Underdiagnosis and underreporting of vertebral fractures on chest radiographs in men aged over 50 years or postmenopausal women with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporotic vertebral fractures are often clinically silent and unrecognized. The present study aimed to determine whether routine chest radiographs could be a potential screening tool for identifying missed vertebral fractures in men aged over 50 years or postmenopausal women, especially those with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of undetected vertebral fractures in elderly Chinese patients with and without T2DM. METHODS: Clinical data and chest radiographs of 567 individuals with T2DM (T2DM group) and 583 without diabetes (nondiabetic group) at a tertiary hospital in central south China were extracted from the records. Vertebral fractures were specifically looked for on chest radiographs and classified using the Genant semi-quantitative scale. Prevalence was compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Mean age and sex composition were comparable between the two groups. Mean weight and body mass index were significantly lower in the T2DM group. In both groups, fractures mostly involved the T11-12 and L1 vertebrae. Moderate/severe fractures were identified in 33.3% individuals in the T2DM group (31.4% men and 36.0% women) versus 23.2% individuals (20.9% men and 25.5% women) in the nondiabetic group. CONCLUSIONS: Routine chest radiographs could be a useful screening tool for identifying asymptomatic vertebral fractures. Trial registration The study was designed as an observational retrospective study, therefore a trial registration was not necessary.

Association between hypomagnesemia and severity of primary hyperparathyroidism: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The occurrence of hypomagnesemia in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) has been noted previously; however, the association of hypomagnesemia and severity of primary hyperparathyroidism remains unknown. The present study aimed to evaluate the association of hypomagnesemia with biochemical and clinical manifestations in patients with PHPT. METHODS: This was a retrospective study conducted at a tertiary hospital. We obtained data from 307 patients with PHPT from January 2010 through August 2020. Data on demographics, history, laboratory findings, bone densitometry findings, and clinical presentation and complications were collected and were compared in normal magnesium group vs hypomagnesemia group. RESULTS: Among the 307 patients with PHPT included in our study, 77 patients (33/102 [32.4%] males and 44/205 [21.5%] females) had hypomagnesemia. Mean hemoglobin levels in the hypomagnesemia group were significantly lower than those in the normal magnesium group in both males and females. In contrast, patients with hypomagnesemia had a higher mean serum calcium and parathyroid hormone than individuals with normal magnesium. The typical symptoms of PHPT, such as nephrolithiasis, bone pain/fractures, polyuria, or polydipsia, were more common in the hypomagnesemia group. In addition, patients with hypomagnesemia had a higher prevalence of osteoporosis, anemia, and hypercalcemic crisis. Even after adjusting for potential confounders, including age, sex, body mass index, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and parathyroid hormone levels, these associations remained essentially unchanged. CONCLUSION: Biochemical and clinical evidence indicates that patients with PHPT with hypomagnesemia have more severe hyperparathyroidism than those without hypomagnesemia. In addition, PHPT patients with hypomagnesemia had a higher prevalence of osteoporosis, anemia, and hypercalcemic crisis.

Application of peer education based on WeChat support in patients after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective:To investigate the influence of peer education based on WeChat support on the social support, mental flexibility and rehabilitation self-efficacy of patients after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.Methods:A total of 82 patients after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy who were admitted from January 2018 to December 2019 were selected as the research objects. According to the operation time, they were divided into the treatment group (January 2019-December 2019) with 43 cases and the control group (January 2018-December 2018) with 39 cases. The control group was given regular health education, and the treatment group jointly applied peer education based on WeChat support. Followed up for 2 months, the two groups of patients were evaluated the degree of social support, psychological flexibility, and rehabilitation self-efficacy by Social Support Rating Scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale and compared.Results:There was no significant difference in the degree of social support, psychological flexibility, and rehabilitation self-efficacy before intervention between the two groups( P>0.05). The objective support, support utilization, and social support scores in the treatment group after intervention were (9.12±1.12), (10.45 ± 0.75), (32.49 ± 4.56) points, and the control group were (7.45 ± 1.36), (8.74 ± 1.43), (29.84 ± 4.45) points, and the differences were statistically significant ( t values were 6.091, 6.681, 2.658, P<0.01). The scores of toughness, self-improvement, optimism, and mental resilience in the treatment group after intervention were (28.21 ± 4.25), (20.32 ± 3.54), (9.36 ± 1.12), and (57.89 ± 7.21) points, and the control group were (24.36 ± 4.34), (17.14 ± 3.21), (7.84 ± 1.23), (49.34 ± 6.55) points, and the differences were statistically significant( t values were 4.056-5.857, P<0.01). The scores of physical exercise self-efficacy, coping self-efficacy, and rehabilitation self-efficacy in the treatment group after intervention were (43.43 ± 5.38), (54.45 ± 6.32), (97.88 ± 7.45) points, and the control group were (37.45 ± 5.42), (48.65 ± 6.45), (86.10 ± 9.12) points, and the differences were statistically significant ( t values were 5.009, 4.110, 6.430, P<0.01). Conclusions:Peer education based on WeChat support helps to enhance the degree of social support for patients after laparoscopic prostate cancer surgery, improve the level of mental flexibility, and promote the development of rehabilitation self-efficacy.

Preliminary investigation on arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi of cultivated Panax quinquefolium roots / 中国中药杂志

In this study, the infection of root arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi(arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, AMF of Panax quinquefolium in Shandong province was investigated, and the distribution characteristics and infection regularity of AMF were found out. The AMF of P. quinquefolium roots in different habitats was examined by alkali dissociation-trypickin blue staining method to study the infection rate and infection intensity. The contents of ginsenoside(Rb_1, Re, Rg_1, Rb_2, Rd and Rh_1) in the roots of P. quinquefolium was determined by HPLC. The experimental data were SPSS 17.0 statistical software for One-way analysis of variance, cluster analysis and correlation analysis. The results showed that the AMF infection in roots of P. quinquefolium, and there were obvious structures such as hyphae, arbuscular branches and vesicles, and the AMF infection rate and infection intensity showed obvious spatial and temporal heterogeneity with the growth age and origin of P. quinquefolium. The infection rate of AMF in roots of P. quinquefolium from 1 to 3 years increased significantly with the increase of growth years(P<0.05). The infection intensity and infection rate of P. quinquefolium showed a similar change trend, the AMF infection rate and infection intensity reached the highest level in the third year. Cluster analysis showed that the infection rates of roots of P. quinquefolium in similar geographical locations could be clustered together. Correlation analysis showed that the AMF infection rate of P. quinquefolium root was significantly positively correlated with the infection intensity, and the AMF infection rate and infection intensity were significantly positively correlated with the contents of ginsenoside Rg_1, Re and Rb_1. This study explored the distribution characteristics and regularity of AMF in roots of P. quinquefolium under the protected cultivation conditions, and provided basic data for ecological cultivation of P. quinquefolium and research and development of biological bacterial fertilizer.

Clitoromegaly diagnosis and treatment / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

Clitoris lesion is most readily classified into hormone-dependent and hormone-independent cause. It can also be characterized as congenital or acquired nature. Clitoromegaly is the most common presentation of clitoral lesions clinically. Hormone-dependent clitoromegaly is mainly attibuted to the increase of androgen, while the most comomon cause of hormone-independent clitoromegaly is neurofibromatosis. Except that, there are so many other disorders which can cause clitoromegaly, leading to the difficulty for diagnosis. However, the literature concerning the management of clitoromegaly is scarce.The present study summarized the lesions of clitoromegaly from the etiology, diagnosis, and differential diagnosis to treatment. This may help clinicians to make a reasonbale management when facing this kind of disease.

Inhibition of immune checkpoints prevents injury-induced heterotopic ossification.

Heterotopic ossification (HO), true bone formation in soft tissue, is closely associated with abnormal injury/immune responses. We hypothesized that a key underlying mechanism of HO might be injury-induced dysregulation of immune checkpoint proteins (ICs). We found that the earliest stages of HO are characterized by enhanced infiltration of polarized macrophages into sites of minor injuries in an animal model of HO. The non-specific immune suppressants, Rapamycin and Ebselen, prevented HO providing evidence of the central role of the immune responses. We examined the expression pattern of ICs and found that they are dysregulated in HO lesions. More importantly, loss of function of inhibitory ICs (including PD1, PD-L1, and CD152) markedly inhibited HO, whereas loss of function of stimulatory ICs (including CD40L and OX-40L) facilitated HO. These findings suggest that IC inhibitors may provide a therapeutic approach to prevent or limit the extent of HO.

Dissolution rate enhancement of new co-crystals of ezetimibe with maleic acid and isonicotinamide.

Ezetimibe (EZT) is a selective cholesterol absorption inhibitor with poor aqueous solubility (0.012mg/ml 23oC) and low oral bioavailability (about 35-65% for a once 10mg dose). The present study illustrates the preparation and characterization of two new co-crystals of ezetimibe using maleic acid and isonicotinamide as the coformers by solid grinding method. The co-crystal structures were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (PXRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), infrared spectroscopy (IR) techniques. Crystallinity and surface morphological characteristics of these prepared co-crystals were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Dissolution rate tests demonstrated that both of the new co-crystals showed significant improvement in sodium lauryl sulfate -sodium acetate buffer solution (PH=4.5) at 15min and 20min. This study enriched the types of EZT co-crystals and identified that pharmaceutical co-crystal engineering technique play an important role in the dissolution rate enhancement of ezetimibe.

Effect of Taraxerol in Inducing Autophagy in Breast Cancer Cells via mTOR Signaling Pathway / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective: To investigate the effect of taraxerol on autophagy of breast cancer MCF-7 cells in vitro, and explore the related mechanisms. Method: The effect of various doses of taraxerol (12.5, 25, 50, 100, 200 μmol·L-1) on proliferation of MCF-7 cells was detected by methye thiazolye telrazlium (MTT) assay. The autophagy-inducing effect of taraxerol was observed by acridine orange staining, transmission electron microscope (TEM) and immunofluorescence. The expressions of autophagy-related proteins and the changes of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway were determined by Western blot analysis. Result: The viability of MCF-7 cells was significantly inhibited by taraxerol. Acridine orange staining indicated that the acidic lysosomes increased significantly after treatment with taraxerol in MCF-7 cells. The autophagic structure in the treated group was observed by TEM. Immunofluorescence showed that the expression of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) in the cells of the drug group was increased. Western blot demonstrated that the protein expressions of LC3-Ⅱ and Beclin-1 were increased in taraxerol-treated MCF-7 cells (PP-1 taraxerol group, combination group (taraxerol + 3-methyladenine, 3-MA) showed the down-regulation of LC3-Ⅱ in the MCF-7 cells (PPPConclusion: Taraxerol can induce autophagy in MCF-7 cells, which may be related to the inhibition of mTOR signaling pathway.

Therapeutic value of endoscopic submucosal dissection for polypus protrusion lesion on esophagogastric junction / 中华消化内镜杂志

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in the treatment of patients with polypus protrusion lesion on esophagogastric junction ( EGJ ). Methods A retrospective analysis was made on the data of 111 cases ( 114 lesions) with EGJ polypus protrusion undergoing ESD. The main observation indicators included ESD resection rate, operation time, complication, and recurrence. Results The diameter of the 114 lesions was 1. 0-6. 0 cm ( mean 2. 47 ± 0. 80 cm). Among the lesions, 30 had smooth surface, 59 had congestion anabrosis, 11 had nodular rough, 3 were lobulated, 8 had villiform,1 had slight anabrosis, and 2 had local dent. The postoperative pathology analysis showed 19 lesions were intraepithelial neoplasia and 2 were adenocarcinoma. The rate of neoplasia and cancerization was 18. 42%(21/114). The monolithic resection rate of ESD was 100. 0%(114/114), complete resection rate was 99. 1%( 113/114), complete healing resection rate was 97. 4%( 111/114). The mean operation time was 32. 45±7. 32 min (17. 0-60. 0 min). Tardive bleeding after operation occurred in 3 cases, perforation in operation occurred in 1 case, and all the 4 cases were successfully treated by endoscopy. After operation, 2 cases underwent additional surgical procedures. A total of 96 cases were followed-up, with average follow-up time of 28. 8 months, and 1 patient ( 1. 04%, 1/96 ) relapsed. Conclusion The intraepithelial neoplasia and cancerization rate caused by polypus protrusion lesion on EGJ is generally higher than prediction. ESD can monolithic resect lesions with higher complete healing resection rate, fewer complications, and lower recurrence rate.

Promoting effect of Ginsenoside Ro on differentiation of THP-1-derived DC / 中国免疫学杂志

Objective:To investigate the promoting effect of Ginsenoside Ro on the differentiation of THP-1-derived dendritic cells (DCs) induced by GM-CSF and IL-4.Methods: Sensitive leukemia-derived DC cell line was screened first.Then,the selected sensitive cell line THP-1 was stimulated to differentiate into DCs by cytokines (GM-CSF and IL-4) and small(5 μmol/L),middle(10 μmol/L),and large (20 μmol/L) dose of Ginsenoside Ro respectively.The expressions of CD1a,MHCⅡ and CD86 of leukemia-derived DCs were detected by flow cytometry.In addition,the transcription levels of CD1a,CD86 and MHCⅡ of leukemia-derived DCs were detected by RT-PCR.ELISA was used to measure the protein levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in the culture supernatant.Results: THP-1 was the sensitive leukemia cell line which could be induced to differentiate into DCs by cytokines.Compared with cytokine stimulation alone,the expression of CD1a,MHCⅡ and CD86 in leukemia-derived cells was significantly increased after the stimulation of Ginsenoside Ro combined with cytokine(P<0.05).The CD1a,CD86 and MHCⅡ mRNA expression was significantly increased after the treatment of Ginsenoside Ro combined with cytokine(P<0.05).Moreover,the protein levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in culture supernatant were significantly increased (P<0.05) after the stimulation of Ginsenoside Ro in combination with cytokines.Conclusion: Ginsenoside Ro can significantly promote the differentiation of leukemia-derived DCs.

Effect of lit-moxa stimulation of Guanyuan (CV 4) acupoint on levels of lactic acid and superoxide dismutase in skeletal muscle of rats.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of lit-moxa stimu- lating acupoint Guanyuan (CV 4) on lactic acid and super-oxide dismutase (SOD) in skeletal muscle after exercise exhaustion. METHODS: Twenty-eight adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control group, exhausted control group, exercise group and moxibustion group using exercise training and mild heating with lit-moxa stick as treatment methods. The exhausted control group, moxibustion group and exercise group received an exhaustive swimming after 20 days of intervention. Swimming exhausted times were recorded. Lactic acid and SOD concentration in soleus muscle were detected and compared between every two groups. RESULTS: The swimming exhausted times of the moxibustion group and the exercise group were significantly increased compare to the exhausted control group (P < 0.05). The lactic acid of the exhausted control group was significantly increased comparing with the normal control group (P < 0.05), and the lactic acid of the moxibustion group and the exercise group were significantly lower than that of the exhausted control group (P < 0.05). The SOD level of the exhausted control group was significantly decreased comparing with the normal control group (P < 0.05), and the SOD level of the moxibustion group and the exercise group were significantly higher than that of the exhausted control group (both, P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference between the moxibustion group and the exercise group. CONCLUSION: With lit moxa stick, heat stimulating acupoint of Guanyuan (CV 4) decreased the levels of lactic acid and SOD in rat's skeletal muscle.

Effect on cGMP of Meridian Skin with Electroacupuncture on Myocardial Ischemia Rats / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To observe the specific changes of content of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) around meridian skin and specific influences of electroacupunture Neiguan (PC6) on cGMP of rats with acute myocardial ischemia (AMI). Methods With 6 male Wistar rats as normal group, 18 rats were made AMI model and divided into model group, high-frequency group and low-frequency group (n=6). The high-frequency and low-frequency group were given electroacupuncture in bilateral PC6 with 100 and 2 Hz for 20 min respectively. The content of cGMP in skin around PC6, Ximen (PC4), Tianquan (PC2), Waiguan (TE5) and Zusanli (ST36) was detected by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent method after treatment. Results In model group, cGMP content increased significantly around PC6, PC2, TE5 and ST36 compared with normal group (P <0.05,P <0.001). After the treatment with high-frequency or low-frequency electroacupunture in PC6, cGMP content decreased significantly in skin around PC6, PC2, TE5 and ST36 compared with model group (P <0.05, P <0.001). Conclusion High-frequency electroacupunture or high-frequency electroacupunture used in PC6 can protect rats from the injury of AMI. The mechanism may be related to the decrease of cGMP content around the acupoint areas in heart-related meridian.

Vasohibin-1 and tumor / 国际肿瘤学杂志

Vasohibin-1 (VASH1),which is induced in response to angiogenic stimuli such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2,has recently been isolated as a novel negative feedback inhibitor of angiogenesis.Several studies have demonstrated that VASH1 plays important roles in the development of various tumors and it would potentially be a biomarker and a candidate for molecular targeted therapy for patients with cancer in the future.

Molecular genetic evolution analysis of new A(H1N1) influenza virus / 病毒学报

In order to analyze the molecular epidemiology of A (H1N1) influenza virus in 2009, the complete genome sequences of influenza strains from different host sources downloaded from the NCBI were analyzed on genetic evolution by DNAstar software in this research. The results showed that 79 mutation sites of new A (H1N1) influenza virus were observed compared to previous human A (H1N1) influenza strain, including 14 mutation sites new in all A (H1N1) influenza sources and 37 mutation sites only observed in swine strain. A significant difference was represented in antigenic sites between new A (H1N1) influenza strain and the previous human A (H1N1) strain. This phenomenon shows the new A (H1N1) influenza strain is either originated from the recombination of human and swine strain or from the infection in pig populations and gradual mutation to human tansmission, which remains to be further studied.

Correlation between phonetically balanced maximum and pure tone auditory threshold among 106 auditory neuropathy patients / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To estimate correlation between phonetically balanced maximum (PB max) and pure tone auditory threshold in auditory neuropathy (AN) patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and six AN patients were identified using multiple criteria including PB max, a metric for speech recognition, pure tone auditory threshold, acoustic emission test, distortion products otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) and auditory brainstem response (ABR). SPSS statistical software was used to estimate the Pearson's correlation between PB max and pure tone auditory threshold and to test whether pure tone auditory threshold, or auditory configuration had a significant impact on PB max.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Even the patients had the same or similar values for pure tone auditory threshold or auditory configuration, varied values of PB max were found in two hundreds and twelve ears for 106 patients. Analysis of the data for 106 patients revealed a negative correlation (r = -0. 602, P <0. 01) between PB max and pure tone auditory threshold, i. e. hearing loss at a mild relates to a lower PB max. By using analysis of variance (ANOVA) method, it was found that both pure tone auditory threshold and auditory configuration had a significant (P <0.01) impact on the patients' PB max.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>This analysis implicated the promise and potential of pure tone auditory threshold and auditory configuration for predicting PB max of the AN patients, and improving the diagnosis of AN.</p>