Deep learning models for ischemic stroke lesion segmentation in medical images: A survey.

This paper provides a comprehensive review of deep learning models for ischemic stroke lesion segmentation in medical images. Ischemic stroke is a severe neurological disease and a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Accurate segmentation of stroke lesions in medical images such as MRI and CT scans is crucial for diagnosis, treatment planning and prognosis. This paper first introduces common imaging modalities used for stroke diagnosis, discussing their capabilities in imaging lesions at different disease stages from the acute to chronic stage. It then reviews three major public benchmark datasets for evaluating stroke segmentation algorithms: ATLAS, ISLES and AISD, highlighting their key characteristics. The paper proceeds to provide an overview of foundational deep learning architectures for medical image segmentation, including CNN-based and transformer-based models. It summarizes recent innovations in adapting these architectures to the task of stroke lesion segmentation across the three datasets, analyzing their motivations, modifications and results. A survey of loss functions and data augmentations employed for this task is also included. The paper discusses various aspects related to stroke segmentation tasks, including prior knowledge, small lesions, and multimodal fusion, and then concludes by outlining promising future research directions. Overall, this comprehensive review covers critical technical developments in the field to support continued progress in automated stroke lesion segmentation.

Classification of recurrent major depressive disorder using a residual denoising autoencoder framework: Insights from large-scale multisite fMRI data.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Recurrent major depressive disorder (rMDD) has a high recurrence rate, and symptoms often worsen with each episode. Classifying rMDD using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can enhance understanding of brain activity and aid diagnosis and treatment of this disorder. METHODS: We developed a Residual Denoising Autoencoder (Res-DAE) framework for the classification of rMDD. The functional connectivity (FC) was extracted from fMRI data as features. The framework addresses site heterogeneity by employing the Combat method to harmonize feature distribution differences. A feature selection method based on Fisher scores was used to reduce redundant information in the features. A data augmentation strategy using a Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique algorithm based on Extended Frobenius Norm measure was incorporated to increase the sample size. Furthermore, a residual module was integrated into the autoencoder network to preserve important features and improve the classification accuracy. RESULTS: We tested our framework on a large-scale, multisite fMRI dataset, which includes 189 rMDD patients and 427 healthy controls. The Res-DAE achieved an average accuracy of 75.1 % (sensitivity = 69 %, specificity = 77.8 %) in cross-validation, thereby outperforming comparison methods. In a larger dataset that also includes first-episode depression (comprising 832 MDD patients and 779 healthy controls), the accuracy reached 70 %. CONCLUSIONS: We proposed a deep learning framework that can effectively classify rMDD and 33 identify the altered FC associated with rMDD. Our study may reveal changes in brain function 34 associated with rMDD and provide assistance for the diagnosis and treatment of rMDD.

Amorphous Co@TiO2 heterojunctions: A high-performance and stable catalyst for the efficient degradation of sulfamethazine via peroxymonosulfate activation.

Persulfate-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) cannot easily achieve the efficient degradation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) with high stability. In this study, a simple in situ precipitation method was used to prepare an amorphous Co@TiO2 heterojunction catalyst. The deposition of Co oxide on TiO2, which is relatively nontoxic, efficiently activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to degrade sulfamethazine (SMT) and reduce the leaching of Co ions (0.915%). A catalytic system prepared using 0.3 g L-1 Co@TiO2 and 0.5 g L-1 PMS could degrade SMT within 30 min with a degradation rate of 95.8%. Co@TiO2 could activate PMS over a wide pH range (5.00-9.00) to efficiently degrade other antibiotics and dyes. Radical-capture experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance analysis suggested that SMT degradation occurs through a combination of the free radical and non-radical pathways, in which singlet 1O2 played a major role. Owing to the novelty of the proposed composite materials, the degradation path of SMT, which was determined through liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, differed from that reported previously. This study provides not only an advanced and renewable catalyst for SMT degradation but also a feasible strategy for designing materials for AOPs.

Differences in Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Results between Only-Child and Non-Only-Child Children: Analysis of Propensity Scores Based on Large-Scale Assessment.

Based on the data of 3561 fifth-grade and 4062 eighth-grade students from the Beijing Assessment of Educational Quality in China, the present study used a propensity-value matching model to scientifically analyze only-child and non-only-child children in primary and secondary schools. Female differences in cognitive outcomes (linguistic performance) and non-cognitive outcomes (teacher-student relationships, peer relationships, and emotional management) were also evaluated. The results of the study were as follows. First, fifth-grade only-child students had a higher linguistic performance compared to that of their non-only-child counterparts, and the same result was found for eighth-grade students. Second, fifth- and eighth-grade only-child students had good teacher-student relationships that were not significantly different from those of their non-only-child counterparts. Third-, fifth-, and eighth-grade only-child students had significantly better peer relationships and emotional management compared to these parameters in their non-only-child counterparts.

Effectively compound the heterojunction formed by flower-like Bi2S3 and g-C3N4 to enhance photocatalytic activity.

In this study, the flower-shaped Bi2S3/g-C3N4-2.6 heterojunction obtained by solvothermal method and its photocatalytic degradation efficiency of rhodamine B (RhB) and tetracycline (TC) in aqueous solution within 40 min is as high as 98.8% and 94.6%. For RhB degradation, the photocatalytic reaction rate constant (k) of Bi2S3/g-C3N4-2.6 is approximately 1.8 and 45.5 times that of Bi2S3 and g-C3N4. For TC, k is 3.1 and 2.4 times that of Bi2S3 and g-C3N4, respectively. The key to determining the high catalytic activity of Bi2S3/g-C3N4 lies in the formation of a good heterojunction between Bi2S3 and g-C3N4, which accelerates the electron transfer rate between the heterojunction interface and effectively avoids electron-hole recombination. The effects of catalyst dosage, different pH values, inorganic anions, and capture agents on the photodegradation performance of RhB were investigated. The results show that the catalyst dosage is 1.33 g/L, and the solution pH is in the range of 5-9, which has the best removal effect on pollutants, and the isolation of holes (h+) with strong oxidizing ability promotes the collapse of pollutant molecules. Combined with electrochemical tests, a possible degradation mechanism was advised.

Amorphous cobalt oxide decorated halloysite nanotubes for efficient sulfamethoxazole degradation activated by peroxymonosulfate.

In this study, a new hollow nanotube material, 30% Co-CHNTs was prepared by the impregnation-chemical reduction-calcination method. This material can be used as a peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activator to catalyse the degradation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX). The best reaction conditions that correspond to the degradation rate of SMX, up to 97.5%, are as follows: the concentration of SMX is 10 mg L-1, the amount of catalyst is 0.20 g L-1, the dosage is 1.625 mM, and the solution pH is 6.00. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) show that the calcined composites mainly stimulate an increase in the content of bivalent cobalt in PMS and reduce the leaching of cobalt ions after the reaction. Additionally, the 30% Co-CHNTs + PMS reaction system exhibits a reasonable SMX degradation rate in a natural organic matter solution and excellent stability after three repeated experiments. Furthermore, the possible degradation mechanism in the 30% Co-CHNTs + PMS reaction system was analysed through electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and free-radical capture experiments, and it was observed that the non-radical degradation of 1O2 plays a leading role in SMX degradation. Finally, according to the nine degradation intermediates detected by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), four possible SMX degradation routes were proposed. This study proved that a 30% Co-CHNTs heterogeneous catalyst is easily prepared, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly and has potential application in antibiotic wastewater treatment.

Efficient pH-universal degradation of antibiotic tetracycline via Co2P decorated Neosinocalamus affinis biochar.

Considering the complexity of traditional cobalt phosphide (Co2P) loaded biochar synthesis research on a simple and efficient synthesis method has practical significance. In this study, after phosphoric acid activation, Neosinocalamus affinis biochar (NAB) and nanoplate Co3O4 quickly formed a Co2P-NAB composite material with high Co2P crystallinity and was uniformly dispersed on the surface of NAB in a microwave reactor. Co2P-NAB has an excellent catalytic degradation effect in the activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to degrade tetracycline (TC). The optimal TC degradation efficiency was achieved with the addition of 50 mg L-1 TC concentration, 0.2 g L-1 catalysts, 0.406 mM PMS and pH = 6.02. In addition, according to the pseudo-first-order reaction rate constant calculation, the composite of Co2P-NAB and PMS the synergy efficiency is 81.55 %. Compared with Co2P-NAB (10.83 %) and PMS (7.62 %) alone, the Co2P-NAB/PMS system has a significant promotion effect on the degradation of TC molecules. Additionally, the Co2P-NAB/PMS system had a TC mineralization rate of 68 % in 30 min. Furthermore, after a series of characterization, detection and analysis, and influencing factor experiments, we proposed a potential mechanism for the Co2P-NAB/PMS reaction system to degrade TC and found that singlet oxygen (1O2) plays an essential role in the non-radical degradation process. Finally, according to the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) detection of TC degradation intermediates, a possible degradation route was proposed. Therefore, this work uses microwave technology to present a novel and simple synthesis method for transition metal phosphides, which provides potential application value for the treatment of actual wastewater with heterogeneous catalysts.

Revision of the Chinese version of Multidimensional Bullying Victimization Scale / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#The Chinese version of the Multidimensional Bullying Victimization Scale (MBVS) was revised, and its reliability, validity and cross gender equivalence were tested in Chinese adolescents.@*Methods@#A total of 2 279 adolescents were investigated by using convenient cluster sampling method from April to May 2021, 1 500 adolescents were followed to complete the retest of Chinese version of MBVS after 4-6 weeks. Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire Victim (OBVQ-V) and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) were used as the criterion related validity instrument.@*Results@#Exploratory factor analysis extracted 4 factors with a cumulative variance interpretation rate of 58.34%. Results of CFA supports the hypothesis of 4 factor model( χ 2/df=8.64, CFI=0.93, TLI=0.92, RMSEA =0.06), and the 4 dimensions included direct bullying, indirect bullying, evaluative bullying and relationship bullying. The correlation coefficient between MBVS and OBVQ-V was 0.59, between MBVS and CES-D was 0.32. The internal consistency reliability was 0.92 and the test retest reliability was 0.72. The cross gender equivalence hypothesis of the scale was valid.@*Conclusion@#The Chinese version of MBVS has good reliability and validity, as well as gender equivalence and could be recommended for adolescent bullying screening.

The Development of Chinese Version of Transcultural Nursing Self-Efficiency Scale: Using Rasch Model Analysis.

Introduction: With the huge advances of globalization and urbanization, the nursing services in China are meeting the challenge of varied culture-specific needs in practices. Tools to measure transcultural sensitivity thus has great value in promoting transcultural nursing practices. Method: The Chinese version of Transcultural Nursing Self-Efficacy Scale (TSET-CV) was translated and validated with a sample of 2,346 nurses in China. Utilizing the analytical framework of the rating scale model, each item of the three subscales, namely the cognitive, practical, and effect subscale, was analyzed in terms of item analysis, item fitting, difficulty, reliability, item function, and validity. Results: The analysis suggested that 5-point Likert-type scale was more suitable than the 10-point Likert-type scale originally used. Item 27 and Item 79 showed deficient properties, which was deleted in the TSET-CV. The most accurate ranges measured by the TSET-CV matched the range of the distribution of the subjects' ability. Discussion: Unlike the classical test theory, the rating scale model based on the Rasch's model can provide sample-independent psychometric properties of items. The revised TSET-CV has great potential in diagnosing deficiency among nursing student in transcultural self-efficiency, which can promote the development of corresponding education strategies.

Mechanism of Scutellariae Radix-Hedyotidis Herba Against Proliferation of Lung Adenocarcinoma A549 Cells / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To observe the effects of Scutellariae Radix-Hedyotidis Herba on the proliferation of human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells and the expression of interleukin-6（IL-6）， phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K），protein kinase B （Akt）， p-protein kinase B （p-Akt）， mechanistic target of rapamycin （mTOR）， hypoxia-inducible factor-1<italic>α </italic>（HIF-1<italic>α</italic>）， and Cyclin D₁ at the cellular level， and to explore their molecular mechanism. Method:Following the set-up of the blank group （complete medium）， low-， moderate-，and high-dose （20， 40， and 60 mg·L^-1） Scutellariae Radix-Hedyotidis Herba groups， and low-， moderate-， and high-dose （5， 10， and 20 mg·L^-1） cisplatin groups， the cell were treated with the corresponding drugs for 24， 48， and 72 h for detecting their viability by tetrazolium bromide （MTT） colorimetry. A549 cells were then divided into the blank group， Scutellariae Radix-Hedyotidis Herba group， cisplatin group， and combined medication group and intervened with thecomplete medium， 40 mg·L^-1Scutellariae Radix-Hedyotidis Herba， 10 mg·L^-1 cisplatin， and 40 mg·L^-1Scutellariae Radix-Hedyotidis Herba + 10 mg·L^-1cisplatin， respectively， for 24， 48 and 72 h， followed by the measurement of inhibitory effects against the proliferation of A549 cells in each experimental group. The level of IL-6 in cell culture supernatant was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） after 72 h. The mRNA expression levels of HIF-1<italic>α</italic> and Cyclin D₁ in each group were assayed by real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）， and the protein expression levels of PI3K， Akt， p-Akt， mTOR， HIF-1<italic>α</italic>， and Cyclin D₁ by Western blot. Result:After 24 h intervention， Scutellariae Radix-Hedyotidis Herba did not significantly inhibit the proliferation of A549 cells. However， 48 h later， the inhibitory effect in Scutellariae Radix-Hedyotidis Herba groups were significantly enhanced in comparison with that in the blank group （<italic>P</italic><0.05）， exhibiting a time-dependent response. After 72 h of action， no significant change was present in the inhibitory effect of each Scutellariae Radix-Hedyotidis Herba group， so the optimal concentration of Scutellariae Radix-Hedyotidis Herba was set at 40 mg·L^-1 for follow-up experiments. As demonstrated by the comparison with the blank group， cisplatin at each concentration inhibited the cell proliferation in a time-dependent manner （<italic>P<</italic>0.05）. Considering the cell survival rate， the best concentration of cisplatin was set at 10 mg·L^-1. Compared with the blank group， Scutellariae Radix-Hedyotidis Herba combined with cisplatin remarkably inhibited the proliferation of A549 cells in a time-dependent manner （<italic>P<</italic>0.05）， and the differences between the combined medication group and the other two groups became more significant after 72 h of medication （<italic>P<</italic>0.01）. The IL-6 level in each experimental group， especially in the combined medication group， significantly declined in contrast to that in the blank group （<italic>P<</italic>0.01）. The mRNA expression levels of HIF-1<italic>α</italic> and Cyclin D₁ in all experimental groups were obviously lower than those in the blank group， with the most significant changes observed in the combined medication group （<italic>P</italic><0.05，<italic>P</italic><0.01）. The protein expression levels of PI3K， p-Akt， mTOR， HIF-1<italic>α</italic>， and Cyclin D₁ in each experimental group was significantly down-regulated（<italic>P</italic><0.05，<italic>P</italic><0.01）， and the levels in the combined medication group were even lower than those in the cisplatin group （<italic>P<</italic>0.01）. Conclusion:Scutellariae Radix-Hedyotidis Herba has an inhibitory effect on the proliferation of A549 cells， which may be related to its inhibition against the expression and secretion of IL-6/PI3K/Akt/mTOR-HIF-1<italic>α</italic> axis.

Investigation for the transcultural self-efficacy of nurses in Guizhou, China.

AIM: As conflict caused by cultural diversity among patients in China continues to rise, hospitals are in urgent need for improvement of transcultural efficacy among nurses. This study aims to evaluate the transcultural self-efficacy of nurses working in the tertiary general hospital in Guizhou Province, an ethnic minority region in western China, and to identify whether nurses' demographic characteristics affect their transcultural self-efficacy. METHOD: We used the Chinese version of the Transcultural Self-Efficacy Tool (TSET-CV) to survey 1,190 in-service nurses. RESULTS: Results showed that the level of transcultural self-efficacy of the nurses was generally moderate; few of the nurses had high or low transcultural self-efficacy. The nurses' transcultural self-efficacy was affected by demographic variables, including age, marital status, employment type, income, work experience, and whether or not they were head nurses. Having a stable work environment, a stable marriage, a good educational background, and a high-ranked professional title were associated with increased transcultural self-efficacy. CONCLUSION: Nursing administrators in hospitals should offer continuing education on transcultural nursing according to nurses' demographic characteristics and the SEST scores.

Clinical value evaluation of rapid detection method for the hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell of peripheral blood using the automated hematology analyzer / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective:To explore the performance and clinical application value of a rapid detection method for the hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell of peripheral blood using the automated hematology analyzer.Methods:Methodology validation and retrospective study. Collected sample from Fujian Medical University Union Hospital from January 2015 to December 2018, the peripheral blood of 4 patients with acute myeloid leukemia was first treated, and one healthy donor′s peripheral blood stem cell collection 5 times diluent, for the methodology validation. And the peripheral venous blood and 5-fold dilutions of peripheral blood stem cell collection, from 23 patients with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and 22 healthy donors of allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, used for consistency retrospective analysis. In the linear test, each of the peripheral blood and HPC collecting solutions from blood cell separator, which known CD34 +cell concentration, that was high-value samples for the expected upper limit (H) . Another low-value sample is normal saline (L) . According to the multiple proportion dilution, HPC was detected and regressed consistency test specimens were 126, EDTA-K 2 anticoagulant venous blood 78 and peripheral blood stem cell 48. Venous blood was collected at the same time, one tube of blood routine and HPC detection, the other tube flow cytometry (FCM) detection of CD34 +cells. Stem cell collection was diluted 5 times with sterilized saline and divided into two tubes. One tube was used to count whole blood cells and HPC, the other tube was used to detect CD34 +cells by FCM. The test results of the two instruments were compared, and the deviation was evaluated. Results:The background counting was 0×10 9/L and the carryover rate was 0.1%, conformed to the quality requirements of hematology analyzer, and the repeatability study imprecision ranged between 4.7%-18.8%. HPC of peripheral venous blood linear range (0-27.201×10 9/L), Stem cell collection was diluted 5 times linear range (0-0.878×10 9/L). The results of 126 samples detected by the hematology analyzer and FCM were compared. The correlation coefficient r2=0.960 1. When WBC>10×10 9/L, the results of the two instruments have a good consistency. The slope is between 0.95 and 1.05, and the relative bias is less than 30%. Conclusions:This study suggests that the hematology analyzer has a good linear range for detecting HPC, and has a good correlation with FCM. The hematology analyzer has the advantages of no pretreatment, convenient operation, a wide range of applications in detecting HPC specimens.

CKB1 is involved in abscisic acid and gibberellic acid signaling to regulate stress responses in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Casein kinase II (CK2), an evolutionarily well-conserved Ser/Thr kinase, plays critical roles in all higher organisms including plants. CKB1 is a regulatory subunit beta of CK2. In this study, homozygous T-DNA mutants (ckb1-1 and ckb1-2) and over-expression plants (35S:CKB1-1, 35S:CKB1-2) of Arabidopsis thaliana were studied to understand the role of CKB1 in abiotic stress and gibberellic acid (GA) signaling. Histochemical staining showed that although CKB1 was expressed in all organs, it had a relatively higher expression in conducting tissues. The ckb1 mutants showed reduced sensitivity to abscisic acid (ABA) during seed germination and seedling growth. The increased stomatal aperture, leaf water loss and proline accumulation were observed in ckb1 mutants. In contrast, the ckb1 mutant had increased sensitivity to polyaluminum chloride during seed germination and hypocotyl elongation. We obtained opposite results in over-expression plants. The expression levels of a number of genes in the ABA and GA regulatory network had changed. This study demonstrates that CKB1 is an ABA signaling-related gene, which subsequently influences GA metabolism, and may play a positive role in ABA signaling.

Analysis of the Regularity of Drug Use in Coronary Heart Disease Unstable Angina Prescriptions by TCM Inheritance Auxiliary Platform / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE:To provide reference for TCM in the treatment of coronary heart disease (CHD) unstable angina and new drug research and development.METHODS:TCM inheritance auxiliary platform software was adopted to build prescription database of TCM in the treatment of CHD unstable angina.The software function of clinical collection,platform management,information management,knowledge retrieval,statistics,data analysis were adopted to analyze prescription database in respects of four properties,five tastes,channel tropism distribution,frequency statistics,rules of prescriptions and potential new prescriptions,etc.RESULTS:Through analyzing 178 prescriptions of CHD unstable angina,152 ingredients were involved.Top 3 in the list of distribution frequency of four properties were warm (617),cold (474) and mild (288).Top 3 in the list of distribution frequency of five tastes were bitter (750),sweet (732) and pungent (497).Top 3 in the list of distribution frequency of channel tropism were liver (860),heart (573) and spleen (549).A total of 40 ingredients were used more than 10 times,and top 5 were Ligusticum chuanxiong,Salvia miltiorrhiza,Astragalus membranaceus,Angelica sinensis and Carthamus tinctorious.According to the frequency of the drug combination,top 5 in descending order were L.chuanxiong-S.miltiorrhiza,L.chuanxiong-A.sinensis,L.chuanxiong-A.membranaceus,C.tinctorious-L.chuanxiong and S.miltiorrhiza-A.membranaceus.A total of 8 new prescriptions were obtained after evolution.CONCLUSIONS:Main prescriptions for CHD unstable angina included in CNKI are mild drug property,sweetness and bitterness in taste.Main selected ingredients can promote blood circulation,remove blood stasis and relieve pain,relieve restlessness and tranquilize the mind.It embodies the CHD unstable angina treatment principles of "treat both the incidental and fundamental aspects,tonification and purgation in combination".

Observational study of RDW-CV, MMP-2, MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in patients with essential hypertension of different risk stratification / 心血管康复医学杂志

Objective: To observe changes of variation of red blood cell distribution width-coefficient (RDW-CV), levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP)-1 in patients with essential hypertension (EH) of different risk stratification.Methods: A total of 105 EH patients treated in our department from Oct 2015 to Sep 2016 were regarded as EH group.According to hypertension risk stratification, they were divided into low risk group (n=34), medium risk group (n=38) and high-and extremely high risk group (n=33).Another 105 subjects with corresponding age and gender were selected as healthy control group during the same period.RDW-CV, serum levels of MMP-2, MMP-9 and TIMP-1 were measured and compared among all groups.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze relationship among above indexes and hypertension.Results: Compared with healthy control group, there were significant rise in RDW-CV [(12.57±1.46) vs.(14.54±1.82)], serum levels of MMP-2 [(121.71±18.86)ng/ml vs.(155.43±40.81)ng/ml], MMP-9 [(109.72±21.80)ng/ml vs.(191.23±53.05)ng/ml] and TIMP-1 [(59.42±9.41)ng/ml vs.(83.64±15.82)ng/ml] in EH group, P<0.05 or <0.01.Compared with low risk group, there were significant rise in RDW-CV [(13.35±1.54) vs.(14.43±1.17) vs.(15.90±1.81)], serum levels of MMP-2 [(131.21±35.24) ng/ml vs.(152.16±33.15)ng/ml vs.(184.16±37.14)ng/ml], MMP-9 [(163.95±38.61) ng/ml vs.(198.70±43.52)ng/ml vs.(232.83±54.12)ng/ml] and TIMP-1 [(73.15±13.12)ng/ml vs.(83.78±10.22) ng/ml vs.(94.27±16.77)ng/ml] in medium risk group, high-and extremely high risk group, and those of high-and extremely high risk group were significantly higher than those of medium risk group, P<0.05 or <0.01.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis indicated that RDW-CV, MMP-2, MMP-9 and TIMP-1 were independent risk factors for hypertension (OR=2.248~2.725, P<0.05 or <0.01).Conclusion: RDW-CV,MMP-2,MMP-9 and TIMP-1 are independent risk factors for hypertension, active monitoring and intervention should be given for these risk factors.

Perceived Transcultural Self-Efficacy of Nurses in General Hospitals in Guangzhou, China.

BACKGROUND: Conflicts arising from cultural diversity among patients and hospital staff in China have become intense. Hospitals have an urgent need to improve transcultural self-efficacy of nurses for providing effective transcultural nursing. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the research was to (a) evaluate the current status of perceived transcultural self-efficacy of nurses in general hospitals in Guangzhou, China; (b) explore associations between demographic characteristics of nurses and their perceived transcultural self-efficacy; and (c) assess the reliability and validity of scores on the Chinese version of the Transcultural Self-Efficacy Tool (TSET). METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of registered nurses from three general hospitals was conducted. Quota and convenience sampling were used. Participants provided demographic information and answered questions on the TSET. RESULTS: A total of 1,156 registered nurses took part. Most nurses had a moderate level of self-efficacy on the Cognitive (87.9%), Practical (87%), and Affective (89.2%) TSET subscales. Nurses who were older; who had more years of work experience, higher professional titles, higher incomes, and a minority background; and who were officially employed (not temporary positions) had higher perceived transcultural self-efficacy. Reliability estimated using Cronbach's alpha was .99 for the total TSET score; reliability for the three subscales ranged from .97 to .98. Confirmatory factor analysis of TSET scores showed good fit with a three-factor model. CONCLUSION: The results of this study can provide insights and guidelines for hospital nursing management to facilitate design of in-service education systems to improve transcultural self-efficacy of nurses.

Genetic diversity revealed by morphological traits and ISSR markers in 48 Okras (Abelmoschus escullentus L.).

Okra is a widely distributed crop in the tropics, subtropics, and warmer areas of the temperate zones. Its major potential uses as a vegetable, oil and protein source, and source of paper pulp and fuel, or biomass are compatible. It is expected to have high value of exploitation and application. Due to the limited number of molecular studies focused on okras, the methods of morphological and ISSR markers were used to analysis the genetic diversity of 48 okras in the present study. The 22 primers were picked for ISSR-PCR, and a total of 154 fragments were amplified with an overall average polymorphism of 54.55 %. We used the 154 markers to construct the dendrogram based on the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic means (UPGMA). A high level of genetic diversity was found among 48 individuals. The 48 Okras was divided into four clusters at Dice's coefficient of 0.19 with clustering analysis. Based on these data of the genetic diversity, it will be possible to exploit the available resources of okra in more valuable ways.

Trends and disease burden of enteric fever in Guangxi province, China, 1994-2004.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the burden of enteric fever through trends in morbidity and mortality, bacterial species and antimicrobial resistance in Guangxi, a southern, subtropical, coastal province of China with a disproportionally large burden of enteric fever. METHODS: Data on morbidity and mortality caused by enteric fever between 1994 and 2004 were extracted from the Guangxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Laboratory-based surveillance and outbreak investigations were integrated with reports of notifiable infectious diseases to estimate the bacterial species-specific incidence of enteric fever. To adjust for underreporting, survey data were collected from three prefectures that represent the hyper-, moderate- and low-endemic regions of Guangxi province. FINDINGS: In Guangxi province, enteric fever incidence rate varied over the study period, with a peak of 13.5 cases per 100 000 population in 1995 and a low of 6.5 in 2003. The disease occurred most frequently during the summer and autumn months and in the group aged 10-49 years. The incidence of enteric fever varied by region within Guangxi province. During the 11-year period covered by the study, 61 outbreaks of enteric fever were reported, and Salmonella paratyphi A (SPA) became the predominant causative agent in the province. CONCLUSION: Prospective studies may provide a better understanding of the reason for the shifting epidemiology of enteric fever in Guangxi province. Given the emergence of resistance to first- and second-line antimicrobials for the treatment of enteric fever, a bivalent vaccine against both SPA and S. typhi would facilitate for disease control.

[Effectiveness of an immunization campaign with group A and C meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine in controlling an outbreak of group C meningococcal disease].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of group A and C meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine (A/C MPV) in response to an outbreak of group C meningococcal disease. METHODS: A vaccination campaign with A/C MPV was prompted 6 weeks after the use of group A MPV in Laibin city, Guangxi, where an outbreak of group C meningococcal meningitis occurred in 2002. Vaccinees were observed for local and systemic reactions after the vaccination and followed up for the meningococcal disease for 5 years. Blood samples were collected from 71 people in the epidemic and 43 in the non-epidemic areas before and 1 month after the vaccination and examined by ELISA to detect IgG antibodies to group A and C polysaccharides. RESULTS: The vaccination coverage was 97%. No significant adverse reactions were observed. The positive rates of group C antibodies after vaccination was between 97.67% and 100% among the populations in the epidemic and non-epidemic areas, as well as among those negative and positive for group C antibodies prior to the vaccination. The geometric mean anti-C concentrations ranged 30.81 microg/ml to 37.44 microg/ml, showing no significant difference between groups. The incidence rate of meningococcal disease in students with timely immunization (218.58/100,000) dropped by 69.02%, when compared to that in those with delayed immunization (705.72/100,000). No clinical cases were identified during the follow-up period of 15,760 person-years. CONCLUSION: The vaccination campaign with the Chinese group A/C MPV seemed successful in controlling the group C meningococcal outbreak. The vaccine was shown to be safe even administered after the group A vaccine only 6 weeks apart. It could induce high levels of antibodies in vulnerable population and significantly increase antibody levels in seropositive individuals, thus providing a protection of at least 5 years.