Investigating capital flight in South Asian countries: The dual influence of terrorism and corruption.

This specific research initiative aims to intricately examine the intricate dynamics connecting terrorism, corruption, and capital flight within the context of South Asian economies, encompassing countries including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The principal objectives of this study entail a comprehensive investigation into the synergistic impacts of terrorism and corruption on the prevalence of capital flight. To realize these objectives, the study employs longitudinal data from 1990 to 2019, adopting the portfolio choice framework as its theoretical underpinning. In terms of methodology, the empirical inquiry uses the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimation technique. The empirical findings derived from this analysis distinctly establish a statistically noteworthy and positive correlation between terrorism, corruption, and the occurrence of capital flight across multiple South Asian nations. In light of these discerning outcomes, it is strongly recommended that the governments of South Asian countries prioritize and actively pursue the fortification of their institutional governance mechanisms. This strategic approach is deemed crucial in efficaciously counteracting the escalation of capital flight. Specifically, a targeted focus on augmenting institutional governance practices, fostering transparency, fortifying anti-corruption measures, and intensifying counterterrorism efforts could collectively contribute to reducing capital flight tendencies. By undertaking these recommendations, South Asian governments can foster an environment of enhanced economic stability, attractiveness for investment, and sustainable growth, thereby deterring the adverse impact of capital flight while concurrently combatting the underlying challenges posed by terrorism and corruption.

Characteristics and distribution of monoclonal gammopathy in clinical patients: a single-center study / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective:To investigate the characteristics and distribution of monoclonal gammopathy in clinical patients.Methods:A total of 936 171 patients (508 449 males and 427 722 females) who received capillary zone electrophoresis in Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University from January 2012 to December 2021 were selected, from which 14 945 patients with abnormal bands were screened as the study subjects, including 10 173 males and 4 772 females and the age 21-102 (65±13) years old. According to the age, patients were divided into 8 groups: 21-30 years old (168 cases), 31-40 years old (405 cases), 41-50 years old (1 326 cases), 51-60 years old (3 068 cases), 61-70 years old (4 985 cases), 71-80 years old (3 288 cases), 81-90 years old (1 519 cases), and≥91 years old (186 cases). The diagnostic results of the 14 945 patients with abnormal bands were collected and were divided into tumor group (5 196 cases) and non-tumor disease group (9 749 cases) according to the presence of tumor. The distribution of abnormal bands in different gender, age, and disease groups were retrospectively analyzed. Among the 14 945 patients, 4 988 cases underwent immunofixation electrophoresis, excluding 336 negative cases and 412 cases of double clonal bands reaction, and 4 240 patients with monoclonal immunoglobulin (M protein) reaction were selected as the study subjects, including 2 794 males and 1 446 females aged 21-102 (67±12) years old. They were divided into 8 groups according to the age: 21-30 years old (18 cases), 31-40 years old (91 cases), 41-50 years old (364 cases), 51-60 years old (862 cases), 61-70 years old (1 455 cases), 71-80 years old (904 cases), 81-90 years old (486 cases), and≥91 years old (60 cases). The diagnostic results and immunoglobin subtypes (IgA-κ, IgA-λ, IgG-κ, IgG-λ, IgM-κ, IgM-λ, κ, λ) of patients were collected, and the distribution of monoclonal gammopathy in different gender, age and disease groups were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Among 936 171 patients, 14 945 cases showed abnormal bands in electropherograms with a detection rate of 1.60%; the detection rates of abnormal bands in males and females were 2.00% (10 173/508 449) and 1.12% (4 772/427 722), respectively, with a statistically significant difference ( P<0.01). There was a significant difference in the detection rate of abnormal bands among different age groups ( P<0.01); among them, the highest detection rate of abnormal band in group of ≥91 years old was 5.98%, and the ratio of male to female was 1.67∶1. Among the 14 945 cases of abnormal bands, patients aged 51-60, 61-70 and 71-80 accounted for 20.53% (3 068 cases), 33.36% (4 985 cases) and 22.00% (3 288 cases), respectively, and the differences among the age groups were statistically significant (χ 2=115.82, P<0.01). In the tumor group, the top 3 tumors with abnormal bands were plasmacytoma with 1 123 cases, lymphoma with 289 cases, and leukemia with 49 cases. The detection rate of abnormal bands in electropherograms of plasmacytoma was 89.92% (1 123/1 249), which was higher than that in lymphoma and leukemia [6.73% (289/4 296) and 6.40% (49/766), respectively, P<0.01]. Among 4 240 patients with positive M protein, the proportion of 51-60, 61-70 and 71-80 years old patients were 20.33% (862/4 240), 34.32% (1 455/4 240) and 21.32% (904/4 240), respectively, and the differences among age groups were statistically significant ( P<0.01). The results of M protein types showed that the proportion of IgG-κ type was the highest in both genders, with 32.28% (902/2 794) in males and 34.30% (496/1 446) in females. In the 21-30, 31-40, and 41-50 age groups, the proportion of IgG-λ was the highest, which were 38.89% (7/18), 36.26% (33/91) and 34.07% (124/364) in these groups respectively. However, the proportions of IgG-κ were the highest in either of the 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90 and ≥91 years old groups, which were 33.87% (292/862), 34.16% (497/1 455), 31.53% (285/904), 34.57% (168/486), 28.33% (17/60), respectively, and the differences among all age groups and gender groups had statistical significance ( P<0.01). Among patients with positive M protein in the tumor group, plasmacytoma accounted for 14.22% (603/4 240), followed by lymphoma 6.30% (267/4 240); among non-tumor diseases, M proteinemia accounted for the highest proportion (7.24%, 307/4 240), followed by pulmonary infection (5.47%, 232/4 240). Conclusions:The detection rate of abnormal bands in capillary zone electrophoresis may increase with age, and is higher in males than in females in the same age group; different malignant tumor diseases can also show abnormal bands in capillary zone electrophoresis, but they are still mainly hematological tumors. Among the positive results of M protein, 61-70 years old group accounts for the highest proportion; the most common type of monoclonal gammopathy is IgG type; in the age group of 21-50 years, the proportion of IgG-λ type is the highest; in the group of >50 years old, the proportion of IgG-κ type is the highest; in the diagnosis of positive monoclonal gammopathy, the top 3 diseases are all hematological diseases, including plasmacytoma, monoclonal gammopathies and lymphoma.

Research on the diagnosis and treatment path of acute vestibular syndrome patients under the concept of humanistic care / 中国医学伦理学

At present， there are many difficulties in the diagnosis and treatment of acute vestibular syndrome （AVS）. For example， complex and difficult identification of the cause of disease， uneven diagnosis and treatment levels of clinical doctors， weak humanistic care awareness， lack of communication skills， intrinsic affinity and other reasons， which make it difficult for AVS patients in the process of diagnosis and treatment， and cannot receive timely and effective treatment， resulting in an exacerbation of doctor-patient conflicts. Therefore， it is recommended to explore new paths of AVS diagnosis and treatment work using the humanistic care concept， respect each other between doctors and patients， build a team of medical staff with the value orientation of “humanistic care”， and promote the organic unity of theory and practice of “humanistic care”， with a view to better promoting the implementation of AVS diagnosis and treatment work， helping more patients rebuild confidence， enhancing quality of life， and improving the doctor-patient relationship.

Efficacy and safety of endoscopic diaphragm incision in children with congenital duodenal diaphragm / 中华儿科杂志

Objective: To explore the efficacy and safety of endoscopic diaphragm incision in pediatric congenital duodenal diaphragm. Methods: Eight children with duodenal diaphragm treated by endoscopic diaphragm incision in the Department of Gastroenterology of Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center from October 2019 to May 2022 were enrolled in this study. Their clinical data including general conditions, clinical manifestations, laboratory and imaging examinations, endoscopic procedures and outcomes were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Among the 8 children, 4 were males and 4 females. The diagnosis was confirmed at the age of 6-20 months; the age of onset was 0-12 months and the course of disease was 6-18 months. The main clinical manifestations were recurrent non-biliary vomiting, abdominal distension and malnutrition. One case complicated with refractory hyponatremia was first diagnosed with atypical congenital adrenal hyperplasia in the endocrinology department. After treatment with hydrocortisone, the blood sodium returned to normal, but vomiting was recurrent. One patient underwent laparoscopic rhomboid duodenal anastomosis in another hospital but had recurred vomiting after the operation, who was diagnosed with double duodenal diaphragm under endoscope. No other malformations were found in all the 8 cases. The duodenal diaphragm was located in the descending part of the duodenum, and the duodenal papilla was located below the diaphragm in all the 8 cases. Three cases had the diaphragm dilated by balloon to explore the diaphragm opening range before diaphragm incision; the other 5 had diaphragm incision performed after probing the diaphragm opening with guide wire. All the 8 cases were successfully treated by endoscopic incision of duodenal diaphragm, with the operation time of 12-30 minutes. There were no complications such as intestinal perforation, active bleeding or duodenal papilla injury. At one month of follow-up, their weight increased by 0.4-1.5 kg, with an increase of 5%-20%. Within the postoperative follow-up period of 2-20 months, all the 8 children had duodenal obstruction relieved, without vomiting or abdominal distension, and all resumed normal feeding. Gastroscopy reviewed at 2-3 months after the operation in 3 cases found no deformation of the duodenal bulbar cavity, and the mucosa of the incision was smooth, with a duodenal diameter of 6-7 mm. Conclusion: Endoscopic diaphragm incision is safe, effective and less invasive in pediatric congenital duodenal diaphragm, with favorable clinical applicability.

Genotype-environment interaction on arterial stiffness: A pedigree-based study / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To utilized the baseline data of the Beijing Fangshan Family Cohort Study, and to estimate whether the association between a healthy lifestyle and arterial stiffness might be modified by genetic effects.@*METHODS@#Probands and their relatives from 9 rural areas in Fangshan district, Beijing were included in this study. We developed a healthy lifestyle score based on five lifestyle behaviors: smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index (BMI), dietary pattern, and physical activity. The measurements of arterial stiffness were brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and ankle-brachial index (ABI). A variance component model was used to determine the heritability of arterial stiffness. Genotype-environment interaction effects were performed by the maximum likelihood methods. Subsequently, 45 candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in the glycolipid metabolism pathway were selected, and generalized estimated equations were used to assess the gene-environment interaction effects between particular genetic loci and healthy lifestyles.@*RESULTS@#A total of 6 302 study subjects across 3 225 pedigrees were enrolled in this study, with a mean age of 56.9 years and 45.1% male. Heritability of baPWV and ABI was 0.360 (95%CI: 0.302-0.418) and 0.243 (95%CI: 0.175-0.311), respectively. Significant genotype-healthy diet interaction on baPWV and genotype-BMI interaction on ABI were observed. Following the findings of genotype-environment interaction analysis, we further identified two SNPs located in ADAMTS9-AS2 and CDH13 might modify the association between healthy dietary pattern and arterial stiffness, indicating that adherence to a healthy dietary pattern might attenuate the genetic risk on arterial stiffness. Three SNPs in CDKAL1, ATP8B2 and SLC30A8 were shown to interact with BMI, implying that maintaining BMI within a healthy range might decrease the genetic risk of arterial stiffness.@*CONCLUSION@#The current study discovered that genotype-healthy dietary pattern and genotype-BMI interactions might affect the risk of arterial stiffness. Furthermore, we identified five genetic loci that might modify the relationship between healthy dietary pattern and BMI with arterial stiffness. Our findings suggested that a healthy lifestyle may reduce the genetic risk of arterial stiffness. This study has laid the groundwork for future research exploring mechanisms of arterial stiffness.

Metformin use and risk of ischemic stroke in patients with type 2 diabetes: A cohort study / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the association between the use of metformin and the risk of ischemic stroke in patients with type 2 diabetes.@*METHODS@#A prospective cohort study was designed from the Fangshan family cohort in Beijing. According to metformin use at baseline, 2 625 patients with type 2 diabetes in Fangshan, Beijing were divided into metformin group or non-metformin group and the incidence of ischemic stroke between the different groups during follow-up was estimated and compared by Cox proportional hazard regression model. The participants with metformin were first compared with all the parti-cipants who did not use metformin, and then were further compared with those who did not use hypoglycemic agents and those who used other hypoglycemic agents.@*RESULTS@#The patients with type 2 diabetes were with an average age of (59.5±8.7) years, and 41.9% of them were male. The median follow-up time was 4.5 years. A total of 84 patients developed ischemic stroke during follow-up, with a crude incidence of 6.4 (95%CI: 5.0-7.7) per 1 000 person-years. Among all the participants, 1 149 (43.8%) took metformin, 1 476 (56.2%) were metformin non-users, including 593 (22.6%) used other hypoglycemic agents, and 883 (33.6%) did not use any hypoglycemic agents. Compared with metformin non-users, the Hazard ratio (HR) for ischemic stroke in metformin users was 0.58 (95%CI: 0.36-0.93; P = 0.024). Compared with other hypoglycemic agents, HR was 0.48 (95%CI: 0.28-0.84; P < 0.01); Compared with the group without hypoglycemic agents, HR was 0.65 (95%CI: 0.37-1.13; P=0.13). The association between metformin and ischemic stroke was statistically significant in the patients ≥ 60 years old compared with all the metformin non-users and those who used other hypoglycemic agents (HR: 0.48, 95%CI: 0.25-0.92; P < 0.05). Metformin use was associated with a lower incidence of ischemic stroke in the patients with good glycemic control (0.32, 95%CI: 0.13-0.77; P < 0.05). In the patients with poor glycemic control, and the association was not statistically significant (HR: 0.97, 95%CI: 0.53-1.79; P>0.05). There was an interaction between glycemic control and metformin use on incidence of ischemic stroke (Pinteraction < 0.05). The results of the sensitivity analysis were consistent with the results in the main analysis.@*CONCLUSION@#Among patients with type 2 diabetic in rural areas of northern China, metformin use was associated with lower incidence of ischemic stroke, especially in patients older than 60 years. There was an interaction between glycemic control and metformin use in the incidence of ischemic stroke.

Preliminary application of low-temperature plasma ablation combined with drug therapy in the treatment of infectious corneal ulcer / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

@#AIM: To observe the preliminary therapeutic effect of low-temperature plasma ablation combined with drugs in the treatment of infectious corneal ulcer. <p>METHODS: Retrospective case study. A total of 30 eyes were selected from 30 patients with infectious corneal ulcer who were admitted to the ophthalmology department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from December 2018 to March 2020. All patients had positive etiological examination and ulcer or infiltration depth ≤1/2 of corneal thickness. Local low-temperature plasma ablation combined with eye drops was applied to the cases whose corneal ulcer did not improve significantly or corneal infiltration continued to worsen after 3-7d of conventional anti-infection treatment. Postoperative follow-up was 3-6mo to observe the clinical effect.<p>RESULTS: After low-temperature plasma ablation combined with eye drops treatment, the infection in 12 eyes of 12 patients with bacterial corneal ulcer was controlled in 11 eyes of 11 patients and ulcer healed gradually. Keratoplasty was performed in 1 eye due to aggravated infiltration. Among 18 eyes of 18 cases with fungal corneal ulcer receiving low-temperature plasma ablation and combined local antifungal treatment, 13 eyes of 13 cases gradually healed; 2 eyes of 2 patients showed lichen-like changes after the first ablation, but the lesion area was significantly smaller than before and gradually improved after re-ablation treatment; there was no effect in 3 eyes of 3 cases and keratoplasty was finally performed. All the patients were followed up for 3-6mo, 26 eyes of 26 patients were cured and the infection had no recurrence with remaining corneal pannus or leukoplakia. Confocal microscopy did not detect mycelium in cured patients with fungal infection.<p>CONCLUSION: In this preliminary observation, low-temperature plasma ablation combined with drug therapy can effectively control infection, promote healing and improve visual acuity for infective corneal ulcer with infiltration less than 1/2 corneal thickness, and no obvious complications were observed.

Incidence and risk factors of ischemic stroke in patients with type 2 diabetes among urban workers in Beijing, China / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the incidence of ischemic stroke after the onset of type 2 diabetes, and further analyze the risk factors, so as to provide a basis for further research.@*METHODS@#The data were obtained from the database of the Beijing Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance Database. The study used a prospective design to describe the incidence of ischemic stroke in patients with type 2 diabetes. In our study, these patients were followed up for seven years. Multivariate Logistic regression models were used to analyze the risk factors of ischemic stroke in patients with type 2 diabetes.@*RESULTS@#A total of 185 813 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients were enrolled, with an average age of (58.5±13.2) years, and 49.0% of them were males. A total of 10 393 patients with newly diagnosed ischemic stroke occurred in 7 years, with a cumulative incidence of 5.6% and an incidence density of 8.1/1 000 person-years. Ischemic stroke occurred in all age groups in patients with type 2 diabetes. The cumulative incidence was 1.5% (95%CI: 1.3%-1.6%) in group ≤44 years old, 3.6% (95%CI: 3.4%-3.7%) in group 45-54 years old, 5.4% (95%CI: 5.2%-5.5%) in group 55-64 years old, and 9.2% (95%CI: 9.0%-9.4%) in group ≥65 years old, and the cumulative incidence increased with age (P < 0.05). Cumulative incidence rate of the males (6.8%, 95%CI: 6.7%-7.0%) was higher than the females (4.4%, 95%CI: 4.3%-4.6%). Among the patients < 80 years old, the cumulative incidence rate of the males was higher than that of the females in all the age groups. In the patients ≥80 years of age, the cumulative incidence was higher in the females (9.2%) than in the males (7.9%). Further analysis revealed that complications, such as coronary heart disease (OR=3.18, 95%CI: 2.72-3.72), heart failure (OR=1.53, 95%CI: 1.32-1.79) and kidney failure (OR=1.45, 95%CI: 1.20-1.75) were associated with ischemic stroke in the patients with type 2 diabetes.@*CONCLUSION@#The incidence level of ischemic stroke in patients with type 2 diabetes is high. It is necessary to strengthen the management of risk factors in elderly patients, screen the complications of type 2 diabetes as early as possible, and take active preventive and control measures.

Analysis of surveillance results of Aedes albopictus in Hainan, 2017-2021 / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective　To understand the density changes and seasonal fluctuation of larvae and adults of Aedes albopictus in Hainan Province from 2017 to 2021, and to provide a scientific basis for the prevention and control of dengue fever and other vector-borne diseases in Hainan Province. Methods　The Breteau index method was used to monitor the larvae of Aedes mosquitoes, and the breeding sites of all small indoor and outdoor water containers and their larvae was checked and recorded. The adult mosquitoes were monitored by double lamination and light trap. Results　A total of 1 962 adult female Aedes albopictus mosquitoes were captured in Hainan Province from 2017 to 2021, accounting for 2.17% of the total captured mosquitoes. There were significant differences in mosquito species composition in different habitats in different years (χ2=312.258, P<0.01). In 2017, the density of mosquitoes in livestock sheds was the highest (9.71 per lamp·night), but the composition ratio of Aedes albopictus was the lowest (1.29%). In 2020, the mosquito density in hospitals was the lowest (2.22 mosquitoes per lamp·night), and in 2019, the proportion of Aedes albopictus in residential areas and hospitals was the highest (3.27% on average).The mosquito density in different habitats was the lowest in 2020. The proportion of Aedes albopictus in residential areas and livestock sheds showed an increasing trend from 2017 to 2021, while the proportion of other habitats showed significant fluctuations. The proportion of Aedes albopictus in hospitals showed an obvious decreasing trend in 2020. From 2017 to 2021, the average mosquito density was 5.97, 4.26, 3.82, 3.39 and 3.68 mosquitoes per lamp·night, respectively, showing a decreasing trend year by year except 2021. Except for 2019, the lure index also showed a decreasing trend, with an average value of 1.5/(hour·net), showing a decreasing trend year by year. From 2017 to 2021, the annual average density of Aedes albopictus in Hainan Province was 0.09 mosquitoes per lamp·night, showing obvious seasonal fluctuation. The Breteau index showed a slow decline from 2017 to 2021, and its annual peak was between June and August, which was 1-2 months later than the peak of adult mosquito density. Conclusions　The population density of Aedes albopictus in Hainan shows obvious seasonal characteristics. Mosquito control activities should be carried out according to the seasonal characteristics of mosquitoes to reduce the risk of dengue fever and other infectious diseases.

Comparison of Application of MD-VF-Auto SEM Method and Plankton Gene Multiplex PCR System in the Diagnosis of Drowning / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To compare the application effect of microwave digestion - vacuum filtration - automated scanning electron microscopy (MD-VF-Auto SEM) method and plankton gene multiplex PCR system in the diagnosis of drowning.@*METHODS@#Lung, liver and kidney tissue of 10 non-drowning cases and 50 drowning cases were prepared for further MD-VF-Auto SEM method analysis and plankton gene multiplex PCR system analysis. The positive detection rate of the two methods in each tissue was calculated.@*RESULTS@#The positive rate of the MD-VF-Auto SEM method detecting diatoms in drowning cases was 100%, and few diatoms were detected in the liver and kidney tissues of 6 non-drowning cases. By using the plankton gene multiplex PCR system, the diatom positive rate of drowning cases was 84%, and all the non-drowning cases were negative. There were significant differences in the positive rate of the liver, kidney tissues between MD-VF-Auto SEM method and plankton gene multiplex PCR system (P<0.05), as well as the total positive rate of cases. However, no significant differences were found in the positive rates of lung tissues (P>0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#MD-VF-Auto SEM method is more sensitive than plankton gene multiplex PCR system in diatom test. But the plankton gene multiplex PCR system can also detect plankton other than diatoms. Combination of the two methods can provide a more reliable basis for the diagnosis of drowning.

Epidemiology of Sports-Related Sudden Death in Guangdong Province / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#By retrospective study of the epidemiological characteristics of sports-related sudden death (SrSD), the risk factors associated with SrSD were analyzed and explored to provide a scientific basis for comprehensive prevention and treatment of SrSD.@*METHODS@#The personal information (sex, age, occupation, etc.), case information (time, place, type of sports, relative time between SrSD occurrence and exercise, etc.), death related information (sign or prodrome, medical history and surgical history, etc.), rescue situation (witnesses, on-site assistance, the availability of paramedics, etc.) of 374 SrSD cases in Guangdong Province from 2017 to 2021 were collected. Statistical analysis was conducted aiming at the key factors.@*RESULTS@#In the 374 cases, there were significantly more males than females (19.78:1); the number of people aged between >39 and 59 was the largest (151, 40.37%); non-manual workers (68.98%) were more than manual workers; the top three sports with the highest number cases were basketball (34.49%), running (19.52%) and badminton (12.03%); from 3 pm to 9 pm (63.10%) was the time period with the highest incidence of events; sudden death mainly occurred during exercise (75.27%) and within 1 h after exercise (20.05%); the on-site rescue rate was very low (6.15%); the rate of autopsies was extremely low (1.07%); sudden cardiac death was the most common cause (67.11%).@*CONCLUSIONS@#SrSD is most common in males aged >39 to 59 years old, mostly in non-manual workers, and usually occurs in basketball and running. Sudden death is more likely to occur during exercise and within 1 h after exercise. Therefore, the above potential risk factors should be focused on and studied in daily comprehensive prevention and treatment to provide scientific basis for accurate prevention and first aid of such sudden death.

Research Progress on Sport-Related Sudden Cardiac Death / 法医学杂志

Physical exercise can reduce the overall risk of cardiovascular disease, prolong lifespan and improve the quality of life, but some studies have shown that there is a certain correlation between vigorous physical exercise and sudden cardiac death. A number of retrospective or prospective studies on sports-related sudden cardiac death (SrSCD) have been conducted at home and abroad. This article reviews the related studies on the definition, epidemiological characteristics, common causes of SrSCD and effects of excercise on cardiovascular function, pre-exercise screening and evaluation of SrSCD, in order to understand the latest research progress on SrSCD and provide clues and references for SrSCD research.

Exploring the association between de novo mutations and non-syndromic cleft lip with or without palate based on whole exome sequencing of case-parent trios / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the association between de novo mutations (DNM) and non-syndromic cleft lip with or without palate (NSCL/P) using case-parent trio design.@*METHODS@#Whole-exome sequencing was conducted for twenty-two NSCL/P trios and Genome Analysis ToolKit (GATK) was used to identify DNM by comparing the alleles of the cases and their parents. Information of predictable functions was annotated to the locus with SnpEff. Enrichment analysis for DNM was conducted to test the difference between the actual number and the expected number of DNM, and to explore whether there were genes with more DNM than expected. NSCL/P-related genes indicated by previous studies with solid evidence were selected by literature reviewing. Protein-protein interactions analysis was conducted among the genes with protein-altering DNM and NSCL/P-related genes. R package "denovolyzeR" was used for the enrichment analysis (Bonferroni correction: P=0.05/n, n is the number of genes in the whole genome range). Protein-protein interactions among genes with DNM and genes with solid evidence on the risk factors of NSCL/P were predicted depending on the information provided by STRING database.@*RESULTS@#A total of 339 908 SNPs were qualified for the subsequent analysis after quality control. The number of high confident DNM identified by GATK was 345. Among those DNM, forty-four DNM were missense mutations, one DNM was nonsense mutation, two DNM were splicing site mutations, twenty DNM were synonymous mutations and others were located in intron or intergenic regions. The results of enrichment analysis showed that the number of protein-altering DNM on the exome regions was larger than expected (P < 0.05), and five genes (KRTCAP2, HMCN2, ANKRD36C, ADGRL2 and DIPK2A) had more DNM than expected (P < 0.05/(2×19 618)). Protein-protein interaction analysis was conducted among forty-six genes with protein-altering DNM and thirteen genes associated with NSCL/P selected by literature reviewing. Six pairs of interactions occurred between the genes with DNM and known NSCL/P-related genes. The score measuring the confidence level of the predicted interaction between RGPD4 and SUMO1 was 0.868, which was higher than the scores for other pairs of genes.@*CONCLUSION@#Our study provided novel insights into the development of NSCL/P and demonstrated that functional analyses of genes carrying DNM were warranted to understand the genetic architecture of complex diseases.

Prevalence and risk factors of osteoarthritis in patients with type 2 diabetes in Beijing, China from 2015 to 2017 / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the prevalence and related factors of osteoarthritis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and provided a scientific basis for the prevention of the comorbidity.@*METHODS@#The data were obtained from the database of all designated medical institutions in Beijing from 2015 to 2017. Data of the adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were collected for descriptive analysis, and a Logistic regression model was used to explore the related factors of osteoarthritis in the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.@*RESULTS@#A total of 1 046 264 diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus adult patients were included in our study, with an average age of 63.07 years, and 50.78% were males. Among the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, there were 341 561 cases with osteoarthritis, and the prevalence of osteoarthritis was 32.65%. The prevalence of females (38.05%) was higher than that of males (27.41%), and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Osteoarthritis occurred in all age groups among the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, with the highest prevalence of osteoarthritis in the age group of 65-69 years (36.76%), and the lowest prevalence in the age group ≤44 years (14.3%). Before the age of 70, the prevalence increased with age. Further analysis of related factors for osteoarthritis in the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus showed that female (OR=1.62, 95%CI: 1.61-1.63), age (OR=1.01, 95%CI: 1.01-1.01), had other comorbidities (OR=1.19, 95%CI: 1.18-1.21), used hypoglycemic drugs (OR=0.79, 95%CI: 0.78-0.80), having the cardiovascular disease (OR=1.13, 95%CI: 1.11-1.15), having cerebrovascular disease (OR=1.25, 95%CI: 1.23-1.28), and having nephropathy (OR=1.61, 95%CI: 1.51-1.71) were associated with the osteoarthritis in the type 2 diabetic mellitus patients.@*CONCLUSION@#Our study revealed that the prevalence of osteoarthritis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus is high in Beijing area. Health education and disease monitoring should be strengthened in middle-aged and elderly patients. Screening for comorbidities should be carried out as soon as possible, with the focus on menopausal women.

Transcriptomic Changes of Astrocytes in the Brain of Rats with Subacute METH Exposure / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the transcriptomic changes of astrocytes in the brain of rats exposed to methamphetamine (METH) and its possible mechanism in neurotoxicity.@*METHODS@#The rats were intraperitoneally injected with METH (15 mg/kg) every 12 h for 8 times in total to establish the subacute rat model of METH. After the model was successfully established, the striatum was extracted, and astrocytes were separated by the magnetic bead method. Transcriptome sequencing was performed on selected astrocytes, and the differentially expressed genes were analyzed by gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis.@*RESULTS@#A total of 876 differentially expressed genes were obtained by transcriptome sequencing, including 321 up-regulated genes and 555 down-regulated genes. GO analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes were mainly concentrated in cell structure, biological process regulation, extracellular matrix and organelle functions. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that steroids biosynthesis, fatty acid biosynthesis, peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor (PPAR), adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and other signaling pathways were significantly changed.@*CONCLUSIONS@#METH can cause structural changes of astrocytes through multiple targets, among which cellular structure, steroids biosynthesis and fatty acid biosynthesis may play an important role in nerve injury, providing a new idea for forensic identification of METH related death.

Kinematic simulation of lower limb joints with local Euler angles / 解剖学报

Objective To explore the parameters and effects of local Euler angle in the kinematic simulation of lower limb joints. Methods The hip, femur, patella, tibia, fibula and foot bones were segmented and reconstructed based on one set of computed tomographic (CT) data. The virtual models were imported into 3DSMax for smoothing, optimization, axis regulation and other processing. Models were imported into Unity3D after being processed, and the hip, knee, ankle and metatarsophalangeal joints were simulated with local Euler angle. The scripts were tested to adjust the relevant parameters. The documents were released as executable documents. Results The movement of hip, knee, ankle and metatarsophalangeal joints could be simulated as real movement without exceeding the range of articular fossa (- 170°- 170° in flexion and extension, -30°-80° in abduction and adduction, -40°-60° in rotation of hip joint; 0-140 degrees in flexion of knee joint; -60°-55°in flexion and extension and -30°-20° in varus and evagination of ankle joint; -40°-30° in flexion and extension of metatarsophanlangeal joint). Conclusion The local Euler angle used in Unity3D based on "parent-children" relationship is adapt to simulate the real range of single and whole motion of lower limb joints.

Micro/nano topography with altered nanotube diameter differentially trigger endoplasmic reticulum stress to mediate bone mesenchymal stem cell osteogenic differentiation.

Micro/nano-topography (MNT) can promote osteogenic differentiation of stem cells, but the mechanism of topographical signaling transduction remains unclear. We have confirmed MNT, as a stressor, triggers endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and activates unfolded protein response in rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, and such topography-induced ER stress promotes osteogenic differentiation. In order to reveal the influence of nanotube dimensions on ER stress, MNTs containing vertically oriented TiO2 nanotubes of diameters ranging from 30 nm to 100 nm were fabricated on pure titanium (Ti) foils, and ER stress and osteogenic differentiation of cells were systematically studied. After 12 h of cultivation, the transmission electron microscopy showed that cells on MNTs presented gross distortions of rough ER morphology containing the electron-dense material, and the expansion of the ER lumen became more pronounced as the dimension of nanotubes increased. Additionally, PCR and western blotting showed that the ER stress-related gene, the ER chaperone 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein, also known as binding-immunoglobulin protein (GRP78/BiP), was up-regulated, which was consistent with the osteogenesis-inducing ability of MNTs. Based on our previous studies, the findings in this article further revealed the mechanism for topographical cues modulating osteogenic differentiation of cells, which may provide an innovative approach for the optimal design of implant surface topography.

The value of echocardiography in the diagnosis of persistent fifth aortic arch and its classification / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To study the classification of persistent fifth aortic arch (PFAA) and the value of echocardiography in the diagnosis of PFAA.Methods:A total of 16 cases (male 6, female 10, at ages from 7 days to 4 years and 2 months old, the median age was 3 months) diagnosed with PFAA in Beijing Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University from January 2013 to June 2019 were studied retrospectively. The diagnosis standard, differential methods and misdiagnosed analysis of different subtypes of PFAA by echocardiography were summarized and analyzed.Results:The 16 cases included 1 case of type A1 double lumen aortic arch, 8 cases of type A2 single-lumen aortic arch, 3 cases of type B1 with pulmonary atresia and 4 cases of type B3 pulmonary artery branch arising from the distal end of ascending aorta. Only one patient of double lumen aortic arch missed diagnosis by echocardiography, and the rest were accurately diagnosed by echocardiography. CTA was performed in 13 cases, including 9 cases of type A, 1 case of type B1 and 3 cases of type B3, which confirmed the echocardiography diagnosis. Seven cases of Type A2 were operated.Conclusions:PFAA is a rare and complicated aortic arch malformation, which is divided into four major classification and multiple subtypes. Echocardiography can diagnose the PFAA and its classification, it is of great clinical significance for the early diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of children.

Acupoint selection rules of acupuncture for cervical spondylotic radiculopathy based on data mining / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the rules of acupoint selection in the acupuncture treatment of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy by data mining.@*METHODS@#The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding acupuncture for cervical spondylotic radiculopathy published from July 15 of 2009 to July 15 of 2019 were retrieved from databases of CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, SinoMed, PubMed and EMbase. A database was established with Microsoft Excel 2016. The frequency and total effective rate of high-frequency acupoints, meridians and acupoint combinations were analyzed, and the association rules of acupoints and meridians were analyzed by Apriori algorithm.@*RESULTS@#A total of 87 RCTs were included, involving 104 acupoints with a total frequency of 921. Among them, the high-frequency acupoints were cervical Jiaji (EX-B 2, 87 times), Fengchi (GB 20, 70 times), Houxi (SI 3, 54 times), etc. The frequently-used acupoints were mainly distributed in the hand @*CONCLUSION@#It is feasible to explore the acupoint selection and compatibility rules of acupuncture for cervical spondylotic radiculopathy by data mining. This study could provide corresponding reference for clinical treatment.