Incidence and risk factors associated with progression to mild cognitive impairment among middle aged and older adults.

OBJECTIVE: We performed this longitudinal 2-year follow-up study to determine the incidence and risk factors associated with MCI in middle-aged and older adults. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This community-based longitudinal study was conducted in adults aged ≥ 50 years with normal cognitive function in Shanghai community, China, over a period of two years. Information about the socio-demographic, behavioral, anthropometric, and biochemical parameters was obtained at the baseline and cognitive function was assessed at the end of the follow-up period using the Montreal cognitive assessment tool. RESULTS: A total of 985 participants aged ≥ 50 years were included in the analysis. Incidence of MCI during the 2-year follow-up period among the study participants was 26.7% (95% CI: 24.0%-29.6%). Participants with lower level of education [primary - adjusted RR=2.79 (95% CI: 1.38-5.64 and secondary - adjusted RR=1.62 (95% CI: 1.17-2.24)], with history of cerebral infarction (adjusted RR=1.49; 95% CI: 1.05-2.12), history of cerebral hemorrhage (adjusted RR=3.20; 95% CI: 1.22-8.40) were found to have significantly higher risk of MCI. Regular tea consumption was associated with significantly reduced risk of MCI development (adjusted RR=0.69; 95% CI: 0.49-0.96). CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that one in four participants developed MCI during the 2-year follow-up period. Lower educational level, history of cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage and tea consumption were significant determinants of MCI incidence. The target groups identified in this study should be closely monitored with regular follow-up investigations for early diagnosis and appropriate management of the condition.

Effects of honeycomb extract on the growth performance, carcass traits, immunity, antioxidant function and intestinal microorganisms of yellow bantam broilers.

Although many studies have already described the physiological effects of bee products, such as honey, propolis, pollen, and royal jelly, on livestock farming, the health benefits of the honeycomb are still not fully understood. The problem of drug residues and bacterial resistance caused by the abuse of antibiotics is becoming increasingly serious. For this reason, a safe, green substitute has to be sought. We conducted a comparative study of honeycomb extract (HE) and an antibiotic on growth performance, carcass traits, immunity, antioxidant function and intestinal microorganisms of yellow bantam broilers. A total of four hundred eighty 21-day-old female yellow bantam broilers were randomly divided into 5 groups of 6 replicates of 16 birds each. The 5 groups were as follows, with birds receiving a basal diet supplemented with 150 ppm (mg/kg) of chlortetracycline (CTE), a basal diet without HE (control group), and a basal diet with 0.1%, 0.15%, or 0.2% HE for 60 days. The results showed that HE addition significantly increased average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), decrease feed gain ratio (F/G) from 21 to 80 and 51 to 80 days of age compared to the control group, with all 3 HE addition groups having statistically identical values to the antibiotic group. HE implementation dramatically increased spleen index, serum immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin M (IgM,), glutathione peroxide (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), and total cecum bacteria and Lactobacillus compared to the control group, numerically at the same level as, or even better than, the antibiotic group. HE and CTE both markly reduced serum malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration compared to the control group, with higher concentrations of HE reducing the effect more dramatically than antibiotics. Both HE and CTE significantly raised dressed yield compared to the control group. In summary, HE, as a potential antibiotic alternative, improved growth performance, carcass traits, immune function, serum antioxidant capacity and intestinal microorganisms in yellow bantam broilers. According to the cubic regression analyses, the recommended supplemental dose of HE was calculated to be 0.15 to 0.17% for female yellow bantam broilers between 21 and 80 d of age.

Effects of dietary chromium propionate on laying performance, egg quality, serum biochemical parameters and antioxidant status of laying ducks under heat stress.

Recent studies have shown that chromium (Cr) could alleviate the negative effects of heat stress on livestock and poultry, but there is little information available to laying ducks. This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary addition of chromium propionate on laying performance, egg quality, serum biochemical parameters and antioxidant status of laying ducks under hot (average 32 °C) and humid (average 75% relative humidity) summer conditions. A total of 900 66-week-old weight- and laying-matched Shanma laying ducks were randomly divided into five treatments, each with 6 replicates of 30 individually caged birds. The birds were fed either a basal diet or the basal diet supplemented with either 200, 400, 600, or 800 µg/kg Cr as chromium propionate. All laying ducks were given feed and water ad libitum for 5 weeks. The results showed that dietary supplementation with chromium propionate significantly increased the laying rate and yolk colour score (P < 0.05). Treatment with 400 µg/kg Cr as chromium propionate significantly decreased the feed/egg ratio by 5.4% (P < 0.05). Increased supplemental Cr from 0 to 800 µg/kg resulted in an increase in albumen height and the Haugh unit linearly (P < 0.05). Increased supplemental Cr decreased serum cortisol (P < 0.001, linear; P = 0.008, quadratic), heat shock protein-70 (P < 0.001, linear; P = 0.007, quadratic) and glucose (P = 0.007, linear), whereas it increased serum insulin (P = 0.011, Linear), total protein (P = 0.006, linear; P = 0.048, quadratic) and albumin (P = 0.035, linear; P = 0.088, quadratic). Dietary Cr levels increased the activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, the total antioxidant capacity linearly and quadratically (P < 0.05). A linear and quadratic (P < 0.05) decrease of the malondialdehyde concentrations in response to dietary Cr level was observed. These results indicated that dietary supplementation of Cr as chromium propionate, particularly at 800 µg/kg could beneficially affect the laying rate, egg quality and antioxidant function, as well as modulate the blood biochemical parameters of laying ducks under heat stress conditions.

Antimicrobial resistance phenotypes and genotypes of Streptococcus suis isolated from clinically healthy pigs from 2017 to 2019 in Jiangxi Province, China.

AIMS: This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles and genotypes of Streptococcus suis from Jiangxi Province, China. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 314 nasal swab samples were collected from clinically healthy pigs, with a positive isolation rate of S. suis of 34·08%. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that more than 80% of the isolates were susceptible to vancomycin, penicillin, minocycline and chloramphenicol. A high frequency of resistance to clindamycin, tetracycline, clarithromycin and erythromycin was observed. All of the isolates were resistant to three or more categories of antimicrobials. The erm(B) and tet(O) served as the most frequent genotypes that contributed to lincosamide, macrolide and tetracycline resistances. A part of macrolide-resistant genotypes could not exhibit specific phenotypes. Finally, integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) were identified in 28·97% of the isolates. CONCLUSIONS: The multidrug resistance of S. suis has widely emerged in Jiangxi Province. The most prevalent resistance genes and genotypes were similar to those in other regions or countries. The presence of ICEs is increasing the risk of horizontal transfer of AMR genes. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The findings could provide guidance for the rational use of antimicrobial drugs and be helpful for monitoring the AMR information of S. suis in China.

[Economic evaluation on strategy for preventing mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B in Zhejiang Province].

Objective: To evaluate the cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness of current strategy for preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of hepatitis B virus. Methods: A decision tree model with the Markov process was developed and simulated over the lifetime of a birth cohort in Zhejiang Province in 2016. The current PMTCT strategy was compared with universal vaccination and non-vaccination. Costs were assessed from social perspective. Benefits were the savings from reduced costs associated with disease and effectiveness were measured by quality-adjusted of life-years (QALY) gained. The net present value (NPV), cost-benefit ratio (BCR) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) were calculated. Univariate and Probabilistic Sensitivity Analyses (PSA) were performed to assess parameter uncertainties. The parameters of costs and utilities value of hepatitis B-related disease came from the results of the field survey, which were obtained by face-to-face questionnaire survey combined with inpatient medical records, including eight county and municipal hospitals in Jinhua, Jiaxing and Taizhou. A total of 626 outpatients and 523 inpatient patients were investigated. The annual total costs of infection was calculated by combining the costs of outpatient and inpatient. Results: The PMTCT strategy showed a net-gain as 38 323.78 CNY per person, with BCR as 21.10, which was higher than 36 357.80 CNY per person and 13.58 respectively of universal vaccination. Compared with universal vaccination, the PMTCT strategy would save 2 787.07 CNY per additional QALY gained for every person, indicating that PMTCT would be cost-saving. The most important parameters that could affect BCR and ICER were the vaccine coverage rate and costs of hepatitis B related diseases respectively. The PSA showed the PMTCT strategy was preferable as it would gain more QALY and save costs. Conclusions: The PMTCT strategy appeared as highly cost-beneficial and highly cost-effective. High vaccination rate was a key factor of high economic value.

[The status quo of service quality evaluation of pension institutions in China and research progress].

With the accelerating process of population aging in China, social pension system has been rapidly developed, but its service quality remains poor. How to provide quality and efficient elderly care services has become a major livelihood issue of general public. The existing evaluation standards for service quality in the elderly care institutions vary greatly in terms of literature review and practice, and they have only single perspective and lack systematic review. Based on the three-dimensional theory of "structure-process-result" quality evaluation, this paper systematically compares and evaluates the evaluation index system and evaluation management mechanism of service quality of pension institutions in typical countries and regions, and provides an evidence-based basis for establishing an evaluation management system, which is in line with China's national conditions and covers evaluation principles, subject and object, regulation, rewards and punishments, and classifications.

[Study on the status of frailty and related determinants among the elderly in China].

Objective: To investigate the frailty status and related determinants among the elderly in China. Methods: Frailty index (FI) was applied to evaluate the frailty status of the elderly. Data used in this study was from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2011-2015. Binary logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify the determinants related to the status on frailty. Results: The prevalence rates of frailty in the elderly were 18.7%, 20.6% and 28.4% in 2011, 2013 and 2015, respectively. Being female or elderly under advanced age, were both associated with the higher level of FI. Factors as hip fracture, falls, alcohol intake more than once a month, and less participation in social activities etc., might serve as the risk factors for frailty. Conclusion: Chinese elderly showed relatively high prevalence on frailty and with annual increasing trend. The status of frailty was related to factors as adverse events and unhealthy lifestyles. Comprehensive intervention strategies should be adopted in early life of the elderly to delay the development process of frailty.

Glipizide blocks renal interstitial fibrosis by inhibiting AKT signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE: Diabetes affects the renal function at a certain stage. Oral medication glipizide plays a hypoglycemic effect mainly through releasing insulin, while more insulin is derived from islet ß cells. It is still controversy whether antidiabetics. This study mainly intends to investigate the role of glipizide in inhibiting renal interstitial fibrosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 93 SD rats were purchased from Guangdong animal monitoring and established unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) model to simulate renal interstitial fibrosis. Forty rats in the experimental group received glipizide intraperitoneal injection for a week at 30 days after modeling, while another 40 rats in the control group received a normal saline injection. The last 10 rats were treated as blank group. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was applied to test renal interstitial fibrosis. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect fibronectin expression in glomerular and renal tubules. AKT signaling pathway related factors expression was measured by Western blot to determine AKT signal activation. RESULTS: HE staining showed that the entire kidney cytoplasm red dye becomes shallow, renal medulla gradually disappears, renal tubular epithelial cells enlarge, vacuoles degeneration, renal tubule and collecting tube expansion, inflammatory cells infiltration after UUO modeling. Glipizide treatment decreased dilated renal tubule number, improved glomerulus integrity, and reduced inflammatory infiltration. Fibronectin level in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in control (p<0.05). Western blot revealed that p-AKT expression downregulated after glipizide treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Glipizide blocks renal interstitial fibrosis by inhibiting AKT signaling pathway.

Application of artificial neural networks in multifactor optimization of an on-line microwave FIA system for catalytic kinetic determination of ruthenium (III).

A methodology based on the coupling of experimental design and artificial neural networks (ANNs) is proposed in the optimization of a flow injection system for the spectrophotometric determination of Ru (III) with m-acetylchlorophosphonazo (CPA-mA), which has been for the first time used for the optimization of high-performance capillary zone electrophoresis (J. Chromatogr. A 793 (1998) 317). And since it has been applied in many other regions like micellar electrokinetic chromatography, ion-interaction chromatography, HPLC, etc. (J. Chromatogr. A 850 (1999) 345; J. Chromatogr. A 799 (1998) 35; J. Chromatogr. A 799 (1998) 47). An orthogonal design is utilized to design the experimental protocol, in which five variables are varied simultaneously (Anal. Chim. Acta 360 (1998) 227). Feedforward-type neural networks with extended delta-bar-delta (EDBD) algorithm are applied to model the system, and the optimization of the experimental conditions is carried out in the neural network with 5-5-1 structure, which have been confirmed to be able to provide the maximum performance. In contrast to traditional methods, the use of this methodology has advantages in terms of a reduction in analysis time and an improvement in the ability of optimization. Under the optimum experimental conditions, Ru (III) can be determined in the range 0.040-0.60 mug ml(-1) with detection limit of 0.03 mug ml(-1) and the sampling frequency of 34 h(-1). The method has been applied to the determination of Ru (III) in refined ore as well as in secondary alloy and provided satisfactory results.