Green synthesis of reduced graphene oxide by using tropical microalgae and its application in biophotovoltaic devices.

The successful commercialization of algal biophotovoltaics (BPV) technology hinges upon a multifaceted approach, encompassing factors such as the development of a cost-efficient and highly conductive anode material. To address this issue, we developed an environmentally benign method of producing reduced graphene oxide (rGO), using concentrated Chlorella sp. UMACC 313 suspensions as the reducing agent. The produced rGO was subsequently coated on the carbon paper (rGO-CP) and used as the BPV device's anode. As a result, maximum power density was increased by 950% for Chlorella sp. UMACC 258 (0.210 mW m-2) and 781% for Synechococcus sp. UMACC 371 (0.555 mW m-2) compared to bare CP. The improved microalgae adhesion to the anode and improved electrical conductivity of rGO brought on by the effective removal of oxygen functional groups may be the causes of this. This study has demonstrated how microalgal-reduced GO may improve the efficiency of algal BPV for producing bioelectricity.

Single image super-resolution with denoising diffusion GANS.

Single image super-resolution (SISR) refers to the reconstruction from the corresponding low-resolution (LR) image input to a high-resolution (HR) image. However, since a single low-resolution image corresponds to multiple high-resolution images, this is an ill-posed problem. In recent years, generative model-based SISR methods have outperformed conventional SISR methods in performance. However, the SISR methods based on GAN, VAE, and Flow have the problems of unstable training, low sampling quality, and expensive computational cost. These models also struggle to achieve the trifecta of diverse, high-quality, and fast sampling. In particular, denoising diffusion probabilistic models have shown impressive variety and high quality of samples, but their expensive sampling cost prevents them from being well applied in the real world. In this paper, we investigate the fundamental reason for the slow sampling speed of the SISR method based on the diffusion model lies in the Gaussian assumption used in the previous diffusion model, which is only applicable for small step sizes. We propose a new Single Image Super-Resolution with Denoising Diffusion GANS (SRDDGAN) to achieve large-step denoising, sample diversity, and training stability. Our approach combines denoising diffusion models with GANs to generate images conditionally, using a multimodal conditional GAN to model each denoising step. SRDDGAN outperforms existing diffusion model-based methods regarding PSNR and perceptual quality metrics, while the added latent variable Z solution explores the diversity of likely HR spatial domain. Notably, the SRDDGAN model infers nearly 11 times faster than diffusion-based SR3, making it a more practical solution for real-world applications.

FIB-4 index is associated with mortality in critically ill patients with alcohol use disorder: Analysis from the MIMIC-IV database.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index and all-cause mortality in critically ill patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) is unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the predictive ability of FIB-4 for all-cause mortality in critically ill AUD patients and the association between them. METHODS: A total of 2528 AUD patients were included using the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database. FIB-4 was calculated for each patient using the existing formula. The patients were equally divided into four groups based on the quartiles of FIB-4. Multivariate logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard model were used to evaluate the association of FIB-4 with in-hospital mortality, 28-day mortality and 1-year mortality. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to analyse the incidence of 28-day mortality among four groups. RESULTS: FIB-4 was positively associated with 28-day mortality of AUD patients with hazard ratio (HR) of 1.354 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.192-1.538]. There were similar trends in the in-hospital mortality [odds ratio (OR): 1.440, 95% CI (1.239-1.674)] and 1-year mortality [HR: 1.325, 95% CI (1.178-1.490)]. CONCLUSION: Increased FIB-4 is associated with greater in-hospital mortality, 28-day mortality and 1-year mortality in critically ill AUD patients.

Simvastatin ameliorates synaptic plasticity impairment in chronic mild stress-induced depressed mice by modulating hippocampal NMDA receptor.

BACKGROUND: In our previous study, we showed simvastatin exerts an antidepressant effect and inhibits neuroinflammation. Given the role of synaptic impairment in depression development, we investigate the effect of simvastatin on synaptic plasticity in depression and the related mechanisms. METHODS: Electrophysiological analysis, Golgi staining, and transmission electron microscope were performed to analyze the effect of simvastatin on synaptic impairment in depression. In addition, the localization and reactivity of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) subunits and the downstream signaling were investigated to explore the mechanism of simvastatin's effect on synaptic plasticity. RESULTS: Simvastatin ameliorated the reduction of the magnitude of long-term potentiation (LTP) in Schaffer collateral-CA1, restored hippocampal dendritic spine density loss, improved the number of spine synapses, reversed the reduction in BrdU-positive cells in chronic mild stress (CMS)-induced depressed mice, and ameliorated NMDA-induced neurotoxicity in hippocampal neurons. Dysfunction of NMDAR activity in the hippocampus is associated with depression. Simvastatin treatment reversed the surface expression and phosphorylation changes of NMDAR subunits in NMDA-treated hippocampal neurons and depressed mice. In addition, simvastatin further increased the levels of mature BDNF, activating TrkB-Akt-mTOR signaling, which is critical for synaptic plasticity. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that simvastatin can improve the dysfunction of NMDAR and ameliorate hippocampal synaptic plasticity impairment in depressed mice.

Sensitivity of genotypically diverse rice varieties to radiation and the related changes to antioxidant enzyme activities.

PURPOSE: Radiation mutagenesis, which typically involves gamma rays, is important for generating new rice germplasm resources. Determining the appropriate radiation dose range is critical for the success of radiation mutagenesis. Clarifying the sensitivity and tolerance of genotypically diverse rice varieties to gamma irradiation as well as the radiation-induced changes to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and antioxidant enzyme activities is crucial for increasing the utility of radiation mutagenesis in rice breeding programs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The seeds of the following four rice varieties with different genotypes were used as test materials: indica Zhe 1613, glutinous indica Zhe 1708, japonica Zhejing 100, and glutinous japonica Zhenuo 65. Additionally,60Co was used as the source of gamma rays. The rice seeds were irradiated with 14 doses (0, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, and 750 Gy). Non-irradiated seeds were used as the control. The seedling survival rate for each variety was recorded at 3, 7, 14, and 28 days after sowing. Moreover, the median lethal dose (LD50) and critical dose (LD40) were calculated according to the seedling survival rates at 28 days after sowing. The seedling superoxide anion (O2•-), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents and the superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities were analyzed at 7 days after sowing. RESULTS: As the radiation dose increased, the seedling survival rate decreased. The seedling survival rate also decreased significantly as the number of days after sowing increased. Among the rice genotypes, the rank-order of the radiation tolerance was as follows: indica Zhe 1613 > glutinous indica Zhe 1708 > japonica Zhejing 100 > glutinous japonica Zhenuo 65. The LD50 values were 426.7 Gy for Zhe 1613, 329.2 Gy for Zhe 1708, 318.3 Gy for Zhejing 100, and 316.6 Gy for Zhenuo 65. Increases in the radiation dose resulted in significant increases in the seedling O2•- and H2O2 contents, but only up to a certain point. Further increases in the radiation dose caused the seedling O2•- and H2O2 contents to decrease. The H2O2 content for each variety peaked when the radiation dose was very close to the LD50. We propose that the radiation dose associated with the highest H2O2 content (±50 Gy) should be used as the recommended dose for the gamma irradiation of rice. The radiation dose that resulted in peak seedling O2•- contents in the analyzed rice varieties was very close to the LD40. In all rice varieties, the MDA content increased as the radiation dose increased. The SOD, CAT, POD, and APX activities increased as the radiation dose increased within a certain range (less than 600 Gy for Zhe 1613 and 400 Gy for the other varieties), but there were slight differences among the rice varieties. CONCLUSIONS: Genotypically diverse rice varieties vary regarding their sensitivity to gamma irradiation. Our findings suggest that ROS generation and antioxidant enzyme activities are important factors associated with the radiation mutagenesis of rice. The close relationship between the activities of key antioxidant enzymes, such as SOD, POD, APX, and CAT, and the LD50 and LD40 may be exploited to enhance radiation mutagenesis through the use of plant growth regulators.

Evaluation of the diagnostic efficacy of EC-Test for latent tuberculosis infection in ambulatory people with HIV.

BACKGROUND: Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is more likely to develop into active tuberculosis (ATB), recombinant Mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion protein ESAT6/CFP10 (EC-Test) is a latest developed method for LTBI. Compared with the interferon γ release test assays (IGRAs), the diagnostic performance of EC-Test to LTBI screening in HIV needs to be evaluated. METHODS: A population-based multicenter prospective study was conducted in Guangxi Province, China. The baseline data was collected and LTBI were measured by QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT), EC-Test and T-cell spot of the TB assay (T-SPOT.TB). RESULTS: A total of 1478 patients were enrolled. when taking T-SPOT.TB as reference, the value of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and consistency that EC-Test to diagnosis LTBI in HIV was 40.42, 97.98, 85.26, 85.04 and 85.06% respectively; when taking QFT-GIT as reference, the value was 36.00, 92.57, 55.10, 85.09 and 81.13%, respectively. When the CD4 + cell count was <200 cells/µl, the accuracies of EC-Test to T-SPOT.TB and QFT-GIT were 87.12 and 88.89%, respectively; when it was 200 ≤ CD4 + ≤ 500 cells/µl, the accuracies of EC-Test was 86.20 and 83.18%, respectively; when the CD4 + cell count >500 cells/µl, the accuracies of EC-Test were 84.29 and 77.94%, respectively. The incidence of adverse reactions in EC-Test was 34.23% and the serious adverse reactions were 1.15%. CONCLUSION: EC-Test has good consistency compared with IGRAs in detecting LTBI in HIV no matter in different immunosuppression status or different regions, and the safety of EC-Test is also well, suitable for LTBI screening in HIV in high prevalence settings.

CH4 and N2 O emissions from smallholder agricultural systems on tropical peatlands in Southeast Asia.

There are limited data for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from smallholder agricultural systems in tropical peatlands, with data for non-CO2 emissions from human-influenced tropical peatlands particularly scarce. The aim of this study was to quantify soil CH4 and N2 O fluxes from smallholder agricultural systems on tropical peatlands in Southeast Asia and assess their environmental controls. The study was carried out in four regions in Malaysia and Indonesia. CH4 and N2 O fluxes and environmental parameters were measured in cropland, oil palm plantation, tree plantation and forest. Annual CH4 emissions (in kg CH4 ha-1 year-1 ) were: 70.7 ± 29.5, 2.1 ± 1.2, 2.1 ± 0.6 and 6.2 ± 1.9 at the forest, tree plantation, oil palm and cropland land-use classes, respectively. Annual N2 O emissions (in kg N2 O ha-1 year-1 ) were: 6.5 ± 2.8, 3.2 ± 1.2, 21.9 ± 11.4 and 33.6 ± 7.3 in the same order as above, respectively. Annual CH4 emissions were strongly determined by water table depth (WTD) and increased exponentially when annual WTD was above -25 cm. In contrast, annual N2 O emissions were strongly correlated with mean total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) in soil water, following a sigmoidal relationship, up to an apparent threshold of 10 mg N L-1 beyond which TDN seemingly ceased to be limiting for N2 O production. The new emissions data for CH4 and N2 O presented here should help to develop more robust country level 'emission factors' for the quantification of national GHG inventory reporting. The impact of TDN on N2 O emissions suggests that soil nutrient status strongly impacts emissions, and therefore, policies which reduce N-fertilisation inputs might contribute to emissions mitigation from agricultural peat landscapes. However, the most important policy intervention for reducing emissions is one that reduces the conversion of peat swamp forest to agriculture on peatlands in the first place.

DECREASE IN THE PLATELET-TO-LYMPHOCYTE RATIO IN DAYS AFTER ADMISSION FOR SEPSIS CORRELATES WITH IN-HOSPITAL MORTALITY.

ABSTRACT: Background: A previous study has linked an increase in platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) to a poor prognosis; however, the relationship between early change in PLR and outcomes in sepsis patients is unclear. Methods : The Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV database was for this retrospective cohort analysis on patients meeting the Sepsis-3 criteria. All the patients meet the Sepsis-3 criteria. The platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) was calculated by dividing the platelet count by the lymphocyte count. We collected all PLR measurements that were available within 3 days of admission for analysis of longitudinal changes over time. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between the baseline PLR and in-hospital mortality. After correcting for possible confounders, the generalized additive mixed model was used to examine the trends in PLR over time among survivors and nonsurvivors. Results: Finally, 3,303 patients were enrolled, and both low and high PLR levels were significantly associated with higher in-hospital mortality in the multiple logistic regression analysis (tertile 1: odds ratio, 1.240; 95% confidence interval, 0.981-1.568 and tertile 3: odds ratio, 1.410; 95% confidence interval, 1.120-1.776, respectively). The generalized additive mixed model results revealed that the PLR of the nonsurvival group declined faster than that of the survival group within 3 days after intensive care unit admission. After controlling for confounders, the difference between the two groups steadily decreased and increased by an average of 37.38 daily. Conclusions : There was a U-shaped relationship between the baseline PLR and in-hospital mortality of sepsis patients, and there was a significant difference between the nonsurvival and survival groups in the change in PLR over time. The early decrease in PLR was related to an increase in in-hospital mortality.

WITHDRAWN: Hidrosmin Attenuates Inflammatory Response Induced by IL1ß by Suppressing the Activation of NF-κB Involving Nrf2/HO1 Pathway in Human Osteoarthritis Chondrocytes

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Aristolochic acid I promotes the invasion and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by activating the C3a/C3aR complement system.

Aristolochic acid is an established human carcinogen. Previous reports have demonstrated a link between aristolochic acid exposure and liver cancer prevalence in Asia. The C3a/C3AR axis plays an essential role in regulating cancer cell migration and invasion. Here, we focused on the relationship between AA I-induced migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in HCC cells, as well as the possible role of the C3a/C3AR axis in these effects. HCC cells were exposed to different concentrations of AA I for 24 h. Cell migration and invasion abilities were evaluated with wound healing assays and Transwell invasion assays. The protein and mRNA expression levels were detected by western blot, immunofluorescence and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays. Furthermore, the level of complement component C3a in the cell supernatant was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. C3aRA, a C3a receptor antagonist, was used to block the C3a-C3aR axis. The results showed that aristolochic acid I promoted HCC cell invasion and migration. AAI exposure also induced EMT in HCC cells through E-cadherin downregulation and Snail, N-cadherin, and vimentin upregulation. AAI exposure increased the levels of secreted C3a and the expression of C3aR protein and mRNA in HCC cells. We further found that AA I-induced C3a/C3AR activation was involved in these effects. AA I-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), cell migration, and invasion were decreased by C3aR inhibition. Overall, our results suggest that AA I induces HCC cell migration and invasion through the EMT process, which is regulated by C3a/C3aR axis activation.

Comparison of clinical and microbiological characteristics of community-acquired hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess in diabetic and non-diabetic patients.

Invasive infection caused by hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (HvKP) has been reported worldwide. Most of the patients are community population, related to diabetes mellitus (DM), chronic liver disease and other basic diseases, which prone to systemic migratory infection. In this study, we collected 377 patients with community acquired Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess in our hospital from January 2013 to December 2018, 65.8% of whom were male, and 49.6% had DM. Patients with DM are prone to eye and central nervous system (CNS) infection, which need continuous local abscess drainage during treatment. Among them, patients with poor blood glucose control have a higher rate of blood stream infections (BSI). 219 strains of HvKP were obtained, with K1/K2 Serotype accounted for 81.7%. The incidence of BSI in K2 patients was higher than that in K1 patients. The PCR results indicate that the carrying rate of virulence genes (rmpA、areo、kfu、allS、iroN、magA、uge、wcaG) in K1/K2 type strains is significantly higher than that in non K1/K2 type strains. ST23 and ST65 are the most common multilocus sequence typing (MLST), which belong to K1 and K2 Serotype respectively. All of HvKP strains showed high sensitivity to commonly used clinical antibiotics other than ampicillin, with 54.3% of the strains exhibiting high viscosity characteristics. Meanwhile, 35 classic Klebsiella pneumoniae (cKP) strains were collected, and their serum typing is mainly non K1/K2. The carrying rate of virulence genes and viscosity degree in HvKP are significantly higher than those in cKP. Primary liver abscess caused by HvKP is prone to multiple tissue and organ infections, but it shows higher sensitivity to most commonly used antibiotics in clinical practice except for ampicillin. After effective treatment, the overall prognosis of patients is better. This study analyzes the pathogenic characteristics of HvKP and elaborates on the clinical characteristics of patients, which can provide reference for clinical and scientific research work.

Continuous positive airway pressure treatment on blood pressure rhythm in hypertension patients with obstructive sleep apnea / 中华老年医学杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of continuous positive airway pressure(CPAP)on blood pressure and blood pressure rhythm in hypertensive patients with sleep apnea syndrome.Methods:Hypertensive patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome consecutively recruited between 2020 and 2022 were randomly divided into two groups, the CPAP group and the control group.Both groups were routinely treated with antihypertensive drugs, and patients in the CPAP group were additionally treated with CPAP for more than 4 hours at night.24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was conducted following 12 weeks of treatment, and the blood pressure rhythm was analyzed according to blood pressure results.Results:A total of 104 patients(40-73 years old)were enrolled in the study, with 51 patients(mean age: 57.3±9.1)in the CPAP group(58.8% male)and 53 patients(mean age: 58.3±8.1)in the control group(54.7% male). The results of 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring showed that, compared with the control group, the CPAP group achieved more effective blood pressure reduction in mean systolic blood pressure(SBP)[(134.6±8.4)mmHg vs.(138.2±5.9)mmHg, t=-2.54, P=0.013], mean DBP[(72.4±9.3)mmHg vs.(77.0±9.0), t=-2.56, P=0.012], mean nighttime SBP[(117.2±5.1)mmHg vs.(122.0±6.2)mmHg, t=-4.283, P<0.01]and mean nighttime DBP[(63.7±6.4)mmHg vs.(66.9±5.1)mmHg, t=-2.812, P<0.01). There was a significant increase in blood pressure dippers in the CPAP group(37.25% vs.18.87%, χ2=4.370, P=0.037). Conclusions:CPAP can significantly reduce 24-hour mean blood pressure and nocturnal blood pressure, and improve blood pressure rhythm in hypertensive patients with sleep apnea syndrome.

Correlation between cognitive impairment and cortical atrophy in elderly patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis / 中华健康管理学杂志

Objective:To analyze the correlation between cognitive impairment and cortical atrophy in elderly patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis (ACAS).Methods:In this cross-sectional study, 40 consecutive elderly patients with ACAS treated in the Department of Neurology, Northern Jiangsu People′s Hospital from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 (ACAS group), and 40 elderly healthy controls who accepted physical examination during the same period (control group) were included. Cognitive assessment was performed using the Mental State Examination Scale (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA), and brain magnetic resonance imaging scanning was performed in the ACAS group. The artificial intelligence technique was applied for brain lobe segmentation and cortical volume calculation. The χ2-test, independent sample t-test and Wilcoxon non-parametric test were used to analyze the difference of clinical data and cognitive scores between the two groups. In the ACAS group, the cortical volumes of the side with carotid stenosis was compared with that of the normal side, and Spearman′s correlation analysis was used to assess the correlation between cognitive scores and cortical atrophy. Results:Compared with the control group, the ACAS group got significantly lower scores of MMSE and MoCA, as well as lower scores of visuospatial executive function, attention and calculation, language function, abstraction ability and delayed recall [(25.60±2.49) vs (27.18±1.01), (22.05±3.59) vs (25.60±1.43), (2.73±1.04) vs (4.08±0.62), (4.53±0.93) vs (5.03±0.66), 2.00 (0.00) vs 3.00 (0.00), 1.00 (1.00) vs 2.00 (0.00), and (2.95±0.96) vs (3.35±0.62)] (all P<0.05). There was not significant differences in naming and orientation ability between the two groups (both P>0.05). The volume of cortical, temporal lobe, frontal lobe, parietal lobe and insular lobe on the side with carotid stenosis in the ACAS group were significantly smaller than those on the normal side [186.23 (177.97, 202.53) vs 194.67 (185.65, 204.82) cm 3, 54.74 (50.66, 56.95) vs 55.61 (51.24, 58.49) cm 3, 72.98 (70.76, 78.34) vs 75.27 (72.34, 80.66) cm 3, 53.66 (51.11, 57.86) vs 56.59 (52.80, 60.09) cm 3, 6.57 (6.35, 7.07) vs 6.72 (6.46, 7.34) cm 3] (all P<0.05). The MoCA score in the ACAS group was positively related to the cortical volume ratio of the two sides ( r=0.427, P<0.01). The attention ( r=0.353) and abstraction ( r=0.226) ability scores were positively correlated with the temporal lobe volume ratios of the two sides (both P<0.05). The visuospatial executive ( r=0.187) and language ( r=0.373) ability scores were positively correlated with frontal lobe volume ratios of the two sides (both P<0.05), and visuospatial executive ( r=0.386), naming ( r=0.344), language ( r=0.517), abstraction ( r=0.335) and delayed recall ( r=0.333) ability scores were positively correlated with parietal lobe volume ratios of the two sides (all P<0.05). Conclusion:In elderly patients with ACAS, the cognitive impairment and cortical atrophy on the sides with carotid stenosis are significant and a positive correlation is detected between them.

Longitudinal study of psychological distress trajectory and influencing factors in patients with primary acute myocardial infarction / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective:To explore the changes and influencing factors of psychological distress in patients with primary acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in different periods, and to provide reference for the management of psychological distress in patients with primary AMI.Methods:This was a longitudinal, prospective, observational study. From June 2021 to September 2022, 118 patients with primary AMI in Peking Union Medical College Hospital and Peking University First Hospital were selected as the research objects. The psychological distress level of patients was investigated on the points of 24 hours after illness (T 1), before discharge (T 2), 1 month after discharge (T 3), 3 months after discharge (T 4), 6 months after discharge (T 5) and 12 months after discharge (T 6), and the influencing factors were analyzed. Results:The detection rate of psychological distress in 6 follow-up survey nodes was 66.95% (79/118), 48.31% (57/118), 29.66% (35/118), 24.58% (29/118), 19.49% (23/118) and 15.25% (18/118) respectively. Education level, family per capita income and disease awareness had significant effects on the psychological distress of patients with primary AMI at the time points from T 1 to T 6 ( β values were - 1.262 to - 0.212, all P<0.05). Conclusions:The level of psychological distress in primary AMI patients decreased with time. Nursing staff should pay attention to the trajectory and influencing factors of psychological pain, and formulate targeted intervention measures to reduce the level of psychological pain and promote the comprehensive rehabilitation of patients.

Incidence and prognosis of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions related to infection of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain: a national multi-center survey of 35 566 population / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

Objective: This cross-sectional investigation aimed to determine the incidence, clinical characteristics, prognosis, and related risk factors of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain in mainland China. Methods: Data of patients with SARS-CoV-2 from December 28, 2022, to February 21, 2023, were collected through online and offline questionnaires from 45 tertiary hospitals and one center for disease control and prevention in mainland China. The questionnaire included demographic information, previous health history, smoking and alcohol drinking, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, olfactory and gustatory function before and after infection, other symptoms after infection, as well as the duration and improvement of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction. The self-reported olfactory and gustatory functions of patients were evaluated using the Olfactory VAS scale and Gustatory VAS scale. Results: A total of 35 566 valid questionnaires were obtained, revealing a high incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain (67.75%). Females(χ2=367.013, P<0.001) and young people(χ2=120.210, P<0.001) were more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Gender(OR=1.564, 95%CI: 1.487-1.645), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), oral health status (OR=0.881, 95%CI: 0.839-0.926), smoking history (OR=1.152, 95%CI=1.080-1.229), and drinking history (OR=0.854, 95%CI: 0.785-0.928) were correlated with the occurrence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2(above P<0.001). 44.62% (4 391/9 840) of the patients who had not recovered their sense of smell and taste also suffered from nasal congestion, runny nose, and 32.62% (3 210/9 840) suffered from dry mouth and sore throat. The improvement of olfactory and taste functions was correlated with the persistence of accompanying symptoms(χ2=10.873, P=0.001). The average score of olfactory and taste VAS scale was 8.41 and 8.51 respectively before SARS-CoV-2 infection, but decreased to3.69 and 4.29 respectively after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and recovered to 5.83and 6.55 respectively at the time of the survey. The median duration of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions was 15 days and 12 days, respectively, with 0.5% (121/24 096) of patients experiencing these dysfunctions for more than 28 days. The overall self-reported improvement rate of smell and taste dysfunctions was 59.16% (14 256/24 096). Gender(OR=0.893, 95%CI: 0.839-0.951), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), history of head and facial trauma(OR=1.180, 95%CI: 1.036-1.344, P=0.013), nose (OR=1.104, 95%CI: 1.042-1.171, P=0.001) and oral (OR=1.162, 95%CI: 1.096-1.233) health status, smoking history(OR=0.765, 95%CI: 0.709-0.825), and the persistence of accompanying symptoms (OR=0.359, 95%CI: 0.332-0.388) were correlated with the recovery of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2 (above P<0.001 except for the indicated values). Conclusion: The incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain is high in mainland China, with females and young people more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Active and effective intervention measures may be required for cases that persist for a long time. The recovery of olfactory and taste functions is influenced by several factors, including gender, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status, history of head and facial trauma, nasal and oral health status, smoking history, and persistence of accompanying symptoms.

Value Pursuit in Medical Ethics Education: A Dewey Style Understanding / 中国医学伦理学

In medical ethics education, there are two different research and education paths: medical ethics and medical anthropology. The former focuses on using theories and methods such as utilitarianism and contract theory, while the latter focuses on using theories and methods such as narrative medicine and emotion theory. The two paths are not closely related, resulting in the weak ecological structure of medical ethics education. Drawing on Dewey’s value education theory and based on his theory of human nature, this paper integrated the values of life and human nature into a coordinated and consistent goal of medical ethics education, used the two paths of "medicine-life value-life value education" and "medicine-human nature value-human nature value education" to conduct detailed argumentation, further grasped the concept of value philosophy, so as to provide an opportunity for future exploration of the integration of medical moral education and medical aesthetic education.

Mechanical Thrombectomy for Refractory Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis in a Child with Nephrotic Syndrome : A Case Report

Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is associated with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), which is a rare cerebrovascular disorder in children. Systemic anticoagulation with heparin is the standard therapy for CVST, and mechanical thrombectomy (MT) has been described as a salvage treatment for adult anticoagulant refractory CVST, However, it has never been reported in children. We describe a case of MT for refractory CVST in a child with NS. A 13-year-old boy with newly diagnosed NS presented to an emergency department with acute headache. A head computed tomography showed acute thrombus in the superior sagittal sinus, straight sinus and transverse sinus. The child was started on heparin therapy, but clinically deteriorated and became unresponsive. In view of the rapid deterioration of the condition after anticoagulation treatment, the patient received intravascular treatment. Several endovascular technologies, such as stent retriever and large bore suction catheter have been adopted. After endovascular treatment, the patient’s neurological condition was improved within 24 hours, and magnetic resonance venography of the head demonstrated that the CVST was reduced. The child recovered with normal neurological function at discharge. This case highlights the importance of considering MT for refractory CVST, and we suggest that MT may be considered for refractory CVST with NS in children.

Effects of betulinic acid on epithelial-mesenchymal transition of human gastric cancer MKN-45 cells / 中国药理学通报

Aim To observe the effect of betulinic acid (BA) on the migration and invasion of human gastric cancer MKN-45 cells induced by transforming growth factor-pi (TGF-β1), and to explore the effect of BA on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the potential mechanism. Methods The MKN-45 cells were cultivated in vitro, and the effects of different concentrations of BA on the proliferation of MKN-45 cells at 24, 48 and 72 h were detected using CCK-8 method. The effects of BA (5, 10, 20 jjunol • L) and TGF-01 inhibitor LY2109761 (10

Analysis of prognostic factors of extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma treated with pegaspargase/L-asparaginase: a multicenter retrospective study / 中华血液学杂志

Objective: To explore the prognostic factors of extracellular NK/T cell lymphoma (ENKTL) treated with pegaspargase/L-asparaginase. Methods: The clinical data of 656 ENKTL patients diagnosed at 11 medical centers in the Huaihai Lymphoma Working Group from March 2014 to April 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were randomly divided into two groups: a training set (460 cases) and a validation set (196 cases) at 7∶3, and the prognostic factors of the patients were analyzed. A prognostic scoring system was established, and the predictive performance of different models was compared. Results: Patients' median age was 46 (34, 57) years, with 456 males (69.5% ) and 561 nasal involvement (85.5% ). 203 patients (30.9% ) received a chemotherapy regimen based on L-asparaginase combined with anthracyclines, and the 5-year overall survival rate of patients treated with P-GEMOX regimen (pegaspargase+gemcitabine+oxaliplatin) was better than those treated with SMILE regimen (methotrexate+dexamethasone+cyclophosphamide+L-asparaginase+etoposide) (85.9% vs 63.8% ; P=0.004). The results of multivariate analysis showed that gender, CA stage, the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) score, HGB, and EB virus DNA were independent influencing factors for the prognosis of ENKTL patients (P<0.05). In this study, the predictive performance of the prognostic factors is superior to the international prognostic index, Korean prognostic index, and prognostic index of natural killer lymphoma. Conclusion: Gender, CA stage, ECOG PS score, HGB, and EB virus DNA are prognostic factors for ENKTL patients treated with pegaspargase/L-asparaginase.

Targeting autophagy and beyond: Deconvoluting the complexity of Beclin-1 from biological function to cancer therapy

Beclin-1 is the firstly-identified mammalian protein of the autophagy machinery, which functions as a molecular scaffold for the assembly of PI3KC3 (class III phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase) complex, thus controlling autophagy induction and other cellular trafficking events. Notably, there is mounting evidence establishing the implications of Beclin-1 in diverse tumorigenesis processes, including tumor suppression and progression as well as resistance to cancer therapeutics and CSC (cancer stem-like cell) maintenance. More importantly, Beclin-1 has been confirmed as a potential target for the treatment of multiple cancers. In this review, we provide a comprehensive survey of the structure, functions, and regulations of Beclin-1, and we discuss recent advances in understanding the controversial roles of Beclin-1 in oncology. Moreover, we focus on summarizing the targeted Beclin-1-regulating strategies in cancer therapy, providing novel insights into a promising strategy for regulating Beclin-1 to improve cancer therapeutics in the future.