Diagnostic values of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells (sTREM-1) and interferon-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) for severe mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children.

OBJECTIVE: Early diagnosis of Severity Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Pneumonia (SMPP) has been a worldwide concern in clinical practice. Two cytokines, soluble Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid cells (sTREM-1) and Interferon-Inducible Protein-10 (IP-10), were proved to be implicated in bacterial infection diseases. However, the diagnostic value of sTREM-1 and IP-10 in MPP was poorly known. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of sTREM-1 and IP-10 for SMPP. METHODS: In this prospective study, the authors enrolled 44 children with MPP, along with their clinical information. Blood samples were collected, and cytokine levels of sTREM-1 and IP-10 were detected with ELISA assay. RESULTS: Serum levels of sTREM-1 and IP-10 were positively correlated with the severity of MPP. In addition, sTREM-1 and IP-10 have significant potential in the diagnosis of SMPP with an Area Under Curve (AUC) of 0.8564 (p-value = 0.0001, 95% CI 0.7461 to 0.9668) and 0.8086 (p-value = 0.0002, 95% CI 0.6918 to 0.9254) respectively. Notably, the combined diagnostic value of sTREM-1 and IP-10 is up to 0.911 in children with SMPP (p-value < 0.001, 95% CI 0.830 to 0.993). CONCLUSIONS: Serum cytokine levels of sTREM-1 and IP-10 have a great potential diagnostic value in children with SMPP.

Effect of visual impairment on subjective cognitive decline in older adults: a cross-sectional study in China.

OBJECTIVE: People with visual impairment have more functional limitations associated with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), and those with SCD are extremely susceptible to transitioning to irreversible cognitive impairment. This study aimed to explore if visual impairment is a significant predictor of SCD compared with other socioeconomic and health factors associated with SCD. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The investigation aimed to assess the factors influencing SCD among 428 participants aged 60 and above in Zhaoyuan, China. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome variable was SCD, measured by the Chinese version of SCD questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression and propensity score matching (PSM) were used to analyse the influence of visual impairment on the subjective cognition of the elderly.32.2% of the elderly were experiencing SCD. Older adults with SCD showed a higher prevalence of visual impairment (72.5%) than the elderly without SCD (58.6%) (P=0.006). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that bad self-reported health status, lack of physical exercise and visual impairment were the risk factors for SCD in older adults, while more than 9 years of education was a protective factor. In addition, PSM model showed that after eliminating the dominant biases caused by the individual observable heterogeneity of older adults with and without visual impairment, the risk of SCD in the elderly with visual impairment was increased by 13.6%-14.5% and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: It was found that older adults experiencing visual impairments are at an elevated risk of developing SCD compared with their counterparts without such impairments. Additionally, visual impairment remains a significant risk factor for SCD in the elderly, even adjusting for potential biases arising from individual observable heterogeneity.

Identification of potential biomarkers in the peripheral blood of neonates with bronchopulmonary dysplasia using WGCNA and machine learning algorithms.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is often seen as a pulmonary complication of extreme preterm birth, resulting in persistent respiratory symptoms and diminished lung function. Unfortunately, current diagnostic and treatment options for this condition are insufficient. Hence, this study aimed to identify potential biomarkers in the peripheral blood of neonates affected by BPD. The Gene Expression Omnibus provided the expression dataset GSE32472 for BPD. Initially, using this database, we identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in GSE32472. Subsequently, we conducted gene set enrichment analysis on the DEGs and employed weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to screen the most relevant modules for BPD. We then mapped the DEGs to the WGCNA module genes, resulting in a gene intersection. We conducted detailed functional enrichment analyses on these overlapping genes. To identify hub genes, we used 3 machine learning algorithms, including SVM-RFE, LASSO, and Random Forest. We constructed a diagnostic nomogram model for predicting BPD based on the hub genes. Additionally, we carried out transcription factor analysis to predict the regulatory mechanisms and identify drugs associated with these biomarkers. We used differential analysis to obtain 470 DEGs and conducted WGCNA analysis to identify 1351 significant genes. The intersection of these 2 approaches yielded 273 common genes. Using machine learning algorithms, we identified CYYR1, GALNT14, and OLAH as potential biomarkers for BPD. Moreover, we predicted flunisolide, budesonide, and beclomethasone as potential anti-BPD drugs. The genes CYYR1, GALNT14, and OLAH have the potential to serve as diagnostic biomarkers for BPD. This may prove beneficial in clinical diagnosis and prevention of BPD.

Low life satisfaction status among older people with and without an intimate partner: a nationwide cross-sectional study in China.

BACKGROUND: Focusing on older people with and without an intimate partner, this study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of low life satisfaction in both groups, as well as the potential risk factors. METHODS: The 2017-2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) data were used, and 9960 individuals aged 60 years and above were included in the analyses. Factors evaluated in this survey included sociodemographic characteristics, clinical variables, physical and social activities, and economic and social factors. The associations of low life satisfaction with independent variables were analysed using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Compared with those with an intimate partner (n = 2025), elders without an intimate partner (n = 7935) showed a higher prevalence of low life satisfaction (15.1 vs. 9.9%, P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression showed that ≥2 physical diseases (P = 0.024), poor self-reported health status (P = 0.012), and lack of community care service (P = 0.014) were risk factors for low life satisfaction among elders without an intimate partner, while poor self-reported health status (P < 0.001), ≥2 physical diseases (P = 0.001), being troubled with bodily pain (P < 0.001), lack of light physical activity >10 mins each time (P = 0.011), lack of moderate physical activity >10 mins each time (P = 0.001), lack of social activities in the previous month (P = 0.039), and lack of community care service (P < 0.001) were risk factors for elders with an intimate partner. Regarding the potential reasons for low life satisfaction in the elderly, dissatisfaction with current health status (28.0%) and air quality (15.6%) were most prevalent. CONCLUSIONS: Older people without an intimate partner have lower life satisfaction. Having ≥2 physical diseases, poor self-reported health status, and lack of community care service were common risk factors for low life satisfaction among older adults with or without an intimate partner.

Effects of a school-based sexuality curriculum on sexual and reproductive health in freshmen at Shandong University in China.

Chinese universities have been conducting a variety of sexuality education programs, including a sexuality curriculum (SC) to increase sexual and reproductive health (SRH) knowledge and improve sexual attitudes and practices among college students. However, little is known regarding the effect of SC on students' sexual attitudes and behaviors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of SC on SRH knowledge, sexual attitudes, and practices among college students of Shandong University. To assess these issues, an online cross-sectional survey was conducted via a WeChat applet. Four hundred and forty-nine freshmen were recruited from Shandong University, including 209 students with SC and 240 students without SC. We assessed their SRH knowledge, sexual attitude, and practice. We found that 15.8% engaged in sexual activities, while 59.2% had viewed nonscientific books or videos describing sexual behavior within the past 2 weeks. Regarding the initial source of their SRH information, 65.9% taught themselves through reading or viewing SRH content in the media, and 46.8% participated in school lectures on SRH, while only 31.2% of the participants discussed SRH matters with their parents. As compared with students without SC, students with SC had significantly greater total scores with regard to reproductive health knowledge (P < 0.001) and sexual health knowledge (P < 0.001). Students without SC showed a significant degree of prejudice against sexually transmitted disease patients and were more resistant to interact with acquaintances infected with human immunodeficiency virus (P < 0.001). Exposure to a school-based SC had a beneficial effect on increasing the SRH knowledge of these students as well as mitigating risky sexual attitudes and behaviors.NEW & NOTEWORTHY To assess the SRH knowledge, sexual attitudes, and practices in freshmen of Shandong University and assess the effect of SC, an online cross-sectional survey was conducted via a WeChat applet. Our findings indicate that these freshmen demonstrate a high prevalence of being sexually active and exposure to a school-based SC had a beneficial effect on increasing the SRH knowledge of these students as well as mitigating risky sexual attitudes and behaviors.

Assessing intentions for a third child among Chinese adults: A nationwide online survey regarding China's 3-child policy.

Aging populations, along with low fertility rates, have become a pervasive world-wide problem. To address this challenge, China issued a universal 3-child policy on May 31, 2021. However, little is known regarding the intentions of childbearing-aged Chinese for a third child. The purpose of this study was to assess the fertility intentions of the Chinese as related to this third-child policy and identify risk factors for third-child refusal. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 2129 Chinese childbearing-aged participants were recruited nationwide from June 15 to July 22, 2021. Each participant was interviewed using questionnaires to establish their sociodemographic variables, psychosocial factors as related to third-child intentions, and reasons for third-child refusal. Finally, 2115 responses (866 men and 1249 women) were analyzed. IBM SPSS Statistical Software (version 19) was used for the statistical analyses. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess independent influences for third-child refusal. Approximately 30% of these participants reported an intention for having a third child. In those expressing a refusal for a third child, women showed a higher prevalence rate (74.1 vs 63.2%, P < .001). Results from multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that age (P = .033), unemployment (P = .045), and currently raising 2 children (P = .017) were risk factors for third-child refusal among men, while age (P < .001), >15 years of education (P = .017), current smokers (P = .005) and residing in Northern China (P = .035) were risk factors for women. Overall, increased demands upon time and energy (41.5%), as well as economic burdens (41.4%), were the most prevalent reasons for the refusal of a third child, while achieving mutual care among siblings (52.5%) and reducing child educational costs (33.3%) were the most effective persuasions. In response to the 3-child policy, Chinese childbearing-aged adults showed low rates of intention for a third child, with women showing a higher prevalence of third-child refusal. The identification of risk factors and the reasons for third-child refusal as revealed from the results of this study provide a foundation for the development of programs needed to aid in the implementation of this 3-child policy.

Polyphonic Sound Event Detection Using Temporal-Frequency Attention and Feature Space Attention.

The complexity of polyphonic sounds imposes numerous challenges on their classification. Especially in real life, polyphonic sound events have discontinuity and unstable time-frequency variations. Traditional single acoustic features cannot characterize the key feature information of the polyphonic sound event, and this deficiency results in poor model classification performance. In this paper, we propose a convolutional recurrent neural network model based on the temporal-frequency (TF) attention mechanism and feature space (FS) attention mechanism (TFFS-CRNN). The TFFS-CRNN model aggregates Log-Mel spectrograms and MFCCs feature as inputs, which contains the TF-attention module, the convolutional recurrent neural network (CRNN) module, the FS-attention module and the bidirectional gated recurrent unit (BGRU) module. In polyphonic sound events detection (SED), the TF-attention module can capture the critical temporal-frequency features more capably. The FS-attention module assigns different dynamically learnable weights to different dimensions of features. The TFFS-CRNN model improves the characterization of features for key feature information in polyphonic SED. By using two attention modules, the model can focus on semantically relevant time frames, key frequency bands, and important feature spaces. Finally, the BGRU module learns contextual information. The experiments were conducted on the DCASE 2016 Task3 dataset and the DCASE 2017 Task3 dataset. Experimental results show that the F1-score of the TFFS-CRNN model improved 12.4% and 25.2% compared with winning system models in DCASE challenge; the ER is reduced by 0.41 and 0.37 as well. The proposed TFFS-CRNN model algorithm has better classification performance and lower ER in polyphonic SED.

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Older Adolescents and Young Adults: A National Cross-Sectional Study in China.

Background: With promotion of COVID-19 vaccinations, there has been a corresponding vaccine hesitancy, of which older adolescents and young adults represent groups of particular concern. In this report, we investigated the prevalence and reasons for vaccine hesitancy, as well as potential risk factors, within older adolescents and young adults in China. Methods: To assess these issues, an online survey was administered over the period from March 14 to April 15, 2021. Older adolescents (16-17 years old) and young adults (18-21 years old) were recruited nationwide from Wechat groups and results from a total of 2,414 respondents were analyzed. Socio-demographic variables, vaccine hesitancy, psychological distress, abnormal illness behavior, global well-being and social support were analyzed in this report. Results: Compared to young adults (n = 1,405), older adolescents (n = 1,009) showed higher prevalence rates of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (16.5 vs. 7.9%, p < 0.001). History of physical diseases (p = 0.007) and abnormal illness behavior (p = 0.001) were risk factors for vaccine hesitancy among older adolescents, while only a good self-reported health status (p = 0.048) was a risk factor for young adults. Concerns over COVID-19 vaccine side effects (67.1%) and beliefs of invulnerability regarding infection risk (41.9%) were the most prevalent reasons for vaccine hesitancy. Providing evidence on the vaccine reduction of COVID-19 infection risk (67.5%), ensuring vaccine safety (56.7%) and the low risk of side effects (52.7%) were the most effective persuasions for promoting vaccinations. Conclusion: In China, older adolescents showed a higher prevalence for vaccine hesitancy than that of young adults. Abnormal illness behavior and history of physical diseases were risk factors for vaccine hesitancy among these older adolescents, while social support represents an important factor which could help to alleviate this hesitancy.

Changes of COVID-19 Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices and Vaccination Willingness Among Residents in Jinan, China.

Background: Vaccine hesitancy is responsible for low vaccine coverage and increased risk of epidemics. The purpose of this study was to assess whether public knowledge, attitudes, practices, and willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 have changed over time and at different stages of vaccination. Methods: Two consecutive surveys were conducted among residents of the Leshan Community in Jinan from May to June, 2021 (n = 423) (basic dose vaccination phase) and from December, 2021 to January, 2022 (n = 470) (booster vaccination phase). Randomly sampling was used in residents to complete an anonymous questionnaire. Chi-square test was used to compare the changes in knowledge, attitudes and practices of the subjects in different survey stages. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to explore factors related to vaccination hesitancy. Results: In the booster vaccination phase, protective behaviors (89.9%) of residents increased significantly compared with the basic vaccination phase (74.5%). Residents were more hesitant to receive booster doses than basal doses of COVID-19 vaccine (OR: 18.334, 95% CI: 9.021-37.262). Residents with other marital statuses (OR: 2.719, 95% CI: 1.632-4.528), negative attitudes toward government measures were more hesitant to get vaccinated (OR: 2.576, 95% CI: 1.612-4.118). People who thought their physical condition was very good or good were more likely to be vaccinated than those who thought they were in fair or poor health (OR: 0.516, 95% CI: 0.288-0.925; OR: 0.513, 95% CI: 0.295-0.893). Young people inclined to use new media (such as WeChat and microblog) to obtain information, while the elderly inclined to use traditional methods (such as television). Government propaganda, residents' perception of the importance of vaccines and the risk of disease were the main reasons for accelerating residents to vaccinate. The main reasons affecting residents' lack of vaccination were contraindications to the vaccine or inconvenient time for vaccination. Conclusions: Vaccine hesitancy increased significantly with change in vaccination stage. Strategies should be adopted to increase vaccination coverage such as improving the convenience of vaccination, promoting through multiple channels.

A simple model predicting in-hospital death in patients with type A acute aortic dissection.

BACKGROUND: Type A acute aortic dissection (TAAAD) is a destructive cardiovascular disease, with high morbidity and mortality rates. Identifying the high-risk TAAAD patients at an early stage is urgently necessary. METHODS: A retrospective study of 160 patients was carried out. The admission data were retrospectively gathered. Logistic regression analysis and receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) was utilized. RESULTS: Compared with the survivor group, the nonsurvivor group was older, had higher D-dimer levels, red blood cell distribution width (RDW) levels and platelet distribution width (PDW) levels, and lower fibrinogen levels, platelet levels and plateletcrit levels. Multivariate analysis displayed that four independent factors, age (hazard ratio (HR): 7.877, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.740-22.641, p < 0.001), D-dimer (HR: 3.791, 95% CI 1.520-9.452, p = 0.004), RDW (HR: 3.300, 95% CI 1.109-9.825, p = 0.032), PDW (HR: 3.755, 95% CI 1.436-9.815, p = 0.007) were incorporated into the model. The predict accuracy of the model (AUC 0.861, 95% CI 0.798-0.911, p < 0.001) was best. CONCLUSIONS: Age, D-dimer, RDW and PDW are independent markers of in-hospital death in TAAAD patients and the newly established model has better performance in predicting high-risk patients. This model can be used as a quick screening tool to assess the prognosis of patients in individualizing.

Evaluation of immunoprotective effects of recombinant proteins and DNA vaccines derived from Eimeria tenella surface antigen 6 and 15 in vivo.

Coccidiosis is an intestinal parasitic disease that causes huge economic losses to the poultry industry globally. Eimeria tenella belonging to protozoon is the causative agent of cecal coccidiosis in chicken, and it causes enormous damage to poultry industry. The surface antigens (SAGs) of apicomplexan parasites have functions of attachment and invasion in host-parasite interaction. As a result of parasitic invasion, host immune response is triggered. However, the immunogenicity and potency of E. tenella surface antigen 6 and 15 (EtSAG 6 and 15), as vaccinal candidate antigen, remain largely unknown. Therefore, gene fragments of E. tenella EtSAG 6 and 15 were amplified and transformed to pET28a prokaryotic vector for recombinant protein expression. The pEGFP-N1 eukaryotic vectors with EtSAG 6 and 15 amplification fragments (pEGFP-N1-EtSAG 5 and 16) were transformed into 293 T cell line. The results of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot analysis revealed successful expressions of EtSAG 6 and 15 in Escherichia coli and 293 T cells. Subsequently, animal experiments of 49 cobb broilers were performed to evaluate immunoprotection of recombinant proteins and DNA vaccines derived from E. tenella EtSAG 5 and 16 with an immunizing dose of 100 µg, respectively. Chickens vaccinated with rEtSAG 6 protein, rEtSAG 15 protein, pEGFP-N1-EtSAG 6 plasmid, or pEGFP-N1-EtSAG 15 plasmid showed no significant increase in IFN-γor interleukin-4 (IL-4) level compared with control groups. Chickens vaccinated with protein rEtSAG 6, protein rEtSAG 15, pEGFP-N1-EtSAG 6 plasmid, or pEGFP-N1-EtSAG 15 exhibited higher weight gains, lower oocyst output, and lower mean lesion scores, compared with infection control group. Among the four immunized groups, plasmid EGFP-N1-EtSAG 6 (100 µg) group exhibited the highest anticoccidial index (ACI) value (150.20). Overall, plasmids EGFP-N1-EtSAG 6 and 15, as DNA vaccines, provided a more effective immunoprotection for chickens against E. tenella than protein rEtSAG 6 and protein rEtSAG 15 as subunit vaccines. EtSAG 6 and 15 are promising candidate antigen genes for developing coccidiosis vaccine.

Relationship between body composition, insulin resistance, and hormonal profiles in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Objective: To investigate how body fat influences glucose metabolism and hormone profiles in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), compared to women without PCOS. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 166 women with PCOS and 139 age-matched control women at Peking University Third Hospital (Beijing, China) from March 2016 to December 2021. All participants underwent bioimpedance rate assessment of clinical, anthropometric, hormonal, and metabolic features. In particular, body composition parameters were assessed, based on the methods used in a previous study. Homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and other indices calculated from fasting glucose and insulin were used to measure insulin resistance. The hormonal profiles [follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estrogen (E2), prolactin (PRL), total testosterone (T), and androstenedione (A2)] were assessed by using biochemical methods. Two subgroup analyses were conducted according to waist-to-hip ratio (WHR; < 0.85, non-central obesity and ≥ 0.85, central obesity) and body fat percentage (BFP; < 35% for lean and ≥35% for obesity). The indices above were analyzed using a two-sided t-test or Wilcoxon rank sum test. Linear regression was used to investigate the effects of body composition on metabolism and sex hormones in the PCOS and control groups. Results: Compared to women without PCOS, women with PCOS and central obesity (P=0.021), PCOS and noncentral obesity (P<0.001), PCOS and high BFP (P<0.001), and PCOS and low BFP (P<0.001) had more severe glucose metabolism evaluated with HOMA-IR. Women with PCOS experienced greater insulin sensitivity impairment than did the normal population for every equal increase in BFP. LH, LH/FSH, total testosterone, and androstenedione were significantly higher in patients with PCOS than in healthy controls, regardless of WHR and BFP stratification. However, negative correlations existed between body fat indices (i.e., BFP and body mass index) and hormone indices (i.e., LH and androstenedione) in the PCOS group, but were absent in the control group. Conclusions: Obese and non-obese women with PCOS have more severe insulin resistance and sex-hormone disorders than women without PCOS. The effect of body fat on sex-hormone disorders is only exist in women with PCOS. These findings suggested that PCOS clinical guidelines should be more specific to body fat. Clinical trial registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/, Registration No. NCT04264832.

A Longitudinal Study on the Mental Health of College Students in Jinan During the Peak Stage of the COVID-19 Epidemic and the Society Reopening.

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19, a continuously emerging human-to-human infectious disease, has exerted a significant impact on the mental health of college students. However, little is known regarding the variations in the mental health issues experienced by college students during the peak versus reopening stages of the COVID-19 epidemic in China. METHODS: To assess these issues, an online longitudinal survey was conducted via a WeChat applet. Undergraduates (n = 300) were recruited from 26 universities throughout Jinan in February 2020 (T1 - the epidemic peak stage) and in January 2021 (T2 - the society reopening stage). Their mental status was determined using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 item, and the Insomnia Severity Index. RESULTS: Of the original 300 college students recruited for this survey, 294 responses at T1 and 285 at T2 were analyzed. Compared with responses obtained at T1, college students at T2 showed a greater prevalence of depression (65.3 vs. 51.0%; p = 0.001) and anxiety (47.7 vs. 38.1%, p = 0.019), and experienced more severe depression (p < 0.001) and anxiety (p < 0.001). Both males (p = 0.03) and females (p < 0.01) showed higher levels of depression at T2 versus T1, while no differences were obtained with regard to anxiety and insomnia. At T1, Grade 4 students showed greater levels of depression (p = 0.005) and anxiety (p = 0.008) than that of Grade 1 students. While at T2, only greater levels of depression (p = 0.004) were present when compared with that of Grade 1 students. Additionally, Grade 4 college students demonstrated a greater prevalence of depression at T2 versus T1 (p = 0.03), but no statistically differences were present for anxiety and insomnia. No statistically significant differences were obtained among the 4 grades of college students for insomnia at either the T1 or T2. CONCLUSION: With progression of the COVID-19 epidemic, college students showed increasing levels of depression and anxiety, with Grade 4 college students being most seriously affected. It is imperative that intervention strategies be implemented to mitigate against these mental health issues resulting from the COVID-19 epidemic.

MiR-140 suppresses airway inflammation and inhibits bronchial epithelial cell apoptosis in asthma by targeting GSK3ß.

AIM OF THE STUDY: Asthma is a common and complex chronic inflammatory disease induced by genetic and environmental factors that affects the airways of the lungs. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of various cellular processes and have been shown to be critically involved in asthma progression. The objective of our study was to clarify the function and molecular mechanism of miR-140 in the progression of asthma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MiR-140 expression was evaluated using RT-qPCR. Pathological changes in the lung tissue were confirmed using HE and PAS staining. The levels of IL-5, TGF-ß1, and IL-13 in the serum or bronchioalveolar lavage fluid were detected with an ELISA. Cellular apoptosis was measured using a TUNEL assay. The levels of Bax, Bcl-2, Cleaved caspase-3, and glycogen synthase kinase-3ß (GSK-3ß) were verified with a western blot. GSK3ß expression was also confirmed by immunohistochemistry. The binding ability between miR-140 and GSK3ß was confirmed using a luciferase reporter assay, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay and Pull-down assay. RESULTS: MiR-140 was markedly downregulated in asthmatic mice. Additionally, miR-140 weakened airway inflammation and bronchial epithelial cell apoptosis in asthmatic mice. Further experiments revealed that miR-140 negatively regulated GSK3ß expression and could bind to GSK3ß in asthma. Finally, rescue assays demonstrated that GSK3ß overexpression rescued the effects of miR-140 on asthma progression. CONCLUSION: MiR-140 targeted GSK3ß to suppress airway inflammation and inhibit bronchial epithelial cell apoptosis in asthma.

A Cross-Sectional Survey on COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Parents From Shandong vs. Zhejiang.

Introduction: With the approval of COVID-19 vaccinations for children and adolescents in China, parental vaccine hesitancy will emerge as a new challenge with regard to the administration of these vaccines. However, little is known regarding this hesitancy as well as regional differences that may exist between parents from Shandong vs. Zhejiang. Methods: To assess these issues, an online survey was conducted via a Wenjuanxing platform over the period from July 22 to August 14, 2021. Parents from Shandong and Zhejiang were recruited from Wechat groups and results from a total of 917 subjects were analyzed. Factors evaluated in this survey included socio-demographic variables, parental vaccine hesitancy, Parental Attitudes toward Childhood Vaccines (PACV) domains (behavior, safety and efficacy, general attitudes) and social support. Results: Compared with those from Shandong (N = 443), parents from Zhejiang (N = 474) showed significantly higher prevalence rates of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (19.4 vs. 11.7%, p = 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression showed that yearly household incomes of ≥120,000 RMB (p = 0.041), medical workers (p = 0.022) and general attitudes of PACV (p = 0.004) were risk factors for vaccine hesitancy among parents from Shandong, while behavior (p = 0.004), safety and efficacy (p < 0.001) and general attitudes of PACV (p = 0.002) were risk factors for parents from Zhejiang. Among parents with vaccine hesitancy (N = 144), concerns over side effects (91.0%) and unknown effects (84.0%) of the COVID-19 vaccine were the most prevalent reasons for hesitancy. Evidence providing proof of vaccine safety (67.4%) and assurance of a low risk of being infected by COVID-19 (60.4%) were the two most effective persuasive factors. Conclusion: Parents from Zhejiang showed a higher prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy as compared with those from Shandong. Behavior, safety and efficacy, and general attitudes of PACV were the risk factors associated with this hesitancy in these parents from Zhejiang. Given the identification of the various reasons for parental vaccine hesitancy, different strategies as well as regional adjustments in these strategies will be required for an effective and convincing protocol for childhood vaccinations.

Role of mean platelet volume in differential diagnosis of adult-onset Still's disease and sepsis

SUMMARY OBJECTIVES: Mean platelet volume is a simple biomarker for inflammatory disease. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of mean platelet volume in distinguishing adult-onset Still's disease from sepsis. METHODS: We retrospectively selected 68 patients with adult-onset Still's disease and 55 patients with sepsis between January 2015 and December 2019. Related laboratory data were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in white blood cell counts, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and C-reactive protein between adult-onset Still's disease group and sepsis group. However, patients in adult-onset Still's disease group showed higher ferritin and platelets and lower mean platelet volume and platelet distribution width than those in sepsis group (p<0.01 for both). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to distinguish adult-onset Still's disease and sepsis. The area under the curve of mean platelet volume was 0.761 (95%CI 0.673-0.849), with a sensitivity of 79.1%, a specificity of 63.3%, and a cutoff value of 10.9 fL. In contrast, the area under the curve of combined ferritin and mean platelet volume was 0.90l (95%CI 0.837-0.965), with higher sensitivity (82.8%) and specificity (96.2%). Therefore, mean platelet volume could be used as a supplementary indicator to distinguish adult-onset Still's disease from sepsis. CONCLUSION: We suggest that mean platelet volume could be used as a supplementary biomarker for differential diagnosis of adult-onset Still's disease and sepsis in addition to ferritin.

A Cross-Sectional Study on Mental Health Problems of Medical and Nonmedical Students in Shandong During the COVID-19 Epidemic Recovery Period.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in a plethora of psychological problems worldwide since its onset in December 2019. In the upheaval period, compared with medical college students, nonmedical students' psychological state deserves additional concern due to their lack of medical knowledge. Although the epidemic in China has been largely controlled for several months, the mental health problems resulting from the COVID-19 epidemic persist to this day. In this study, we assessed the mental health problems and associated risk factors experienced by nonmedical vs. medical college students in universities of Shandong Province during the COVID-19 epidemic recovery period. Methods: An online survey was conducted over the period from 17 to 19 December 2020. A total of 954 Chinese college students (486 nonmedical and 468 medical students) from three universities of Shandong Province participated in the survey. Mental health variables were assessed with use of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Results: Compared with medical students, nonmedical college students had higher prevalence rates of depression (53.9 vs. 46.4%; p = 0.020) and insomnia (28.0 vs. 22.4%, p = 0.049), as well as higher total scores on the PHQ-9 (p = 0.03) and ISI (p < 0.01). Among nonmedical college students, being female and native of non-Shandong were risk factors for anxiety and depression (p < 0.01), while only native of non-Shandong for insomnia (p < 0.01). Among medical students, age (p < 0.01) and living in rural areas (p = 0.04) were risk factors for depression, while only age (p < 0.05) was a risk factor for anxiety and insomnia. Conclusion: Nonmedical college students in the universities of Shandong Province had more mental health problems and more risk factors for developing them during the COVID-19 epidemic recovery period than medical students. These nonmedical students require additional attention and recovery programs to alleviate the increased incidence of psychological problems related to COVID-19.

Role of mean platelet volume in differential diagnosis of adult-onset Still's disease and sepsis.

OBJECTIVES: Mean platelet volume is a simple biomarker for inflammatory disease. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of mean platelet volume in distinguishing adult-onset Still's disease from sepsis. METHODS: We retrospectively selected 68 patients with adult-onset Still's disease and 55 patients with sepsis between January 2015 and December 2019. Related laboratory data were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in white blood cell counts, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and C-reactive protein between adult-onset Still's disease group and sepsis group. However, patients in adult-onset Still's disease group showed higher ferritin and platelets and lower mean platelet volume and platelet distribution width than those in sepsis group (p<0.01 for both). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to distinguish adult-onset Still's disease and sepsis. The area under the curve of mean platelet volume was 0.761 (95%CI 0.673-0.849), with a sensitivity of 79.1%, a specificity of 63.3%, and a cutoff value of 10.9 fL. In contrast, the area under the curve of combined ferritin and mean platelet volume was 0.90l (95%CI 0.837-0.965), with higher sensitivity (82.8%) and specificity (96.2%). Therefore, mean platelet volume could be used as a supplementary indicator to distinguish adult-onset Still's disease from sepsis. CONCLUSION: We suggest that mean platelet volume could be used as a supplementary biomarker for differential diagnosis of adult-onset Still's disease and sepsis in addition to ferritin.

[Correlation of stigma with marital adjustment in female patients undergoing artificial insemination with donor sperm].

Objective: To investigate the stigma and marital adjustment of the female patients undergoing artificial insemination with donor sperm (AID) and analyze their correlation. METHODS: Using the convenience sampling method, we selected 208 infertile female patients undergoing AID from March to December 2020. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among the patients with General Information Questionnaire, Infertility Stigma Scale (ISS), and Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS). RESULTS: The total ISS score and DAS score of the patients were 54.19 ± 14.52 and 116.23 ± 15.30, respectively. Pearson analysis showed that the total and individual item ISS scores were negatively correlated with the DAS score (P < 0.01). Multivariate linear regression analysis manifested that stigma was an important factor influencing marriage adjustment (P < 0.01) and explained 34.1% of the total variations. CONCLUSIONS: Stigma is an important factor affecting marital adjustment in female patients undergoing AID and negatively correlated with marital adjustment: The lower the stigma, the better the marital adjustment. Adequate attention should be paid to the stigma of the infertile women undergoing AID and targeted measures should be developed for its intervention.

Sustained release of tulobuterol from graphene oxide laden hydrogel to manage asthma.

Bronchial asthma is a chronic disease which is currently treated using various inhalants. However, the medication adherence with the inhalants is poor due to complex procedure to use them along with frequent dosing. In this paper, we have developed tulobuterol loaded Pluronic® F127-reduced graphene oxide transdermal hydrogel to sustain the release of tulobuterol to manage asthma for days. The synthesis of Pluronic® F127-reduced graphene oxide was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. The transmission electron microscope showed wrinkled flat nano sheets. The hydrogel showed sufficient mechanical properties for topical application and was safe in the skin irritation study (rabbit model). The ex vivo release data demonstrated the ability of reduced graphene oxide to sustain the release of tulobuterol for 72 h, due to strong π-π interaction between drug and graphene oxide. The pharmacokinetic profile in Sprague-Dawley rat model confirmed the potential of tulobuterol-Pluronic® F127-reduced graphene oxide hydrogel to sustain the release of tulobuterol for effective management of asthma.