Dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy: a case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy is a rare autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease. It is a rare disease in the world. Therefore, sharing clinical encounters of this case can deepen global awareness and understanding of the disease. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was a 34-year-old male of Han nationality who was unmarried. The patient was admitted owing to weakness of the left lower limb with walking instability for 2 months and aggravation for 1 month. There was no dizziness, headache, numbness of limbs, convulsions, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, ataxia, nausea, vomiting, or abdominal pain. No nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal distension, tinnitus, hearing loss, fever, cough, expectoration. Personal history: worked in Cambodia 5 years ago, worked in Dubai 3 years ago, engaged in computer work, smoking or drinking habits. The patient was unmarried. Family history: the mother had symptoms similar to walking unsteadily (undiagnosed). Positive signs include a wide-base gait with a rotatory nystagmus that jumps upward in both eyes. Bilateral finger-nose instability test was quasi-positive, rapid alternating test was negative, and eye closure tolerance test was positive. Tendon reflexes were active in both upper limbs and hyperreflexia in both lower limbs. Stability of the heel, knee, and tibia. Genetic testing showed that the number of repeats in the dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy ATN1 gene was 18 and 62, and the (CAG)n repeat sequence in the ATN1 gene was abnormal, with a repeat number of 62, and the patient was a pathogenic variant. The patient was diagnosed with dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy. Dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy remains a progressive neurodegenerative disease with no effective treatment. At present, the proband is taking 5 mg of buspirone three times a day, which has been reported to improve the symptoms. The patient was followed up for 6 months after taking buspirone, and there was no significant improvement in the temporary symptoms. At present, there are few cases of dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy, and the characteristics of nystagmus in this disease have not been proposed in the past. This case reported the unusual presentation of nystagmus. CONCLUSION: Dentatorubral-pallidoluygur atrophy is a rare neurodegenerative disease with autosomal dominant inheritance. To the best of our knowledge, our present case report is the first case report of dentatorubral-pallidoluygur atrophy with specific nystagmus. We describe the special eye shake and its positive signs to increase dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy clinical positive signs.

Location method for emergency rescue node on expressways based on spatio-temporal characteristics of vehicle operation.

Expressway networks are continuously developing and emergency rescue demand is increasing proportionately. The location of expressway emergency rescue nodes needs refinement to meet changing requirements. In this study, the expressway was modeled as an expressway network. The differences in the origin destination (OD) distribution matrices for working days and major holidays were used as the bases for determining the need for temporary emergency rescue nodes. Overlapping and non-overlapping community detection algorithms were used to extract the distribution characteristics of OD during both day categories. These distributions were used to determine permanent and temporary emergency rescue sites. In this study, we considered the differences in traffic volume, distance, and impact of four vehicle types on traffic accidents to select the location of emergency rescue nodes, and allocate emergency resources. An emergency rescue node selection model for an expressway network was established based on spatio-temporal characteristics. The results based on a regional example determined that 22 permanent and 25 temporary emergency rescue nodes were appropriate. The average rescue time for traffic accidents during working days and major holidays compared to the P-center location model, was reduced by approximately 27.08% and 6.70%, respectively. The coefficient of variation of emergency rescue time was reduced by approximately 28.22% and 21.41%, respectively. The results indicated that the model satisfied the expressway emergency rescue demand requirements, and improved the rationality of the rescue center node layout.

Identification and experimental verification of a biomarker by combining the unfolded protein response with the immune cells in colon cancer.

BACKGROUND: The unfolded protein response (UPR) is associated with immune cells that regulate the biological behavior of tumors. This article aims to combine UPR-associated genes with immune cells to find a prognostic marker and to verify its connection to the UPR. METHODS: Univariate cox analysis was used to screen prognostically relevant UPRs and further screened for key UPRs among them by machine learning. ssGSEA was used to calculate immune cell abundance. Univariate cox analysis was used to screen for prognostically relevant immune cells. Multivariate cox analysis was used to calculate UPR_score and Tumor Immune Microenvironment score (TIME_score). WGCNA was used to screen UPR-Immune-related (UI-related) genes. Consensus clustering analysis was used to classify patients into molecular subtype. Based on the UI-related genes, we classified colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) samples by cluster analysis. Single-cell analysis was used to analyze the role of UI-related genes. We detected the function of TIMP1 by cell counting and transwell. Immunoblotting was used to detect whether TIMP1 was regulated by key UPR genes. RESULTS: Combined UPR-related genes and immune cells can determine the prognosis of COAD patients. Cluster analysis showed that UI-related genes were associated with clinical features of COAD. Single-cell analysis revealed that UI-related genes may act through stromal cells. We defined three key UI-related genes by machine learning algorithms. Finally, we found that TIMP1, regulated by key genes of UPR, promoted colon cancer proliferation and metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: We found that TIMP1 was a prognostic marker and experimentally confirmed that TIMP1 was regulated by key genes of UPR.

Metabolomics combined with network pharmacology to investigate the pharmacodynamic components and potential mechanisms of the spermatogenic function of the Youjing granule.

This study aims to identify potential efficacy-related biomarkers and investigate the mechanism of Youjing granule (YG) in improving spermatogenic function in rats based on metabolomics combined with network pharmacology. We obtained YG-containing serum from Sprague-Dawley rats, compared it with control group serum and analyzed it using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy to identify potential biomarkers and investigate the mechanism of YG in improving spermatogenic function in rats. Six important differential biomarkers, comprising putrescine, amidine, arginine, d-fructose-6-phosphate, l-proline and galactose, were identified in the YG-containing serum and then used to explore the potential mechanisms. The ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry technology was adopted for the rapid separation, identification and analysis of chemical components of YG in blood. A total of 69 detected chromatographic peaks were revealed. The binding energy between core compounds and key proteins is low, among which dipsacoside B is the best. The outcomes suggest that YG may improve spermatogenic function in rats by facilitating the development of spermatogonial stem cells, counteracting oxidative stress and controlling cellular apoptosis. Youjing granule may also affect the energy required for sperm production or influence sperm growth and maturation.

Efficacy and safety of Tianqi Pingchan Granule, a compound Chinese herbal medicine, for levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) undergoing long-term levodopa therapy are prone to develop levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID). Amantadine is the main drug recommended for the treatment of LID by current guidelines, but it is far from meeting clinical needs. Tianqi Pingchan Granule (TPG), a compound Chinese herbal medicine, has been developed to relieve symptom of LID. OBJECTIVE: This randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of the combination of TPG and amantadine for LID. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTIONS: This is a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial, conducted from January 2020 to August 2021 at 6 sites in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, China. One hundred PD patients with ≥ 0.5 h of LID were randomly assigned to either the TPG plus amantadine group (TPG group) or the placebo plus amantadine group (placebo group), and treated for a period of 12 weeks. To ensure unbiased results, all study participants, investigators and sponsors were unaware of group allocations. Additionally, the data analysts remained blinded until the analysis was finalized. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was assessed using the Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale (UDysRS) (Range 0-104). The key secondary end point was improvement of motor and non-motor symptoms. Safety analyses included all enrolled patients. RESULTS: One hundred patients were enrolled and randomized into the two treatment groups. The changes in UDysRS at week 12 were -11.02 for the TPG group and -4.19 for the placebo group (treatment difference -6.83 [-10.53 to -3.12]; P = 0.0004). Adverse events were reported for 2 of 50 patients (4.0%) in each of the groups. CONCLUSION: This study indicated that a 12-week treatment of amantadine plus TPG effectively reduced UDysRS scores and was well tolerated, demonstrating the efficacy and safety of TPG for the treatment of LID in PD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04173832. PLEASE CITE THIS ARTICLE AS: Zhang Y, Zhu XB, Zhao Y, Cui GY, Li WT, Yuan CX, Huang JP, Wan Y, Wu N, Song L, Zhao JH, Liang Y, Xu CY, Liu MJ, Gao C, Chen XX, Liu ZG. Efficacy and safety of Tianqi Pingchan Granule, a compound Chinese herbal medicine, for levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. J Integr Med. 2024; 22(5): 545-551.

Electromagnetic porous lignocellulosic matrix composites: A green electromagnetic shielding material with high absorption efficient electromagnetic interference.

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials play a vital role in human society, especially in light of the rapid development of electronic communication equipment. Therefore, it is urgent to develop green, high-efficiency EMI shielding materials. Wood, as a renewable raw material, possesses significant structural advantages in studying EMI materials due to its unique 3D pore structure. Herein, we report magnetoelectric lignocellulosic matrix composites derived from the delignified wood for efficient EMI shielding. The composite was fabricated by in-situ polymerization of PEDOT conductive coating and magnetic Fe3O4 in delignified wood. The conductive 3D pore structure of Fe3O4/PEDOT@wood could effectively cause dielectric loss and multiple internal reflections. Combined with the magnetic loss of Fe3O4, the material exhibited excellent EMI shielding effectiveness (SE), which could be attributed to the synergistic effect of dielectric and magnetic losses. The Fe3O4/PEDOT@wood showed excellent conductivity (103 S/m), good magnetism (26.7 emu/g), the EMI SE up to 59.8 dB, and high SEA/SET ratios of∼84.2 % to 95.7 % at 2 mm in X -band. Moreover, the material exhibited a high compressive strength and tensile strength of 100.8 MPa and 18.1 MPa, respectively. Therefore, this work provided a reference for the preparation of high-efficiency EMI shielding materials.

Multimodal frontal neuroimaging markers predict longitudinal craving reduction in abstinent individuals with heroin use disorder.

The variation in improvement among individuals with addiction after abstinence is a critical issue. Here, we aimed to identify robust multimodal markers associated with high response to 8-month abstinence in the individuals with heroin use disorder (HUD) and explore whether the identified markers could be generalized to the individuals with methamphetamine use disorder (MUD). According to the median of craving changes, 53 individuals with HUD with 8-month abstinence were divided into two groups: higher craving reduction and lower craving reduction. At baseline, clinical variables, cortical thickness and subcortical volume, fractional anisotropy (FA) of fibers and resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) were extracted. Different strategies (single metric, multimodal neuroimaging fusion and multimodal neuroimaging-clinical data fusion) were used to identify reliable features for discriminating the individuals with HUD with higher craving reduction from those with lower reduction. The generalization ability of the identified features was validated in the 21 individuals with MUD. Multimodal neuroimaging-clinical fusion features with best performance was achieved an 87.1 ± 3.89% average accuracy in individuals with HUD, with a moderate accuracy of 66.7% when generalizing to individuals with MUD. The multimodal neuroimaging features, primarily converging in frontal regions (e.g., the left superior frontal (LSF) thickness, FA of the LSF-occipital tract, and RSFC of left middle frontal-right superior temporal lobe), collectively contributed to prediction alongside dosage and attention impulsiveness. In this study, we identified the validated multimodal frontal neuroimaging markers associated with higher response to long-term abstinence and revealed insights for the neural mechanisms of addiction abstinence, contributing to clinical strategies and treatment for addiction.

Halogen-Bonded Organic Frameworks (XOFs) Based on N⋠⋠⋠Br+⋠⋠⋠N Bonds: Robust Organic Networks Constructed by Fragile Bonds.

Organic frameworks face a trade-off between the framework stability and the bond dynamics, which necessitates the development of innovative linkages that can generate stable frameworks without hindering efficient synthesis. Although iodine(I)-based halogen-bonded organic frameworks (XOFs) have been developed, constructing XOFs based on bromine(I) is desirable yet challenging due to the high sensitivity of bromine(I) species. In this work, we present the inaugural construction of stable bromine(I)-bridged two-dimensional (2D) halogen-bonded organic frameworks, XOF(Br)-TPy-BF4/OTf, based on sensitive [N⋅⋅⋅Br⋅⋅⋅N]+ halogen bonds. The formation of XOF(Br)-TPy-BF4/OTf was monitored by 1H NMR, XPS, IR, SEM, TEM, HR-TEM, SEAD. Their framework structures were established by the results from PXRD, theoretical simulations and SAXS. More importantly, XOF(Br) displayed excellent chemical and thermal stabilities. They exhibited stable two-dimensional framework structures in various organic solvents and aqueous media, even over a wide pH range (pH 3-12), while the corresponding model compounds BrPy2BF4/OTf decomposed quickly even in the presence of minimal water. Furthermore, the influence of the counterions were investigated by replacing BF4 with OTf, which improved the stability of XOF(Br). This characteristic enabled XOF(Br) to serve as an efficient oxidizing reagent in aqueous environments, in contrast with the sensitivity of BrPy2BF4/OTf, which performed well only in organic media. This study not only deepens our fundamental understanding of organic frameworks but also opens new avenues for the development and application of multifunctional XOFs.

Decreased resting-state functional connectivity and brain network abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex of elderly patients with Parkinson's disease accompanied by depressive symptoms.

This study aimed to explore the brain network characteristics in elderly patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) with depressive symptoms. Thirty elderly PD patients with depressive symptoms (PD-D) and 26 matched PD patients without depressive symptoms (PD-NOD) were recruited based on HAMD-24 with a cut-off of 7. The resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) was conducted by 53-channel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). There were no statistically significant differences in MMSE scores, disease duration, Hoehn-Yahr stage, daily levodopa equivalent dose, and MDS-UPDRS III between the two groups. However, compared to the PD-NOD group, the PD-D group showed significantly higher MDS-UPDRS II, HAMA-14, and HAMD-24. The interhemispheric FC strength and the FC strength between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC-L) and the left frontal polar area (FPA-L) was significantly lower in the PD-D group (FDR p < 0.05). As for graph theoretic metrics, the PD-D group had significantly lower degree centrality (aDc) and node efficiency (aNe) in the DLPFC-L and the FPA-L (FDR, p < 0.05), as well as decreased global efficiency (aEg). Pearson correlation analysis indicated moderate negative correlations between HAMD-24 scores and the interhemispheric FC strength, FC between DLPFC-L and FPA-L, aEg, aDc in FPA-L, aNe in DLPFC-L and FPA-L. In conclusion, PD-D patients show decreased integration and efficiency in their brain networks. Furthermore, RSFC between DLPFC-L and FPA-L regions is negatively correlated with depressive symptoms. These findings propose that targeting DLPFC-L and FPA-L regions via non-invasive brain stimulation may be a potential intervention for alleviating depressive symptoms in elderly PD patients.

Associations of Triglycerides and Atherogenic Index of Plasma with Brain Structure in the Middle-Aged and Elderly Adults.

Triglyceride (TG) and atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) have been acknowledged to be risk factors for vascular insults, but their impacts on the brain system remain elusive. To fill in some gaps, we investigated associations of TG and AIP with brain structure, leveraging the UK Biobank database. TG and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were examined at baseline and AIP was calculated as log (TG/HDL-C). We build several linear regression models to estimate associations of TG and AIP with volumes of brain grey matter phenotypes. Significant inverse associations of TG and AIP with volumes of specific subcortical traits were observed, among which TG and AIP were most significantly associated with caudate nucleus (TG: ß [95% confidence interval CI] = -0.036 [-0.051, -0.022], AIP: -0.038 [-0.053, -0.023]), thalamus (-0.029 [-0.042, -0.017], -0.032 [-0.045, -0.019]). Higher TG and AIP were also considerably related with reduced cortical structure volumes, where two most significant associations of TG and AIP were with insula (TG: -0.035 [-0.048, -0.022], AIP: -0.038 [-0.052, -0.025]), superior temporal gyrus (-0.030 [-0.043, -0.017], -0.033 [-0.047, -0.020]). Modification effects of sex and regular physical activity on the associations were discovered as well. Our findings show adverse associations of TG and AIP with grey matter volumes, which has essential public health implications for early prevention in neurodegenerative diseases.

Enhancing Few-Shot Learning in Lightweight Models via Dual-Faceted Knowledge Distillation.

In recent computer vision research, the pursuit of improved classification performance often leads to the adoption of complex, large-scale models. However, the actual deployment of such extensive models poses significant challenges in environments constrained by limited computing power and storage capacity. Consequently, this study is dedicated to addressing these challenges by focusing on innovative methods that enhance the classification performance of lightweight models. We propose a novel method to compress the knowledge learned by a large model into a lightweight one so that the latter can also achieve good performance in few-shot classification tasks. Specifically, we propose a dual-faceted knowledge distillation strategy that combines output-based and intermediate feature-based methods. The output-based method concentrates on distilling knowledge related to base class labels, while the intermediate feature-based approach, augmented by feature error distribution calibration, tackles the potential non-Gaussian nature of feature deviations, thereby boosting the effectiveness of knowledge transfer. Experiments conducted on MiniImageNet, CIFAR-FS, and CUB datasets demonstrate the superior performance of our method over state-of-the-art lightweight models, particularly in five-way one-shot and five-way five-shot tasks.

The Identification of Goat KCNJ15 Gene Copy Number Variation and Its Association with Growth Traits.

(1) Background: Copy number variation (CNV) is a critical component of genome structural variation and has garnered significant attention. High-throughput screening of the KCNJ15 gene has revealed a correlation between the CNV region and the growth traits of goats. We aimed to identify the CNV of the KCNJ15 gene in five goat breeds and analyze its association with growth characteristics. (2) Methods: We utilized 706 goats from five breeds: Guizhou black goat (GZB), Guizhou white goat (GZW), Bohuai goat (BH), Huai goat (HH), and Taihang goat (TH). To evaluate the number of copies of the KCNJ15 gene using qPCR, we analyzed the correlation between the CNV and growth characteristics and then used a universal linear model. The findings revealed variations in the distribution of different copy number types among the different goat breeds. (3) Results: Association analysis revealed a positive influence of the CNV in the KCNJ15 gene on goat growth. In GZB, individuals with duplication types exhibited superior performance in terms of cannon bone circumference (p < 0.05). In HH, individuals with duplication types exhibited superior performance in terms of body slanting length (p < 0.05). Conversely, normal TH demonstrated better body height and body weight (p < 0.05), while in GZW, when CN = 3, it performed better than other types in terms of body weight and chest circumference (p < 0.05). However, in BH, it had no significant effect on growth traits. (4) Conclusions: We confirmed that the CNV in the KCNJ15 gene significantly influences the growth characteristics of four distinct goat breeds. The correlation between KCNJ15 gene CNVs and goat growth traits offers valuable insights to breeders, enabling them to employ precise and efficient breeding methods that enhance livestock welfare, productivity, and overall economic benefits in the industry.

Tailoring nonuniform local orbital angular momentum density.

As is well known, a light beam with a helical phase carries an optical orbital angular momentum (OAM), which can cause the orbital motion of trapped microparticles around the beam axis. Usually, the speed of the orbital motion is uniform along the azimuthal direction and depends on the amount of OAM and the light intensity. Here, we present the reverse customized method to tailor the nonuniform local OAM density along the azimuthal direction of the focal field, which has a hybrid polarization distribution and maintains a doughnut-shaped intensity profile. Theoretical analysis and experimental results about the orbital motion of the trapped polystyrene sphere show that the nonuniform local OAM density can be tailored by manipulating the polarization states of the focal field. Our results provide an ingenious way to control the local tangential optical force and the speed of the orbital motion of particles driven by the local OAM density and will promote exciting possibilities for exploring ways to control the mechanical dynamics of microparticles in optical trapping and microfluidics.

Transcriptomics and metabolomics of blood, urine and ovarian follicular fluid of yak at induced estrus stage.

To gain a deeper understanding of the metabolic differences within and outside the body, as well as changes in transcription levels following estrus in yaks, we conducted transcriptome and metabolome analyses on female yaks in both estrus and non-estrus states. The metabolome analysis identified 114, 13, and 91 distinct metabolites in urine, blood, and follicular fluid, respectively. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis highlighted an enrichment of pathways related to amino acid and lipid metabolism across all three body fluids. Our transcriptome analysis revealed 122 differentially expressed genes within microRNA (miRNA) and 640 within long non-coding RNA (lncRNA). Functional enrichment analysis of lncRNA and miRNA indicated their involvement in cell signaling, disease resistance, and immunity pathways. We constructed a regulatory network composed of 10 lncRNAs, 4 miRNAs, and 30 mRNAs, based on the targeted regulation relationships of the differentially expressed genes. In conclusion, the accumulation of metabolites such as amino acids, steroids, and organic acids, along with the expression changes of key genes like miR-129 during yak estrus, provide initial insights into the estrus mechanism in yaks.

Automatic measurement system for large-aperture-angle non-holonomic spherical stitching with laser differential confocal interference.

In response to the urgent need for highly precise and efficient stitching measurements of large-aperture-angle non-holonomic spherical surfaces, a differential confocal interference automatic stitching measurement system for large-aperture-angle non-holonomic spherical surfaces was developed. The system realizes precise positioning of the confocal position through differential confocal precise focusing technology. Through the stitching model, coordinate transformation and error compensation were performed on subaperture data, and the stitching measurement of the spherical surface shape was realized. The positions and postures of the tested samples were adjusted automatically using an automatic adjustment workbench. The stitching measurement accuracy of this measurement system can attain 0.0013λ, relative error can attain 1.36%, and measurement time for eight subaperture stitching is 6 min. This system achieves automatic and rapid adjustment of large-aperture-angle spherical elements and high-precision, nondestructive, fast, and automatic measurement of surface stitching.

Impact of STAT5A-CNVs on growth traits in Chinese beef cattle breeds.

CNVs, which are a type of structural variation, make a substantial impact on diverse characteristics in multiple species. Q-PCR and data association analysis were used for STAT5A gene copy in this study. This study aimed to investigate the copy number variation (CNV) of the STAT5A gene in seven Chinese cattle breeds, namely Qinchuan cattle, Xianan cattle, Yunling cattle, Ji'an cattle, Jiaxian Red cattle, Qaidam cattle, and Guyuan yellow cattle. Blood samples were collected for CNV typing, and the correlation between CNV type and growth traits was analyzed using SPSS 23.0 software and ANOVA. The findings revealed variations in the distribution of different copy number types among the different cattle breeds. Furthermore, association analysis demonstrated a positive impact of CNV in the STAT5A gene on cattle growth: in the JX, individuals with duplication types exhibited superior performance in terms of rump length (P < 0.05). Conversely, normal GY cattle demonstrated better body height and abdomen circumference (P < 0.05), while QD cattle exhibited a significant correlation between weight and body length with normal individuals (P < 0.05). Moreover, QC bovine duplication individuals outperformed other types, with copy number variation significantly associated with chest depth, chest width, and body length (P < 0.05). The results validate the correlation between copy number variation (CNV) of the STAT5A gene and growth characteristics in five different cattle breeds, providing a reliable benchmark for the purpose of cattle breeding.

Therapeutic effects of high-dose vitamin C supplementation in patients with COVID-19: a meta-analysis.

CONTEXT: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could induce the "cytokine storm" due to overactivation of immune system and accompanied by acute respiratory distress syndrome as a serious complication. Vitamin C has been effective in improving lung function of patients by reducing inflammation. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to explore the therapeutic effects of high-dose vitamin C supplementation for patients with COVID-19 using meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: Published studies were searched from PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EMBASE, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases up to August 2022 using the terms "vitamin C" and "COVID-19". Data analyses were performed independently by 2 researchers using the PRISMA guidelines. DATA EXTRACTION: Heterogeneity between the included studies was assessed using I2 statistics. When I2 ≥50%, the random-effects model was used; otherwise, a fixed-effects model was applied. Stata 14.0 software was used to pool data by standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% CIs or odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs. DATA ANALYSIS: The 14 studies had a total of 751 patients and 1583 control participants in 7 randomized controlled trials and 7 retrospective studies. The vitamin C supplement significantly increased ferritin (SMD = 0.272; 95% CI: 0.059 to 0.485; P = 0.012) and lymphocyte count levels (SMD = 0.376; 95% CI: 0.153 to 0.599; P = 0.001) in patients with COVID-19. Patients administered vitamin C in the length of intensive care unit staying (SMD = 0.226; 95% CI: 0.073 to 0.379; P = 0.004). Intake of vitamin C prominently alleviate disease aggravation (OR = 0.344, 95%CI: 0.135 to 0.873, P = 0.025). CONCLUSIONS: High-dose vitamin C supplementation can alleviate inflammatory response and hinder the aggravation of COVID-19.

Potential Ability of Probiotics in the Prevention and Treatment of Colorectal Cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in the world, and its incidence rate and mortality are on the rise in many countries. In recent years, with the improvement of economic conditions, people's living habits have changed, including lack of physical activity, poor diet patterns and circadian rhythm disorder. These risk factors can change the colon environment and the composition of intestinal microbiota. This state is called intestinal imbalance, which increases the risk of cancer. Probiotics, a class of microorganisms that help maintain gut microbial homeostasis and alleviate dysbiosis, may help prevent inflammation and colorectal cancer. These probiotics inhibit or ameliorate the effects of dysbiosis through the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), modulation of immunity, maintenance of the intestinal epithelial barrier, pro-apoptotic mechanisms, and other mechanisms. This review aims to explain the interaction between probiotics, the gut microenvironment and the gut microbiota, and summarize reports on the possibility of probiotics in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer.