A study on the effectiveness of sodium selenite in treating cadmium and perfluoro octane sulfonic (PFOS) poisoned zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Perfluoro octane sulfonate (PFOS) and cadmium (Cd) are toxic elements in the environment. As a micronutrient trace element, selenium (Se) can mitigate the adverse effects induced by PFOS and Cd. However, few studies have examined the correlation between Se, PFOS and Cd in fish. The present study focused on the antagonistic effects of Se on PFOS+Cd-induced accumulation in the liver of zebrafish. The fish was exposed to PFOS (0.08mg/L), Cd (1mg/L), PFOS+ Cd (0.08 mg/L PFOS+1 mg/L Cd), L-Se (0.07mg/L Sodium selenite +0.08mg/L PFOS+1mg/L Cd), M-Se (0.35mg/L Sodium selenite + 0.08mg/L PFOS+ 1 mg/L Cd), H-Se (1.75 mg/L Sodium selenite + 0.08 mg/L PFOS+ 1mg/L Cd) for 14d. The addition of selenium to fish exposed to PFOS and Cd has been found to have significant positive effects. Specifically, selenium treatments can alleviate the adverse effects of PFOS and Cd on fish growth, with a 23.10% improvement observed with the addition of T6 compared to T4. In addition, selenium can alleviate the negative effects of PFOS and Cd on antioxidant enzymes in zebrafish liver, thus reducing the liver toxicity caused by PFOS and Cd. Overall, the supplementation of selenium can reduce the health risks to fish and mitigate the injuries caused by PFOS and Cd in zebrafish.

Evaluation of the hygiene status of teaching environment in primary and secondary schools in Beijing City from 2016 to 2020 / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To understand the trend of changes of hygiene status in the teaching environment among primary and secondary schools in Beijing City during 2016-2020, so as to provide basis for further improving the teaching environment and campus hygiene conditions in primary and secondary schools.@*Methods@#A proportional systematic sampling method covered over 50% of schools selected annually in Beijing from 2016 to 2019, and 34% were selected in 2020. Two representative classrooms were selected from each selected school for testing based on their structure and other factors, with 6 196 classrooms supervised, from 2016 to 2020,1 330,1 312,1 384,1 322,848 classrooms were monitored for each year.@*Results@#From 2016 to 2020, the overall lighting qualification rate of classrooms (lighting coefficient 72.8%, window to floor area ratio 41.8%, rear wall reflectance ratio 42.2%, blackboard reflection ratio 37.4%), the overall qualification rate of average blackboard illumination and uniformity (50.6%, 34.9 %), and the overall qualification rate of desk and chair allocation (58.6%) were all below 80%. The overall qualification rate of per capita classroom area (87.5%), blackboard size (83.2%), average desk illumination ( 80.1% ), average desk illumination and uniformity (82.9%), the distance between lamp and desk (99.1%), carbon dioxide ( 86.6% ), temperature (84.9%), and noise (96.6%) were all above 80%. The following indicators, blackboard size, the distance between lamp and desk, average blackboard illumination, lighting coefficient, blackboard reflectance, rear wall reflectance, carbon dioxide, temperature, and noise ( χ 2=78.38, 9.71, 11.76, 320.59, 37.63, 58.45, 236.45, 1 347.56, 101.97), had statistically significance between years. Among those indicators, the qualified rates of blackboard size, blackboard reflectance, lighting coefficient, and noise had been increasing year by year ( χ 2 trend =69.98, 15.82, 240.02, 5.77) ( P <0.05). The qualified rates of per capita classroom area, window to floor area ratio, and blackboard reflection ratio in primary schools (81.6%, 39.8%, 36.3%) were all lower than those in secondary schools (94.9%, 44.5%, 40.3%) ( χ 2=246.32, 12.03, 10.51, P <0.05). The qualified rates of blackboard size, average blackboard illumination, average blackboard illumination and uniformity, and desk and chair allocation (89.3%, 55.6% , 36.0%, and 60.2%) were all higher than those in secondary schools (75.4%, 44.1%, 33.3%, and 56.5%) ( χ 2=209.33, 78.41, 4.44, 8.22) ( P <0.05). The qualified rates of average desk illumination and uniformity, average blackboard illumination, rear wall reflectance ratio, desk and chair allocation, carbon dioxide, temperature, and noise indicators in urban area (82.9%, 84.1% , 51.9%, 45.0%, 60.9%, 91.2%, 89.5%, 97.8%) were all higher than those in suburban area (77.3%, 81.7%, 49.2%, 39.5%, 56.3%, 82.3%, 80.4%, 95.5%) ( χ 2=31.16, 6.28, 4.36, 16.40, 13.39, 105.29, 98.23, 24.66， P <0.05). The qualified rates of the distance between lamp and desk, lighting coefficient, window to floor area ratio, blackboard size, blackboard reflection ratio, average blackboard illumination and uniformity, and per capita classroom area in urban areas (98.8%, 65.2%, 34.3%, 76.7%, 35.9%, 30.1%, 84.6%) were all lower than those in suburban areas (99.4%, 81.4%, 49.8%, 89.7%, 40.2%, 39.6%, 90.3%) ( χ 2=6.80, 171.67, 132.43, 188.46 , 12.45, 60.28, 44.82) ( P <0.05).@*Conclusions@#The main problems in the teaching environment of schools in Beijing are classroom lighting, as well as desk and chair allocation. The findings suggest technical rationality and operability of relevant standard should be considered when under revision, and standard training and supervision management should be strengthened, with the aim of teaching environment improvement.

SARS-CoV-2 vaccine research and immunization strategies for improved control of the COVID-19 pandemic / 医学前沿

The record speed at which Chinese scientists identified severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and shared its genomic sequence with the world, has greatly facilitated the development of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) diagnostics, drugs, and vaccines. It is unprecedented in pandemic control history to develop a dozen successful vaccines in the first year and to immunize over half of the global population in the second year, due to the efforts of the scientific community, biopharmaceutical industry, and regulatory agencies worldwide. The challenges are both great and multidimensional due to the rapid emergence of virus variants and waning of vaccine immunity. Vaccination strategies need to adapt to these challenges to keep population immunity above the herd immunity threshold, by increasing vaccine coverage, especially for older adults and young people, and providing timely booster doses with homologous or heterologous vaccine boosts. Further research should be undertaken to develop more effective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 variants and to understand the best prime-boost vaccine combinations and immunization strategies to provide sufficient and sustainable immune protection against COVID-19.

Pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant exhibits significant escape from neutralization induced by a third booster dose of vaccination

The Omicron Variant of Concern (B.1.1.529) has spread internationally and is raising serious concerns about reduced vaccine efficacy and the increased risk of reinfection. We assessed the serum neutralizing activity using a pseudovirus-based neutralization assay in 292 healthcare workers who had received a homologous booster dose of BBIBP-CorV vaccine, 8 to 9 months after completing the priming two-dose vaccination schedule, to investigate whether the newly identified Omicron variant can escape serum antibody neutralization induced by the booster vaccination. The booster dose of BBIBP-CorV rapidly induced a significantly high level of humoral immune response, and the neutralization geometric mean titer (GMT) against the wild-type strain on day 28 after the booster dose was 294.85 (252.99-343.65), 6.1 times higher than the level on day 28 after the second dose. The neutralization against the Omicron variant was also improved by the booster vaccination, although the GMT showed an approximately 20.1-fold reduction to 14.66 (12.30-17.48) when compared with the wild-type strain. This study demonstrated that a booster dose of BBIBP-CorV led to a significant rebound in neutralizing immune response against SARS-CoV-2, while the Omicron variant showed partial resistance to neutralizing antibodies induced by the booster vaccination.

Application of clinical and ultrasound-based model in evaluating the severity of secondary hyperparathyroidism / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To analyze the gray-scale ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound features in secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) to construct a clinical and ultrasound-based model, and to investigate the relationship between this model and serum intact parathyroid hormone(iPTH) level in order to find proper indicators for evaluation of the severity of SHPT.Methods:From February 2016 to March 2021, a total of 59 SHPT patients with 181 parathyroid glands (PTGs) admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University were enrolled. Gray-scale ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound were performed in every participant. Patients were divided into low-iPTH group ( iPTH<800 ng/L) and high-iPTH group (iPTH≥800 ng/L) according to the serum iPTH level. The characteristics of gray-scale ultrasonic imaging and contrast-enhanced ultrasonic imaging were analyzed by 2 sonographers.Biochemical parameters were collected and combined with ultrasonic characteristics to construct the clinical and ultrasound-based model. The relationship between the model and serum iPTH level was analyzed by multivariate linear regression (stepwise). Independent influencing factors on serum iPTH level was investigated in SHPT patients without iPTH-reducing drugs using history.Results:There were 19 patients in low-iPTH group and 40 patients in high-iPTH group.Serum calcium, serum phosphorus, serum creatinine, PTG number, total PTG volume, blood scores, calcification and cysts scores, CEUS scores (washing-in phase and washing-out phase) were significantly different between two groups(all P<0.05). The multivariate linear regression (stepwise) showed that serum phosphorus, total PTG volume and blood scores were independently related with serum iPTH level (standardized β coefficient were 0.387, 0.254 and 0.242 respectively; all P<0.05). Conclusions:Serum phosphorus, total PTG volume and blood scores are independent influencing factors on serum iPTH level. Ultrasonography combined with clinical parameters can help evaluate the severity of SHPT more accurately.

Transcriptome analysis of signal transduction pathway involved in light inducing astaxanthin accumulation in Haematococcus pluvialis / 生物工程学报

The unicellular green alga Haematococcus pluvialis is the best source of natural astaxanthin (AST) in the world due to its high content under stress conditions. Although high light (HL) can effectively induce AST biosynthesis, the specific mechanisms of light signal perception and transduction are unclear. In the current study, we used transcriptomic data of normal (N), high white light (W), and high blue light (B) to study the mechanisms of light inducing AST accumulation from the point of photoreceptors. The original data of 4.0 G, 3.8 G, and 3.6 G for N, W, and B were obtained, respectively, by the Illumina Hi-seq 2000 sequencing technology. Totally, 51 954 unigenes (at least 200 bp in length) were generated, of which, 20 537 unigenes were annotated into at least one database (NR, NT, KO, SwissProt, Pfam, GO, or KOG). There were 1 255 DEGs in the W vs N, 1 494 DEGs in the B vs N, and 1 008 DEGs in the both W vs N and B vs N. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that photosynthesis, oxidative phosphorylation, carotenoid biosynthesis, fatty acids biosynthesis, DNA replication, nitrogen metabolism, and carbon metabolism were the significantly enriched pathways. Moreover, a large number of genes encoding photoreceptors and predicted interacting proteins were predicted in Haematococcus transcriptome data. These genes showed significant differences at transcriptional expression levels. In addition, 15 related DEGs were selected and tested by qRT-PCR and the results were significantly correlated with the transcriptome data. The above results indicate that the signal transduction pathway of "light signal - photoreceptors - interaction proteins - (interaction proteins - transcription factor/transcriptional regulator) - gene expression - AST accumulation" might play important roles in the regulation process, and provide reference for further understanding the transcriptional regulation mechanisms of AST accumulation under HL stress.

Time to SARS-CoV-2 Clearance Among Patients with Cancer and COVID-19

Key PointsO_ST_ABSQuestionC_ST_ABSWhat is the median time to clearance of SARS-CoV-2 among cancer patients according to currently used criteria? FindingsIn this single-institution retrospective cohort study, the median time to SARS-CoV-2 clearance was 50 days using the ASCO/CDC criteria of 2 negative RT-PCR assays >24 hours apart. Using alternative criteria of 1 negative RT-PCR assay (UK-NICE) or CDC clinical criteria (10 days after first positive RT-PCR and 3 days after last symptoms), median clearance times were 31 days and 13 days, respectively. MeaningSARS-CoV-2 clearance times differ substantially depending on criteria used and may be prolonged in cancer patients.

Study on the diagnosis and transfusion treatment of thrombelastography for trauma-induced coagulopathy / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective@#To assess the diagnosis of thrombelastography (TEG) for trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) and explore whether TEG could guide transfusion for TIC patients.@*Methods@#We retrospectively analyzed all trauma patients who underwent the TEG and conventional coagulation tests (CCTs) admission in the emergency intensive care unit from February to December 2018. The definition of TIC is prothrombin time (PT) 18 s, international normalized ratio (INR) 1.5, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) 60 s or platelet count (PLT) 100×109/L. The diagnostic value of TEG for TIC was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve, area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV), and the transfusion guidance of TEG for TIC patients was assessed by multivariate regression analyses.@*Results@#A total of 242 patients were included, including 62 patients in the TIC group and 180 patients in the non-TIC group. The differences in TEG between the two groups were statistically significant. The AUCs of TIC assessed by maximum amplitude (MA) and coagulation index (CI) were the largest, 0.779 and 0.786 respectively, and the sensitivity were greater than 80% and NPV were greater than 90%. The sensitivity, PPV and NPV of reaction time (R) were minimal. After confounders were controlled, all TEG values were correlated with blood volumes within the first 24 h and massive transfusion, of which R had the highest odds ratio and regression coefficient.@*Conclusions@#MA and CI have the highest diagnostic value, while R has little diagnostic value but a relatively large blood therapeutic significance of TIC. MA < 52.9 mm or CI < -1.0 can be used as a threshold for identifying TIC. The diagnosis of TIC and the guidance transfusion for TIC patients by TEG is beneficial.

Study on the diagnosis and transfusion treatment of thrombelastography for trauma-induced coagulopathy / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective To assess the diagnosis of thrombelastography (TEG) for trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) and explore whether TEG could guide transfusion for TIC patients.Methods We retrospectively analyzed all trauma patients who underwent the TEG and conventional coagulation tests (CCTs) admission in the emergency intensive care unit from February to December 2018.The definition of TIC is prothrombin time (PT) 18 s,international normalized ratio (INR) 1.5,activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) 60 s or platelet count (PLT) 100 x 109/L.The diagnostic value of TEG for TIC was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve,area under the curve (AUC),sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV),and the transfusion guidance of TEG for TIC patients was assessed by multivariate regression analyses.Results A total of 242 patients were included,including 62 patients in the TIC group and 180 patients in the non-TIC group.The differences in TEG between the two groups were statistically significant.The AUCs of TIC assessed by maximum amplitude (MA) and coagulation index (CI) were the largest,0.779 and 0.786 respectively,and the sensitivity were greater than 80％ and NPV were greater than 90％.The sensitivity,PPV and NPV of reaction time (R) were minimal.After confounders were controlled,all TEG values were correlated with blood volumes within the first 24 h and massive transfusion,of which R had the highest odds ratio and regression coefficient.Conclusions MA and CI have the highest diagnostic value,while R has little diagnostic value but a relatively large blood therapeutic significance of TIC.MA ＜ 52.9 mm or CI ＜-1.0 can be used as a threshold for identifying TIC.The diagnosis of TIC and the guidance transfusion for TIC patients by TEG is beneficial.

Expressions and their Significance of Ki-67, p53, and survivin in esophageal cancer and precancerosis / 中国医师杂志

Objective To investigate the expressions and clinical significance of Ki-67,p53,and survivin in esophageal cancer and precancerosis.Methods The expressions of Ki-67,p53,and survivin proteins were detected by immunohistochemical staining in 40 normal esophageal mucosa,136 precancerosis (42 mild atypical hyperplasia,43 moderate atypical hyperplasia,and 51 severe atypical hyperplasia),and 68 esophageal cancer tissues.The correlation of three proteins expressed in esophageal carcinoma tissues was analyzed.Results The positive expression rate of Ki-67 was 0 (0/40)for normal epithelium,35.7％ (15/42) for mild dysplasia,51.2％ (22/43) for moderate dysplasia,74.5％ (38/51) for severe dysplasia,92.6％ (63/68) for squamous carcinoma,respectively.The positive expression rate of p53 protein was 0 (0/40) for normal epithelium,28.6％ (12/42) for mild dysplasia,46.5％ (20/43) for moderate dysplasia,52.9％ (27/51) for severe dysplasia,67.6％ (46/68) for squamous carcinoma,respectively.The positive expression rate of survivin protein was 0 (0/40) for normal epithelium,38.1％ (16/42) for mild dysplasia,55.8％ (24/43) for moderate dysplasia,64.7％ (33/51) for severe dysplasia,89.7％ (61/68) for squamous carcinoma,respectively.Rank correlation analysis showed that abnormal expressions of Ki-67,p53,and survivin were correlated significantly with the pathological grading of the lesions (r =0.637,0.454,0.590,P ＜0.01).The expressions of Ki-67,p53,and survivin were positively correlated in esophageal carcinoma (r =0.407,0.646,P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions The abnormal expressions of Ki67,p53,and survivin were associated with the processes of the esophageal canceration,and the joint detection with three parameters has important clinical value.

Epileptic foci lateralization from interictal scalp EEG by applying causal analysis / 国际生物医学工程杂志

Objective To lateralize epileptic foci in interictal electroencephalography (EEG) signal by using causal analysis method.Methods On the basis of frequency domain causal analysis,the adapted directed transfer function (ADTF),power spectrum weighted ADTF(psADTF) method was proposed by applying the power spectrum information in defined frequency band with normalized ADTF,to fit the frequency information features of different epileptic wave.EEG signals of two groups of 30 epilepsy patients were analyzed by psADTF.Group Ⅰ included 15 presurgical patients and 104 epilepsy spikes were picked from EEG signals.Group Ⅱ included 15 outpatient patients and 98 epilepsy spikes were picked from EEG signals.Results 96 of 104 spikes of group Ⅰ were lateralized properly by psADTF according to surgery sites,and the accuracy rate was 92％.94 of 98 spikes of group Ⅱ were lateralized properly by psADTF according to three technicians' judgments,with the accuracy rate of 96％.Conclusion Our results proves that the psADTF method over interictal EEG spikes can be a great help to clinical epileptic foci lateralization.

Application and clinical significance of minimally Invasive treatment for patients with esophageal carcinoma / 中华消化外科杂志

Esophageal cancer is one of the most common alimentary malignancy.Although drugs and radiation treatments for esophageal cancer are constantly improved,surgical resection is still recognized as the most effective treatment method at present.With the continuous development of esophageal surgical techniques,minimally invasive treatment of esophageal cancer surgery technology has bcen performed at home and abroad,for the purpose of reducing the complications or mortality and improving the post-operative quality of life.Minimally invasive surgical indications,surgical procedure selection,complications and prognosis compared with traditional surgery are reviewed in this article to explore the application and clinical significance of minimally invasive treatment in patients with esophageal carcinoma.

Differences in the expression of inhibin receptors and activin receptors in normal human ovaries and their significance / 中华妇产科杂志

Objective To explore the differences in the expression of inhibin(INH)receptors and activin (ACT)receptors in the follicular/luteinic phase in normal human ovaries and their relationship with female endocrine hormone levels.Methods Real time PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to determine the expression of inhibin receptors(INHR)genes,activin receptors(ACTR)genes.Serum estradiol(E2),follicle stimulating hormone(FSH),luteinizing hormone(LH),INHB,ACTA levels were determined by a solid quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay technique(Sandwich ELISA)in 21 women during follicular phase and another 21 women during luteinic phase,the correlations between each gene and each hormone were analyzed.Results(1)ACT type Ⅰ and Ⅱ receptors genes(ACTR Ⅰ A,ACTR Ⅰ B,ACTRⅡA,ACTR Ⅱ B)and INH receptor β-glycan genes were expressed higher in the follicular phase than in the luteinic phase:ACTR Ⅰ A(0.50±0.17 vs 0.36±0.18;P＜0.05),ACTR Ⅰ B(0.050±0.019 vs0.036±0.020;P＜0.05),ACTRⅡ A(0.10±0.04 vs 0.07±0.04;P＜0.05),ACTR Ⅱ B(0.28±0.10vs 0.19±0.11;P＜0.05),β-glycan(0.26±0.10 vs 0.17±0.09;P＜0.01).(2)The intensities of ACTR I A,ACTR Ⅱ A,β-glycan immunostaining in human normal ovaries in the follicular phase were significantly stronger compared to those in luteinic phase.In the follicular phase β-glycan expression was positively correlated with serum E2,FSH,LH,INHB levels.The correlation coefficient was 0.53(P＜0.05).0.74(P＜0.01),0.85(P＜0.01)and 0.76(P＜0.01)respectively.Conclusion In normal human ovary in the follicular phase INH and ACT bind their receptors and down-regulate or up-regulate FSH,thus influencing the follicular development.