Association of whole blood copper, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and iron with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in overweight and obese children. / å ¨è¡€é“œã€é”Œã€é’™ã€é•ã€é“ä¸Žè¶ é‡è‚¥èƒ–å„¿ç«¥éžé ’ç²¾æ€§è„‚è‚ªè‚ç— çš„å ³è”.

OBJECTIVES: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common metabolic disorder in overweight and obese children, and its etiology and pathogenesis remain unclear, lacking effective preventive and therapeutic measures. This study aims to explore the association between whole blood copper, zinc, calcium, magnesium and iron levels and NAFLD in overweight and obese children aged 6 to 17 years, providing a scientific basis for the prevention and intervention of early NAFLD in overweight and obese children. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used to collect relevant data from overweight and obese children who visited the Hunan Children's Hospital from January 2019 to December 2021 through questionnaire surveys. Fasting blood samples were collected from the subjects, and various indicators such as blood glucose, blood lipid, and mineral elements were detected. All children were divided into an overweight group (n=400) and a NAFLD group (n=202). The NAFLD group was divided into 2 subgroups according to the ALT level: A non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) group and a non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) group. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between minerals (copper, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and iron) and NAFLD, NAFL and NASH. RESULTS: A total of 602 subjects were included, of whom 73.6% were male, with a median age of 10 (9, 11) years, and a body mass index (BMI) of 24.9 (22.7, 27.4) kg/m2. The intergroup comparison results showed that compared with the overweight group, the NAFLD group had higher levels of age, BMI, diastolic blood pressure (DBP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL), alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and lower level of high density lipoprotein (HDL). The NAFL group had higher levels of age, BMI, DBP, SBP, ALT, and AST, and lower levels of HDL compared with the overweight group. The levels of age, BMI, DBP, SBP, TG, LDL, ALT, and AST of NASH were higher than those in the overweight group, while the level of HDL was lower than that in overweight group (all P<0.017). After adjusting for a variety of confounders, the OR of NAFLD for the highest quantile of iron was 1.79 (95% CI 1.07 to 3.00) compared to the lowest quantile, and no significant association was observed between copper, zinc, calcium, and magnesium, and NAFLD. The subgroup analysis of NAFLD showed that the OR for the highest quantile of iron in children with NAFL was 2.21 (95% CI 1.26 to 3.88), while no significant association was observed between iron level and NASH. In addition, no significant associations were observed between copper, zinc, calcium, and magnesium levels and NAFL or NASH. CONCLUSIONS: High iron level increases the risk of NAFLD (more likely NAFL) in overweight and obese children, while copper, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and other elements are not associated with the risk of NAFLD in overweight and obese children.

Trends in Patient Transfers From Overall and Caseload-Strained US Hospitals During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance: Transferring patients to other hospitals because of inpatient saturation or need for higher levels of care was often challenging during the early waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding how transfer patterns evolved over time and amid hospital overcrowding could inform future care delivery and load balancing efforts. Objective: To evaluate trends in outgoing transfers at overall and caseload-strained hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic vs prepandemic times. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study used data for adult patients at continuously reporting US hospitals in the PINC-AI Healthcare Database. Data analysis was performed from February to July 2023. Exposures: Pandemic wave, defined as wave 1 (March 1, 2020, to May 31, 2020), wave 2 (June 1, 2020, to September 30, 2020), wave 3 (October 1, 2020, to June 19, 2021), Delta (June 20, 2021, to December 18, 2021), and Omicron (December 19, 2021, to February 28, 2022). Main Outcomes and Measures: Weekly trends in cumulative mean daily acute care transfers from all hospitals were assessed by COVID-19 status, hospital urbanicity, and census index (calculated as daily inpatient census divided by nominal bed capacity). At each hospital, the mean difference in transfer counts was calculated using pairwise comparisons of pandemic (vs prepandemic) weeks in the same census index decile and averaged across decile hospitals in each wave. For top decile (ie, high-surge) hospitals, fold changes (and 95% CI) in transfers were adjusted for hospital-level factors and seasonality. Results: At 681 hospitals (205 rural [30.1%] and 476 urban [69.9%]; 360 [52.9%] small with <200 beds and 321 [47.1%] large with ≥200 beds), the mean (SD) weekly outgoing transfers per hospital remained lower than the prepandemic mean of 12.1 (10.4) transfers per week for most of the pandemic, ranging from 8.5 (8.3) transfers per week during wave 1 to 11.9 (10.7) transfers per week during the Delta wave. Despite more COVID-19 transfers, overall transfers at study hospitals cumulatively decreased during each high national surge period. At 99 high-surge hospitals, compared with a prepandemic baseline, outgoing acute care transfers decreased in wave 1 (fold change -15.0%; 95% CI, -22.3% to -7.0%; P < .001), returned to baseline during wave 2 (2.2%; 95% CI, -4.3% to 9.2%; P = .52), and displayed a sustained increase in subsequent waves: 19.8% (95% CI, 14.3% to 25.4%; P < .001) in wave 3, 19.2% (95% CI, 13.4% to 25.4%; P < .001) in the Delta wave, and 15.4% (95% CI, 7.8% to 23.5%; P < .001) in the Omicron wave. Observed increases were predominantly limited to small urban hospitals, where transfers peaked (48.0%; 95% CI, 36.3% to 60.8%; P < .001) in wave 3, whereas large urban and small rural hospitals displayed little to no increases in transfers from baseline throughout the pandemic. Conclusions and Relevance: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, study hospitals reported paradoxical decreases in overall patient transfers during each high-surge period. Caseload-strained rural (vs urban) hospitals with fewer than 200 beds were unable to proportionally increase transfers. Prevailing vulnerabilities in flexing transfer capabilities for care or capacity reasons warrant urgent attention.

Association of insulin signaling pathway-related gene polymorphisms and gene-gene interactions with MAFLD in obese children. / èƒ°å²›ç´ ä¿¡å·é€šè·¯ç›¸å ³åŸºå› å¤šæ€æ€§å’ŒåŸºå› -åŸºå› äº¤äº’ä½œç”¨ä¸Žè‚¥èƒ–å„¿ç«¥MAFLDçš„å ³è”.

OBJECTIVES: Insulin signaling pathway plays an important role in metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), however, the association between polymorphisms of genes related to insulin signaling pathway and MAFLD remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the association between insulin signaling pathway-related gene polymorphisms and gene-gene interactions with MAFLD susceptibility in obese children so as to provide scientific basis for further study of genetic mechanism. METHODS: A total of 502 obese children with MAFLD who admitted to Hunan Provincial Children's Hospital from September 2019 to October 2021, were recruited as a case group, and 421 obese children with non-MAFLD admitted during the same period were recruited as a control group. Socio-demographic information, preterm birth history, eating habits, and exercise status of the subjects were collected by inquiry survey, and anthropometric information was collected by physical measurement. At the same time, 2 mL of venous blood was collected to extract DNA, and the polymorphism of insulin signaling pathway-related genes (5 representative candidate genes, 12 variants) was detected. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between insulin signaling pathway-related gene polymorphisms and MAFLD in obese children. RESULTS: After adjusting for confounder factors, INS rs3842748 was significantly associated with the risk of MAFLD in obese children in allele, heterozygous, and dominant models [OR and 95% CI 1.749 (1.053 to 2.905), 1.909 (1.115 to 3.267), 1.862 (1.098 to 3.157), all P<0.05]; INS rs3842752 was significantly associated with the risk of MAFLD in obese children in heterozygous and dominant models [OR and 95% CI 1.736 (1.028 to 2.932), 1.700 (1.015 to 2.846), all P<0.05]. NR1H3 rs3758674 was significantly correlated with the risk of MAFLD in obese children in allele model [OR and 95% CI 0.716 (0.514 to 0.997), P<0.05]. SREBP-1c rs2297508 was significantly associated with the risk of MAFLD in obese children in allele and dominant models [OR and 95% CI 0.772 (0.602 to 0.991) and 0.743 (0.557 to 0.991), all P<0.05]. SREBP-1c rs8066560 was significantly associated with the risk of MAFLD in obese children in allele, heterozygous, and dominant models [OR and 95% CI 0.759 (0.589 to 0.980), 0.733 (0.541 to 0.992), 0.727 (0.543 to 0.974), all P<0.05]. NR1H3 rs3758674 mutant C and SREBP-1c rs2297508 mutant G had interaction in the development of MAFLD in obese children [OR and 95% CI 0.407 (0.173 to 0.954), P<0.05]. CONCLUSIONS: The INS, NR1H3, and SREBP-1c gene polymorphisms in the insulin signaling pathway are associated with the susceptibility of MAFLD in obese children, but the functions and mechanisms of these genes need to be further studied.

Methanesulfonic acid and iodous acid nucleation: a novel mechanism for marine aerosols.

By seeding clouds, new particle formation (NPF) has a substantial impact on radiation balance, bio-geochemical cycles and global climate. Over oceans, both methanesulfonic acid (CH3S(O)2OH, MSA) and iodous acid (HIO2) have been reported to be closely associated with NPF events; however, much less is known about whether they can jointly nucleate to form nanoclusters. Hence, quantum chemical calculations and Atmospheric Cluster Dynamics Code (ACDC) simulations were performed to investigate the novel mechanism of MSA-HIO2 binary nucleation. The results indicate that MSA and HIO2 can form stable clusters via multiple interactions including hydrogen bonds, halogen bonds, and electrostatic forces between ion pairs after proton transfer, which are more diverse than those in MSA-iodic acid (HIO3) and MSA-dimethylamine (DMA) clusters. Interestingly, HIO2 can be protonated by MSA exhibiting base-like behavior, but it differs from base nucleation precursors by self-nucleation rather than solely binding to MSA. Due to the greater stability of MSA-HIO2 clusters, the formation rate of MSA-HIO2 clusters can be even higher than that of MSA-DMA clusters, suggesting that MSA-HIO2 nucleation is a non-negligible source of marine NPF. This work proposes a novel mechanism of MSA-HIO2 binary nucleation for marine aerosols and provides deeper insights into the distinctive nucleation characteristics of HIO2, which can help in constructing a more comprehensive sulfur- and iodine-bearing nucleation model for marine NPF.

[A cross-sectional study on the prevalence rate and influencing factors of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in overweight/obese children]. / è¶ é‡/è‚¥èƒ–å„¿ç«¥éžé ’ç²¾æ€§è„‚è‚ªè‚ç— æ‚£ç— çŽ‡åŠå ¶å½±å“å› ç´ çš„æ¨ªæ–­é¢ç ”ç©¶.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence rate of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in overweight/obese children who visit a hospital, and to explore the influencing factors of NAFLD, in order to provide a basis for the prevention of NAFLD in overweight/obese children. METHODS: Overweight/obese children who visited Hunan Children's Hospital from June 2019 to September 2021 were recruited. The prevalence rate of NAFLD was examined. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the factors influencing the development of NAFLD [non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)]. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of the influencing factors for NAFL and NASH. RESULTS: A total of 844 overweight/obese children aged 6-17 years were enrolled. The prevalence rate of NAFLD in overweight/obese children was 38.2% (322/844), among which the prevalence rates of NAFL and NASH were 28.8% (243/844) and 9.4% (79/844), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the increase of waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were associated with the development of NAFL and NASH (P<0.05). The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the combined measurement of WHR and HDL-C had a predictive value for NAFL (area under the curve: 0.653, 95%CI: 0.613-0.694), and for NASH (area under the curve: 0.771, 95%CI: 0.723-0.819). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence rate of NAFLD in overweight/obese children who visit a hospital is high. WHR and HDL-C are associated with the development of NAFLD and the combined measurement of WHR and HDL-C has a certain value for predicating the development of NAFLD.

Chemical Implications of Rapid Reactive Absorption of I2O4 at the Air-Water Interface.

Marine aerosol formation involving iodine-bearing species significantly affects the global climate and radiation balance. Although recent studies outline the critical role of iodine oxide in nucleation, much less is known about its contribution to aerosol growth. This paper presents molecular-level evidence that the air-water interfacial reaction of I2O4 mediated by potent atmospheric chemicals, such as sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and amines [e.g., dimethylamine (DMA) and trimethylamine (TMA)], can occur rapidly on a picosecond time scale by Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics simulations. The interfacial water bridges the reactants while facilitating the DMA-mediated proton transfer and stabilizing the ionic products of H2SO4-involved reactions. The identified heterogeneous mechanisms exhibit the dual contribution to aerosol growth: (i) the ionic products (e.g., IO3-, DMAH+, TMAH+, and HSO4-) formed by reactive adsorption possess less volatility than the reactants and (ii) these ions, such as alkylammonium salts (e.g., DMAH+), are also highly hydrophilic, further facilitating hygroscopic growth. This investigation enhances not only our understanding of heterogeneous iodine chemistry but also the impact of iodine oxide on aerosol growth. Also, these findings can bridge the gap between the abundance of I2O4 in the laboratory and its absence in field-collected aerosols and provide an explanation for the missing source of IO3-, HSO4-, and DMAH+ in marine aerosols.

Association of insulin signaling pathway -related gene polymorphisms and gene -gene interactions with MAFLD in obese children / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVES@#Insulin signaling pathway plays an important role in metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), however, the association between polymorphisms of genes related to insulin signaling pathway and MAFLD remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the association between insulin signaling pathway-related gene polymorphisms and gene-gene interactions with MAFLD susceptibility in obese children so as to provide scientific basis for further study of genetic mechanism.@*METHODS@#A total of 502 obese children with MAFLD who admitted to Hunan Provincial Children's Hospital from September 2019 to October 2021, were recruited as a case group, and 421 obese children with non-MAFLD admitted during the same period were recruited as a control group. Socio-demographic information, preterm birth history, eating habits, and exercise status of the subjects were collected by inquiry survey, and anthropometric information was collected by physical measurement. At the same time, 2 mL of venous blood was collected to extract DNA, and the polymorphism of insulin signaling pathway-related genes (5 representative candidate genes, 12 variants) was detected. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between insulin signaling pathway-related gene polymorphisms and MAFLD in obese children.@*RESULTS@#After adjusting for confounder factors, INS rs3842748 was significantly associated with the risk of MAFLD in obese children in allele, heterozygous, and dominant models [OR and 95% CI 1.749 (1.053 to 2.905), 1.909 (1.115 to 3.267), 1.862 (1.098 to 3.157), all P<0.05]; INS rs3842752 was significantly associated with the risk of MAFLD in obese children in heterozygous and dominant models [OR and 95% CI 1.736 (1.028 to 2.932), 1.700 (1.015 to 2.846), all P<0.05]. NR1H3 rs3758674 was significantly correlated with the risk of MAFLD in obese children in allele model [OR and 95% CI 0.716 (0.514 to 0.997), P<0.05]. SREBP-1c rs2297508 was significantly associated with the risk of MAFLD in obese children in allele and dominant models [OR and 95% CI 0.772 (0.602 to 0.991) and 0.743 (0.557 to 0.991), all P<0.05]. SREBP-1c rs8066560 was significantly associated with the risk of MAFLD in obese children in allele, heterozygous, and dominant models [OR and 95% CI 0.759 (0.589 to 0.980), 0.733 (0.541 to 0.992), 0.727 (0.543 to 0.974), all P<0.05]. NR1H3 rs3758674 mutant C and SREBP-1c rs2297508 mutant G had interaction in the development of MAFLD in obese children [OR and 95% CI 0.407 (0.173 to 0.954), P<0.05].@*CONCLUSIONS@#The INS, NR1H3, and SREBP-1c gene polymorphisms in the insulin signaling pathway are associated with the susceptibility of MAFLD in obese children, but the functions and mechanisms of these genes need to be further studied.

Study on related factors and characteristics of multimorbidity of overweight and obesity-related diseases in children in Hunan Province / 中华预防医学杂志

From January 2019 to December 2021, overweight and obese children who visited in health outpatient Center of Hunan Children's Hospital were studied to explore and analyze the rate, related factors and patterns of multimorbidity of overweight and obesity-related diseases in children in Hunan Province. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the multimorbidity-related factors of overweight and obesity-related diseases in children. Association rules (apriori algorithm) were used to explore the multimorbidity patterns of overweight and obesity-related diseases in children. A total of 725 overweight and obese children were included in this study. The multimorbidity rate of overweight and obesity-related diseases in children was 46.07% (334/725). Age, waist circumference, the frequency of food consumption such as hamburgers and fries and adding meals before bedtime were multimorbidity-related factors of overweight and obesity-related diseases in children. The multimorbidity associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was relatively common. The patterns with the top three support degrees were "NAFLD+dyslipidemia","NAFLD+hypertension" and "NAFLD+hyperuricemia". The patterns with the top three confidence and elevation degrees were "Hypertension+dyslipidemia => NAFLD","Hyperuricemia => NAFLD" and "NAFLD+hypertension => dyslipidemia".

A cross-sectional study on the prevalence rate and influencing factors of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in overweight/obese children / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To investigate the prevalence rate of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in overweight/obese children who visit a hospital, and to explore the influencing factors of NAFLD, in order to provide a basis for the prevention of NAFLD in overweight/obese children.@*METHODS@#Overweight/obese children who visited Hunan Children's Hospital from June 2019 to September 2021 were recruited. The prevalence rate of NAFLD was examined. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the factors influencing the development of NAFLD [non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)]. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of the influencing factors for NAFL and NASH.@*RESULTS@#A total of 844 overweight/obese children aged 6-17 years were enrolled. The prevalence rate of NAFLD in overweight/obese children was 38.2% (322/844), among which the prevalence rates of NAFL and NASH were 28.8% (243/844) and 9.4% (79/844), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the increase of waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were associated with the development of NAFL and NASH (P<0.05). The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the combined measurement of WHR and HDL-C had a predictive value for NAFL (area under the curve: 0.653, 95%CI: 0.613-0.694), and for NASH (area under the curve: 0.771, 95%CI: 0.723-0.819).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The prevalence rate of NAFLD in overweight/obese children who visit a hospital is high. WHR and HDL-C are associated with the development of NAFLD and the combined measurement of WHR and HDL-C has a certain value for predicating the development of NAFLD.

The value of chromosomal microarray analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization for the prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal mosaicisms / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To assess the value of chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for the prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal mosaicisms.@*METHODS@#A total of 775 pregnant women who had visited the Prenatal Diagnosis Center of Yancheng Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital from January 2018 to December 2020 were selected as study subjects. Chromosome karyotyping analysis and CMA were carried out for all women, and FISH was used to validate the suspected mosaicism cases.@*RESULTS@#Among the 775 amniotic fluid samples, karyotyping has identified 13 mosaicism cases, which yielded a detection rate of 1.55%. Respectively, there were 4, 3, 4 and 2 cases for sex chromosome number mosaicisms, abnormal sex chromosome structure mosaicisms, abnormal autosomal number mosaicisms and abnormal autosomal structure mosaicisms. CMA has only detected only 6 of the 13 cases. Among 3 cases verified by FISH, 2 cases were consistent with the karyotyping and CMA results, and clearly showed low proportion mosaicism, and 1 case was consistent with the result of karyotyping but with a normal result by CMA. Eight pregnant women had chosen to terminate the pregnancy (5 with sex chromosome mosaicisms and 3 with autosomal mosaicisms).@*CONCLUSION@#For fetuses suspected for chromosomal mosaicisms, CMA, FISH and G-banding karyotyping should be combined to determine the type and proportion of mosaicisms more precisely in order to provide more information for genetic counseling.

Predicting the Occurrence of Advanced Schistosomiasis Based on FISHER Discriminant Analysis of Hematological Biomarkers.

We established a model that predicts the possibility of chronic schistosomiasis (CS) patients developing into advanced schistosomiasis (AS) patients using special biomarkers that were detected in human peripheral blood. Blood biomarkers from two cohorts (132 CS cases and 139 AS cases) were examined and data were collected and analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Fisher discriminant analysis (FDA) for advanced schistosomiasis was established based on specific predictive diagnostic indicators and its accuracy was assessed using data of 109 CS. The results showed that seven indicators including HGB, MON, GLB, GGT, APTT, VIII, and Fbg match the model. The accuracy of the FDA was assessed by cross-validation, and 86.7% of the participants were correctly classified into AS and CS groups. Blood biomarker data from 109 CS patients were converted into the discriminant function to determine the possibility of occurrence of AS. The results demonstrated that the possibility of occurrence of AS and CS was 62.1% and 89.0%, respectively, and the accuracy of the established model was 81.4%. Evidence displayed that Fisher discriminant analysis is a reliable predictive model in the clinical field. It's an important guide to effectively control the occurrence of AS and lay a solid foundation for achieving the goal of schistosomiasis elimination.

Iodous acid - a more efficient nucleation precursor than iodic acid.

Iodous acid (HIO2), a vital iodine oxyacid, potentially plays an important role in the formation of new particles in marine areas (He et al., Science, 2021, 371, 589-595). However, the nucleation mechanism of HIO2 is still poorly understood. Herein, the self-nucleation of HIO2 under different atmospheric conditions is investigated by a combination of quantum chemical calculations and the Atmospheric Cluster Dynamics Code (ACDC) simulations. The results indicate that HIO2 can form relatively stable molecular clusters through hydrogen bonds and halogen bonds, and the self-nucleation of HIO2 proceeds by sequential addition of HIO2 or HIO2-based small clusters. Besides, in order to better illustrate the role of HIO2 in new particle formation (NPF) in marine areas, we compare its nucleation properties with those of iodic acid (HIO3), a significant iodine-containing nucleation precursor in marine regions. We find that the cluster formation rate of the self-nucleation of HIO2 is higher than that of the self-nucleation of HIO3 although [HIO2] is lower than [HIO3], which indicates that the HIO2 molecule is a more efficient nucleation precursor than the HIO3 molecule. Therefore, the self-nucleation of HIO2 could become one of the most important sources for NPF in marine areas, which could provide potential theoretical evidence for explaining the intensive NPF events observed in these areas.

Community Reaction Network Reduction for Constructing a Coarse-Grained Representation of Combustion Reaction Mechanisms.

A community-reaction network reduction (CNR) approach is presented for mechanism reduction on the basis of a network-based community detection technique, a concept related to pre-equilibrium in chemical kinetics. In this method, the detailed combustion mechanism is first transformed into a weighted network, in which communities of species that have dense inner connections under the critical ignition conditions are identified. By analyzing the community partitions in different regions, we determine the effective functional groups and driving processes. Then, a skeletal model for the overall mechanism is deduced according to the network centrality data, including transition pathway identification and reaction-path flux. The CNR method is illustrated on the hydrogen autoignition system which has been extensively investigated, and a new reduced mechanism involving seven processes is proposed. Dynamics simulations employing the present CNR model show that the computed ignition time and distribution of major species on a wide range of temperature and pressure conditions are in accord with the experiments and results from other methods.

Meniscus repair with simultaneous anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: Clinical outcomes, failure rates and subsequent processing / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

PURPOSE@#To retrospectively analyze the clinical outcomes of meniscus repair with simultaneous anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and explore the causes of failure of meniscus repair.@*METHODS@#From May 2013 to July 2018, the clinical data of 165 patients who were treated with meniscus surgery and simultaneous ACL reconstruction, including 69 cases of meniscus repair (repair group) and 96 cases of partial meniscectomy (partial meniscectomy group) were retrospectively analyzed. The exclusion criteria were as follows: (1) ACL rupture associated with fracture, collateral ligament injury, or complex ligament injury; (2) a history of knee surgery; or (3) a significant degree of osteoarthritis. The 69 patients in the repair group were divided into the non-failure group (62 cases) and the failure group (7 cases) depending on the repair effect. Postoperative outcomes of the repair group and the partial meniscectomy group were compared. General conditions and postoperative outcomes of the failure group and the non-failure group were compared. During the median follow-up period of 28 months (range, 4 - 65 months) after the second arthroscopy, postoperative outcomes of seven patients in the failure group were summarized. SPSS 25.0 statistical software was used for statistical analysis. A p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.@*RESULTS@#Seven patients in the failure group who underwent the second arthroscopy were followed up for (30 ± 17.4) months and their postoperative outcomes were summarized. Compared with the partial meniscectomy group, the International Knee Documentation Committee scores of patients in the repair group improved significantly (p = 0.031). Compared with the non-failure group, more patients in the failure group were younger than 24 years (p = 0.030). The median follow-up period was 39.5 months. All patients recovered well after subsequent partial meniscectomy and relieved clinical symptoms. Visual analog scale scores decreased significantly (p = 0.026), and the International Knee Documentation Committee and Lysholm scores improved significantly (p = 0.046 for both).@*CONCLUSION@#The failure rate of meniscus repair in this study was 10.1% (7/69), all of which were medial meniscus tears. However, the surgical outcomes of ACL reconstruction were not affected, and there might be a role for graft protection. Therefore, meniscus retears can be successful treated by performing subsequent partial meniscectomy in patients with repair failure.

Application of single-cell RNA-sequencing in age-related macular degeneration / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

@#Age-related macular degeneration(ARMD)is the most common eye disease that can cause irreversible loss of central vision in the elderly population. Since the complexity of the pathogenesis in ARMD, the underlying mechanism remains uncovered,and treatment limited. Conventional bulk transcriptome sequencing strategies can only provide the average gene profile in the dominant cells, while single-cell RNA-sequencing(scRNA-seq)is able to reveal the mRNA transcriptome at a single-cell level. The ScRNA-seq has been applied to discover novel cell subtypes, reveal intercellular heterogeneity, and unveil the process of cell differentiation.In this paper, we reviewed the technical principle of scRNA-seq and its application in retinal,choroid development and ARMD research, raised the defection of scRNA-seq and trended in emerging technologies,provided the new insights and perspectives for the in-depth study of retinal and choroid physiology, pathophysiology, and pathogenesis of ARMD diseases. It is hoped to provide theoretical foundation for the targeted therapy of ARMD.

Effect of Personality Characteristics on Near-term Postoperative Mental Health of Male Patients with Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma / 肿瘤防治研究

Objective To investigate the effect of personality characteristics on near-term postoperative mental health of patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). Methods We included 119 patients with LSCC who underwent surgical treatment. The recent psychological state was assessed by SCL-90, SAS and SDS 5 to 7 days after surgery. The EPQ was used to evaluate the personality characteristics of patients after operation. Multiple linear stepwise regression method was used to analyze the influencing factors of SAS and SDS scores of LSCC patients. Results The postoperative scores of SCL-90, SAS and SDS of LSCC patients were significantly higher than the Chinese norm (P≤0.05). The scores of P scale and N scale in EPQ were higher than the domestic norm (P < 0.01). The scores of somatization, obsessiveness, anxiety, depression, hostility, phobia, paranoia and psychosis were significantly higher than the Chinese norm (P < 0.05). Family income, surgical method, postoperative radiochemotherapy, psychoticism and neuroticism personalities were the influencing factors of postoperative SAS score (P < 0.01). Family income, surgical method, postoperative radiochemotherapy, neurotic personality were the influencing factors of postoperative SDS score (P < 0.01). Conclusion LSCC patients have near-term depression, anxiety and other psychological disorders after operation. In terms of personality, they have psychoticism and neuroticism. Family income, surgical methods, postoperative radiochemotherapy, psychoticism and neuroticism are independent risk factors affecting postoperative SAS and SDS scores.

Hepatic progenitor cells promote the repair of schistosomiasis liver injury by inhibiting IL-33 secretion in mice.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic schistosomiasis, a chronic liver injury induced by long-term Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) infection, is characterized by egg granulomas and fibrotic pathology. Hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs), which are nearly absent or quiescent in normal liver, play vital roles in chronic and severe liver injury. But their role in the progression of liver injury during infection remains unknown. METHODS: In this study, the hepatic egg granulomas, fibrosis and proliferation of HPCs were analyzed in the mice model of S. japonicum infection at different infectious stages. For validating the role of HPCs in hepatic injury, tumor necrosis factor-like-weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) and TWEAK blocking antibody were used to manipulate the proliferation of HPCs in wild-type and IL-33-/- mice infected with S. japonicum. RESULTS: We found that the proliferation of HPCs was accompanied by inflammatory granulomas and fibrosis formation. HPCs expansion promoted liver regeneration and inhibited inflammatory egg granulomas, as well as the deposition of fibrotic collagen. Interestingly, the expression of IL-33 was negatively associated with HPCs' expansion. There were no obvious differences of liver injury caused by infection between wild-type and IL-33-/- mice with HPCs' expansion. However, liver injury was more attenuated in IL-33-/- mice than wild-type mice when the proliferation of HPCs was inhibited by anti-TWEAK. CONCLUSIONS: Our data uncovered a protective role of HPCs in hepatic schistosomiasis in an IL-33-dependent manner, which might provide a promising progenitor cell therapy for hepatic schistosomiasis.

Catalytic sulfate formation mechanism influenced by important constituents of cloud water via the reaction of SO2 oxidized by hypobromic acid in marine areas.

Comprehensive investigations of the possible formation pathways of sulfate, the main composition of atmospheric aerosol in marine areas, continue to challenge atmospheric chemists. As one of the most important oxidation routes of S(iv) contributing to sulfate formation, the reaction process of S(iv) oxidized by hypobromic acid, which is ubiquitous with the gas-phase mixing ratios of ∼310 ppt and has a well-known oxidative capacity, has attracted wide attention. However, little information is available about the detailed reaction mechanism. Especially, due to the abundant species in cloud water, the potential effect of these compositions on these reaction processes and the corresponding effect mechanism are also uncertain. Using high-level quantum chemical calculations, we theoretically elucidate the two-step mechanism of Br+ transfer proposed by experiment through the verification of the key BrSO3- intermediate formation and subsequent hydrolysis reaction or the uncovered reaction of BrSO3- intermediate with OH-. Further, the novel and more competitive mechanisms (OH+ or O atom transfer pathways) that have not been considered in previous studies, leading to sulfate formation directly, have been found. Furthermore, it should be mentioned that we revealed the effect mechanism of constituents catalyzed in cloud water, especially the important H2O-catalyzed mechanism. In addition, all the above pathways follow this catalytic mechanism. This finding indicates a linkage between the complex nature of the atmospheric constituents and related atmospheric reaction, as well as the enhanced occurrence of atmospheric secondary sulfate formation in the atmosphere. Hence, this exploration of sulfate formation related to hypobromic acid could provide a better understanding about the sources of sulfate in marine areas.

A pH dependent sulfate formation mechanism caused by hypochlorous acid in the marine atmosphere.

Secondary sulfate plays a crucial role in forming marine aerosol, which in turn is an important source of natural aerosol at a global level. Recent experimental studies suggest that oxidation of S(IV) compounds, in practice dissolved sulfur dioxide, to sulfate (S(VI)) by hypochloric acid could be one of the most significant pathways for sulfate formation in marine areas. However, the exact mechanism responsible for this process remains unknown. Using high-level quantum chemical calculations, we studied the reaction between dissolved sulfur dioxide and hypochloric acid. We account for the dominant protonation states of reactants in the pH range 3.0-9.0. We also consider possible catalytic effects of species such as H2O. Our results show that sulfate formation in HOCl+HOSO2- and HOCl+SO32- reactions relevant to acidic and nearly neutral conditions can occur either through previously proposed Cl+ transfer or through a novel HO+ transfer mechanism. In alkaline conditions, where the dominant reactants are OCl- and SO32-, an O atom transfer mechanism proposed in previous experimental studies may be more important than Cl+ transfer. Catalysis by common cloud-water species is found to lower barriers of Cl+ transfer mechanisms substantially. Nevertheless, we find that the dominant S(IV) + HOCl reaction mechanism for the full studied pH range is HO+ transfer from HOCl to SO32-, which leads directly to sulfate formation without ClSO3- intermediates. The rate-limiting barrier of this reaction is low, leading to an essentially diffusion-controlled reaction rate. S(IV) lifetimes due to this reaction decrease with increasing pH due to the increasing fractional population of SO32-. Especially in neutral and alkaline conditions, depletion of HOCl by the reaction is so rapid that S(IV) oxidation will be controlled mainly by mass transfer of gas-phase HOCl to the liquid phase. The mechanism proposed here may help to explain marine sulfate sources missing from current atmospheric models.

Overexpression of mitofusion 2 inhibits acute respiratory distress syndrome pulmonary fibrosis and its mechanism / 中华危重病急救医学

Objective:To study the inhibitory effect of overexpression of mitofusion 2 (Mfn2) protein on acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) pulmonary fibrosis and its mechanism.Methods:Human embryo lung fibroblasts (HELF) were cultured in vitro, and digested and passaged when the adherent rate of HELF reached 80%, and then the cells in good condition were selected for experiment. The ARDS cell model was reproduced by 5 mg/L of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, LPS group); 75 mol/L adenovirus vector carrying mitofusion 2 (Adv-Mfn2) was transfected into HELF (Adv-Mfn2+LPS group); at the same time, blank control group (complete medium culture) and Adv-vector+LPS group were set as controls. The cell proliferation was observed by sulforhodamine B (SRB) method at 0, 12, 24, 36 and 48 hours. After Hoechst 33342 staining, the morphological changes were observed under confocal microscope. Western blotting was used to detect the protein expressions of Bcl-2 and caspase-3. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the gene expressions of Bcl-2 and caspase-3. Results:After LPS stimulation for 12-48 hours, the cell proliferation rates in the LPS group increased gradually, which were significantly higher than those in the blank control group [12 hours: (10.75±1.51)% vs. (0.73±1.22)%, 24 hours: (20.09±1.71)% vs. (1.15±1.12)%, 36 hours: (20.58±1.55)% vs. (1.20±1.12)%, 48 hours: (21.30±1.51)% vs. (1.23±1.10)%, all P < 0.01]. There was no statistically significant difference in the cell proliferation rate between the LPS group and the Adv-vector+LPS group. After overexpression of Mfn2, the cell proliferation rates at 12, 24, 36, 48 hours in the Adv-Mfn2+LPS group were (8.93±1.14)%, (10.52±1.24)%, (10.72±1.30)%, and (10.91±1.20)%, which were significantly lower than those in the LPS group (all P < 0.05). Confocal microscopy showed that some cells in the blank control group had nuclei of different sizes, and some nuclei fragmented or shrank to form apoptotic bodies. The nuclei of the cells in the LPS and Adv-vector+LPS groups were round or oval in size, and only a few apoptotic cells appeared. When Mfn2 was overexpressed, there were more apoptotic cells in the visual field in the Adv-Mfn2+LPS group than LPS group. Western blotting and RT-qPCR results showed that Bcl-2 expressions increased significantly after LPS stimulation in the LPS group as compared with the blank control group [Bcl-2 protein (Bcl-2/GAPDH): 0.68±0.01 vs. 0.29±0.01, Bcl-2 mRNA (2 -ΔΔCT): 2.23±0.34 vs. 1.00±0.00, both P < 0.01], and caspase-3 expressions decreased significantly [caspase-3 protein (caspase-3/GAPDH): 0.37±0.02 vs. 0.66±0.02, caspase-3 mRNA (2 -ΔΔCT): 0.31±0.05 vs. 1.00±0.00, both P < 0.01]. Compared with LPS group, the expressions of Bcl-2 after overexpression of Mfn2 in the Adv-Mfn2+LPS group were down-regulated [Bcl-2 protein (Bcl-2/GAPDH): 0.46±0.01 vs. 0.68±0.01, Bcl-2 mRNA (2 -ΔΔCT): 1.45±0.14 vs. 2.23±0.34, both P < 0.01], and the expressions of caspase-3 were up-regulated [caspase-3 protein (caspase-3/GAPDH): 0.54±0.02 vs. 0.37±0.02, caspase-3 mRNA (2 -ΔΔCT): 0.88±0.10 vs. 0.31±0.05, both P < 0.01]. Conclusion:Mfn2 protein is involved in ARDS pulmonary fibrosis, which may be related to mitochondrial mediated inhibition of cell proliferation.