Waterlogging in soil restricts the growth of Gleditsia sinensis seedlings and inhibits the accumulation of lignans and phenolic acids in thorns.

Gleditsia sinensis, commonly known as Chinese Zaojiao, has important economic value and medicinal compounds in its fruits and thorns, making it widely cultivated artificially in China. However, the available literature on the impact of waterlogging on the growth of G. sinensis seedlings and the accumulation of metabolite compounds in its thorns is limited. To address this knowledge gap, G. sinensis seedlings were planted in soil supplemented with pindstrup substrate, which enhances the water-holding capacity of the soil. The analyses of morphological traits and nutrient elements in one-year-old G. sinensis seedlings grown naturally under ambient conditions and metabolite accumulation in its thorns were conducted. The results showed that the waterlogged soil significantly diminished the height, fresh weight, and dry weight of seedling roots and stems (P < 0.05). Furthermore, waterlogging hindered the uptake of iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn), as well as the transport of potassium (K). The identified metabolites within the thorns were categorized into 16 distinct groups. Relative to the control soil, fatty acids and derivatives were the most down-regulated metabolites in the waterlogged soil, accounting for 40.58% of the total metabolites, followed by lignans (38.71%), phenolic acids (34.48%), saccharides and alcohols (34.15%), steroids (16.67%), alkaloids (12.24%), flavonoids (9.28%), and glycerophospholipids (7.41%). Conversely, nucleotides and derivatives experienced the greatest up-regulation in the waterlogged soil, accounting for 50.00% of the total metabolites. In conclusion, waterlogging negatively impacted the growth of G. sinensis seedlings and inhibited the accumulation of metabolites. Hence, when considering the accumulation of secondary metabolites such as lignans and phenolic acids, appropriate management of soil moisture levels should be taken into account.

Construction of a comprehensive nutritional index and comparison of its prognostic performance with the PNI and NRI for survival in older patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the relationship between the Comprehensive Nutritional Index (CNI) and survival in older patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and to compare the prognostic performance of three nutritional indicators (CNI, Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI), and Nutritional Risk Index (NRI)) for overall survival (OS). METHODS: This retrospective study involved 309 older NPC patients in Guangzhou (China) from November 2006 to November 2017. The CNI comprised five parameters: the body mass index (BMI), usual body weight percentage (UBW%), hemoglobin (Hb) level, albumin level, and total lymphocyte count (TLC). All single nutritional indicators were evaluated before and immediately after treatment. The principal component analysis (PCA) was used for calculation of the CNI by single nutritional indicators after treatment. The cutoff point for the CNI was evaluated and logistic regression used to explore the risk factors for the CNI. Univariable, multivariable Cox regression, and Kaplan-Meier methods were applied for OS and disease-free survival (DFS) analyses. Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare the prognostic value of the CNI, PNI, and NRI for OS. RESULTS: All single nutritional indicators decreased significantly after treatment (P < 0.05). The CNI cutoff point for mortality was 0.027, and the logistic regression indicated more complex treatments or higher cancer stage for NPC was associated with a low CNI (HR = 0.179; 95% CI: 0.037-0.856; 0.545, 0.367-0.811, respectively). In multivariable Cox regression, the CNI remained an independent prognostic factor of OS and DFS (HR = 0.468, 95% CI: 0.263-0.832; 0.527, 0.284-0.977, respectively). Kaplan-Meier curves showed that a low CNI was associated with worse OS and DFS (P = 0.001 and 0.013, respectively). The prognostic predictive performance of the CNI was superior to that of the PNI or NRI. CONCLUSIONS: The CNI can be recommended as an appropriate indicator reflecting the integrated nutritional status of older NPC patients. A low CNI predicted a poor survival outcome and the prognostic performance of CNI was superior to PNI or NRI.

Multidimensional fatigue in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy: incidence, severity, and risk factors.

PURPOSE: To explore the incidence, severity, and risk factors of multidimensional fatigue in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). METHODS: This prospective study included 79 patients with NPC in Guangzhou (China) from June 2015 to July 2018. Data were collected before and after CCRT, including demographic and clinical characteristics, nutritional parameters, and fatigue scores, based on completion of the Multiple Dimensional Inventory-20 Questionnaire, with five subscales: General Fatigue, Mental Fatigue, Physical Fatigue, Reduced Activity, and Reduced Motivation. RESULTS: Increased general fatigue was found to be associated with lower lymphocyte count and body mass index <23 kg/m2. Increased physical fatigue was related to age > 42 years. Higher scores for reduced activity were associated with age > 42 years, female sex, and lower serum sodium. Increased mental fatigue was related with lower lymphocyte count and unemployment; and increased total fatigue was associated with lower lymphocyte count, age > 42 years, and 3-6 courses of treatment. Furthermore, 3-6 courses of treatment was an independent predictor of severe general fatigue, while age >42 years was an independent predictor of severe physical fatigue. Importantly, cancer stage IVB and 3-6 courses of treatment could predict severe total fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that fatigue is increased in all dimensions in NPC patients following CCRT, and that the predictors differ for each fatigue dimension. These results could guide the development of targeted interventions that may reduce the impact of cancer-related fatigue in patients with NPC.

Incidence and outcome of adult in-hospital cardiac arrest in Beijing, China.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the incidence and outcome of in-hospital cardiac arrests (IHCAs) in Beijing, China. METHODS: The incidence and outcome of IHCAs over a 12-month period were evaluated in this prospective study. Between January 1 and December 31, 2014, 12 Beijing hospitals prospectively participated in this study for calculation of the incidence of IHCA. Data were collected according to the Utstein style for all cases of attempted resuscitation for IHCA that occurred in the participating hospitals. Surviving patients were followed for 1 month. RESULTS: The total number of admissions across the 12 hospitals during this 1-year period was 582,242; the IHCA incidence was 17.5 per 1000 admissions. Of the 10,198 IHCAs recorded, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was initiated in 26.6%. Among CPR recipients, 1292 (47.6%) had a presumed cardiac aetiology and 1255 occurred in the Emergency Department. With regards to initial rhythm, 1340 had asystole and 423 had shockable rhythms. Of those receiving CPR, 1451 (53.5%) patients received it in less than 1min. Restoration of spontaneous circulation was achieved in 962 (35.5%) patients; 247 (9.1%) patients were discharged alive and 174 (6.4%) patients had good neurological outcomes. At 1 month after discharge, 236 patients remained alive. On multivariate regression analysis, factors associated with survival included female sex, age <60 years, and ventricular fibrillation/ventricular tachycardia as the initial rhythm. CONCLUSION: The incidence of IHCA in Beijing hospitals is high and the survival is poor compared to other industrialized countries.

Correlation between blood glucose fluctuations and activation of oxidative stress in type 1 diabetic children during the acute metabolic disturbance period.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that complications in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in children are mainly due to oxidative stress (OS). Lipid peroxidation is the main marker of OS and iso-prostaglandin is a reliable biomarker of lipid peroxidation in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, there have been few studies on OS in T1DM children with hyperglycemia and glucose fluctuations. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 23 newly diagnosed T1DM patients and 23 age and sex matched healthy controls in Beijing Children's Hospital from May 2010 to January 2011. They were treated with continuous subcutaneous insulin injection (CSII) and monitored by continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS). Twenty-four-hour urine samples were collected to measure the concentration of 8-iso prostaglandin F2a (8-isoPGF2α). Samples taken from diabetic children were collected at days 8 to 10 after insulin treatment. Intraday glucose fluctuations were assessed by mean amplitude of glucose excursions (MAGE), largest amplitude of glycemic excursions (LAGE), standard deviation of blood glucose (SDBG) and number of glycemic excursions (NGE). The correlations between glucose parameters and the index of oxidative stress were analyzed. RESULTS: Urine 8-isoPGF2α in the T1DM group was higher than that in the control group ((967.70±412.68) ng vs. (675.23±354.59) ng, P = 0.019). There was a correlation between urine 8-isoPGF2a level and MAGE (r = 0.321, P = 0.039), a significant correlation between low-density lipoprotein and urine 8-isoPGF2a level (r = 0.419, P = 0.03). There was no significant correlation between urine 8-isoPGF2α level and blood pressure, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting C-peptide or other lipid indices. CONCLUSION: A correlation between urine 8-isoPGF2a levels and MAGE and low-density lipoprotein was found in children newly diagnosed with T1DM.