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This Letter presents results of a search for the mixing of a sub-eV sterile neutrino with three active neutrinos based on the full data sample of the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment, collected during 3158 days of detector operation, which contains 5.55×10^{6} reactor ν[over ¯]_{e} candidates identified as inverse beta-decay interactions followed by neutron capture on gadolinium. The analysis benefits from a doubling of the statistics of our previous result and from improvements of several important systematic uncertainties. No significant oscillation due to mixing of a sub-eV sterile neutrino with active neutrinos was found. Exclusion limits are set by both Feldman-Cousins and CLs methods. Light sterile neutrino mixing with sin^{2}2θ_{14}â³0.01 can be excluded at 95% confidence level in the region of 0.01 eV^{2}â²|Δm_{41}^{2}|â²0.1 eV^{2}. This result represents the world-leading constraints in the region of 2×10^{-4} eV^{2}â²|Δm_{41}^{2}|â²0.2 eV^{2}.
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Objective: To investigate the impact of donor human leukocyte antigen (HLA) -Bw4 expression on natural killer (NK) cell reconstitution and transplant outcomes in recipients undergoing haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) from maternal or related donors without ex vivo T-cell depletion. Methods: This study prospectively enrolled 32 patients who received T-replete haploidentical HSCT from maternal or collateral donors (cohort 1) to evaluate the facilitating effect of donor HLA-Bw4 expression on NK cell reconstitution. Furthermore, a retrospective analysis was conducted on 278 patients who underwent T-replete haploidentical HSCT from maternal or collateral donors (cohort 2) to analyze the impact of donor HLA-Bw4 expression on HSCT outcomes. Thus, a comparison was made between the effects of donor HLA-Bw4 expression on HSCT outcomes in patients receiving or not receiving post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PT-Cy) conditioning. Results: Donors expressing HLA-Bw4 alleles facilitated NK cell reconstitution and functional recovery, which remained unaffected by PT-Cy. Donors with HLA-Bw4 expression were associated with reduced transplant-related mortality (TRM), particularly mortality related to infections. The use of PT-Cy did not impact the ability of donor HLA-Bw4 to decrease TRM. Conclusion: In haploidentical HSCT from maternal or related donors without ex vivo T-cell depletion, the presence of donor HLA-Bw4 expression promotes rapid NK cell reconstitution and functional recovery and is significantly associated with lower TRM, especially infection-related mortality. These findings underscore the clinical significance of donor HLA-Bw4 expression in patients who underwent HSCT. Hence, the consideration of donor HLA-Bw4 in recipient selection and HSCT strategies holds important clinical implications.
Subject(s)
HLA-B Antigens , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation , Killer Cells, Natural , Transplantation, Haploidentical , Humans , Killer Cells, Natural/immunology , Adult , Female , Male , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/methods , Young Adult , Adolescent , Middle Aged , HLA-B Antigens/genetics , Retrospective Studies , Prospective Studies , Tissue Donors , Child , Alleles , Child, Preschool , Transplantation Conditioning/methodsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Screening tools such as calf circumference (CC) and Yubi-wakka (finger-ring) test have been recognized as effective tools by Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 (AWGS'19) for sarcopenia screening but their comparative agreement, diagnostic performance and validity are unclear. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to determine: (i)agreement between calf and finger-ring circumference, (ii)diagnostic performance for low muscle mass and AWGS'19 sarcopenia diagnosis, (iii)correlation with muscle mass, strength, and physical performance, and (iv)association with frailty, life space mobility and physical activity. METHODS: We studied 187 healthy community-dwelling older adults (mean age=66.8+7.0years) from the GERILABS-2 study. CC was measured via (i) both calves in sitting and standing positions, and (ii) Yubi-wakka test by encircling the thickest part of the non-dominant calf with index fingers and thumbs of both hands. We performed Cohen's kappa to check for agreement, area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) to compare diagnostic performance, partial correlations adjusted for age and gender to compare convergent validity, and logistic regression to determine predictive validity for outcome measures. RESULTS: Sarcopenia prevalence was 24.0% (AWGS'19). Yubi-wakka identified 16.6% of participants as screen-positive ("smaller"), showing moderate agreement only with non-dominant sitting CC measurements (k=0.421,p<0.001) and having lower diagnostic performance in determining low muscle mass (AUC=0.591 vs 0.855-0.870,p<0.001; sensitivity=57.1% vs 75.5-90.8%; specificity=58.4% vs 70.8-80.9%) and sarcopenia diagnosis (AUC=0.581 vs 0.788-0.818,p<0.001; sensitivity=55.6% vs 57.5-71.8%; specificity=74.4% vs 75.6-88.9%) compared to CC measurements. Yubi-wakka correlated significantly with muscle mass, grip strength and knee extension but not physical performance. When adjusted for age, gender and hypertension, Yubi-wakka was significantly associated with frailty (OR=3.96,95%CI:1.09-14.38), life space mobility (OR=2.38,95%CI:1.08-5.24) and physical activity (OR=2.50,95%CI:1.07-5.86). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Yubi-wakka provides a self-administered, low-cost and practicable community screening tool for sarcopenia. Our study affirmed the convergent and predictive validity of Yubi-wakka, albeit with lower sensitivity and specificity in diagnostic performance compared to CC measurements.
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Frailty , Sarcopenia , Humans , Aged , Sarcopenia/diagnosis , Sarcopenia/epidemiology , Knee Joint , Exercise , Hand StrengthABSTRACT
Objective: To understand the incidence of diabetes and influencing factors, the trend of FPG change and risk for mortality in HIV-infected individuals after antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture (Dehong). Methods: The HIV/AIDS treatment database was collected from China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention. This retrospective cohort study was conducted in HIV-infected individuals with access to ART in Dehong during 2004-2020.The Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to analyze the incidence density of diabetes, the influencing factors and risk for mortality in HIV-infected individuals with access to ART, mixed linear effects model was used to analyze the trend of FPG change and predict FPG in those with different glucose metabolic status at baseline survey. Statistical analysis was performed using software SAS 9.4. Results: A total of 8 763 HIV-infected individuals were included, in whom 8 432 (96.2%) had no diabetes, 331 had diabetes. The incidence density of diabetes was 2.31/1 000 person years. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis revealed that 30- 59 years old, BMI ≥24.0 kg/m2, Efavirenz (EFV) based initial treatment regimen and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) at baseline survey were significantly and positively associated with incidence of diabetes. Mixed effect model revealed that FPG was positively correlated with the duration of ART, age and baseline FPG. Suffering from diabetes was a risk factor for mortality in HIV-infected individuals both at baseline survey and during follow-up. Conclusions: The risk for diabetes increased in HIV-infected individuals who were 30-59 years old, baseline BMI ≥24.0 kg/m2, received EFV based initial treatment, and IFG in HIV-infected individuals after antiretroviral therapy in Dehong, 2004-2020. It is important to pay close attention to their blood glucose, and patients with high blood glucose should receive treatment as early as possible.
Subject(s)
Diabetes Mellitus , HIV Infections , Humans , Adult , Middle Aged , Incidence , Blood Glucose , Retrospective Studies , HIV Infections/drug therapy , HIV Infections/epidemiology , Diabetes Mellitus/drug therapy , Diabetes Mellitus/epidemiology , China/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Neutron-gamma discrimination is a tough and significative in experimental neutrons measurements procedure, especially for low-energy neutrons signal discrimination. In this work, based on the Pulse Shape Discrimination (PSD) and Back-Propagation (BP) artificial neural networks, a neutron-gamma discrimination method is developed to broaden the lower limit of energy threshold with the hidden layer of 20 neurons. Compared with neutron-gamma discrimination method based on PSD only, the developed neutron-gamma discrimination method based on the PSD and BP-ANN can discriminate neutron and gamma-ray signals with low energy threshold, which can discriminate signals up to 99.93%. Moreover, this work can reduce the energy threshold from 350 keV to 70 keV, as well as the acquired data utilization increased from 60% to more than 99.9%, which overcome the hardware limitations and distinguish neutron and gamma-ray signals, effectively. The developed neutron-gamma discrimination method and the trained neural network can be directly used to other experimental neutrons measurements.
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Objective: To investigate the effects of preoperative quetiapine on postoperative delirium (POD) and sleep quality in elderly orthopedic patients. Methods: Prospectively, 111 elderly patients, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade â ¡-â ¢, scheduled to undergo knee or hip surgery in the Affiliated Huangyan Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University under continuous spinal anesthesia from August 2021 to March 2023, were selected and randomly divided into two groups by random number table: control group (group C, 1 h preoperative placebo) and quetiapine group (group Q, 1 h preoperative quetiapine 12.5 mg). In group C, 54 cases were enrolled, including 25 males and 29 females, with an average age of (73.5±4.9) years. In group Q, 57 cases were enrolled, including 26 males and 31 females, with an average age of (74.8±5.0) years. The primary outcome measures were the incidence of POD evaluated by using confusion assessment method (CAM) at 24, 48, and 72 hours after surgery, and the secondary outcome measures included Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) scores at 24 and 48 hours after surgery and satisfaction of pain management within 24 hours after surgery. Results: The incidence of POD at 24, 48, and 72 h after surgery in group Q was 5.4% (3/57), 12.5% (7/57), 14.3% (8/57), respectively, while that in group C was 18.2% (10/54), 21.8% (12/54), 21.8% (12/54), respectively. The incidence of POD at 24 h after surgery in group Q was lower than that in group C (P=0.036). There was no significant difference in the incidence of POD at 48 and 72 h after surgery between two groups (all P>0.05). The PSQI score of patients in group Q at 24 and 48 h after surgery were (3.8±1.2) and (6.9±1.1) scores, respectively, which in group C were (10.5±2.8) and (7.3±1.3) scores, respectively. Compared with group C, the PSQI score of patients in group Q at 24 h after surgery was significantly higher (P<0.001), but there was no significant difference at 48 h after surgery (P=0.068). The satisfaction scores of pain management at 24 h after surgery in group Q was (91±7) scores, which was higher than that in group C of (81±6) scores (P<0.001). Conclusion: Oral intake of low-dose quetiapine 1 h preoperatively can reduce the incidence of POD, improve postoperative sleep quality and enhance postoperative satisfaction of pain management at 24 hours after surgery in elderly orthopedic patients undergoing knee or hip surgery.
Subject(s)
Emergence Delirium , Orthopedics , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Quetiapine Fumarate/therapeutic use , Sleep QualityABSTRACT
Objective: To understand the incidence and causes of HIV/AIDS death patients in Taizhou from 1998 to 2022. Methods: The data were collected from the AIDS Integrated Prevention and Control Information System of China Information System for Diseases Control and Prevention and Taizhou Chronic Disease Information Management System. By the end of 2022, a total of 5 126 HIV/AIDS patients living in Taizhou for a long time were included, SAS 9.4 was used for Kruskal-Wallis test, χ2 test and trend analysis. Results: From 1998 to 2022, a total of 796 HIV/AIDS patients died, with a fatality rate of 15.53% (796/5 126), in whom 52.26% (416/796) died within one year after confirmation. The proportion of HIV/AIDS patients who died within one year decreased (trend χ2=5.60, P<0.001). For the constituent of death causes, there were 140 (17.59%) deaths of AIDS, 237 (29.77%) deaths of malignant tumors, 99 (12.44%) deaths of cardiovascular disease, 58 (7.29%) deaths caused by injuries, 160 (20.10%) deaths due to other causes, and 102 (12.81%) deaths due to unknown causes. The constituent ratio of deaths of malignant tumor, cardiovascular disease and other causes increased over time (trend χ2=1.92, P=0.028; trend χ2=2.81, P=0.003; trend χ2=2.07, P=0.020). There were differences in the distribution of death causes in HIV/AIDS cases in terms of age, occupation, marital status, ethnic group, educational level and mode of transmission (all P<0.05). The average age of the death cases due to cardiovascular disease was higher than other death cases, the cases who died from AIDS had shorter survival time and the lower initial CD4+T cells after confirmation compared with all other death cases, and the time interval from confirmation to treatment in HIV/AIDS patients with unknown death causes was longer than those of all other death cases (all P<0.05). Conclusions: The constituent ratio of non-AIDS related deaths in HIV/AIDS patients in Taizhou was relatively high and showed an upward trend during 1998-2022. It is necessary to further strengthen the early screening, prevention and treatment of chronic non infectious diseases.
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Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome , Cardiovascular Diseases , Humans , Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/epidemiology , Cause of Death , Causality , China/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Reactor neutrino experiments play a crucial role in advancing our knowledge of neutrinos. In this Letter, the evolution of the flux and spectrum as a function of the reactor isotopic content is reported in terms of the inverse-beta-decay yield at Daya Bay with 1958 days of data and improved systematic uncertainties. These measurements are compared with two signature model predictions: the Huber-Mueller model based on the conversion method and the SM2018 model based on the summation method. The measured average flux and spectrum, as well as the flux evolution with the ^{239}Pu isotopic fraction, are inconsistent with the predictions of the Huber-Mueller model. In contrast, the SM2018 model is shown to agree with the average flux and its evolution but fails to describe the energy spectrum. Altering the predicted inverse-beta-decay spectrum from ^{239}Pu fission does not improve the agreement with the measurement for either model. The models can be brought into better agreement with the measurements if either the predicted spectrum due to ^{235}U fission is changed or the predicted ^{235}U, ^{238}U, ^{239}Pu, and ^{241}Pu spectra are changed in equal measure.
Subject(s)
Nuclear Reactors , UraniumABSTRACT
Objective: To development the prognostic nomogram for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Methods: Two hundred and ten patients pathologically confirmed as MPM were enrolled in this retrospective study from 2007 to 2020 in the People's Hospital of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, the First and Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, and divided into training (n=112) and test (n=98) sets according to the admission time. The observation factors included demography, symptoms, history, clinical score and stage, blood cell and biochemistry, tumor markers, pathology and treatment. The Cox proportional risk model was used to analyze the prognostic factors of 112 patients in the training set. According to the results of multivariate Cox regression analysis, the prognostic prediction nomogram was established. C-Index and calibration curve were used to evaluate the model's discrimination and consistency in raining and test sets, respectively. Patients were stratified according to the median risk score of nomogram in the training set. Log rank test was performed to compare the survival differences between the high and low risk groups in the two sets. Results: The median overall survival (OS) of 210 MPM patients was 384 days (IQR=472 days), and the 6-month, 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year survival rates were 75.7%, 52.6%, 19.7%, and 13.0%, respectively. Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that residence (HR=2.127, 95% CI: 1.154-3.920), serum albumin (HR=1.583, 95% CI: 1.017-2.464), clinical stage (stage â £: HR=3.073, 95% CI: 1.366-6.910) and the chemotherapy (HR=0.476, 95% CI: 0.292-0.777) were independent prognostic factors for MPM patients. The C-index of the nomogram established based on the results of Cox multivariate regression analysis in the training and test sets were 0.662 and 0.613, respectively. Calibration curves for both the training and test sets showed moderate consistency between the predicted and actual survival probabilities of MPM patients at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years. The low-risk group had better outcomes than the high-risk group in both training (P=0.001) and test (P=0.003) sets. Conclusion: The survival prediction nomogram established based on routine clinical indicators of MPM patients provides a reliable tool for prognostic prediction and risk stratification.
Subject(s)
Mesothelioma, Malignant , Humans , Prognosis , Nomograms , Retrospective Studies , Proportional Hazards ModelsABSTRACT
We present a new determination of the smallest neutrino mixing angle θ_{13} and the mass-squared difference Δm_{32}^{2} using a final sample of 5.55×10^{6} inverse beta-decay (IBD) candidates with the final-state neutron captured on gadolinium. This sample is selected from the complete dataset obtained by the Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment in 3158 days of operation. Compared to the previous Daya Bay results, selection of IBD candidates has been optimized, energy calibration refined, and treatment of backgrounds further improved. The resulting oscillation parameters are sin^{2}2θ_{13}=0.0851±0.0024, Δm_{32}^{2}=(2.466±0.060)×10^{-3} eV^{2} for the normal mass ordering or Δm_{32}^{2}=-(2.571±0.060)×10^{-3} eV^{2} for the inverted mass ordering.
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Intramuscular fat (IMF) is a significant marker for pork quality. The Anqing Six-end-white pig has the characteristics of high meat quality and IMF content. Owing to the influence of European commercial pigs and a late start in resource conservation, the IMF content within local populations varies between individuals. This study analyzed the longissimus dorsi transcriptome of purebred Anqing Six-end-white pigs with varying IMF content to recognize differentially expressed genes. We identified 1528 differentially expressed genes between the pigs with high (H) and low (L) IMF content. Based on these data, 1775 Gene Ontology terms were significantly enriched, including lipid metabolism, modification and storage, and regulation of lipid biosynthesis. Pathway analysis revealed 79 significantly enriched pathways, including the Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways. Moreover, gene set enrichment analysis indicated that the L group had increased the expression of genes related to ribosome function. Additionally, the protein-protein interaction network analyses revealed that VEGFA, KDR, LEP, IRS1, IGF1R, FLT1 and FLT4 were promising candidate genes associated with the IMF content. Our study identified the candidate genes and pathways involved in IMF deposition and lipid metabolism and provides data for developing local pig germplasm resources.
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Transcriptome , Swine , Animals , Sequence Analysis, RNAABSTRACT
Objective: Using two measuring tools to examine the prevalence and correlates of neurocognitive impairment (NCI) as well as characteristics of neurocognitive performance among people with HIV (PWH) on antiretroviral treatment (ART). Methods: A total of 2 250 treated PWH from the Comparative HIV and Aging Research in Taizhou (CHART) were recruited in Taizhou, Zhejiang province. The Chinese version of the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and the International HIV Dementia Scale (IHDS) were used to evaluate their neurocognitive performance. Cluster analysis was conducted on the seven cognitive domains in the scale. Results: Among 2 250 treated PWH, 48.0% (1 080/2 250) were aged 45 to 89, 79.2% (1 782/2 250) were male, and 37.8% (852/2 250) had primary school education or below. The prevalence of neurocognitive impairment judged by MMSE and IHDS among HIV-infected people was 14.3% (321/2 250) and 31.8% (716/2 250), respectively. Aged 60 to 89 (aOR=2.63, 95%CI:1.52-4.56), depressive symptoms (aOR=5.58, 95%CI:4.20-7.40) and treatment with EFV (aOR=2.86, 95%CI:1.89-4.34) were main risk factors of NCI diagnosed by MMSE. Male (aOR=0.71, 95%CI:0.51-1.00), overweight (aOR=0.63, 95%CI:0.44-0.89), and high education level (aOR=0.11, 95%CI:0.05-0.25) were protective factors of NCI diagnosed by MMSE. Aged 60 to 89 (aOR=3.10, 95%CI:2.09-4.59), depressive symptoms (aOR=1.78, 95%CI:1.44-2.20) and treatment with EFV (aOR=1.79, 95%CI:1.41-2.29) were risk factors of NCI diagnosed by IHDS. Male (aOR=0.75, 95%CI:0.58-0.97), underweight (aOR=0.67, 95%CI:0.47-0.96), baseline CD4+ T lymphocyte (CD4) counts ≥350 cells/µl (aOR=0.69, 95%CI:0.53-0.91) and high education level (aOR=0.23, 95%CI:0.14-0.39) were protective factors of NCI diagnosed by IHDS. The neurocognitive performance of HIV-infected people can be divided into four main types. Among four types, age, gender, education level, alcohol drinking, depressive symptoms, waist-to-hip ratio, hypertension, diabetes, baseline CD4 counts and treatment with EFV were different statistically (all P<0.05). Conclusions: There are four main types of neurocognitive performance in treated PWH. The prevalence of NCI is high among this population, underscoring the need for tailored prevention and intervention.
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Anti-Retroviral Agents , HIV Infections , Male , Humans , Female , Educational Status , CD4 Lymphocyte Count , Protective Factors , HIV Infections/complications , HIV Infections/drug therapyABSTRACT
Objective: To examine characteristics and risk factors of the blood lipid trajectories among HIV-infected patients treated with antiviral therapy (ART). Methods: Based on the retrospective cohort study design, sociodemographic characteristics and baseline laboratory indicators of HIV-infected patients receiving ART from January 2004 to April 2021 in Taizhou, Zhejiang province. The blood lipid trajectories of the subjects was described and classified using the latent class mixed model (LCMM). Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the risk factors of blood lipid trajectories. The data were analysized by R 3.5.0. software with lcmm package. Results: Among 2 079 HIV-infected patients, the median age (Q1, Q3) was 31 (43, 55) years, and the majority were being male (78.1%, 1 623/2 079) and married (58.7%, 1 221/2 079). BMI ≥24.0 kg/m2 accounted for 18.9% (393/2 079). Heterosexual transmission accounted for 67.7% (1 407/2 079). Three different blood lipid trajectories were classified: inverted U-shaped (2.3%, 48/2 079), progressive (31.3%, 650/2 079), and general trajectory (U-shaped) (66.4%, 1 381/2 079). The inverted U-shaped and progressive trajectory are identified as dangerous trajectories (33.6%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that compared with 3TC-TDF-EFV antiviral treatment regimen, baseline TC level <5.2 mmol/L, baseline TG level <1.7 mmol/L, BMI 18.5-23.9 kg/m2, baseline CD4+T lymphocytes (CD4) counts <200 cells/µl, antiviral treatment time <5 years,those who had been using 3TC-AZT-EFV antiviral therapy regimen (aOR=1.99,95%CI:1.44-2.77) and those who switched to LPV/r antiviral therapy regimen (aOR=3.17, 95%CI: 2.00-5.01), baseline TC levels were 5.2-6.1 mmol/L (aOR=2.55, 95%CI: 1.92-3.39) and ≥6.2 mmol/L (aOR=5.89,95%CI:3.76-9.25), and baseline TG levels were 1.7-2.2 mmol/L (aOR=2.00, 95%CI: 1.53-2.62) and ≥2.3 mmol/L (aOR=6.51,95%CI:4.97-8.54), respectively, BMI ≥24.0 kg/m2 (aOR=1.44, 95%CI: 1.11-1.88) were more likely to show the dangerous trajectories. BMI <18.5 kg/m2 (aOR=0.55, 95%CI: 0.35-0.86), baseline CD4 counts level was 200-349 cells/µl (aOR=0.67, 95%CI: 0.52-0.87) and baseline CD4 ≥350 cells/µl (aOR=0.71, 95%CI: 0.54-0.94). The duration of antiviral therapy was 5-9 years (aOR=0.74, 95%CI: 0.56-0.99), and ≥10 years (aOR=0.53, 95%CI: 0.22-0.67) were less likely to show the dangerous trajectories. Conclusions: HIV-infected patients showed a dangerous trajectory of blood lipids after ART, which was significantly associated with the use of specific antiviral drugs such as AZT and LPV/r, treatment duration, baseline CD4, TC, TG levels and BMI. It is recommended to strengthen blood lipid monitoring and targeted intervention measure when HIV infected persons start antiviral treatment.
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Anti-HIV Agents , HIV Infections , Humans , Male , Female , Retrospective Studies , Anti-HIV Agents/therapeutic use , CD4 Lymphocyte Count , LipidsABSTRACT
The reconstruction of tactile function during the repair of skin damage caused by factors including burns is inseparable from the functional regeneration of tactile receptor Merkel cells. Merkel cells mainly exist in the basal layer of the epidermis and are closely connected with nerves to form Merkel cell-nerve complexes, which play an important role in biological organisms. A large number of studies have shown that Merkel cells conduct precise transmission of mechanical force stimuli through the mechanically gated ion channels PIEZO2, and perform the function of tactile receptors. In this paper, we discussed the characteristics of Merkel cells and analyzed the different subgroups that may possibly exist in this type of cells and their functions, at the same time, we investigated the animal model research of touch-related diseases and the clinical diseases related to touch, revealing the importance of Merkel cell function research.
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Merkel Cells , Touch , Animals , Ion Channels/metabolism , Mechanotransduction, Cellular/physiology , Merkel Cells/physiology , Skin/metabolism , Touch/physiologyABSTRACT
This Letter reports the first measurement of high-energy reactor antineutrinos at Daya Bay, with nearly 9000 inverse beta decay candidates in the prompt energy region of 8-12 MeV observed over 1958 days of data collection. A multivariate analysis is used to separate 2500 signal events from background statistically. The hypothesis of no reactor antineutrinos with neutrino energy above 10 MeV is rejected with a significance of 6.2 standard deviations. A 29% antineutrino flux deficit in the prompt energy region of 8-11 MeV is observed compared to a recent model prediction. We provide the unfolded antineutrino spectrum above 7 MeV as a data-based reference for other experiments. This result provides the first direct observation of the production of antineutrinos from several high-Q_{ß} isotopes in commercial reactors.
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OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to synthesize available evidence on the effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccines for frail older adults through a rapid review, supplemented with geriatricians' consensus statements. METHODS: References were identified through MEDLINE and Web of Science on 1st February 2021 using relevant terms related to COVID-19, vaccine, and older adults. Searches were also conducted on reference lists of review articles and Google Scholar. The content was updated on 8th April via hand searching. We included studies on Phase III randomized controlled trials, and data from real world administration of vaccines. A two-round Delphi study was conducted with 15 geriatricians to elicit their thoughts and recommendations regarding COVID-19 vaccination for frail older adults. RESULTS: Five Phase III randomized controlled efficacy trials reported vaccine efficacy ranging from 66.7% to 95% among participants aged 16 to 95. The vaccine efficacy for participants aged 65 and above is 94.7% and 86.4% for Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna respectively. Sputnik V reported a vaccine efficacy of 91.8% for participants 60 and above. Serious adverse events were reported by 0.27% to 1% of participants who received at least one dose of the four vaccines. For the Delphi study, 16 out of 24 statements achieved consensus. The Delphi panel opined that frail or very old adults, except those with limited life expectancy, should be vaccinated due to their vulnerability. They also agree that vaccination decisions should be made by patients when possible, with the involvement of next-of-kin should the frail older adult be unable to do so. Lastly, the panel thought that frail older adults should be included in future clinical trials. CONCLUSION: In early clinical trials, there is paucity of evidence on efficacy and safety of current COVID-19 vaccines among frail older adults. Geriatricians' consensus indicate that frail older adults should be vaccinated except where life expectancy is limited. Future trials assessing efficacy and safety should include frail older adults.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 Vaccines , COVID-19 , Aged , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/prevention & control , COVID-19 Vaccines/adverse effects , Clinical Trials, Phase III as Topic , Delphi Technique , Frail Elderly , Humans , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic , Singapore/epidemiology , VaccinationABSTRACT
Objective: To explore the correlation between club drug use and anal canal human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in HIV-negative and HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) in Taizhou. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Taizhou. HIV-negative MSM were recruited by convenient sampling in voluntary counseling and testing clinics of Taizhou prefectural CDC from August 2016 to October 2017, and HIV-positive MSM were recruited through the routine follow-up and management by Taizhou prefectural CDC from August 2016 to June 2019. A face-to-face questionnaire interview was conducted to collect the information about the socio-demographic characteristics, sexual orientation, sexual behavior, club drug use and other information of the participants. Anal canal swabs were collected for HPV genotyping. The correlation between club drug use and the prevalence of HPV infection were evaluated with χ2 test and logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 69 HIV-negative and 345 HIV-infected MSM were included. The prevalence of any type of anal canal HPV infection in HIV-negative MSM (27.5%, 19/69) was lower than that in HIV-positive MSM (66.4%, 229/345) (χ2=36.114,P<0.001). The prevalence of self-reported club drug use in HIV-negative MSM was higher (17.4%, 12/69) than that in HIV-positive MSM (7.0%, 24/345) (χ2=7.886, P=0.005). For HIV-negative MSM, the prevalence of club drug use was higher in MSM who had homosexual group sex (P=0.036); the prevalence of HPV infection was 50.0% (6/12) in club drug users and 22.8% (13/57) in non-club drug users (χ2=3.674, P=0.055). For HIV-positive MSM, the prevalence of HPV infection was 70.8% (17/24) in club drug users and 66.0% (212/321) in non-club drug users (χ2=0.230, P=0.632). Multivariable logistic regression model showed that HPV infection in MSM was positively correlated with HIV infection (OR=5.42, 95%CI: 2.92-10.06), and the association between HPV infection and club drug use (OR=1.66, 95%CI: 0.75-3.71) was not significant. Conclusions: HIV infection was positively correlated with anal canal HPV infection in MSM in Taizhou. Club drug use was positively correlated with high-risk sexual behaviors, while its association with HPV infection needs further study.
Subject(s)
HIV Infections , Illicit Drugs , Papillomavirus Infections , Sexual and Gender Minorities , Anal Canal , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Homosexuality, Male , Humans , Male , Papillomaviridae , Risk Factors , Sexual BehaviorABSTRACT
A joint determination of the reactor antineutrino spectra resulting from the fission of ^{235}U and ^{239}Pu has been carried out by the Daya Bay and PROSPECT Collaborations. This Letter reports the level of consistency of ^{235}U spectrum measurements from the two experiments and presents new results from a joint analysis of both data sets. The measurements are found to be consistent. The combined analysis reduces the degeneracy between the dominant ^{235}U and ^{239}Pu isotopes and improves the uncertainty of the ^{235}U spectral shape to about 3%. The ^{235}U and ^{239}Pu antineutrino energy spectra are unfolded from the jointly deconvolved reactor spectra using the Wiener-SVD unfolding method, providing a data-based reference for other reactor antineutrino experiments and other applications. This is the first measurement of the ^{235}U and ^{239}Pu spectra based on the combination of experiments at low- and highly enriched uranium reactors.
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BACKGROUND: Frailty and intrinsic capacity (IC) are distinct but interrelated constructs. Uncertainty remains regarding how they are related and interact to influence health outcomes. We aim to understand the relationship between frailty and IC by identifying subgroups based on frailty criteria and IC domains and studying one-year outcomes. METHODS: We studied 200 independent community-dwelling older adults (mean age 67.9±7.9 years, Modified Barthel Index (MBI) score 99±2.6). Frailty was defined by modified Fried criteria. Scores (range: 0-2) were assigned to individual IC domains (cognition, psychological, locomotion, and vitality) to yield a total IC score of 8. To identify subgroups, two-step cluster analysis was performed with age, frailty and IC domains. Cluster associations with one-year outcomes (frailty, muscle strength (grip strength, repeated chair stand test), physical performance (gait speed, Short Physical Performance Battery), function (MBI) and quality-of-life (EuroQol (EQ)-5D)) were examined using multiple linear regression adjusted for age, gender and education. RESULTS: Three distinct clusters were identified - Cluster 1: High IC/Robust (N=74, 37%); Cluster 2: Intermediate IC/Prefrail (N=73, 36.5%); and Cluster 3: Low IC/Prefrail-Frail (53, 26.5%). Comparing between clusters, IC domains, cognition, depressive symptoms, nutrition, strength and physical performance were least impaired in Cluster 1, intermediate in Cluster 2 and most impaired in Cluster 3. At one year, the proportion transitioning to frailty or remaining frail was highest in Cluster 3 compared to Cluster 2 and Cluster 1 (39% vs 6.9% vs 2.8%, P<0.001). Compared to Cluster 1, Cluster 3 experienced greatest declines in grip strength (ß=-4.1, P<.001), MBI (ß=-1.24, P=0.045) and EQ-5D utility scores (ß=-0.053, P=0.005), with Cluster 2 intermediate between Cluster 1 and Cluster 3. CONCLUSIONS: Amongst independent community-dwelling older adults, IC is complementary to frailty measures through better risk-profiling of one-year outcomes amongst prefrail individuals into intermediate and high-risk groups. The intermediate group merits follow-up to ascertain longer-term prognosis.
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Frailty , Aged , Cluster Analysis , Frail Elderly/psychology , Frailty/diagnosis , Geriatric Assessment , Hand Strength/physiology , Humans , Independent LivingABSTRACT
Objective: To explore the changing trends and influencing factors of AIDS-related and non-AIDS-related deaths after receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) among HIV-positive individuals in Dehong Dai Jingpo autonomous prefecture (Dehong) from 2010 to 2019. Methods: Based on the Chinese National treatment database, HIV patients who initiated ART from 2010 to 2019 were included in the analysis. The cumulative incidence function was used to estimate the cumulative incidence of AIDS-related death and non-AIDS-related death, respectively. The Fine-Grey model was used to compare the differences between AIDS-related and non-AIDS-related deaths and analyze its influencing factors. Results: A total of 7 068 HIV-positive individuals were included, of which 388 were AIDS-related deaths and 570 were non-AIDS-related deaths. The cumulative mortality rate at years 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9 after receiving ART were 2.27%, 3.46%, 4.47%, 5.03%, 5.84%, 6.61%, 7.40% for AIDS-related deaths, and 1.63%, 3.11%, 4.68%, 6.02%, 7.42%, 10.49%, 12.75% for non-AIDS-related deaths, respectively. In the Fine-Grey model, older age at ART initiation, male, unmarried, injection drug use as the transmission route, lower baseline BMI, lower baseline CD4+ T cell counts, baseline FIB-4 score >3.25, and baseline anemia were risk factors for AIDS-related death. In contrast, age at ART initiation ≥45 years, male, Dai, and Jingpo minority ethnicities, unmarried, injection drug use as the transmission route, lower baseline BMI, baseline FIB-4 score >3.25, baseline eGFR <60 ml·min-1·1.73 m-2, and baseline anemia were risk factors for non-AIDS-related deaths. Conclusions: The cumulative mortality rate was low among HIV-positive individuals after receiving ART in Dehong during 2010-2019. The mortality of non-AIDS-related deaths was higher than that of AIDS-related deaths. There were also differences in the factors influencing AIDS-related and non-AIDS-related deaths and interventions should be intensified to target the influencing factors for non-AIDS-related deaths.