthen the risk-control ability of the standard of CPM; ② Adhere to theory of TCM and comprehensive quality, improve the integrative control level of the CPM standard; ③ Emphasize technological development and innovation, promote the quality control competence of CPM standard; ④ Facilitate planning and coordination, optimize the management of the CPM standard system; ⑤ Reinforce investigation on evaluation method, develop grade evaluation standard, accelerate high-quality development of CPM. Finally, the future perspective on investigation of CPM quality standard is prospected.

Epidemiological features of echinococcosis cases reported in the National Notifiable Disease Report System in Henan Province from 2010 to 2021 / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of echinococcosis cases reported in the National Notifiable Disease Report System in Henan Province from 2010 to 2011, so as to provide insights into for echinococcosis control and surveillance. Methods The data pertaining to reported echinococcosis cases in Henan Province from 2010 to 2021 were retrieved from the National Notifiable Disease Report System, and a descriptive epidemiological analysis was performed using the software SPSS 22.0. Results A total of 150 echinococcosis cases were reported in Henan Province from 2010 to 2021, including 88 confirmed cases (58.67%) and 62 clinically diagnosed cases (41.33%), 77 cases reported by Henan Province (51.33%) and 73 cases reported by other provinces (48.67%). Echinococcosis cases were reported in each month, with 8 to 21 cases reported in each month, and the number of reported echinococcosis cases appeared no remarkable temporal changes. The echinococcosis cases were reported across 18 cities of Henan Province, with the highest number of cases reported in Zhoukou (17.33%) and Nanyang cities (17.33%) and the lowest number reported in Sanmenxia City (0.67%). The reported echinococcosis cases had a male to female ratio of 1.17:1, and the cases were found at each age group, with the the highest number of cases seen at ages of 20 to 59 years (73.33%). Farmer was the predominant occupation (63.33%), followed by housekeepers and the unemployed (12.67%). Of all reported echinococcosis cases, there were 25 local cases (16.67%) and 125 imported cases (83.33%), 144 cases reported by medical institutions (96.00%) and 6 cases reported by centers for disease control and prevention (4.00%). Conclusions Although imported echinococcosis cases were the predominant source of echinococcosis cases reported in the National Notifiable Disease Report System in Henan Province from 2010 to 2021, there were still sporadic local cases, and the emergence of local sources of infection cannot be excluded. Further expanded field surveys and surveillance of echinococcosis are required.

Lipopolysaccharides protect mesenchymal stem cell against cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury by HMGB1/STAT3 signaling / 老年心脏病学杂志（英文版）

BACKGROUND@#Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) is a serious and irreversible injury. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is considered to be a potential therapy for I/R injury due to the paracrine effects. High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a novel mediator in MSC and regulates the response of inflammation injury. Signal Transduction and Transcription Activator 3 (STAT3) is a critical transcription factor and important for release of paracrine factors. However, the relationship between HMGB1 and STAT3 in paracrine effect of MSC remains unknown.@*METHODS@#In vitro, hypoxia/reoxygenation injury model was established by AnaeroPack System and examined by Annexin V flow cytometry, CCK8 assay and morphology observation. Detection of apoptotic proteins and protein expression of HMGB1 and STAT3 by Western blot.@*RESULTS@#The conditioned medium of MSCs with or without LPS pretreatment was cocultured with H9C2 cells for 24 h before hypoxia treatment and MSC showed obvious cardiomyocytes protect role, as evidence by decreased apoptosis rate and improved cells viability, and LPS pretreated MSC exhibited better protect role than untreated MSC. However, such effect was abolished in HMGB1 deficiency group, silencing HMGB1 decreased the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), insulin growth factor (IGF), cell viability, and the expression of STAT3. Furthermore, STAT3 silence attenuated the protective effect of LPS in MSC.@*CONCLUSIONS@#These findings suggested that LPS improved MSC-mediated cardiomyocytes protection by HMGB1/STAT3 signaling.

Value of the combined use of aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index and total bile acid for predicting parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis in preterm infants with gestational age <34 weeks / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To explore the value of the combined use of aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) and total bile acid (TBA) for predicting parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis (PNAC) in preterm infants with gestational age <34 weeks.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed on medical data of 270 preterm infants born at <34 weeks of gestation who received parenteral nutrition (PN) during hospitalization in the First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College from January 2019 to September 2022, including 128 infants with PNAC and 142 infants without PNAC. The medical data between the two groups were compared, and predictive factors for the development of PNAC were explored through multivariate logistic regression analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the value of APRI alone, TBA alone, and the combination of both for predicting PNAC.@*RESULTS@#TBA levels in the PNAC group after 1, 2, and 3 weeks of PN were higher than those in the non-PNAC group (P<0.05). APRI in the PNAC group after 2 and 3 weeks of PN was higher than that in the non-PNAC group (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that elevated APRI and TBA after 2 weeks of PN were predictive factors for PNAC in preterm infants (P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) for predicting PNAC by combining APRI and TBA after 2 weeks of PN were 0.703, 0.803, and 0.806, respectively. The AUC for predicting PNAC by combining APRI and TBA was higher than that of APRI or TBA alone (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#After 2 weeks of PN, the value of combining APRI and TBA for predicting PNAC is high in preterm infants with gestational age <34 weeks.

Genetic analysis of a Chinese pedigree with 6q26q27 microduplication and 15q26.3 microdeletion / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the genetic basis for a Chinese pedigree with 6q26q27 microduplication and 15q26.3 microdeletion.@*METHODS@#A fetus with a 6q26q27 microduplication and a 15q26.3 microdeletion diagnosed at the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University in January 2021 and members of its pedigree were selected as the study subject. Clinical data of the fetus was collected. The fetus and its parents were analyzed by G-banding karyotyping and chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA), and its maternal grandparents were also subjected to G-banding karyotype analysis.@*RESULTS@#Prenatal ultrasound had indicated intrauterine growth retardation of the fetus, though no karyotypic abnormality was found with the amniotic fluid sample and blood samples from its pedigree members. CMA revealed that the fetus has carried a 6.6 Mb microduplication in 6q26q27 and a 1.9 Mb microdeletion in 15q26.3, and his mother also carried a 6.49 duplication and a 1.867 deletion in the same region. No anomaly was found with its father.@*CONCLUSION@#The 6q26q27 microduplication and 15q26.3 microdeletion probably underlay the intrauterine growth retardation in this fetus.

Molecular detection and phylogenetic analysis of Wolbachia infection in common mosquito species in Henan Province / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To investigate the infection and genotypes of Wolbachia in common mosquito species in Henan Province, so as to provide insights into management of mosquito-borne diseases. Methods Aedes, Culex and Anopheles samples were collected from cowsheds, sheepfolds and human houses in Puyang, Nanyang City and Xuchang cities of Henan Province from July to September, 2022, and the infection of Wolbachia was detected. The 16S rDNA and wsp genes of Wolbachia were amplified and sequenced. Sequence alignment was performed using the BLAST software, and the obtained 16S rDNA gene sequence was compared with the sequence of the 16S rDNA gene in GenBank database. In addition, the phylogenetic trees were created based on 16S rDNA and wsp gene sequences using the software MEGA 11.0. Results A total 506 female adult mosquitoes were collected from three sampling sites in Nanyang, Xuchang City and Puyang cities from July to September, 2022. The overall detection of Wolbachia was 45.1% (228/506) in mosquitoes, with a higher detection rate in A. albopictus than in Cx. pipiens pallens [97.9% (143/146) vs. 50.6% (85/168); χ2 = 88.064, P < 0.01]. The detection of Wolbachia in Cx. pipiens pallens was higher in Xuchang City (96.8%, 62/64) than in Nanyang (15.6%, 7/45) and Puyang cities (27.1%, 16/59) (χ2 = 89.950, P < 0.01). The homologies of obtained Wolbachia 16S rDNA and wsp gene sequences were 95.3% to 100.0% and 81.7% to 99.8%. Phylogenetic analysis based on wsp gene sequences showed Wolbachia supergroups A and B in mosquito samples, with wAlbA and wMors strains in supergroup A and wPip and wAlbB strains in supergroup B. Wolbachia strain wAlbB infection was detected in A. albopictus in Puyang and Nanyang Cities, while Wolbachia strain wPip infection was identified in A. albopictus in Xuchang City. Wolbachia strain wAlbA infection was detected in Cx. pipiens pallens sampled from three cities, and one Cx. pipiens pallens was found to be infected with Wolbachia strain wMors in Nanyang City. Conclusions Wolbachia infection is commonly prevalent in Ae. albopictus and Cx. pipiens pallens from Henan Province, and Wolbachia strains wAlbB and wAlbA are predominant in Ae. albopictus, while wPip strain is predominant in Cx. pipiens pallens. This is the first report to present Wolbachia wMors strain infection in Cx. pipiens pallens in Henan Province.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the management of imported malaria in China / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To examine the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the epidemic status of imported malaria and national malaria control program in China, so as to provide insights into post-elimination malaria surveillance. Methods All data pertaining to imported malaria cases were collected from Anhui Province, Hubei Province, Henan Province, Zhejiang Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region during the period from January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2021. The number of malaria cases, species of malaria parasites, country where malaria parasite were infected, diagnosis and treatment after returning to China, and response were compared before (from January 1, 2018 to January 22, 2020) and after the COVID-19 pandemic (from January 23, 2020 to December 31, 2021). Results A total of 2 054 imported malaria cases were reported in Anhui Province, Hubei Province, Henan Province, Zhejiang Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region during the period from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2021, and there were 1 722 cases and 332 cases reported before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively. All cases were reported within one day after definitive diagnosis. The annual mean number of reported malaria cases reduced by 79.30% in Anhui Province, Hubei Province, Henan Province, Zhejiang Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region after the COVID-19 pandemic (171 cases) than before the pandemic (826 cases), and the number of monthly reported malaria cases significantly reduced in Anhui Province, Hubei Province, Henan Province, Zhejiang Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region since February 2020. There was a significant difference in the constituent ratio of species of malaria parasites among the imported malaria cases in Anhui Province, Hubei Province, Henan Province, Zhejiang Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region before and after the COVID-19 pandemic (χ2 = 146.70, P < 0.05), and P. falciparum malaria was predominant before the COVID-19 pandemic (72.30%), while P. ovale malaria (44.28%) was predominant after the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by P. falciparum malaria (37.65%). There was a significant difference in the constituent ratio of country where malaria parasites were infected among imported malaria cases in Anhui Province, Hubei Province, Henan Province, Zhejiang Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region before and after the COVID-19 pandemic (χ2 = 13.83, P < 0.05), and the proportion of malaria cases that acquired Plasmodium infections in western Africa reduced after the COVID-19 pandemic that before the pandemic (44.13% vs. 37.95%; χ2 = 4.34, P < 0.05), while the proportion of malaria cases that acquired Plasmodium infections in eastern Africa increased after the COVID-19 pandemic that before the pandemic (9.58% vs. 15.36%; χ2 = 9.88, P = 0.02). The proportion of completing case investigation within 3 days was significantly lower after the COVID-19 pandemic than before the pandemic (96.69% vs. 98.32%; χ2= 3.87, P < 0.05), while the proportion of finishing foci investigation and response within 7 days was significantly higher after the COVID-19 pandemic than before the pandemic (100.00% vs. 98.43%; χ2 = 3.95, P < 0.05). Conclusions The number of imported malaria cases remarkably reduced in Anhui Province, Hubei Province, Henan Province, Zhejiang Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a decreased proportion of completing case investigations within 3 days. The sensitivity of the malaria surveillance-response system requires to be improved to prevent the risk of secondary transmission of malaria due to the sharp increase in the number of imported malaria cases following the change of the COVID-19 containment policy.

Research progress of human surface microbiota and ocular surface diseases / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

The ocular surface microbiota is a part of the human ocular surface microenvironment and is critical to its stability. Many studies have explored the composition of the ocular surface microbiota in health and disease, but the research results are different based on internal and external factors, and the relationship between microorganism dysbiosis and diseases also remains unclear. As the research on intestinal microorganisms and systemic diseases has intensified in recent years, ophthalmic researchers have been inspired to further explore the relationship between ocular surface microbiota and non-infectious ocular surface diseases. Therefore, this article will review the core microbiota of the normal ocular surface as well as alterations in ocular surface microbiota in ocular and systemic diseases, and discuss the possible mechanisms of diseases caused by microorganism dysbiosis, hoping to provide a reference for future studies in ocular surface microbiota.

Experience and thinking of principal investigator system management in laboratories of medical schools / 中华医学科研管理杂志

Objective:Principal Investigator (PI) system is the most common model of scientific research organization and management in colleges and universities. PI is the head of the laboratory or the leader of the research team who has the authority to manage the supporting team, funds, and space (laboratory). We aim to explore the advantages and problems of the PI system implementation and deeply understand how to effectively and scientifically manage the project management, personnel coordination, and fund use of the entire team to promote the scientific research output of the PI platform of medical schools in China.Methods:By concluding and analyzing the management experience and main bottlenecks of PI laboratories at home and abroad, and summarizing our center's experience in assisting the management of PI laboratories in life sciences, we explored a new model of PI system development suitable for China.Results:Under PI system, the person in charge systematically learns to operate his or her laboratory scientifically. Perfection and improvement of the methodologies of team formation, laboratory public affairs management, and laboratory fund management can effectively avoid existing problems and follow the intrinsic laws of scientific research development and truth-seeking, promote the development in discipline development, interdisciplinary cooperation, personnel training, and study style construction.Conclusions:As the leader and manager of the scientific research team, PI is critical to the development of scientific research in universities in China. The incubation of a new scientific management model for the PI team is conducive to promoting the scientific and technological innovation of the PI team and the long-term development of scientific research institutions.

Arousal mechanism after sevoflurane anesthesia in rats: orexinergic modulation in dorsal raphe nucleus by optogenetic and chemogenetic techniques / 中华麻醉学杂志

Objective:To investigate the arousal mechanism after sevoflurane anesthesia using orexinergic modulation in dorsal raphe nucleus(DRN) by optogenetic and chemogenetic techniques in rats.Methods:Forty-five healthy male Hcrt-Cre rats, aged 10-12 weeks, weighing 220-250 g, were divided into 6 groups by the random number table method: optical-excitatory group (CHR2 group, n=5), optical-inhibitory group (eNpHR group, n=5), optical-control group (O-CON group, n=5); chemogenetic-excitatory group (hm3Dq group, n=10), chemogenetic-inhibitory group (hm4Di group, n=10) and chemogenetic-control group (C-CON group, n=10). The optogenetic or chemogenetic techniques were used in each group. Three weeks after injecting the rat virus, anesthesia was induced and maintained with 2.7% sevoflurane anesthesia in 1.5 L/min O 2, and the EEG data were continuously recorded throughout the process. The burst suppression ratio (%BSR) was recorded at 2 min before and of laser stimulation. Combining optogenetic and chemogenetic strategies, it was investigated that whether activation of orexinergic projection to DRN could modulate anesthetic behaviors during sevoflurane anesthesia. Results:Compared with C-CON group, the recovery of righting reflex (RORR) time was significantly shortened after sevoflurane anesthesia in hm3Dq group ( P<0.05), and the RORR time was significantly prolonged after sevoflurane anesthesia in hm4Di group and eNpHR group ( P<0.05). Compared with O-CON group or the baseline at 2 min before light stimulation, the %BSR was significantly decreased during 473nm laser stimulation in CHR2 group ( P<0.05), and no statistically significant change was found in the %BSR during 473nm laser stimulation in eNpHR group ( P>0.05). Compared with O-CON group, the RORR time was significantly shortened after sevoflurane anesthesia in CHR2 group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Lateral hypothalamic area orexin-DRN neural circuit plays a key role in promoting arousal from general anesthesia in rats.

Establishment of animal models for depression in the elderly and progress on their application / 中华老年医学杂志

Geriatric depression in the elderly is becoming one of the most common psychiatric disorders affecting older people's mental and physical health.However, there is currently no systematic review on animal models for geriatric depression.Therefore, this paper analyzes and summarizes the animal models commonly used in geriatric depression studies and the application of antidepressants in geriatric depression models based on relevant national and international literature of recent years, aiming to provide insights on research approaches and considerations on study methods for geriatric depression.

Review on non-surgical treatment for elderly patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

With the aging of population, the elderly (≥65 years old) cancer patients have become one of the main populations for cancer care. For inoperable locally advanced head and neck squamous carcinomas, cisplatin-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy is the first-line choice. Several large clinical studies have shown that patients under 70 years of age can still benefit from concurrent chemoradiotherapy, while it should be cautious to apply chemotherapy to patients aged 70-80 years. For elderly patients who are intolerant to cisplatin, carboplatin or other regimens with less gastrointestinal and renal toxicity should be considered. Although anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibodies combined with radiotherapy has been proved to be more effective than radiotherapy alone in total patient population, age-subgroup analysis showed limited benefit in elderly patients. The safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors in elderly patients has been validated and those with high programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression may benefit from concurrent or neoadjuvant immunotherapy, however, high-level evidence is still lacking. For patients older than 80 years, radiotherapy alone may be superior to concurrent chemoradiotherapy, and hypofractionated radiotherapy for palliative purposes can be safely used in this population.