Global, regional, and national trends in metabolic risk factor-associated mortality among the working-age population from 1990-2019: An age-period-cohort analysis of the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic diseases contribute significantly to premature mortality worldwide, with increasing burdens observed among the working-age population (WAP). This study assessed global, regional, and national trends in metabolic disorders and associated mortality over three decades in WAP. METHODS: Data from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study were leveraged to assess global metabolism-associated mortality and six key metabolic risk factors in WAP from 1990-2019. An age-period-cohort model was employed to determine the overall percentage change in mortality. RESULTS: The 2019 global metabolic risk-related mortality rate in WAP rose significantly by 50.73%, while the age-standardized mortality rate declined by 21.5%. India, China, Indonesia, the USA, and the Russian Federation were the top contributing countries to mortality in WAP, accounting for 51.01% of the total. High systolic blood pressure (HSBP), high body mass index (HBMI), and high fasting plasma glucose (HFPG) were the top metabolic risk factors for the highest mortality rates. Adverse trends in HBMI-associated mortality were observed, particularly in lower sociodemographic index (SDI) regions. HFPG-related mortality declined globally but increased in older age groups in lower SDI countries. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a general decline in metabolic risk-related deaths in WAP, increasing HBMI- and HFPG-related mortality in lower SDI areas poses ongoing public health challenges. Developing nations should prioritize interventions addressing HBMI and HFPG to mitigate mortality risks in WAP.

Predictive models for functional cure in patients with CHB receiving PEG-IFN therapy based on HBsAg quantification through meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The efficacy of achieving HBsAg clearance through pegylated interferon (PEG-IFNα) therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) remains uncertain, especially regarding the probability of achieving functional cure among patients with varying baseline HBsAg levels. We aimed to investigate the predictive value of HBsAg quantification for HBsAg seroclearance in CHB patients undergoing PEG-IFNα treatment. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library up to January 11, 2022. Subgroup analyses were performed for HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative patients, PEG-IFNα monotherapy and PEG-IFNα combination therapy, treatment-naive and treatment-experienced patients, and patients with or without liver cirrhosis. RESULTS: This predictive model incorporated 102 studies. The overall HBsAg clearance rates at the end of treatment (EOT) and the end of follow-up (EOF) were 10.6% (95% CI 7.8-13.7%) and 11.1% (95% CI 8.4-14.1%), respectively. Baseline HBsAg quantification was the most significant factor. According to the model, it is projected that when baseline HBsAg levels are 100, 500, 1500, and 10,000 IU/ml, the HBsAg clearance rates at EOF could reach 53.9% (95% CI 40.4-66.8%), 32.1% (95% CI 24.8-38.7%), 14.2% (95% CI 9.8-18.8%), and 7.9% (95% CI 4.2-11.8%), respectively. Additionally, treatment-experienced patients with HBeAg-negative status, and without liver cirrhosis exhibited higher HBsAg clearance rates after PEG-IFNα treatment. CONCLUSION: A successful predictive model has been established to predict the achievement of functional cure in CHB patients receiving PEG-IFNα therapy.

The Expression and Function of Notch Involved in Ovarian Development and Fecundity in Basilepta melanopus.

Basilepta melanopus is a pest that severely affects oil tea plants, and the Notch signaling pathway plays a significant role in the early development of insect ovaries. In this study, we explored the function of the notch gene within the Notch signaling pathway in the reproductive system of B. melanopus. The functional domains and expression patterns of Bmnotch were analyzed. Bmnotch contains 45 epidermal growth factor-like (EGF-like) domains, one negative regulatory region, one NODP domain and one repeat-containing domain superfamily. The qPCR reveals heightened expression in early developmental stages and specific tissues like the head and ovaries. The RNA interference (RNAi)-based suppression of notch decreased its expression by 52.1%, exhibiting heightened sensitivity to dsNotch at lower concentrations. Phenotypic and mating experiments have demonstrated that dsNotch significantly impairs ovarian development, leading to reduced mating frequencies and egg production. This decline underscores the Notch pathway's crucial role in fecundity. The findings advocate for RNAi-based, Notch-targeted pest control as an effective and sustainable strategy for managing B. melanopus populations, signifying a significant advancement in forest pest control endeavors.

Multi-step validation of a deep learning-based system with visual explanations for optical diagnosis of polyps with advanced features.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been found to assist in optical differentiation of hyperplastic and adenomatous colorectal polyps. We investigated whether AI can improve the accuracy of endoscopists' optical diagnosis of polyps with advanced features. We introduced our AI system distinguishing polyps with advanced features with more than 0.870 of accuracy in the internal and external validation datasets. All 19 endoscopists with different levels showed significantly lower diagnostic accuracy (0.410-0.580) than the AI. Prospective randomized controlled study involving 120 endoscopists into optical diagnosis of polyps with advanced features with or without AI demonstration identified that AI improved endoscopists' proportion of polyps with advanced features correctly sent for histological examination (0.960 versus 0.840, p < 0.001), and the proportion of polyps without advanced features resected and discarded (0.490 versus 0.380, p = 0.007). We thus developed an AI technique that significantly increases the accuracy of colorectal polyps with advanced features.

Washed microbiota transplantation: a case report of clinical success with skin and gut microbiota improvement in an adolescent boy with atopic dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, recurrent inflammatory disease characterized by itching. The gut microbiome can help maintain skin immune homeostasis by regulating innate and adaptive immunity. Here, we report a case of AD in a 15-year-old adolescent boy who benefited from washed microbiota transplantation (WMT). WMT was performed for three courses, with each course lasting for three consecutive days and an interval of one month between two courses. Clinical assessments were conducted at each WMT course, and skin, blood, and stool samples were collected for microbial analysis. After three months of WMT treatment, the boy's itchiness was effectively controlled: his skin showed noticeable improvement, with reduced Staphylococcus aureus in the skin lesions. The scores of SCORAD (SCORing Atopic Dermatitis), EASI (Eczema Area and Severity Index), NRS (Numerical Rating Scale), and DLQI (Dermatology Life Quality Index) significantly decreased compared to the baseline. Serum levels of eosinophil ratio, tumor necrotic factor-α, and interleukin-6 also reduced to the normal levels. There was a significant decrease in S. aureus in the skin lesions. Additionally, the intestinal flora became more diverse, and the abundance of Bifidobacterium species, significantly increased after WMT. No adverse events were reported during the treatment and the 1-year follow-up period. This case report provides direct clinical evidence for WMT as a novel promising treatment strategy for AD, and preliminary experimental data suggests the existence of an intestinal-skin axis in terms of the gut microbiota and the skin immune homeostasis.

Repellent Screening of Selected Plant Essential Oils Against Dengue Fever Mosquitoes Using Behavior Bioassays.

Among the efforts to reduce mosquito-transmitted diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever, essential oils (EOs) have become increasingly popular as natural replacements for the repellant DEET. In this study, seven commercially available plant EOs against Aedes species mosquitoes were evaluated for their complete protection time (CPT, min) in vivo using human-hand in cage tests (GB2009/China and WHO2009). Among the EOs with the highest efficacy in repelling mosquitoes, Aedes albopictus (Skuse) were clove bud oil and patchouli oil. Both were further assessed according to the in vivo method recommended by the WHO, to determine their minimum effective dose and CPT. A comparison of the ED50 values (dose yielding a 50% repellent response) of these two EOs against Aedes aegypti(L.) showed that the ED50 (2.496 µg/cm2) of patchouli oil was 1248 times higher than that of clove bud oil (0.002 µg/cm2), thus demonstrating them greater efficacy of the latter in repelling Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. For the 2 EOs, eugenol was the major component with higher than 80% in relative amount of the clove bud oil. The patchouli oil had more than 30% of character chemical patchouli alcohol along with α-bulnesene (10.962%), α-guaiene (9.227%), and seychellene (7.566%). Clove bud oil was found to confer longer complete protection than patchouli oil against a common species of mosquito. These results suggest use of EOs as safe, highly potent repellents for use in daily life and against mosquito-transmitted diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever.

Inhibiting pyroptosis: novel immune evasion strategies for pathogens.

Pyroptosis is a type of programmed cell death mediated by the Gasdermin family. It is triggered in response to pathogen infection or other danger signals. The activation of Gasdermins leads to pyroptosis and the release of large amounts of inflammatory cytokines. Pyroptosis plays a crucial role in combating pathogen infections, as it helps to eliminate infected cells and activate the immune system. However, pathogens have already developed sophisticated strategies to evade or inhibit pyroptosis, allowing them to persist and facilitate infection. This review provides an overview of the discovery of pyroptosis and its importance in anti-infectious immunity. We also discuss several new strategies for inhibiting pyroptosis by pathogens. A thorough learning of the occurrence and regulation of pyroptosis may reveal the pathogenesis of related infectious diseases and contribute to developing effective anti-infective therapeutic strategies.

FOXO3-induced lncRNA LOC554202 contributes to hepatocellular carcinoma progression via the miR-485-5p/BSG axis.

Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) have played very important roles in the malignancy behaviors of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). LncRNA LOC554202 (LOC554202) was a newly identified tumor-related lncRNA. However, its expression and function in HCC remained unknown. In this study, we firstly reported that LOC554202 expression was distinctly upregulated in HCC specimens and cell lines. Clinical assays indicated that increased LOC554202 expression had a diagnostic value for HCC patients and was positively associated with advanced stages and poor clinical prognosis. Additionally, forkhead box O3(FOXO3) could bind directly to the LOC554202 promoter region and activate its transcription. Functionally, we observed that knockdown of LOC554202 suppressed the proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) progress of HCC cells, and promoted apoptosis. Mechanistically, LOC554202 competitively bound to miR-485-5p and prevented the suppressive effects of miR-485-5p on its target gene basigin (BSG), which finally led to HCC metastasis, EMT, and docetaxel chemoresistance. Our data demonstrated that FOXO3-induced LOC554202 contributed to HCC progression by upregulating BSG via competitively binding to miR-485-5p, which suggested that the regulation of the FOXO3/LOC554202/miR-485-5p/BSG axis may have beneficial effects in the treatment of HCC.

The efficacy and safety of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors versus chemotherapy in patients with previously treated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for non-small cell lung cancer is widely used in clinical practice. However, there has not been a systematic statistical proof of the efficacy of PD-1 inhibitors in patients with advanced cancer. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate its efficacy and related influencing factors, so as to provide a basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness and safety of programmed death-1 (PD-1)/PD ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors versus chemotherapy as second-line or late-line treatment for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) via a systematic review of published randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS: Studies were identified through PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library electronic databases. RevMan 5.3.5 was used to analyze the data extracted from all eligible studies. RESULTS: All 4122 eligible patients from 8 RCTs were included in this study. The meta-analysis showed that PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors could significantly improve overall survival (hazards ratio [HR] 0.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.66-0.77, P < .001), progression-free survival (HR 0.88, 95%CI 0.81-0.94, P = .01), and objective response rate (HR 2.03, 95%CI 1.66-2.49, P < .001) compared with chemotherapy drugs. The incidence of side effects of any grade (HR 0.34, 95%CI 0.29-0.39, P < .001) or grades 3 to 5 (HR 0.15, 95%CI 0.10-0.23, P < .001) consistently showed that PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors were safer than chemotherapy. Furthermore, subgroup analysis based on tumor proportion score or pathology classification revealed that PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors significantly improved overall survival compared with chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: As a second-line or late-line treatment, PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors are safer and more effective than chemotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC.

Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroup M7 Confers Disability in a Chinese Aging Population.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups have been associated with functional impairments (i.e., decreased gait speed and grip strength, frailty), which are risk factors of disability. However, the association between mtDNA haplogroups and ADL disability is still unclear. In this study, we conducted an investigation of 25 mtSNPs defining 17 major mtDNA haplogroups for ADL disability in an aging Chinese population. We found that mtDNA haplogroup M7 was associated with an increased risk of disability (OR = 3.18 [95% CI = 1.29-7.83], P = 0.012). The survival rate of the M7 haplogroup group (6.1%) was lower than that of the non-M7 haplogroup group (9.5%) after a 6-year follow-up. In cellular studies, cytoplasmic hybrid (cybrid) cells with the M7 haplogroup showed distinct mitochondrial functions from the M8 haplogroup. Specifically, the respiratory chain complex capacity was significantly lower in M7 haplogroup cybrids than in M8 haplogroup cybrids. Furthermore, an obvious decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and 40% reduced ATP-linked oxygen consumption were found in M7 haplogroup cybrids compared to M8 haplogroup cybrids. Notably, M7 haplogroup cybrids generated more reactive oxygen species (ROS) than M8 haplogroup cybrids. Therefore, the M7 haplogroup may contribute to the risk of disability via altering mitochondrial function to some extent, leading to decreased oxygen consumption, but increased ROS production, which may activate mitochondrial retrograde signaling pathways to impair cellular and tissue function.

Analysis of Chemosensory Genes in Full and Hungry Adults of Arma chinensis (Pentatomidae) Through Antennal Transcriptome.

The predatory insect Arma chinensis (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is widely distributed in China, where it is also used to control many agricultural and forest pests. The chemosensory genes expressed in its antennae play crucial roles in food-seeking and mating behaviors. To better understand the olfaction of A. chinensis antennae, we identified the genes related to food-seeking and mating. Sequencing of the antennal transcriptomes of full and hungry male and female A. chinensis revealed 38 odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), 1 chemosensory protein (CSP), 1 Niemann-Pick C2 protein (NPC2), 3 odorant receptors (ORs), 12 ionotropic receptors (IRs), 2 gustatory receptors (GRs), and 3 sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs). These results were used to construct phylogenetic trees. A quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that the relative transcript levels of AchiGR1, AchiGR2, and AchiOBP28 were higher in female than in male antennae in both full and hungry insects, but that the expression of AchiOBP13 and AchiOBP16 was higher only in full A. chinensis females. Thus, the latter genes may encode proteins involved in oviposition selection behavior. AchiGRs (1 and 2), AchiIR6, and AchiOBPs (6-8, 12, 20-22, 28, and 34) were highly expressed only in the antennae of full males, indicating the participation of these genes in mate-searching or male pheromone recognition. The expression of AchiOBP31 in the antennae of starved males, AchiOBPs (15, 18, and 29) in the antennae of starved females, and AchiOBPs (3, 4, and 24) in the antennae of starved males and females suggested that these genes encode food-seeking functions. Our identification of chemosensory genes in A. chinensis antennae and their differential expression in full and hungry insects provides the basis for further functional studies on the chemoreception system of A. chinensis and the sex hormones of predatory insects.

Effect of family support on quality of postoperative life in patients with digestive cancer.

BACKGROUND: Digestive tumors are malignant tumors of epithelial origin with high rates of morbidity and mortality worldwide. At present, surgery is the main treatment for patients with digestive tumors. In this study, we conducted a survey of patients with digestive cancers to explore the influence of family support on postoperative quality of life, with the aim of providing a basis of reference for further improvement of the quality of life of such patients. METHODS: A total of 82 patients with digestive cancer who underwent surgery in Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine between October, 2018 and April, 2019 were selected to take part. The self-made questionnaire, the European Cancer Research and Treatment Organization's Core Quality of Life Questionnaire for Cancer Patients, and the Family Support Scale were used to investigate the patients, and the collected data were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The family support scores of the 82 enrolled patients ranged from 5 to 15 points, with an average score of (8.86±2.47) points; 60 cases (73.17%) scored ≥10 points and 12 cases (26.83%) scored <10 points. Patients who were married, aged under 30 years old, or employed as civil servants had higher family support scores than other patients (P<0.05). The scores for physical function, emotional function, and overall health status/quality of life in patients who had a high family support score were higher than those in patients who had a low family support score (P<0.05). According to the logistic regression model, Patients with higher age, getting married, with education level of bachelor degree or above, occupation as farmer and with other digestive tract tumor got higher family support score. (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Good family support can effectively improve quality of postoperative life for patients with digestive cancer. Education, age, occupation and marriage are all independent factors that affect family support.

Assessment of mental health among nursing staff at different levels.

To assess the mental health of nurses and to find the post responsibility and psychological status of clinical nurses.A total of 447 nursing staff at different levels in a teaching hospital was assessed by nursing post responsibility scale and mental symptom checklist (SCL-90) then compared with each other. The study period was from April 1, 2018 to April 30, 2018.There was a positive correlation between the responsibility of post and interpersonal relationship (r = 0.11, P < .05), depression (r = 0.10, P < .05) and hostility (r = 0.10, P < .05). Post risk was negatively correlated with somatization (r = -0.10, P < .05), job involvement scope and communication ability were negatively correlated (r = -0.11, P < .05). Based on the multiple linear regression, knowledge and skills (ß = -0.20, P = .02) and risks of the post (ß=0.20, P < .01) both significantly related to SCL-90 total score.In conclusion, knowledge and skills and risks of the post associated with mental health of clinical nurses. The sustainable development of nursing post responsibility requires healthy physiological and mental health.

Construction of a risk score prognosis model based on hepatocellular carcinoma microenvironment.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer with a poor prognosis. Previous studies revealed that the tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an important role in HCC progression, recurrence, and metastasis, leading to poor prognosis. However, the effects of genes involved in TME on the prognosis of HCC patients remain unclear. Here, we investigated the HCC microenvironment to identify prognostic genes for HCC. AIM: To identify a robust gene signature associated with the HCC microenvironment to improve prognosis prediction of HCC. METHODS: We computed the immune/stromal scores of HCC patients obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas based on the ESTIMATE algorithm. Additionally, a risk score model was established based on Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) between high- and low-immune/stromal score patients. RESULTS: The risk score model consisting of eight genes was constructed and validated in the HCC patients. The patients were divided into high- or low-risk groups. The genes (Disabled homolog 2, Musculin, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 8, Galectin 3, B-cell-activating transcription factor, Killer cell lectin like receptor B1, Endoglin and adenomatosis polyposis coli tumor suppressor) involved in our risk score model were considered to be potential immunotherapy targets, and they may provide better performance in combination. Functional enrichment analysis showed that the immune response and T cell receptor signaling pathway represented the major function and pathway, respectively, related to the immune-related genes in the DEGs between high- and low-risk groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis confirmed the good potency of the risk score prognostic model. Moreover, we validated the risk score model using the International Cancer Genome Consortium and the Gene Expression Omnibus database. A nomogram was established to predict the overall survival of HCC patients. CONCLUSION: The risk score model and the nomogram will benefit HCC patients through personalized immunotherapy.

[Multifocal IgG4-related Autoimmune Pancreatitis:Report of One Case].

Autoimmune pancreatitis(AIP)is radiologically characterized by sausage-like diffuse swelling of the pancreatic parenchyma but may also be found as a localized mass that is easily misdiagnosed as a pancreatic neoplasm.AIP presenting as multifocal masses is rare.Here we report a case of multifocal IgG4-related AIP,in which the lesions grew in size and finally fused to become radiologically typical.

Multiclass heterogeneous domain adaptation via bidirectional ECOC projection.

Heterogeneous domain adaptation aims to exploit the source domain data to train a prediction model for the target domain with different input feature space. Current methods either map the data points from different domains with different feature space to a common latent subspace or use asymmetric projections for learning the classifier. However, these learning methods separate common space learning and shared classifier training. This may lead complex model structure and more parameters to be determined. To appropriately address this problem, we propose a novel bidirectional ECOC projection method, named HDA-ECOC, for heterogeneous domain adaptation. The proposed method projects the inputs and outputs (labels) of two domains into a common ECOC coding space, such that, the common space learning and the shared classifier training can be performed simultaneously. Then, classification of the target testing sample can be directly addressed by an ECOC decoding. Moreover, the unlabeled target data is exploited by estimating the two domains projected instances consistency through a maximum mean discrepancy (MMD) criterion. We formulate this method as a dual convex minimization problem and propose an alternating optimization algorithm for solving it. For performance evaluation, experiments are performed on cross-lingual text classification and cross-domain digital image classification with heterogeneous feature space. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is effective and efficient in solving the heterogeneous domain adaptation problems.