[Clinical study on application of 3D Slicer software assisted domestic frameless stereotactic robot in biopsy of intracranial lesions].

Objective: To examine the application value of 3D Slicer software assisted domestic frameless stereotactic robot in biopsy of intracranial lesions. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 80 patients who admitted consecutively and underwent intracerebral lesions biopsy with the domestic frameless stereotactic robot at Department of Neurosurgery, Aerospace Central Hospital from January 2019 to December 2021. There were 36 males and 44 females, with a mean age of (38.5±18.0) years (range: 6 to 71 years). Before surgery only enhanced T1-weighted three-dimensional magnetization prepared gradient echo sequences and diffusion tensor imaging scans were performed. Self-reconstruction of intracranial lesions, cerebral cortex and blood vessels was carried out using 3D Slicer software system after the DICOM format imaging data of 80 patients were collected. These imaging data were merged to the workstation of the domestic frameless stereotactic robot for preoperative surgical planning and the surgical puncture path was designed to avoid blood vessels in the brain functional area, cerebral cortex and sulcus. Results: All frameless stereotactic biopsy were successfully performed. Postoperative pathological diagnosis included 50 cases of diffuse astrocytic and oligodendroglioma, 15 cases of lymphoma, 5 cases of metastatic tumors, 5 cases of inflammatory demyelinating disease, 2 cases of inflammatory granuloma, 1 case of hemangioma, 1 case of acute lymphoblastic leukemia intracranial invasion and 1 case of seminoma. The positive diagnosis rate was 100% (80/80). Postoperative imaging confirmed that the puncture path and target were accurately implemented according to the preoperative planning, and the target error was (1.32±0.44) mm (range: 0.55 to 1.99 mm). One case of puncture-related bleeding occurred at the target after surgery and improved after treatment. Conclusion: The three-dimensional multimodal images reconstructed by the 3D Slicer software before operation could help the surgeons make the preoperative planning and reduce the risk of stereotactic brain biopsy.

[Analysis of 4 children with DYNC1H1 gene related spinal muscular atrophy with lower extremity predominant 1].

Objective: To investigate the clinical features and gene variation characteristics of children with dynein cytoplasmic 1 heavy chain 1 (DYNC1H1) gene associated spinal muscular atrophy with lower extremity predominant (SMALED) 1. Methods: The clinical data of 4 SMALED1 children admitted to Peking University First Hospital from December 2018 to May 2021, who were found to have pathogenic variation of DYNC1H1 gene through genetic testing, except for other genes known to be related to motor retardation, were retrospectively summarized to analyze the phenotype and genotype characteristics. Results: There were 3 males and 1 female. The age of onset was 1 year, 1 day, 1 day and 4 months, respectively. The age of diagnosis was 4 years and 10 months, 9 months, 5 years and 9 months, and 3 years and 1 month, respectively. The clinical manifestations were muscle weakness and muscular atrophy of lower limbs, 2 cases with foot deformity, 1 case with early non progressive joint contracture, 1 case with hip dislocation and 1 case with mental retardation. De novo heterozygous missense variations in DYNC1H1 gene were found in all 4 children. According to the rating of American College of medical genetics and genomics, they were all possible pathogenic and pathogenic variations, with p.R598C, p.P776L, p.Y1109D variations had been reported, and p.I1086R variation had not been reported. Conclusions: For those with unexplained lower limb muscle weakness, muscle atrophy, joint contracture and foot deformity, upper limb motor ability related retention, with or without mental retardation, as well as the motor ability progresses slowly, it is necessary to consider the possibility of SMALED1 and the detection of DYNC1H1 gene when necessary.

[Performance of limiting-antigen avidity enzyme immunoassay and pooling PCR in detection of recent HIV-1 infection among men who have sex with men in Yunnan province].

Objective: To assess and compare the performance of limiting-antigen avidity enzyme immunoassay (LAg-Avidity EIA) and pooling PCR in the surveillance for recent infection rates of HIV-1 in men who have sex with men (MSM). Methods: Blood samples were collected from MSM selected through snowball sampling method in sentinel surveillance in 13 prefectures of Yunnan province from 2016 to 2017. The samples were tested for HIV-1 antibody. The confirmed positive samples were tested by LAg-Avidity EIA. The negative samples were tested by pooling PCR. The recent infection rates of HIV-1 were estimated by the algorithm based on LAg-Avidity EIA and pooling PCR respectively. The two results were compared. Results: During 2016-2017, a total of 5 363 blood samples were collected from MSM, in which 407 samples were HIV-1 positive (including 177 positive tested previously) and 4 956 samples were HIV-1 negative. A total of 211 samples(91.7%) were tested by LAg-Avidity EIA, 69 were confirmed to be recent infections. A total of 4 469 samples were tested by pooling PCR, 8 were confirmed to be acute infections. The recent infection rates of HIV-1 from 2016 to 2017 estimated by LAg-Avidity EIA were 3.36% and 4.84%, and the recent infection rates estimated by pooling PCR were 3.27% and 3.02% respectively. The differences in recent infection rates of HIV-1 estimated by the two algorithms were not significant. Conclusions: The recent infection rates of HIV-1 estimated by LAg-Avidity EIA and pooling PCR in sentinel surveillance in MSM in Yunnan had good consistency from 2016 to 2017. Using the two methods might have a better stability in continuous surveillance for recent infection rates of HIV-1.

[Analysis of pathogen monitoring results of infectious diarrhea in Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University from 2016 to 2019].

Objective: to analyze the distribution characteristics of major enteropathogens in infectious diarrhea cases attending the intestinal outpatient clinic of Beijing Traditional Chinese medicine hospital, Capital Medical University. Methods: From 2016 to 2019, 588 fecal samples of patients with infectious diarrhea in Beijing Hospital of traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University were collected for microbial isolation, culture, identification and pathogen gene detection. Using VITEK 2 compact full-automatic microbial identification/drug sensitivity analysis system to identify the bacteria isolated from the culture; using serum agglutination test to classify the pure colonies; using multiple fluorescence quantitative PCR amplification technology to detect the gene amplification of the samples. Results: In 2016-2019, the total physical examination rate of pathogen was 39.796%. The top three pathogen were diarrhea Escherichia coli (21.769%, n=128), Salmonella (5.782%, n=34), Vibrio (4.762%, n=28). The difference of positive rates of different pathogens in four years was statistically significant (P=0.021), and the peak of incidence was from July to September. The positive rate of norovirus was 5.612% (n=33), and the highest incidence occurred in May. Conclusion: The pathogen of infectious diarrhea patients in Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University from April to October 2016-2019 is mainly diarrhea Escherichia coli, and the pathogen type of norovirus is GⅡ genome.

To safely reopen after a lockdown, masks are crucial: lessons from Taiwan.

Taiwan had been using many important public health management strategies to beat Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) without a lockdown. Mask wearing by the general public was thought to be the major factor for the success of Taiwan to stop the spread of COVID-19. We share our experience in Taiwan as an example for other countries to safely reopen from a lockdown.

Research on sleeve gastrectomy for the treatment of rats with type 2 diabetes mellitus and the regulation of ghrelin and intestinal lesions.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of sleeve gastrectomy on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in regulating ghrelin and intestinal lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Specific pathogen free (SPF) Wistar rats were injected with streptozotocin (STZ) after giving a high-sugar and high-fat diet, to establish a T2DM rat model. The rats were randomly divided into a sleeve gastric excision group, a non-surgical group and a fake surgical group, with 10 rats in each group. The weight, blood glucose, glucose tolerance and ghrelin hormone of rats were compared. The feces of rats in each group at the 8th week after surgery were collected, to extract the total bacterial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). The bacterial 16S universal primer was used to expand the 16SrRNA V46 conserved region. The total Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) products were sequenced by PE101-bp to classify the gene and genera. RESULTS: The weight of the rats after sleeve gastrectomy significantly decreased (p <0.05). The area under the blood glucose curve and the area under the insulin curve were significantly smaller than those in the non-surgical group and the fake surgical group (p <0.05). Compared with the sleeve gastric excision group, the abundance of Phylum Firmicutes was higher, that of Bacteroidetes was lower. Compared with the sleeve gastric excision group, there were more genera in the fake surgical group and the non-surgical group. The genera with higher abundance in the three groups were Lactobacillus and Bacteroidetes. Compared with the sleeve gastric excision group, the fake surgical group and the non-surgical group had higher abundance of Phylum Firmicutes (p <0.05) and lower abundance of Bacteroidetes (p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: To sum up, sleeve gastrectomy can reduce the weight of rats in T2DM rat model, lower blood glucose levels of rats in the model and improve insulin resistance levels. The related mechanism may be related to the upregulation of ghrelin and intestinal flora.

[Characteristics of HIV-1 genotype and drug resistance among men who have sex with men in Kunming, 2018].

Objective: To understand the characteristics of HIV-1 genotypes and drug resistance among men who have sex with men in Kunming in 2018. Methods: A total of 193 plasma samples were collected from the newly reported HIV-1 infected MSM in Kunming from January to December 2018. Viral RNA was extracted, and the gag, pol, env gene segments were amplified by nested PCR. HIV-1 genotypes and drug resistance were also analyzed. Subsequently, the evolutionary characteristics of CRF55_01B and CRF68_01B among MSM in Kunming were analyzed by Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo method. Results: Multiple HIV-1 genotypes were identified among these 193 samples, including CRF07_BC (39.4%, 76/193), CRF01_AE (34.2%, 66/193), unique recombinant forms (URFs) (20.2%, 39/193), CRF08_BC (3.1%, 6/193), CRF55_01B (1.6%, 3/193), subtype B (1.0%, 2/193) and CRF68_01B (0.5%, 1/193). Results from the Bayesian evolutionary analysis showed that CRF55_01B started to spread locally after being imported from other provinces, while CRF68_01B was likely to have been brought in from the eastern provinces of China. Prevalence of HIV-1 drug resistant strains was 2.6%(5/190) before antiviral treatment, with mutation rates resistant to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors being the highest (2.1%, 4/190) among MSM in Kunming, 2018. Conclusion: The diversity of HIV-1 was increasing among MSM in Kunming. Although the resistance rate on pretreatment drug was relatively low, the emergence of multiple resistant strains to first-line antiviral drugs posed a challenge to antiretroviral therapy, in Kunming.

Resection of the irradiated esophagus: the impact of lymph node yield on survival.

There is debate surrounding the appropriate threshold for lymph node harvest during esophagectomy in patients with esophageal cancer, specifically for those receiving preoperative radiation. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of lymph node yield on survival in patients receiving preoperative chemoradiation for esophageal cancer. The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was utilized to identify patients with esophageal cancer that received preoperative radiation. The cohort was divided into patients undergoing minimal (<9) or extensive (≥9) lymph node yield. Demographic, operative, and postoperative outcomes were compared between the groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis with the log rank test was used to compare survival between the yield groups. Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine the association between lymph node yield and survival. In total, 886 cases were included: 349 (39%) belonging to the minimal node group and 537 (61%) to the extensive group. Unadjusted 5-year survival was similar between the minimal and extensive groups, respectively (37.3% vs. 38.8%; P > 0.05). After adjustment using Cox regression, extensive lymph node yield was associated with survival (hazard ratio 0.80, confidence interval 0.66-0.98, P = 0.03). This study suggests that extensive lymph node yield is advantageous for patients with esophageal cancer undergoing esophagectomy following induction therapy. This most likely reflects improved diagnosis and staging with extensive yield.

The association between the D166E polymorphism of the lipoprotein associated phospholipase A2 and risk of myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVE: Although numerous studies have evaluated the association between lipoprotein associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) gene polymorphisms and coronary heart disease, the conclusions are still inconsistency. Here we detected the correlation between D166E polymorphism of Lp-PLA2 and myocardial infarction (MI). Further, its clinical value as biomarker was assessed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 297 patients were enrolled, all diagnosed as MI at the Hebei General Hospital between May 2017 and May 2018, with 262 healthy subjects recruited as controls. Blood specimens of all participants were collected for testing serum lipid, blood glucose, Lp-PLA2, HsCRP, IL-17 and IL-35. The D166E polymorphism was genotyped. The correlation between D166E polymorphism and MI was explored using multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: We detected higher levels of TC, TG, LDLC, Lp-PLA2, HsCRP and IL-17 but lower levels of HDLC and IL-35 in MI patients, compared with healthy controls (p<0.05). Also, the positive ratio of family history is higher in MI patients than that in control. Indexes were collected after one-week and one-month hospitalization, respectively, and levels of Lp-PLA2, HsCRP, IL-17 and IL-35 decreased to the normal levels (p>0.05). We also observed positive correlations between Lp-PLA2 with HsCRP and IL-17 (r=0.6517, 0.2689), and negative correlations between IL-35 with Lp-PLA2, HsCRP and IL-17 (r=-0.3142, -0.3968, -0.2516), respectively. The G allele at D166E accounted for a higher percentage in MI patients than in controls, and so as the GG and GC genotypes (p<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed close associations between MI with Lp-PLA2 and GG genotype at D166E, with odds ratios of 1.239 (1.023-2.017) and 9.863 (4.107-21.331), which suggested they were independent risk factors for the development of coronary heart disease. CONCLUSIONS: The D166E (C/G) mutation of Lp-PLA2 was a potential risk factor of MI.

[HIV-1 gene subtypes among newly reported HIV/AIDS cases in two border areas of Yunnan province].

Objective: To explore the features of distribution on HIV-1 gene subtypes among newly reported HIV/AIDS cases in the border areas of Yunnan province. Methods: A total of 233 newly reported HIV/AIDS cases aged 18 or more were consecutively included in the border counties of Dehong Dai and Jingpo autonomous prefecture (Dehong prefecture), Honghe Hani and Yi autonomous prefecture (Honghe prefecture) of Yunnan province from November 2015 to October 2016. HIV-1 RNA was extracted with pol and env genes amplified. HIV-1 gene subtypes were determined through phylogenetic analysis. Results: A total of 146 out of 233 specimens were genotyped successfully. HIV-1 was found to have had 8 gene subtypes in Dehong prefecture, with the unique recombinant forms (URFs) as the predominant (52.8%, 57/108) type, including 56.8% (21/37) of the cases with Chinese ethnicity and another 50.7% (36/71) were Myanmar citizens. Four HIV-1 gene subtypes were detected in Honghe prefecture, with CRF01_AE as predominant (71.1%, 27/38), including 81.0% (17/21) Vietnamese and 58.8% (10/17) Chinese. Differences on the distribution of HIV-1 gene subtypes were seen statistically significant between Dehong prefecture and Honghe prefecture (χ(2)=61.072, P<0.001). Conclusions: The distribution of HIV-1 gene subtypes showed big difference in the two border areas of Yunnan province, suggesting that both Chinese or non- Chinese citizens living in the area should be taken good care of, in terms of HIV/AIDS prevention and control.

LncRNA DQ786243 expression as a biomarker for assessing prognosis in patients with gastric cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have revealed that long noncoding RNA DQ786243 (DQ786243) plays an important role in the development of gastric cancer (GC) and colorectal cancer. However, the expression and function of DQ786243 in GC patients remain largely unknown. The purpose of our study was to investigate the clinical significance of DQ786243 expression in GC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: qRT-PCR was used to examine DQ786243 expression in 172 paired GC samples and matched adjacent normal tissues. Besides, the relationship between DQ786243 expression and clinicopathologic characteristics was analyzed. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) curves of patients in subgroups were constructed by the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to analyze independent factors affecting prognosis. RESULTS: We found a significant up-regulation of DQ786243 in GC tissues compared to normal tissues (p < 0.01). High DQ786243 expression was closely associated with invasion depth (p = 0.006), TNM stage (p = 0.009) and lymphatic metastasis (p = 0.017). Moreover, Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that patients with DQ786243 high expression tumors had worse OS (p = 0.0012) and PFS (p = 0.0002) compared to patients with DQ786243 low expression tumors. Finally, multivariate analysis showed that DQ786243 was a significant and independent prognostic predictor for both OS (p = 0.002) and PFS (p = 0.001) of GC patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest, for the first time, that the evaluation of the DQ786243 expression in GC tissues is a useful tool for predicting prognosis of GC.

The changing HIV-1 genetic characteristics and transmitted drug resistance among recently infected population in Yunnan, China.

Multiple human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 genotypes in China were first discovered in Yunnan Province before disseminating throughout the country. As the HIV-1 epidemic continues to expand in Yunnan, genetic characteristics and transmitted drug resistance (TDR) should be further investigated among the recently infected population. Among 2828 HIV-positive samples newly reported in the first quarter of 2014, 347 were identified as recent infections with BED-captured enzyme immunoassay (CEIA). Of them, 291 were successfully genotyped and identified as circulating recombinant form (CRF)08_BC (47.4%), unique recombinant forms (URFs) (18.2%), CRF01_AE (15.8%), CRF07_BC (14.4%), subtype C (2.7%), CRF55_01B (0.7%), subtype B (0.3%) and CRF64_BC (0.3%). CRF08_BC and CRF01_AE were the predominant genotypes among heterosexual and homosexual infections, respectively. CRF08_BC, URFs, CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC expanded with higher prevalence in central and eastern Yunnan. The recent common ancestor of CRF01_AE, CRF07_BC and CRF08_BC dated back to 1983.1, 1992.1 and 1989.5, respectively. The effective population sizes (EPS) for CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC increased exponentially during 1991-1999 and 1994-1999, respectively. The EPS for CRF08_BC underwent two exponential growth phases in 1994-1998 and 2001-2002. Lastly, TDR-associated mutations were identified in 1.8% of individuals. These findings not only enhance our understanding of HIV-1 evolution in Yunnan but also have implications for vaccine design and patient management strategies.

Improving the nutritional quality and shelf life of broiler meat by feeding diets supplemented with fermented pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) by-products.

1. Four experimental diets containing 0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0% fermented pomegranate by-products (FPB) were supplied to 320d-old broilers to evaluate the effects of FPB on growth performance, nutritional composition, fatty acid profile and oxidative stability of meat. 2. Dietary supplementation of FPB linearly increased the weight gain and feed intake of broilers with linear reduction in feed conversion ratio. 3. The crude protein, iron, magnesium, and sodium content were linearly higher, whereas cholesterol was linearly lower in the breast meat of FPB-supplemented broilers. In thigh meat, linearly lower ether extract and cholesterol with higher moisture was noted in response to increasing levels of FPB. 4. The proportion of saturated fatty acids was both linearly and quadratically lower in breast and thigh meat, whereas those of monounsaturated fatty acids of breast (linear and quadratic) and n-3 fatty acids of breast and thigh (linear) meat was higher in the FPB-supplemented broilers. The n-6/n-3 ratio of breast meat was linearly lower in response to FPB supplementation. The hypocholesterolaemic to hypercholesterolaemic ratio of thigh meat was higher in the FPB-supplemented groups. 5. The thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and pH value were lower in the breast and thigh meat of FPB-supplemented broilers. 6. Thus, additive supplementation of the diet with up to 2% FPB improved the nutritional quality, fatty acid profile and shelf life of broiler meat.

Dietary methionine requirement of Jing Brown layer hens from 9 to 17 weeks of age.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary methionine (Met) supplementation in growth performance and reproductive performance of Jing Brown layer hens. A total of 375 9-week-old Jing Brown layer hens were allocated equally to five treatments consisting of 5 replicates with 15 hens. Hens were fed with a diet of corn and soya bean meal supplemented with 0.23%, 0.27%, 0.31%, 0.35% and 0.39% Met respectively. Different Met levels did not significantly affect average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG) and feed/gain ratio (F/G) (p > 0.05), whereas flock uniformity (FU) and jejunum index were significantly different (p < 0.05), and the largest FU was observed in 0.31% Met. Dietary supplementation of Met significantly affected reproductive system development (p < 0.05), and 0.27-0.31% Met obtained optimal reproductive system development. Different Met levels significantly affected serum uric acid and alkaline phosphatase. Moreover, the relatively higher reproductive hormones in serum were observed in 0.27% Met. Analysis of quadratic curve estimation of flock uniformity, the total number of follicles, the primary follicles and the secondary follicles showed that the optimal Met levels were 0.293%, 0.286%, 0.286% and 0.288%, which could be averaged to 0.288%. These results suggested that the optimal Met requirement for Jing Brown layer hens from 9 to 17 weeks old is 0.29%.

Prevalence rates of youths diagnosed with and medicated for ADHD in a nationwide survey in Taiwan from 2000 to 2011.

AIMS: Public controversy regarding the potential overdiagnosis and overmedication of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has continued for decades. This study used the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan (NHIRD-TW) to explore trends in ADHD diagnosis in youths and the proportion of those receiving medication, with the aim of determining whether ADHD is overdiagnosed and overmedicated in Taiwan. METHOD: Youths (age ≤18 years) who had at least two NHIRD-TW claims records with ADHD diagnosis between January 2000 and December 2011 were selected as the subject cohort. In total, the study sample comprised 145 018 patients with ADHD (mean age at a diagnosis of ADHD: 7.7 ± 3.1 years; 21.4% females). The number of cases of ADHD were calculated annually for each year (from 2000 to 2011), and the number of cases per year who received medication was determined as those with at least one record of pharmacotherapy (immediate-release methylphenidate, osmotic controlled-release formulation of methylphenidate, and atomoxetine) in each year. RESULTS: The prevalence rates of a diagnosis of ADHD in the youths ranged from 0.11% in 2000 to 1.24% in 2011. Compared with children under 6 years of age, the ADHD diagnosis rates in children aged between 7 and 12 years (ratio of prevalence rates = 4.36) and in those aged between 13 and 18 years (ratio of prevalence rates = 1.42) were significantly higher during the study period. The prevalence in males was higher than that in females (ratio of prevalence rates = 4.09). Among the youths with ADHD, 50.2% received medications in 2000 compared with 61.0% in 2011. The probability of receiving ADHD medication increased with age. More male ADHD patients received medications that females patients (ratio of prevalence rates = 1.16). CONCLUSIONS: The rate of ADHD diagnosis was far lower than the prevalence rate (7.5%) identified in a previous community study using face-to-face interviews. Approximately 40-50% of the youths with ADHD did not receive any medications. These findings are not consistent with a systematic public opinion about overdiagnosis or overmedication of ADHD in Taiwan.

[The prevalence of ideal cardiovascular health metrics in Southeast Chinese middle-aged men].

Objective: To observe the prevalence and distribution of ideal cardiovascular health metrics in middle-aged men living in Su-Xi-Chang region and explore the relationship between health behavior and health factors. Methods: A total of 27 824 middle-aged men, who took part in health examination in the Center for Healthcare Management, Taihu Rehabilitation Hospital of Jiangsu Province from January 2014 to June 2015, were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The ideal cardiovascular health metrics were defined by the American Heart Association criteria with minor modification in that the amount of vegetable intake was replaced by salt intake. The prevalence and distribution of ideal cardiovascular health metrics as well as the association between ideal cardiovascular health metrics and health factors were analyzed in this cohort. Results: The body mass index in the whole cohort was (25.1±3.0) kg/m2, waist circumference was (87.3±8.42) cm; the percent of subjects with all seven ideal cardiovascular health metrics was only 0.5% (n=133). The highest proportion of ideal metric was total cholesterol (68.5%, n=19 056), followed by fasting glucose (66.9%, n=18 616), body mass index (50.2%, n=13 963), physical exercise (45.6%, n=12 697), smoking (40.3%, n=11 216), blood pressure (22.5%, n=6 257) and salt intake (15.6%, n=4 351). The proportion of ideal cardiovascular health metrics reduced gradually and the proportion of poor cardiovascular health metrics status increased gradually with aging(χ2=106.746, P=0.000). The total cholesterol level of non-smokers was significantly lower than that of smokers(F=8.571, P=0.000); total cholesterol, blood pressure and fasting glucose levels increased in proportion with increasing body mass index(all P<0.01); total cholesterol and fasting blood glucose of subjects with regular active physical exercise were significantly lower than those with inactive physical exercise(all P<0.01); total cholesterol and blood pressure of subjects with high salt intake were significantly higher than those with low salt intake(all P<0.01). Conclusions: The proportion of subjects with ideal cardiovascular health metrics is very low in middle-aged men living in Su-Xi-Chang region, and the downtrend with poor cardiovascular health metrics increases with aging. Overweight or obese, smoking, high salt diet and poor control of blood pressure are the major cardiovascular risk factors in this cohort.

Bioinformatic analyses of GRAS genes in Betula kirghisorum based on transcriptome data.

The transcriptomes of salt-stressed and unstressed Betula kirghisorum plants were analyzed using high throughput sequencing technology. A total of 52,239,804 and 51,772,998 clean reads were obtained from the two libraries, respectively, and de novo assembled into 60,545 all-unigenes. A total of 39,997 unigenes were annotated using public databases. Overall, 7206 genes were differentially expressed in unigenes and were involved in 127 pathways. Thirteen transcription factor families were identified in B. kirghisorum, including GRAS proteins, which are plant-specific transcription factors. By using bioinformatic methods to predict and analyze physicochemical properties, structural data were obtained on the 19 potential GRAS proteins. The results revealed that these proteins are hydrophilic, with significant differences in their length and molecular weight. The main secondary structures were alpha helices and random coils. BkGRAS proteins possess typical GRAS domains: LHR I; VHIID motif; LHR II; PFYRE motif; and SAW motif. In the majority of BkGRAS proteins, AGG, AGA, UCU, GCU, GGG, CCA, GUU, GUG, AUU, GAU, and AAG codons were used preferentially. Aside from the BkGRAS17 gene (relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) = 1.20), usage of the UUA codon by other BkGRAS genes was low (RSCU < 1.0). The effective number of codons showed that BkGRAS genes have low codon bias. Subcellular localization analysis that predicted these proteins are found in the nucleus, cytoplasm, or chloroplast. BkGRAS proteins were divided into six subfamilies: SCR, LISCL, SCL3, DELLA, HAM, and PAT1. These results provide important information for the further functional study of GRAS genes in B. kirghisorum.