Global research trends in postoperative ileus from 2011 to 2023: A scientometric study.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative ileus (POI) is a common complication after abdominal surgery with high morbidity, which hinders patient recovery, prolongs hospitalization, and increases healthcare costs. Therefore, POI has become a global public health challenge. POI triggering is multifactorial. Autonomic and hormonal mechanisms are generally involved in POI pathogenesis. Recent studies have shown that beta adrenergic signaling of enteric glia is a POI trigger. Currently, the status quo, trends, and frontiers of global research on POI remain unclear. AIM: To explore the current status, trends, and frontiers of POI research from 2011 to the present based on bibliometric analysis. METHODS: Publications published on POI research from 2011 to 2023 were retrieved on June 1, 2023, from the Web of Science Core Collection. CiteSpace 6.2.R2 and VOSviewer were used to conduct bibliometric visualization. RESULTS: In total, 778 POI records published from 2011 to 2023 were retrieved. Over the past few decades, the annual cumulative number of related articles has linearly increased, with China and the United States of America contributing prominently. All publications were from 59 countries and territories. China and the University of Bonn were the top contributing country and institution, respectively. Neurogastroenterology & Motility was the most prolific journal. The Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery had the highest number of citations. Wehner Sven was the most productive author. Burst keywords (e.g., colon, prolonged ileus, acupuncture, paralytic ileus, pathophysiology, rectal cancer, gastrointestinal function, risk) and a series of reference citation bursts provided evidence for the research frontiers in recent years. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates trends in the published literature on POI and provides new insights for researchers. It emphasizes the importance of multidisciplinary cooperation in the development of this field.

Perceptions of ChatGPT in healthcare: usefulness, trust, and risk.

Introduction: This study explores the perceptions of ChatGPT in healthcare settings in Taiwan, focusing on its usefulness, trust, and associated risks. As AI technologies like ChatGPT increasingly influence various sectors, their potential in public health education, promotion, medical education, and clinical practice is significant but not without challenges. The study aims to assess how individuals with and without healthcare-related education perceive and adopt ChatGPT, contributing to a deeper understanding of AI's role in enhancing public health outcomes. Methods: An online survey was conducted among 659 university and graduate students, all of whom had prior experience using ChatGPT. The survey measured perceptions of ChatGPT's ease of use, novelty, usefulness, trust, and risk, particularly within clinical practice, medical education, and research settings. Multiple linear regression models were used to analyze how these factors influence perception in healthcare applications, comparing responses between healthcare majors and non-healthcare majors. Results: The study revealed that both healthcare and non-healthcare majors find ChatGPT more useful in medical education and research than in clinical practice. Regression analysis revealed that for healthcare majors, general trust is crucial for ChatGPT's adoption in clinical practice and influences its use in medical education and research. For non-healthcare majors, novelty, perceived general usefulness, and trust are key predictors. Interestingly, while healthcare majors were cautious about ease of use, fearing it might increase risk, non-healthcare majors associated increased complexity with greater trust. Conclusion: This study highlights the varying expectations between healthcare and non-healthcare majors regarding ChatGPT's role in healthcare. The findings suggest the need for AI applications to be tailored to address specific user needs, particularly in clinical practice, where trust and reliability are paramount. Additionally, the potential of AI tools like ChatGPT to contribute to public health education and promotion is significant, as these technologies can enhance health literacy and encourage behavior change. These insights can inform future healthcare practices and policies by guiding the thoughtful and effective integration of AI tools like ChatGPT, ensuring they complement clinical judgment, enhance educational outcomes, support research integrity, and ultimately contribute to improved public health outcomes.

Meniscotibial Ligament Repair of a Ramp Lesion of the Posterior Horn of the Medial Meniscus.

The ramp area, which is the junction between the posterior horn of the medial meniscus and the synovium, prevents anterior knee translation, transmits and distributes load, and assumes some rotational stability. Ramp lesions occur in approximately 9% to 15% of patients with anterior cruciate ligament tears. We describe an all-inside repair technique with suture for a meniscotibial ligament tear-type ramp lesion of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus.

The Protective Effects of Mcl-1 on Mitochondrial Damage and Oxidative Stress in Imiquimod-Induced Cancer Cell Death.

Mitochondria, vital organelles that generate ATP, determine cell fate. Dysfunctional and damaged mitochondria are fragmented and removed through mitophagy, a mitochondrial quality control mechanism. The FDA-approved drug IMQ, a synthetic agonist of Toll-like receptor 7, exhibits antitumor activity against various skin malignancies. We previously reported that IMQ promptly reduced the level of the antiapoptotic Mcl-1 protein and that Mcl-1 overexpression attenuated IMQ-triggered apoptosis in skin cancer cells. Furthermore, IMQ profoundly disrupted mitochondrial function, promoted mitochondrial fragmentation, induced mitophagy, and caused cell death by generating high levels of ROS. However, whether Mcl-1 protects mitochondria from IMQ treatment is still unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that Mcl-1 overexpression induced resistance to IMQ-induced apoptosis and reduced both IMQ-induced ROS generation and oxidative stress in cancer cells. Mcl-1 overexpression maintained mitochondrial function and integrity and prevented mitophagy in IMQ-treated cancer cells. Furthermore, IL-6 protected against IMQ-induced apoptosis by increasing Mcl-1 expression and attenuating IMQ-induced mitochondrial fragmentation. Mcl-1 overexpression ameliorates IMQ-induced ROS generation and mitochondrial fragmentation, thereby increasing mitochondrial stability and ultimately attenuating IMQ-induced cell death. Investigating the roles of Mcl-1 in mitochondria is a potential strategy for cancer therapy development.

Ag modified ZnO nanoflower gas sensitive sensor for selective detection of n-butanol.

Ag modified ZnO nanoflowers were successfully prepared by sunlight induced solvent reduction method. The samples were characterized by x-ray diffractometer, field emission scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and energy dispersive x-ray spectrum, and the results confirmed the presence of Ag nanoparticles on the ZnO nanoflower. The gas sensing performance of the materials was studied at different operating temperatures and different n-butanol concentrations. The results showed that the Ag modified ZnO nanoflower sensor responded to 50 ppm n-butanol up to 147.17 at 280 °C, and the Ag modified ZnO nanoflower sensor exhibited excellent repeatability, stability and response recovery time. In addition, different target gases were employed for the selectivity study of the Ag modified ZnO nanoflower. It can be found that the Ag modified ZnO nanoflower had good selectivity for n-butanol. The improved response of the Ag modified ZnO nanoflower sensor was attributed to the catalytic effect of Ag nanoparticles. The results indicate that the Ag modified ZnO nanoflower will become a very promising sensing material for n-butanol gas detection.

Correction: Liu et al. Tamarixia radiata Behaviour Is Influenced by Volatiles from Both Plants and Diaphorina citri Nymphs. Insects 2019, 10, 141.

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Prevalence and related factors for neck pain in military personnel: a systematic review.

Purpose: In the military, neck pain is second to low back pain among musculoskeletal disorders. However, the prevalence and related factors of neck pain in military personnel have not been systematically investigated, which may lead to the lack of neck pain prevention and the generation of additional medical expenses, posing challenges to medical care. This review aimed to obtain the prevalence and related factors for neck pain in military personnel in an attempt to provide directions for prevention and intervention. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases in December 2021. Two researchers independently screened studies according to eligibility criteria and assessed study quality. Results: We screened titles and abstracts of 503 articles, and 17 articles met the inclusion criteria. Sixteen articles received moderate to high-quality evaluations. Neck pain is common in the military, with 1-year prevalence as high as 83% and lifetime prevalence as high as 78%. Old age (OR = 5.0), poor neck mobility (OR = 3.61), shoulder pain (OR = 4.9), low back pain (OR = 2.3), high-G pilots (OR = 1.6), longer flight time (OR = 2.53), type of aircraft (OR = 3.93), and use of helmets and night vision systems (OR = 1.9) may be associated with the prevalence of neck pain. Conclusion: Neck pain is highly prevalent in military personnel and exhibits a substantial lifetime prevalence rate. The high prevalence rate of neck pain in the military is related to many individual-related factors and work-related factors. The in-depth assessment and prevention of specific factors is an important direction of future research.

Structure of anellovirus-like particles reveal a mechanism for immune evasion.

Anelloviruses are nonpathogenic viruses that comprise a major portion of the human virome. Despite being ubiquitous in the human population, anelloviruses (ANVs) remain poorly understood. Basic features of the virus, such as the identity of its capsid protein and the structure of the viral particle, have been unclear until now. Here, we use cryogenic electron microscopy to describe the first structure of an ANV-like particle. The particle, formed by 60 jelly roll domain-containing ANV capsid proteins, forms an icosahedral particle core from which spike domains extend to form a salient part of the particle surface. The spike domains come together around the 5-fold symmetry axis to form crown-like features. The base of the spike domain, the P1 subdomain, shares some sequence conservation between ANV strains while a hypervariable region, forming the P2 subdomain, is at the spike domain apex. We propose that this structure renders the particle less susceptible to antibody neutralization by hiding vulnerable conserved domains while exposing highly diverse epitopes as immunological decoys, thereby contributing to the immune evasion properties of anelloviruses. These results shed light on the structure of anelloviruses and provide a framework to understand their interactions with the immune system.

The cold temperature associated with new-onset heart failure after incorporating dynamic status of multimorbidity: nationwide cohort, Taiwan 2012-2019.

AIMS: Cold temperatures are known to affect heart failure (HF) hospitalizations, but the dynamic status of multi-morbidity of HF was rarely incorporated. We investigated the relationship between temperature and new-onset HF by risk strata. METHODS AND RESULTS: This nationwide cohort study analysed daily data on ambient temperature, the dynamic status of risk factors (age, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary artery disease, chronic kidney disease, hypertension, myocardial infarction, and atrial fibrillation), and new-onset HF among the Taiwan population from 2012 to 2019. Poisson regression, Austin's algorithm, and classification and regression tree (CART) were used to determine risk strata and obtain the predicted HF rate. 148 708 patients developed new-onset HF over 152.52 million person-years. Three risk strata for HF were identified: Stratum 1 was predominantly those without any comorbidity (89.9%); Stratum 2 was those aged 60-69 with 2-3 comorbidities or aged 70+ with 1-2 comorbidities (9.0%), and Stratum 3 was those aged 70+ and had four or more comorbidity (1.1%). The HF incidence rates for these three strata were 25.54, 555.27, and 2315.52 per 100 000 person-years, respectively. The R2 of the Poisson regression with the three risk strata and the daily minimum temperature on the ln HF incidence rates was 77.99%. The risk of HF increased as temperatures decreased, and the slopes were 1.032, 1.040, and 1.034 for Strata 1-3, respectively. The rate ratios of HF at the winter median temperature of 17°C vs. the summer median temperature of 29°C were 1.45, 1.58, and 1.49 for Strata 1-3, respectively. Cross-validation reveals a good fit and predicted HF rates by ambient temperature for the three strata were provided. CONCLUSION: Cold temperatures are associated with an increased risk of new-onset HF. Stratum 2 (aged 60-69 with 2-3 comorbidities or aged 70+ with 1-2 comorbidities) are particularly susceptible to cold-related new-onset HF.

Cold temperatures are known to affect heart failure (HF) hospitalizations, but the dynamic status of multi-morbidity of HF was rarely incorporated. Three risk strata for HF were determined for the Taiwan population from 2012 to 2019: Stratum 1 was predominantly young or without comorbidities (89.9%); Stratum 2 was those aged 60­69 with 2­3 comorbidities or aged 70+ with 1­2 comorbidities (9.0%), and Stratum 3 was those aged 70+ and had four or more risk factors (1.1%). The HF incidence rates for these three strata were 25.54, 555.27, and 2315.52 per 100 000 person-years, respectively. The rate ratios of HF at the winter median temperature of 17°C vs. the summer median temperature of 29°C were 1.45, 1.58, and 1.49 for Strata 1­3, respectively. Other than cold temperatures are associated with an increased risk of new-onset HF, Stratum 2 (those aged 60­69 with 2­3 comorbidities or aged 70+ with 1­2 comorbidities) are particularly susceptible to cold-related new-onset HF. Predicted HF rates by ambient temperature for the three strata were provided so that individuals can find their predicted HF rate based on the risk score and the current temperature and, therefore, be amenable to primary preventive efforts.

Clinical applications of superb microvascular imaging and virtual touch imaging quantification in pediatric mesenteric lymphadenitis diagnosis: A promising pathway to enhanced precision.

BACKGROUND: Mesenteric lymphadenitis (ML) demonstrates a distinctive inclination for the pediatric and adolescent demographic and the diagnosis of ML in young children poses a substantial challenge. OBJECTIVE: This prospective study aimed to assess the diagnostic efficacy of Superb Microvascular Imaging (SMI) and Virtual Touch Tissue Imaging quantification (VTIQ) in distinguishing pediatric mesenteric lymphadentitis. METHODS: We examined 82 mesentric lymph node (MLN) in pediatric patients with mesenteric lymphadentitis and 50 MLN in a healthy group. SMI was utilized to evaluate vascularity within the MLN, while MLN stiffness, quantified as shear wave velocity (SWV) in meters per second (m/s), was assessed using VTIQ. We compared the diagnostic performance of greyscale Ultrasound, US combined with SMI, US combined with VTIQ, and US combined with both SMI and VTIQ. RESULTS: SMI revealed a significant distinction between mesenteric lymphadentitis and normal MLN (p <  0.001). MLN affected by mesenteric lymphadentis exhibited increased vascularity (marked vascularity: 13/82, 15.85%) compared to normal MLN (marked vascularity: 1/50, 2.00%). Statistically significant differences were observed in SWV values beween mesenteric lymphadentitis and normal MLN (all p-values <0.001). The mean and minimum SWV values for MLN with mesenteric lymphadentitis were 1.66±0.77 m/s and 1.51±0.53 m/s, respectively. Control group SWV values were approximately three times higher than those in the mesenteric lymphadenitis group. The highest area under the curve values were achieved with the combination of all three modalities (0.837, 95% confidence interval: 0.763- 0.896), followed by US + VTIQ (0.795, 0.716- 0.860), US + SMI (0.753, 0.670- 0.824) and US alone (0.642, 0.554- 0.724). CONCLUSION: SMI and VTIQ offer a promising noninvasive adjunct to grayscale ultrasound for identifying mesenteric lymphadentitis in pediatric patients.

Designing Symmetric Gradient Honeycomb Structures with Carbon-Coated Iron-Based Composites for High-Efficiency Microwave Absorption.

The impedance matching of absorbers is a vital factor affecting their microwave absorption (MA) properties. In this work, we controllably synthesized Material of Institute Lavoisier 88C (MIL-88C) with varying aspect ratios (AR) as a precursor by regulating oil bath conditions, followed by one-step thermal decomposition to obtain carbon-coated iron-based composites. Modifying the precursor MIL-88C (Fe) preparation conditions, such as the molar ratio between metal ions and organic ligands (M/O), oil bath temperature, and oil bath time, influenced the phases, graphitization degree, and AR of the derivatives, enabling low filler loading, achieving well-matched impedance, and ensuring outstanding MA properties. The MOF-derivatives 2 (MD2)/polyvinylidene Difluoride (PVDF), MD3/PVDF, and MD4/PVDF absorbers all exhibited excellent MA properties with optimal filler loadings below 20 wt% and as low as 5 wt%. The MD2/PVDF (5 wt%) achieved a maximum effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 5.52 GHz (1.90 mm). The MD3/PVDF (10 wt%) possessed a minimum reflection loss (RLmin) value of - 67.4 at 12.56 GHz (2.13 mm). A symmetric gradient honeycomb structure (SGHS) was constructed utilizing the high-frequency structure simulator (HFSS) to further extend the EAB, achieving an EAB of 14.6 GHz and a RLmin of - 59.0 dB. This research offers a viable inspiration to creating structures or materials with high-efficiency MA properties.

Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Lysosomal Cell Death Through Reactive Oxygen Species in Rat Liver Cell Clone 9.

In sepsis, bacterial components, particularly lipopolysaccharide (LPS), trigger organ injuries such as liver dysfunction. Although sepsis induces hepatocyte damage, the mechanisms underlying sepsis-related hepatic failure remain unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that the LPS-treated rat hepatocyte cell line Clone 9 not only induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and apoptosis but also increased the expression of the autophagy marker proteins LC3-II and p62, and decreased the expression of intact Lamp2A, a lysosomal membrane protein. Additionally, LPS increased lysosomal membrane permeability and galectin-3 puncta formation, and promoted lysosomal alkalization in Clone 9 cells. Pharmacological inhibition of caspase-8 and cathepsin D (CTSD) suppressed the activation of caspase-3 and rescued the viability of LPS-treated Clone 9 cells. Furthermore, LPS induced CTSD release associated with lysosomal leakage and contributed to caspase-8 activation. Pretreatment with the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) not only diminished ROS generation and increased the cell survival rate, but also decreased the expression of activated caspase-8 and caspase-3 and increased the protein level of Lamp2A in LPS-treated Clone 9 cells. These results demonstrate that LPS-induced ROS causes lysosomal membrane permeabilization and lysosomal cell death, which may play a crucial role in hepatic failure in sepsis. Our results may facilitate the development of new strategies for sepsis management.

Tale of Two Polymorphs: Investigating the Structural Differences and Dynamic Relationship between Nirmatrelvir Solid Forms (Paxlovid).

Two anhydrous polymorphs of the novel antiviral medicine nirmatrelvir were discovered during the development of Paxlovid, Pfizer's oral Covid-19 treatment. A comprehensive experimental and computational approach was necessary to distinguish the two closely related polymorphs, herein identified as Forms 1 and 4. This approach paired experimental methods, including powder X-ray diffraction and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, solid-state experimental methods, thermal analysis, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and Raman spectroscopy with computational investigations comprising crystal structure prediction, Gibbs free energy calculations, and molecular dynamics simulations of the polymorphic transition. Forms 1 and 4 were ultimately determined to be enantiotropically related polymorphs with Form 1 being the stable form above the transition temperature of ∼17 °C and designated as the nominated form for drug development. The work described in this paper shows the importance of using highly specialized orthogonal approaches to elucidate the subtle differences in structure and properties of similar solid-state forms. This synergistic approach allowed for unprecedented speed in bringing Paxlovid to patients in record time amidst the pandemic.

Excited-State Charge Transfer Coupling from Quasiparticle Energy Density Functional Theory.

The recently developed Quasiparticle Energy (QE) scheme, based on a DFT calculation with one more (or less) electron, offers a good description of excitation energies, even with charge transfer characters. In this work, QE is further extended to calculate electron transfer (ET) couplings involving two excited states. We tested it with a donor-acceptor complex, consisting of a furan and a 1,1-dicyanoethylene (DCNE), in which two low lying charge transfer and local excitation states are involved. With generalized Mülliken-Hush and fragment charge-difference schemes, couplings from the QE approach generally agree well with those obtained from TDDFT, except that QE couplings exhibit better exponential distance dependence. Couplings from half-energy gaps with an external field are also calculated and reported. Our results show that the QE scheme is robust in calculating ET couplings with greatly reduced computational time.

Value of conventional ultrasound and shear­wave elastography in the assessment of mesenteric lymphadenitis in a paediatric population.

The present retrospective study was designed to explore the value of conventional ultrasound (US) and Virtual Touch Tissue Imaging and Quantification (VTIQ) in the assessment of mesenteric lymphadenitis (ML) in a paediatric population. A total of 103 patients with ML and 60 healthy paediatric patients were examined. VTIQ was performed to assess mesenteric lymph node (MLN) stiffness via shear-wave velocity (SWV). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to reveal independent variables for the identification of ML. The diagnostic performance of US, and US combined with VTIQ, were compared. All the quantitative VTIQ parameters (including the SWVMean, SWVMax and SWVMin) were significantly greater for MLNs in the control group than for MLNs in the ML group (all P<0.001). The SWV values in the control group were nearly 2-fold greater than that in the ML group. According to the multivariate logistic regression analysis, the longest diameter [odds ratio (OR)=6.042; P=0.046] was revealed to be the strongest independent predictor for ML, followed by the CRP level (OR=2.310; P<0.001) and the SWVMean (OR=0.106; P<0.001). According to the receiver operating characteristic analysis, the area under the curve (AUC) for US combined with VTIQ was 0.890 (95% CI: 0.831-0.949) with a greater sensitivity of 91.26% and a greater specificity of 86.67% than that for US alone (AUC: 0.798; 95% CI: 0.724-0.872; sensitivity: 79.61%; specificity: 80.00%). A significant negative correlation between increased VTIQ parameters and ML was observed. Utilizing VTIQ to assess MLN stiffness offers a non-invasive, convenient, reliable and reproducible approach for identifying mesenteric lymphadenopathy.

Associations between Physical Activity and the Incidence of Cerebrovascular Disease or All-Cause Mortality among 146,742 Older Adults: A 13-Year Prospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVES: Although studies have indicated that physical activity (PA) is related to cardiovascular disease, the specific association between PA and incident cerebrovascular disease (CBVD) remains uncertain. The current study aimed to investigate the associations between PA levels and the CBVD incidence or all-cause mortality. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: Older participants (aged >60 years) from the UK Biobank. METHODS: The baseline PA was classified as total, light, moderate, and vigorous PA based on the metabolic equivalent-minutes per week (MET-min/wk) and considered as exposures, whereas CBVD incidence and all-cause mortality were considered as the outcomes. Cox proportional hazards were used to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for the influence of the association between PA and CBVD incidence and all-cause mortality. RESULTS: A total of 146,742 participants aged 60 years and older were included. During a median follow-up period of 13.5 years (interquartile range of 12.8-14.2), 9338 older individuals developed CBVD and 3033 death were recorded (including 767 CBVD-related deaths). High volumes of PA were consistently associated with lower risks of CBVD and all-cause mortality. The lowest risk of CBVD incidence was observed at 2001-2500 MET-min/wk of total PA (HR 0.61, 95% CI 0.53-0.70), and the lowest risk of all-cause mortality was observed at 2501-5000 MET-min/wk (HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.43-0.63) in older adults. Total PA at 2001-2500 MET-min/wk significantly reduced the CBVD incidence in older women (HR 0.57, 95% CI 0.46-0.71), which was more pronounced than that in older men (HR for 2001-2500 MET-min/wk: 0.64, 95% CI 0.50-0.77). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Total PA at 2001-2500 MET-min/wk significantly reduced the risk of incident CBVD and all-cause mortality in adults aged >60 years, although the extents of risk reduction vary in men and women.

Associations between back pain incidence, and physical activity and sedentary behaviours: A prospective cohort study with data from over 365,000 participants.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between (i) various types of physical activity and the risk of back pain incidence, and (ii) the influence of substituting sedentary behaviours with physical activities on back pain incidence. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. METHODS: We analyzed UK Biobank data collected from 365,307 participants who were free of back pain at baseline. The exposures were total, light, moderate and vigorous physical activity, and sedentary behaviours. The outcome was back pain incidence. The main statistical models were the Cox proportional hazard model and the isotemporal substitution model. RESULTS: In the follow-up time (median, 12.97 years; inter-quartile range, 12.10-13.71), 25,189 individuals developed back pain. The associations between all types of physical activity and incident back pain were significantly non-linear (p < 0.001) among the general population and other subgroups. High physical activity was associated with a decreased risk of back pain compared with no physical activity. The lowest risk occurred in the 1801-2400 MET-min/week subgroup of total physical activity (HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.59-0.69), approximately consisting of 1200, 600, and 600 MET-min/week of light, moderate and vigorous physical activity, respectively. Extremely high vigorous physical activity was related to high risk, specifically in males (HR 1.13, 95% CI 1.02-1.25). Replacing 1 hour/day of sedentary behaviours with an equal time of physical activity reduced the risk of incident back pain by 2%-8% (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Physical activity was related to a reduced risk of back pain incidence (except over-high vigorous physical activity). Substituting sedentary behaviours with physical activities reduced the risk of future back pain.

Association of lipid levels with motor and cognitive function and decline in Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND: Most studies have focused on comparing blood lipid biomarkers between Parkinson's disease (PD) and normal controls (NC). However, further research is necessary to explore the impact of blood lipid levels on motor and cognitive function, as well as the progression of motor dysfunction and cognitive decline over time. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between blood lipid biomarkers and these indicators in individuals with PD. METHODS: The cohort study enrolled 157 PD patients and 146 NC from the Tianjin Huanhu Hospital from September 2017 to September 2019. Serum lipid fractions were detected in fasting serum samples. PD patients were followed up at 2 ± 0.6 years for clinical assessment. RESULTS: PD patients exhibited lower serum triglyceride (TG) levels as compared to NC (P = 0.008). PD male patients exhibited lower serum lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C) and total cholesterol (TC) levels than female patients (LDL-C: P = 0.034; TC: P = 0.019). Serum TG levels correlated significantly with Unified PD Rating Scale III, Hoehn and Yahr stage and Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores in PD patients. Additionally, serum TG levels were associated with follow-up motor function decline and cognitive decline in adjusted regression models in PD patients. CONCLUSIONS: To summarise, the study findings suggest that decreased serum TG levels are significantly associated with greater motor dysfunction, cognitive dysfunction and the greater deterioration of the two indicators.

Preliminary exploration of animal models of congenital choledochal cysts.

BACKGROUND: Various animal models have been used to explore the pathogenesis of choledochal cysts (CCs), but with little convincing results. Current surgical techniques can achieve satisfactory outcomes for treatment of CCs. Consequently, recent studies have focused more on clinical issues rather than basic research. Therefore, we need appropriate animal models to further basic research. AIM: To establish an appropriate animal model that may contribute to the investigation of the pathogenesis of CCs. METHODS: Eighty-four specific pathogen-free female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated to a surgical group, sham surgical group, or control group. A rat model of CC was established by partial ligation of the bile duct. The reliability of the model was confirmed by measurements of serum biochemical indices, morphology of common bile ducts of the rats as well as molecular biology experiments in rat and human tissues. RESULTS: Dilation classified as mild (diameter, ≥ 1 mm to < 3 mm), moderate (≥ 3 mm to < 10 mm), and severe (≥ 10 mm) was observed in 17, 17, and 2 rats in the surgical group, respectively, while no dilation was observed in the control and sham surgical groups. Serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, and total bile acids were significantly elevated in the surgical group as compared to the control group 7 d after surgery, while direct bilirubin, total bilirubin, and gamma-glutamyltransferase were further increased 14 d after surgery. Most of the biochemical indices gradually decreased to normal ranges 28 d after surgery. The protein expression trend of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 in rat model was consistent with the human CC tissues. CONCLUSION: The model of partial ligation of the bile duct of juvenile rats could morphologically simulate the cystic or fusiform CC, which may contribute to investigating the pathogenesis of CC.