Associations of Combined Exposure to Metabolic and Inflammatory Indicators with Thyroid Nodules in Adults: A Nested Case-Control Study.

Objective: To explore associations of combined exposure to metabolic/inflammatory indicators with thyroid nodules. Methods: We reviewed personal data for health screenings from 2020 to 2021. A propensity score matching method was used to match 931 adults recently diagnosed with thyroid nodules in a 1 : 4 ratio based on age and gender. Conditional logistic regression and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were used to explore the associations of single metabolic/inflammatory indicators and the mixture with thyroid nodules, respectively. Results: In the adjusted models, five indicators (ORQ4 vs. Q1: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.07-1.58 for fasting blood glucose; ORQ4 vs. Q1: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.08-1.57 for systolic blood pressure; ORQ4 vs. Q1: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.04-1.53 for diastolic blood pressure; ORQ4 vs. Q1: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.02-1.48 for white blood cell; ORQ4 vs. Q1: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.07-1.55 for neutrophil) were positively associated with the risk of thyroid nodules, while high-density lipoproteins (ORQ3 vs. Q1: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.61-0.91) were negatively associated with the risk of thyroid nodules. Univariate exposure-response functions from BKMR models showed similar results. Moreover, the metabolic and inflammatory mixture exhibited a significant positive association with thyroid nodules in a dose-response pattern, with systolic blood pressure being the greatest contributor within the mixture (conditional posterior inclusion probability of 0.82). No interaction effects were found among the five indicators. These associations were more prominent in males, participants with higher age (≥40 years old), and individuals with abnormal body mass index status. Conclusions: Levels of the metabolic and inflammatory mixture have a linear dose-response relationship with the risk of developing thyroid nodules, with systolic blood pressure levels being the most important contributor.

Stigmasterol alleviates neuropathic pain by reducing Schwann cell-macrophage cascade in DRG by modulating IL-34/CSF1R.

AIMS: This study aimed to investigate the potential therapeutic applications of stigmasterol for treating neuropathic pain. METHODS: Related mechanisms were investigated by DRG single-cell sequencing analysis and the use of specific inhibitors in cellular experiments. In animal experiments, 32 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the sham operation group, CCI group, ibuprofen group, and stigmasterol group. We performed behavioral tests, ELISA, H&E staining and immunohistochemistry, and western blotting. RESULTS: Cell communication analysis by single-cell sequencing reveals that after peripheral nerve injury, Schwann cells secrete IL-34 to act on CSF1R in macrophages. After peripheral nerve injury, the mRNA expression levels of CSF1R pathway and NLRP3 inflammasome in macrophages were increased in DRG. In vitro studies demonstrated that stigmasterol can reduce the secretion of IL-34 in LPS-induced RSC96 Schwann cells; stigmasterol treatment of LPS-induced Schwann cell-conditioned medium (L-S-CM) does not induce the proliferation and migration of RAW264.7 macrophages; L-S-CM reduces CSF1R signaling pathway (CSF1R, P38MAPK, and NFκB) activation, NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and ROS production. In vivo experiments have verified that stigmasterol can reduce thermal and cold hyperalgesia in rat chronic compressive nerve injury (CCI) model; stigmasterol can reduce IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, CCL2, SP, and PGE2 in serum of CCI rats; immunohistochemistry and western blot confirmed that stigmasterol can reduce the levels of IL-34/CSF1R signaling pathway and NLRP3 inflammasome in DRG of CCI rats. CONCLUSION: Stigmasterol alleviates neuropathic pain by reducing Schwann cell-macrophage cascade in DRG by modulating IL-34/CSF1R axis.

Short-term effects of heatwaves on clinical and subclinical cardiovascular indicators in Chinese adults: A distributed lag analysis.

AIMS: Previous studies have related heat waves to morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular diseases; however, potential mechanisms remained limited. Our aims were to investigate the short-term effects of heat waves on a series of clinical/subclinical indicators associated with cardiovascular health. METHODS: Our study used 80,574 health examination records from the Health Management Center of Nanjing Zhongda Hospital during the warm seasons of 2019-2021, including 62,128 participants. A total of 11 recognized indicators of cardiovascular risk or injury were assessed. Air pollution and meteorological data were obtained from the Nanjing Ecological Environment Bureau and the China Meteorological Data Network, respectively. Heat waves were defined as a daily average temperature over the 95th percentile for three or more consecutive days from May to September. We used a combination of linear mixed effects models and distributed lag nonlinear models to assess the lagged effects of heat waves on clinical and subclinical cardiovascular indicators. Stratified analyses based on individuals' characteristics, including gender, age, body mass index (BMI), diabetes, and hypertension, were also performed. RESULTS: Heat waves were related to significant changes in most indicators, with the magnitude of effects generally peaking at a lag of 0 to 3 days. Moreover, the cumulative percentage changes over lag 0-7 days were -0.82 % to -2.55 % in blood pressure, 1.32 % in heart rate, 0.20 % to 2.66 % in systemic inflammation markers, 0.36 % in a blood viscosity parameter, 9.36 % in homocysteine, and 1.35 % to 3.25 % in injuring myocardial enzymes. Interestingly, females and males showed distinct susceptibilities in different indicators. Stronger effects were also found in participants aged 50 years or over, individuals with abnormal BMI status, and patients with diabetes. CONCLUSION: Short-term exposure to heat waves could significantly alter clinical/subclinical cardiovascular indicator profiles, including blood pressure changes, increased heart rate, acute systemic inflammation, elevated blood viscosity, and myocardial injury.

Short-term effects of cold spells on hematocrit among adults in Nanjing, China: A distributed-lagged effect analysis.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have linked exposure to cold spells with cardiovascular diseases, however, underlying mechanisms remained to be understood. We aimed to explore the short-term effects of cold spells on hematocrit, a blood indicator associated with cardiovascular disease. METHODS: Our study was performed among 50,538 participants (68,361 health examination records) who visited the health examination centers of Zhongda Hospital in Nanjing City, China, during the cold seasons from 2019 to 2021. Data on meteorology and air pollution were obtained from the China Meteorological Data Network and the Nanjing Ecological Environment Bureau, respectively. Cold spells in this study were defined as daily mean temperatures (Tmean) <3rd or 5th percentile with two or more consecutive days. Linear mixed-effect models combined with distributed lag nonlinear models were applied to estimate associations of cold spells with hematocrit. RESULTS: Cold spells were found to be significantly correlated with increased hematocrit on lag 0 to 26 days. Moreover, the cumulative effects of cold spells on hematocrit remained significant at varying lag days. These single and cumulative effects were robust across different definitions of cold spells and conversions of hematocrit. For instance, cold spells (Tmean <3rd percentile) at lags 0, 0-1, and 0-27 days were significantly associated with 0.09 [95 % confidence interval (CI): 0.03, 0.15], 0.17 (95 % CI: 0.07, 0.28), and 3.71 (95 % CI: 3.06, 4.35) - unit (%) increases in original hematocrit, respectively. In subgroup analyses, stronger effects of cold spells on hematocrit were observed in females and participants aged 50 years or over. CONCLUSION: Cold spells have significant immediate and longer-lagged effects (up to 26 days) on hematocrit. Females and individuals aged 50 years or over are more sensitive to cold spells. These findings might provide a new perspective for exploring the effects of cold spells on adverse cardiac events.

Selenium attenuates the association of co-exposure to arsenic, cadmium, and lead with cognitive function among Chinese community-dwelling older adults.

The effects of interactions between the toxic and essential metal mixtures on cognitive function are poorly understood. This study aims to identify the joint association of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) with cognitive function in older adults and the moderating role of selenium (Se), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) in this association. This study included 1000 community-dwelling older adults. Cognitive function was assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Blood concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, Se, Zn, and Cu were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Linear regression and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models were applied to assess the individual and joint associations of As, Cd, and Pb with cognitive function and to examine whether Se, Zn, and Cu (individually and as a mixture) modified these associations. In the adjusted single-metal models, both Cd (ß = - 0.37, 95% CI: - 0.73 to - 0.01) and Pb (ß = - 0.44, 95% CI: - 0.86 to - 0.02) were associated with MMSE scores, while Se (ß = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.30 to 1.13) exhibited a positive relationship with MMSE scores. Univariate exposure-response functions from BKMR models showed similar results. Moreover, the toxic metal mixture (As, Cd, and Pb) exhibited a significant negative association with MMSE scores in a dose-response pattern, with Pb being the greatest contributor within the mixture. The negative association of Pb alone or the toxic metal mixture with MMSE scores became weaker at higher concentrations of Se within its normal range, especially when Se levels were greater than the median (89.18 µg/L). Our findings support that Se can attenuate the negative associations of exposure to single Pb or the As, Cd, and Pb mixtures with cognitive function. Future prospective studies are needed to replicate our findings.

The association between essential trace element mixture and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk among Chinese community-dwelling older adults.

The evidence about the association of the essential trace element (ETE) mixture with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) amongst older adults is limited. This study aims to evaluate the associations of single ETEs and the ETE mixture with the 10-year ASCVD risks and its predicting factors in Chinese community-dwelling older adults. A total of 607 community-dwelling older adults were included in this study. Blood levels of vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), and selenium (Se) were assessed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The predicted 10-year ASCVD risk was calculated using the Prediction for ASCVD Risk in China (China-PAR) equations. Traditional linear regressions and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were used to assess the associations of single ETEs and the ETE mixture with the 10-year ASCVD risks and its predicting factors such as systolic blood pressure (SBP), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), diabetes, and waist circumference (WC). In linear regression models, blood Cr levels were negatively associated with the 10-year ASCVD risks after adjustment for covariates (ß = - 0.07, 95% CI = - 0.11 ~ - 0.03); The 3th quartile (Q3) of Se levels was also associated with a lower 10-year ASCVD risks when compared with the lowest quartile (Q1) of Se levels (ßQ3 vs. Q1: - 0.12, 95% CI = - 0.22 ~ - 0.02). In BKMR models, the negative associations of Cr and Se with the 10-year ASCVD risks were observed. Higher blood levels of ETE mixture were associated with decreased 10-year ASCVD risks in a dose-response pattern, with Cr having the highest value of the posterior inclusion probability (PIP) within the mixture. Furthermore, a positive association between Cr and HDL-C and a negative association between Se and SBP were found in both linear regression and BKMR models. Cr and Se were negatively associated with the 10-year ASCVD risks, individually and as a mixture. ETE mixture showed a linear dose-response association with decreased 10-year ASCVD risks, with Cr being the most important component within the mixture. The negative association of the ETE mixture with the 10-year ASCVD risks may be attributed to Cr and Se, mainly mediated by HDL-C and SBP, respectively. Further cohort studies are needed to clarify this association.

A Novel ATM Antisense Transcript ATM-AS Positively Regulates ATM Expression in Normal and Breast Cancer Cells.

OBJECTIVE: The ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) gene is a master regulator in cellular DNA damage response. The dysregulation of ATM expression is frequent in breast cancer, and is known to be involved in the carcinogenesis and prognosis of cancer. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The bioinformatic analysis predicted a potential antisense transcript ATM-antisense (AS) from the opposite strand of the ATM gene. The purpose of this study was to identify ATM-AS and investigate the possible effect of ATM-AS on the ATM gene regulation. METHODS: Single strand-specific RT-PCR was performed to verify the predicted antisense transcript ATM-AS within the ATM gene locus. qRT-PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the expression levels of ATM-AS and ATM in normal and breast cancer cell lines as well as in tissue samples. Luciferase reporter gene assays, biological mass spectrometry, ChIP-qPCR and RIP were used to explore the function of ATM-AS in regulating the ATM expression. Immunofluorescence and host-cell reactivation (HCR) assay were performed to evaluate the biological significance of ATM-AS in ATM-mediated DNA damage repair. Breast cancer tissue samples were used for evaluating the correlation of the ATM-AS level with the ATM expression as well as prognosis of the patients. RESULTS: The ATM-AS significantly upregulated the ATM gene activity by recruiting KAT5 histone acetyltransferase to the gene promoter. The reduced ATM-AS level led to the abnormal downregulation of ATM expression, and impaired the ATM-mediated DNA damage repair in normal breast cells in vitro. The ATM-AS level was positively correlated with the ATM expression in the examined breast cancer tissue samples, and the patient prognosis. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that ATM-AS, an antisense transcript located within the ATM gene body, is an essential positive regulator of ATM expression, and functions by mediating the binding of KAT5 to the ATM promoter. These findings uncover the novel mechanism underlying the dysregulation of the ATM gene in breast cancer, and enrich our understanding of how an antisense transcript regulates its host gene.

The association between essential trace element mixture and cognitive function in Chinese community-dwelling older adults.

BACKGROUND: The evidence about the effect of essential trace element (ETE) mixture on cognitive function amongst older adults is limited. This study aims to evaluate the associations of single ETEs and ETE mixture with cognitive function using a representative sample of community-dwelling older adults in China. METHODS: A total of 3814 older adults were included in the study. Urinary concentrations of selenium (Se), vanadium (V), cobalt (Co), strontium (Sr), and molybdenum (Mo) were detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Cognitive function in older adults was assessed using the Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Linear regression and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were performed to explore the associations of single ETEs and ETE mixture with cognitive function, respectively. RESULTS: Linear regression showed that urinary levels of Se and V were positively associated with MMSE scores in the adjusted single-element models. BKMR also showed marginally positive associations of Se and V with MMSE scores. Moreover, higher urinary levels of ETE mixture were significantly associated with increased MMSE scores in a dose-response pattern, and Se was the most important contributor within the mixture. Both Se and V demonstrated positive additive effects on the associations of other ETEs with MMSE scores, whereas Co had a negative additive effect. CONCLUSIONS: V and Se are positively associated with cognitive function, individually and as a mixture. ETE mixture exhibits a linear dose-response association with improved cognitive function, with Se being the most important component within the mixture. Mixture analyses rather than single ETE analyses may provide a real-world perspective on the relationship between ETE mixture and cognitive function. Further cohort studies are needed to clarify the association of multiple ETEs with cognitive function.

The associations between urinary metals and metal mixtures and kidney function in Chinese community-dwelling older adults with diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have found associations between single toxic metals, such as arsenic and cadmium, and kidney function in adults with diabetes. However, studies with regards to other metals and metal mixtures are still limited. OBJECTIVE: Our study aimed to investigate the associations between urinary concentrations of 5 selected metals and metal mixtures and kidney function using a sample of older adults with diabetes mellitus in Chinese communities. METHODS: In a sample of older adults (n = 5186), 592 eligible subjects were included in this study. Urinary concentrations of 5 metals, i.e., arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), vanadium (V), cobalt (Co), and thallium (Tl), were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated and dichotomized into indicator of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Logistic analysis and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were used to explore the associations between single metals and metal mixtures and CKD, respectively. RESULTS: Urinary levels of As and V were positively correlated with CKD (OR=2.37, 95% CI: 1.31-4.30 for As; OR=2.24, 95% CI: 1.25-4.03 for V), when compared the 4th quartile with the 1st quartile. After adjustment for potential confounders, the significant association between As and CKD still existed (OR=2.73, 95% CI: 1.23-6.07). BKMR analyses showed strong linear positive associations between As and V and CKD. Higher urinary levels of the mixture were significantly associated with higher odds of CKD in a dose-response pattern. As and V showed the highest posterior inclusion probabilities. CONCLUSION: Urine As and V were positively associated with CKD in older adults with diabetes mellitus, separately and in a mixture. The metals mixture showed a linear dose-response association with the odds of CKD. The analyses of mixtures, rather than of single metals, may provide a real-world perspective on the relationship between metals and kidney function.

The association of marital status with cognitive function and the role of gender in Chinese community-dwelling older adults: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence of the association between marital status and cognitive function in Chinese older adults is limited. AIMS: To examine the relationship between marital status and cognitive function and to explore the role of gender amongst older adults from three Chinese communities. METHODS: A total of 1376 participants aged 60 years or over were included in this cross-sectional study. Cognitive function was assessed using the Chinese version of the mini-mental state examination (MMSE). Marital status and other variables were collected using a standardized questionnaire. Multiple linear regression models were used to examine associations between marital statuses and cognitive function amongst the target population. The moderating role of gender in these potential associations has also been explored. RESULTS: In univariate linear regression models, compared to being married, both being widowed (ß [95% CI]: -1.46[-2.78 to - 0.13]) and being single (ß [95% CI]: - 4.88[-6.43 to - 3.38]) were associated with lower MMSE scores. After adjustment for confounding factors, the significant association of being widowed with MMSE scores disappeared (ß [95% CI: - 0.08[- 1.04 to 0.86]), but the association of being single with MMSE scores still existed (ß [95% CI]: - 1.87[- 3.17 to - 0.58]). Furthermore, the association of being single with MMSE scores was statistically significant in men (ß [95% CI]: - 5.25[- 7.17 to - 3.33]) but not in women (ß [95% CI: 0.88[- 0.87 to 2.64]). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Being single was associated with poorer cognitive function compared with their married counterparts in older Chinese men but not in women. More preventive measurements should be implemented for single men to reduce or delay cognitive decline. This is particularly important in the context of an aging population in China.

Levels and determinants of urinary phthalate metabolites in Chinese community-dwelling older adults.

BACKGROUND: Biomonitoring studies have demonstrated extensive exposure of infants, children, and pregnant women to phthalates, but data on phthalate exposure and their determinants in Chinese older adults remain insufficient. This study aims to assess urinary phthalate metabolite levels, individual and cumulative exposure risk, and their determinants in Chinese community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: A total of 987 individuals aged 60 years or over were included in this study. The urinary levels of seven phthalate metabolites were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The estimated daily intake (EDI), hazard quotient (HQ), and hazard index (HI) of phthalates were calculated based on urinary metabolite levels. The associations between phthalate metabolite levels and potential determinants were examined using multiple linear regressions. RESULTS: Detection rates of seven phthalate metabolites from the study population ranged from 63.83% to 99.39%. The highest median concentration was 43.64 µg/L (42.59 µg/g creatinine) for mono-butyl phthalate (MBP). The highest median EDI was 1.55 µg/kg-bw/day for diethyl phthalate (DBP). Nearly 5% of participants had high HI values exceeding 1, mainly attributed to DBP and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP). Furthermore, we found that females, higher body mass index (BMI), smoking, having two or more chronic diseases, and vegetable-based diets were significantly associated with higher levels of parts of phthalate metabolites. More interestingly, higher urine levels of high-molecular-weight (HMW) phthalate metabolites and lower urine levels of low-molecular-weight (LMW) phthalate metabolites were found in rural older adults than in urban older adults. CONCLUSIONS: Chinese community-dwelling older adults are extensively exposed to phthalates, especially to DBP and DEHP. More attention should be paid to urban-rural differences in exposure to HMW and LMW phthalates and to phthalate exposure among older adults with overweight/obesity, females, and individuals who are current heavy smokers, have two or more chronic diseases, and consume vegetable-based diets.

Protective effect of paeoniflorin on H / 中国天然药物

This study was to investigate the protective effect of paeoniflorin (PF) on hydrogen peroxide-induced injury. Firstly, "SMILES" of PF was searched in Pubchem and further was used for reverse molecular docking in Swiss Target Prediction database to obtain potential targets. Injury-related molecules were obtained from GeenCards database, and the predicted targets of PF for injury treatment were selected by Wayne diagram. For mechanism analysis, the protein-protein interactions were constructed by String, and the KEGG analysis was conducted in Webgestalt. Then, cell viability and cytotoxicity assay were established by CCK8 assay. Also, the experimental cells were allocated to control, model (200 μmol·L

[Effect of Modified Constraint-induced Movement Therapy on Neurotransmitter Levels of Motor Cortex in Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injured Rats].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect and mechanism of modified constraint-induced movement therapy (mCIMT) on motor function recovery in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion rats. METHODS: The rats were randomly divided into the control group and the mCIMT group, with 12 rats in each group. The left middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model was established by the Longa suture method. In the mCIMT group, the rats started continuous training for 14 d on the 7 th day after modeling. The unaffected limb was tied to the chest with elastic bandages, and the affected limb was trained in the compulsory runner equipment. In the control group, rats moved freely in the cage. The body mass of rats was recorded within 20 d after modeling, and behavior was assessed by the foot-fault test. Some of the rats were euthanized 18 d after modeling, and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to detect monoamine neurotransmitters (5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIVV), homovanillic acid (HVA) ), and amino acid neurotransmitters (glutamic acid (Glu), asparaginic acid (ASP), glutamine (Gln), glycine (Gly), taurine (Tau), gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) ) in the motor cortex and striatum, respectively. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the expression levels of total P70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70s6k) and p70s6k phosphorylated protein (p-p70s6k) in motor cortex and striatum, respectively. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the body mass of rats in the mCIMT group was comparable (P >0.05) within 21 d after modeling, foot-fault rate of the mCIMT group was significantly lower at 17 d after modeling (P<0.05). At 18 d after modeling, compared with the control group, the level of 5-HIVV in the motor cortex increased significantly (P<0.05), and the relative content of amino acid neurotransmitters (the ratio of Glu) in the motor cortex including Gln, Gly, Tau and GABA to Glu increased significantly (P<0.05 or P<0.01) except for decreased ASP/Glu (P<0.05). Moreover, compared with the control group, the expression of p-p70s6k in the motor cortex of the mCIMT was significantly decreased (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in monoamine neurotransmitters and amino acid neurotransmitters in the striatum between two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: mCIMT improved the motor function of MCAO rats, and the mechanism might be related to the increase of amino acid neurotransmitters and 5-HIVV and decrease of p-p70s6k expression in the motor cortex.

Color image splicing localization algorithm by quaternion fully convolutional networks and superpixel-enhanced pairwise conditional random field.

Recently, fully convolutional network (FCN) has been successfully used to locate spliced regions in synthesized images. However, all the existing FCN-based algorithms use real-valued FCN to process each channel separately. As a consequence, they fail to capture the inherent correlation between color channels and the integrity of three channels. So, in this paper, quaternion fully convolutional network (QFCN) is proposed to generalize FCN to quaternion domain by replacing real-valued conventional blocks in FCN with quaternion conventional blocks. In addition, a new color image splicing localization algorithm is proposed by combining QFCNs and superpixel (SP)-enhanced pairwise conditional random field (CRF). QFCNs consider three different versions (QFCN32, QFCN16, and QFCN8) with different up-sampling layers. The SP-enhanced pairwise CRF is used to refine the results of QFCNs. Experimental results on three publicly available datasets demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms the existing algorithms including some conventional algorithms and some deep learning-based algorithms.

Effects of Scalp Acupuncture Combined with Cognitive Training on Cognitive Impairment after Traumatic Brain Injury / 中国康复理论与实践

Objective:To investigate the clinical effects of scalp acupuncture combined with cognitive therapy on cognitive impairment after traumatic brain injury. Methods:From June, 2016 to October, 2017, 60 patients with cognitive impairment after traumatic brain injury were randomly divided into scalp acupuncture group (n = 20), cognitive training group (n = 20) and combined group (n = 20), who accepted their own therapies for 40 times. They were assessed with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and modified Barthel Index (MBI) before and after treatment. Results:All the groups improved in the scores of MMSE, MoCA and MBI after treatment (F > 21.923, P < 0.001), which were the best in the combined group (F > 3.423, P < 0.05). Conclusion:Combination of scalp acupuncture and cognitive training is more effective on cognitive impairment after traumatic brain injury.

Investigation on Spectral Characteristic and Threshold Behavior of Network Structure of Ge-Sb-S Chalcogenide Glasses.

Two series of chalcogenide glasses in Ge-Sb-S ternary system were synthesized with melt-quenching method. The phycochemical properties and spectral characteristic of glasses with different content of Ge and Sb were obtained with a series of measurements, and the systematic analysis on the change of optical properties was conducted in terms of microstructure of glasses combined with the Raman spectra. With constraint theory based on mean coordination number (Z), we described the variation trend of network structure directly. It was found that as long as the value of Z reaches 2.6, new vibration peaks would be formed in the Raman spectra indicating the presence of threshold behavior as well as the change of the network structure of the Ge-Sb-S glasses which could be expressed in a specific varition in the number of metal bonds and the nonmetal bonds. The appearance of new functional groups in the network have changed the total bond energy of glasses, and then affected the energy band structure of glasses representing the corresponding threshold behavior of the value of optical band gap (Eopg).

FTIR study of hydrogen bonds in coal under drop weight impact testing.

There are many hydrogen bonds in coal, which affect the chemical structure and properties of coal. FTIR has been applied to the characterization study of the hydrogen bonds of Dongpang coals, which were under drop weight impact. There exists five kinds of hydrogen bonds in the coal: free OH groups, OH...π, OH...OH, cyclic OH tetramers and OH...N. Absorption strength of intermolecular hydrogen bonds markedly declined after impact. Free OH groups mechanical-power chemical reacted in drop weight impact testing. The infrared spectrum were curve-resolved into their component bands. The absorption strength of various hydrogen bonds decreased with the increase of impact energy, but the trend was slowing. By statistical relationship between then, we find then complying with power function relationship. By comparing the exponents of fitted equations, we concluded that failure sensitivity sequence of hydrogen bonds to the impact: free OH groups > cyclic OH tetramers > OH...N > OH...π > OH...OH.

[High resolution laser transient spectroscopic technology under two-stage light gas-gun loading condition and stability study of shocked benzene].

The present paper reports the high resolution transient Raman laser testing technology under two-stage light gas-gun loading experiment, and its application to studying the Raman spectroscopy of shocked benzene. In the experiments, the frequency shift of C-C stretching vibration (992 cm(-1)) and C-H stretching vibration peak (3 061 cm(-1)) in the low pressure section (less than 8 GPa) varies linearly with the pressure, and the results agree well with reported data in the literature. The structural changes in liquid benzene about 13 GPa were clarified firstly by the Raman spectral technique; the experimental results show that at a pressure of 9.7 GPa, the structural change of liquid benzene has taken place, not reported in the literature about 13 GPa. But the composition in the production is not clear. The measurement system provides an effective means to study the microstructure changes of transparent and translucent material under dynamic loading experiment.

Effect of hyperhomocysteinemia on ischemic disease in rats / 上海第二医科大学学报

Objective To evaluate the effect of hyperhomocysteinemia on ischemic diease in rats. Methods Thirty-two SD rats were randomized into two groups,control group(n=16,administered with tap water) and hyperhomocysteinemia group(HH group,n=16,administered with water containing L-methionine at 1 g/kg/d).At the 14thday of dietary modification,the left femoral artery and vein were excised,and the interventions continued for another 14 days.At the 15th day after operation,serum biochemical parameters as well as NOx and cGMP in ischemic tissues were tested,capillary vessel density of both hindlimbs were measured by histological analysis,and angiogenesis of ischemic hindlimb was observed by angiography. Results At the 15th day after operation,the level of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol(HDL-C),blood urea nitrogen,uric acid and ratio of blood urea nitrogen to serum creatinine were significantly higher in HH group than those in control group,while the level of serum folic acid,VitB12,HDL-C and endogenous creatinine clearance rate were significantly lower in HH group than those in control group(P