Study on Psychological Stress Response and Intervention Countermeasures of Exposed Population under Sudden Public Health Crisis.

Background: After the occurrence of public health emergencies, people will have a series of physiological reactions, which will develop into psychological stress disorder in serious cases. Based on this, the purpose of this study is to analyze the psychological stress response and intervention countermeasures of exposed people under sudden public health crisis. Objective: To explore the psychological stress response and intervention countermeasures of exposed population under sudden public health crisis. Methods: A total of 400 people under the sudden public health crisis that bring about serious damage to public health, mass diseases of unknown causes, major food and occupational poisoning, and other events that seriously affect public health from December 2020 to December 2021 were selected as the subjects of the study. It was randomly and equally divided into two groups to take different intervention measures, the control group was given routine public health crisis intervention measures, and the research group was given comprehensive intervention. The metabolism, social function defects, health symptoms, psychological status, quality of life, sleep quality, and stress reaction were compared between the two groups. Results: The rate of good metabolism in the research group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). After intervention, the scores of Social Disability Screening Schedule (SDSS) and Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) decreased in both groups, and the scores of SDSS and SCL-90 in the research group were lower than those in the control group. After intervention, the scores of self-rating depression scale and self-rating anxiety scale in the two groups decreased, and the scores of self-rating depression scale and self-rating anxiety scale in the research group were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The sleep quality of the research group was better than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The stress response indexes such as cortisol, blood glucose, and C-reactive protein in the two groups were decreased after intervention. The stress response indexes such as cortisol, blood glucose, and C-reactive protein in the research group were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Giving that comprehensive intervention measures to people exposed to sudden public health crisis can effectively relax their stress response, reinvigorate their quality of life and sleep, reduce depression and anxiety, and improve their metabolism, therefore, in the case of the outbreak of public health crisis in the future, it is worth applying for reference and popularizing.

Effect of esophageal muscle fibrosis on prognosis of per-oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) in achalasia patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although esophageal smooth muscle fibrosis of achalasia (AC) patients has been described, the role and mechanism remain unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the fibrosis in the distal esophageal muscle in patients with AC and explore its relationship with prognosis of per-oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM). METHODS: Lower esophageal sphincter (LES) muscle from forty patients undergoing POEM for AC were obtained at the time of surgery. Control specimens consisted of similar muscle taken from distal esophagectomy for gastric tumors. The muscle fibrosis were assessed by Masson staining and confirmed by immunohistochemistry for collagen I and III. The total number of eosinophil within the myenteric propria were counted. In addition, clinical data were obtained through electronic medical records. Statistical comparison between groups were made. RESULTS: A significantly higher proportion of fibrosis in AC as compared with controls (P = 0.000). Eosinophil count, TGF-ß1, collagen I, and III were higher than those of control (P = 0.000, P = 0.001, P = 0.011, and P = 0.002, respectively). TGF-ß1, collagen I, and III were positively correlated with eosinophil count (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, the proportion of severe LES fibrosis in patients who failed to respond to POEM two years after operation was higher than that in responders (P = 0.028). And, Eckardt score two years after POEM was also positively correlated with degree of fibrosis-related cytokines (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Smooth muscle fibrosis was prominent in lower part of esophagus of AC and positively correlated with severity of symptoms two years after POEM. The fibrosis might be relevant to eosinophil infiltration and TGF-ß1. Further studies are required to more clearly delineate the mechanism of muscle fibrosis and its correlation with prognosis of therapy for this idiopathic disease.

Low free triiodothyronine levels are associated with frail phenotype in hospitalized inpatients with cirrhosis.

OBJECTIVE: Frailty is a prevalent complication predicting morbidity and mortality in cirrhosis. However, the association between thyroid hormone levels and frailty in cirrhotics remains elusive. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between thyroid hormone and frail phenotype in euthyroid patients with cirrhosis. METHODS: A total of 214 adult cirrhotic inpatients were divided into two groups according to Frailty Index. Concentrations of free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) were compared. An analysis of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was implemented to determine the best cutoff for frailty. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the association between FT3 and frailty. RESULTS: ROC analysis indicated that the optimal cutoff to stratify frailty was FT3 < 3.03 pmol/L with an area under the curve of 0.673 (95% CI: 0.582-0.764, p = 0.002), sensitivity of 81.8%, and specificity of 51.9%. Patients with FT3 < 3.03 pmol/L exhibited higher incidence of Child-Pugh class B/C, elevated model for end-stage liver disease score, higher creatinine, lower sodium as well as higher incidence of frailty (23.7 vs 6.0%, p < 0.001). A negative correlation was observed between FT3 values and Frailty Index (r = -0.220, p = 0.001). FT3 remained an independent risk factor for frailty after adjusting for age, Child-Pugh class, creatinine, sodium, and alanine aminotransferase. CONCLUSION: In our current study, FT3 < 3.03 pmol/L were significantly associated with increased risk for frailty. Measuring FT3, a readily available biomarker, may be useful for identifying frail phenotype in euthyroid patients with cirrhosis.

The effect of PBL combined with comparative nursing rounds on the teaching of nursing for traumatology.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of problem-based learning (PBL) combined with comparative nursing rounds on the teaching of nursing for traumatology. METHODS: This prospective study was performed in 186 nursing student interns. According to a random number table, these interns were assigned to the control group (n=93) and the experimental group (n=93). In the control group, the interns received traditional teaching methods. Meanwhile, interns in the experimental group received PBL combined with comparative nursing rounds teaching. The level of teaching approval, excellent and good rate of theoretical knowledge, operational ability, medical record writing, and critical thinking disposition inventory-Chinese version scores were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Teaching approval in learning initiative, problem solving ability, critical thinking, clinical work ability, independent information acquisition ability, and teamwork spirit in the experimental group were improved compared with the control group (all P<0.05). The excellent and good rate of theoretical knowledge, operational ability, and medical record writing in the experimental group were all higher than those in the control group (all P<0.05). Compared with the control group, critical thinking disposition inventory-Chinese version scores in all aspects in the experimental group after training were improved (all P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The application of PBL combined comparative nursing rounds in the teaching of nursing for traumatology is beneficial for a significant improvement in the grasp of theoretical knowledge, operational ability, critical thinking ability, and teaching approval.

Caregiver burden and parenting stress among left-behind elderly individuals in rural China: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: One public health problem that cannot be ignored is the mental health of left-behind elderly individuals in rural areas. However, the burden of care and parenting stress among left-behind elderly individuals has never been analyzed. The purpose of this study was to explore the level of caregiver burden and parenting stress and their relationship among left-behind elderly individuals. METHODS: A total of 261 left-behind elderly people responded to the study. The 22-item Zarit Burden Interview and the 36-item Parenting Stress Index-Short Form were used. RESULTS: We sent out 300 questionnaires in total. The effective rate was 87% (n = 261). Among the left-behind elderly individuals, most respondents were female (n = 171; 65.5%). The results showed that older age (OR:3.04; 95%CI: 1.307-7.048), an annual income of ¥5000-¥9900 (OR:3.25; 95%CI: 1.192-8.852) and higher parenting stress (OR:1.17; 95%CI: 1.103-1.242) were the risk factors related to higher caregiver burden in the left-behind elderly individuals. The influencing factor for lower caregiver burden in the left-behind elderly was gender (being male) (OR:0.08; 95%CI:0.036-0.178). Age (r = - 0.789; P < 0.001) and gender (r = 0.325; P < 0.001) were significant positively correlated with parenting stress, and annual income (r = - 0.717; P < 0.001) was negatively correlated with parenting stress. CONCLUSION: Parenting stress is a risk factor affecting caregiver burden of left-behind elderly individuals. Healthcare professionals should pay close attention to the caregiver burden and parenting stress of left-behind elderly individuals, especially those who are older, female and have lower income.

Timing of surgery for asymptomatic patients with severe aortic valve stenosis: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The research findings concerning the effect of early surgery on mortality among asymptomatic patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) are controversial and contradictory. In this study, the total weight of evidence regarding early surgery versus conservative management in these population was examined. METHODS: Embase, PubMed, CENTRAL, and CINAHL databases were thoroughly searched without language restriction until 29 February, 2020. We included all studies exploring the mortality in asymptomatic patients with severe AS comparing early surgery with conservative management and obtained data in a standard form. Pooled relative risks ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were pooled by using a random- or fixed-effects model and by using intention-to-treat principle. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies (OSs) were analyzed separately. RESULTS: Finally, 8 studies involving 2462 patients were enrolled, including 1 RCT and 7 OSs. In the OSs, early surgery was linked with significant reduction among all-cause mortality (RR & 95% CI, I2: 0.32 (0.18-0.57), 84.9%) and cardiac death (0.28 (0.18-0.45), 62.5%) in asymptomatic patients with severe AS. The superiority of early surgery over conservative management in reducing all-cause mortality in these patients is also intensified in the RCT. CONCLUSIONS: The existing RCT and OSs indicate that earlier surgery is associated with better outcomes for asymptomatic patients with severe AS. Nevertheless, more well-designed and large-sized RCTs are needed to find an individual approach focusing on individual risk stratification and staging.

Relationship between neck circumference and hypertension of primary and middle school students:a Meta-analysis / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To systematically evaluate the relationship between neck circumference and hypertension of primary and secondary school students.@*Methods@#Web of science, PubMed, Scopus, CNKI and WanFang databases were searched by computer, and the retrieval time was from inception to December 2019. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted the data and evaluated the quality, and then performed Meta-analysis using Stata 14.0 software.@*Results@#A total of 8 studies were included, including 20 475 subjects. Meta-analysis results showed that the risk of hypertension increased by 35% in people with a high neck circumference compared with the normal population(OR=1.35, 95%CI=1.20-1.51, P<0.01). The results of subgroup analysis showed that the correlation between neck circumference and hypertension of obese primary and secondary school students was 1.41 times higher than that of normal weight students(OR=1.41, 95%CI=1.23-1.61, P<0.01). The correlation between the neck circumference and the risk of hypertension of primary and secondary school students in Europe and America was more significant than that in Asia(OR=1.31, 95%CI=1.11-1.53, P=0.01). When the mean value of neck circumference was greater than 28.5 cm(OR=1.29, 95%CI=1.02-1.64, P=0.03), it was associated with the incidence of hypertension.@*Conclusion@#The neck circumference of primary and middle school students is related to the risk of hypertension, especially in obese people. Blood pressure monitoring and health education should be strengthened to prevent hypertension.

Systematic Identification of lncRNA-Associated ceRNA Networks in Immune Thrombocytopenia.

Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disease. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying ITP remained to be further investigated. In the present study, we analyzed a series of public datasets (including GSE43177 and GSE43178) and identified 468 upregulated mRNAs, 272 downregulated mRNAs, 134 upregulated lncRNAs, 23 downregulated lncRNAs, 29 upregulated miRNAs, and 39 downregulated miRNAs in ITP patients. Then, we constructed protein-protein interaction networks, miRNA-mRNA and lncRNA coexpression networks in ITP. Bioinformatics analysis showed these genes regulated multiple biological processes in ITP, such as mRNA nonsense-mediated decay, translation, cell-cell adhesion, proteasome-mediated ubiquitin, and mRNA splicing. We thought the present study could broaden our insights into the mechanism underlying the progression of ITP and provide a potential biomarker for the prognosis of ITP.

Characterization of an Ecdysteroid-Regulated 16 kDa Protein Gene in Chinese Oak Silkworm, Antheraea pernyi (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae).

A large number of ecdysteroid-regulated 16 kDa proteins (ESR16s) of insects have been isolated and annotated in GenBank; however, knowledge on insect ESR16s remain limited. In the present study, we characterized an ecdysteroid-regulated 16 kDa protein gene isolated in Chinese oak silkworm, Antheraea pernyi Guérin-Méneville ('ApESR16' in the following), an important silk-producing and edible insect. The obtained cDNA sequence of ApESR16 is 1,049 bp, harboring an open reading frame of 441 bp that encodes a polypeptide of 146 amino acids. CD-search revealed that ApESR16 contains the putative cholesterol/lipid binding sites on conserved domain Npc2_like (Niemann-Pick type C-2) belonging to the MD-2-related lipid-recognition superfamily. Sequence comparison revealed that ApESR16 exhibits 51-57% identity to ESR16s of lepidopteran insects, 36-41% identity to ESR16 or NPC2a of nonlepidopteran insects, and 28-32% identity to NPC2a of vertebrates, indicating a high sequence divergence during the evolution of animals. Phylogenetic analysis found that the used sequences were divided into two groups corresponding to vertebrates and invertebrates, and the used insect sequences were also well clustered according to their families. The A. pernyi ESR16 mRNA is expressed during all four developmental stages and in all tested tissues. Injection of 20-hydroxyecdysone (20-E) into A. pernyi diapausing pupae triggering diapause termination induced upregulation of ESR16 mRNA compared to the diapausing pupae, with the highest expression level at day 2 in the ovaries but day 12 in the fat body. Our results suggested that ApESR16 might be a diapause-related gene and plays a vital role in the pupal diapause of A. pernyi.

What impact do Rome IV criteria have on patients with IBS in China?

Background: The Rome criteria for functional gastrointestinal diseases (FGIDs) have been updated from Rome III to Rome IV. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the update on patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in China.Methods: A previous database including consecutive patients with FGIDs (according to Rome III criteria) from gastrointestinal department of a tertiary hospital in China was re-analyzed. Demographic information, clinical symptoms, psychological status (Zung self-rating scale), and sleep quality (Pittsburgh sleep quality index) were compared between patients with Rome III and Rome IV IBS.Results: Of the 946 patients with FGIDs, only 58 (6.1%) were diagnosed with Rome IV IBS [less than 292 (30.9%) under Rome III criteria] with a surge of the number of unspecified functional bowel disorders (U-FBD). All patients with IBS were divided into three groups: group A [meeting both Rome III and IV criteria, accounting for 43 (4.6%) of patients with FGIDs], group B [meeting only Rome III criteria, 249 (26.3%)], and group C [meeting only Rome IV criteria,15 (1.6%)]. Significant differences in frequency and severity of symptoms, subtypes, and sleep quality among groups (all p < .05) were found. Patients with Rome III IBS having sleep disorder tended to be more serious than those without. On the contrary, it was not the case under Rome IV criteria.Conclusions: Number of IBS patients was greatly reduced accompanied by a surge in U-FBD. Besides, the updated criteria also had great impacts on clinical parameters, sleep quality and psychological state of IBS patients.HighlightsRome IV criteria removed the description of abdominal discomfort for IBS.The updated Rome criteria had great impacts on IBS patients in our database.Our study analyzed the characteristics of IBS patients who fulfilled both criteria.Alterations in the Rome criteria also led to changes in the disease spectrum of FBD.

Long-term outcomes of per-oral endoscopic myotomy in a patient with distal esophageal spasm followed up for 2.5 years: two sides of the same coin - A Case Report and Literature Review.

INTRODUCTION: Distal esophageal spasm (DES), a relatively rare condition, is characterized by simultaneous contractions of the distal esophagus and manifested by dysphagia and chest pain. Several treatment options are recommended, such as pharmacological therapy, endoscopic interventions, and surgical myotomy. Recently, per-oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) has been adopted as an effective and less-invasive treatment due to its excellent short-term clinical outcomes. Nevertheless, few reports describe its long-term effects. CASE PRESENTATION: A 65-year-old woman complained of chest pain accompanied with dysphagia and weight loss for 4 months. A series of examinations suggested that she was suffering from DES and then POEM was performed. During the 2.5-year follow-up, we observed an exciting long-term outcome. Interestingly, hematoxylin and eosin staining verified a large number of eosinophils in the muscularis externa, which was absent in the mucosa of the esophagus of the patient. CONCLUSIONS: We herein report a case of DES who underwent POEM to eliminate persistent esophageal contractions. Eckardt score, esophageal emptying test, and high-resolution manometry were assumed to monitor the efficacy of POEM. During treatment and 2.5 years after operation, esophageal muscle biopsies and/or mucosal tissues were obtained. This case has been presented to describe that POEM could be a strategy for DES with a long-term curative effect and that eosinophils in the muscle layer of the esophagus might be involved in the pathogenesis of DES. What is more, we reviewed literature to find similar cases reported in the past.

Self-identified sexual orientations and high-risk sexual behaviours among Chinese youth.

PURPOSE: High-risk sexual behaviour is a factor affecting the health of sexual minority students, yet few related studies have been completed among Chinese students. This article explores the distribution of sexual minority groups and its association with high-risk sexual behaviours and symptoms of sexually transmitted infections(STIs) among Chinese college students. METHODS: An internet-based questionnaire was applied, and a sample of 17 966 surveys from 130 Chinese colleges was collected. Based on their self-reports, participants were classified into the following groups: homosexual male or female, heterosexual, bisexual, and sexual orientation unknown. High-risk sexual behaviours were defined as having sexual intercourse before the age of 18 years, having one's sexual debut with a non-regular partner, having had more than four sexual partners before investigation, and having mostly had sexual intercourse without using condoms. Logistic regression models were constructed to analyse the associations. RESULTS: The proportions of the homosexual males and females, and the bisexual groups were 1.62%, 0.88% and 5.07%, respectively. Homosexual males were more likely to have their sexual debut with a non-regular partner (OR 4.79, 95% CI 3.38 to 6.78), having more than four sexual partners (OR 5.81, 95% CI 4.06 to 8.32), having their sexual debut before the age of 18 years (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.34 to 2.76), and not using condoms for most episodes of sexual intercourse (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.00 to 2.17). Similar associations also existed among homosexual females. A positive association between sexual orientation and having symptoms of STIs (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.02 to 2.18) was found among homosexual males. CONCLUSIONS: Sexual minority groups among Chinese college students had a greater risk of engaging in high-risk sexual behaviours and having STI symptoms. Future studies and interventions should focus on this population.

Overexpression of lncRNA GATA6-AS inhibits cancer cell proliferation in mantle cell lymphoma by downregulating GLUT1.

Long non-coding RNA GATA6 antisense RNA 1 (lncRNA GATA6-AS) is a recently identified lncRNA that is involved in endothelial-mesenchymal transition. The present study aimed to investigate the involvement of GATA6-AS in the progression of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). It was found that plasma lncRNA GATA6-AS expression level was downregulated in patients with MCL, compared with that in healthy controls. Downregulation of lncRNA GATA6-AS has potential diagnostic value in early stage MCL. Overexpression of lncRNA GATA6-AS resulted in inhibited glucose uptake in the human cell lines JVM-2 and Z-138 MCL. Inhibited expression of glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) was observed in MCL cells following lncRNA GATA6-AS overexpression, whilst GLUT1 overexpression did not alter the expression of lncRNA GATA6-AS. Additionally, lncRNA GATA6-AS overexpression inhibited, whilst GLUT1 overexpression promoted the proliferation of JVM-2 and Z-138 MCL cells; GLUT1 overexpression partially reversed the inhibitory effects of lncRNA GATA6-AS overexpression. It was therefore concluded that lncRNA GATA6-AS may inhibit cancer cell proliferation in MCL by downregulating GLUT1.

MAPK Pathway Inhibitors Attenuated Hydrogen Peroxide Induced Damage in Neural Cells.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress due to reactive oxygen species plays a central role in pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases. Inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades attenuates the oxidative induced cell stress and behaves as potential neuroprotection agent. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we evaluate hydrogen peroxide induced neural cell stress and determine how different MAPK inhibitors restore the cell damage. RESULTS: The results indicated that oxidative stress induced by neural cell damage commonly exists, and MAPK inhibitors partially and selectively attenuated the cell damage by reducing ROS production and cell apoptosis. The cultured neurons are more susceptible to hydrogen peroxide than subculture cells. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the essential role of different MAPK inhibitors is to attenuate the hydrogen peroxide induced neuronal cell damage. Those data broaden the implication between individual neural cells and different MAPK inhibitors and give clues for oxidative stress induced neural diseases.

Peroral endoscopic myotomy versus pneumatic dilation - result from a retrospective study with 1-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: On the basis of lesser rates of major adverse events and a short-term efficacy as Heller's myotomy, there is a growing enthusiasm in favor of peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM), whereas study comparing POEM and pneumatic dilatation (PD) is quite rare. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of POEM and PD in Chinese achalasia patients in a retrospectively designed study. METHODS: Patients with achalasia, who underwent either PD (n = 26) or POEM (n = 40) were retrospectively recruited from September 2010 through March 2016 at a single tertiary center. During the 1-year follow-up, clinical outcome and functional data of lower esophageal sphincter (LES) were recruited. Clinical symptoms were assessed by use of the Eckardt score. The primary outcome was therapeutic success (Eckardt score ≤ 3). Functional data of LES (4-second integrated relaxation pressure [4s-IRP], LES relax rate, and LESP) at baseline and 1 month after treatment were also evaluated. Data was analyzed by SPSS 13.0 version using a significance level of p < 0.05. RESULTS: The success rates were 24/26 (92.31 %), 25/26 (96.15 %), and 24/26 (92.31 %), respectively, with POEM, as compared with 35/40 (87.50 %), 29/40 (72.50 %), and 23/40 (57.50 %), respectively, with PD, 1 month, 3 months, and 1 year after treatment. Statistically significant difference was observed between the 2 therapies (at 3 months, Fisher's exact test, p = 0.01; at 1 year, Fisher's exact test, p < 0.0001). Compared with PD, the Eckardt score was lower with POEM 1 month, 3 months, and 1 year after treatment. More patients in POEM group reported gastroesophageal reflux symptoms (after 3 months 7/26 (26.92 %) vs. 2/40 (5.00 %), Fisher's exact test, p = 0.01; after 1 year 6/26 (19.23 %) vs. 1/35 (2.86 %), Fisher's exact test, p = 0.02). The postoperative 4s-IRP and LESP were both lower with POEM than with PD, respectively. Type I achalasia had a better response with POEM than with PD. CONCLUSION: In this retrospective analysis with 1-year follow-up, POEM presents with a higher success rate and more reflux symptoms compared with PD. Change on LES function after treatment may explain the outcome in part. Type I achalasia may respond better to therapies compared with type II.

Study on effects of electrical stimulation on rabbit esophageal body motility in vivo.

Electric stimulation (ES) could induce contraction of intestinal smooth muscle. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of ES on esophageal motility and the underlying mechanism in vivo. Twenty-eight rabbits were equipped with a pair of subserosa electrodes (connected to an electrical stimulator) in the lower segment of the esophagus. The ES signal consisted of bipolar rectangular pulse trains, lasting for 3 s, with different amplitudes (1 mA, 3 mA, 5 mA and 10 mA), and frequencies (10 Hz, 20 Hz and 50 Hz). The amplitude of the contraction was recognized by high-resolution manometry. The effect of ES was tested under anesthesia and following administration of atropine, phentolamine or L-NAME. ES induced esophageal contraction at the stimulated site. A statistically significant increase in esophageal pressure was observed when the stimulation amplitude was above 3 mA. The increase in esophageal pressure was associated with the amplitude of stimulus as well as the frequency. During stimulation, atropine, phentolamine and L-NAME had no effect on the increase of esophageal pressure induced by ES. These findings implied that ES induced esophageal contraction were not mediated via the NANC, adrenergic or cholinergic pathway. The amplitude of esophageal contraction was current and frequency dependent.

Connexin43 and AMPK Have Essential Role in Resistance to Oxidative Stress Induced Necrosis.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced oxidative stress leads to cell damage and neurological disorders in astrocytes. The gap junction protein connexin43 (Cx43) could form intercellular channels in astrocytes and the expression of Cx43 plays an important role in protecting the cells from damage. In the present study, we investigated the contribution of Cx43 to astrocytic necrosis induced by the ROS hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and the mechanism by which AMPK was involved in this process. Fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, and western blot were used quantitatively and qualitatively to determine the cell apoptosis, necrosis, and protein expression. Lack of Cx43 expression or blockage of Cx43 channels resulted in increased H2O2-induced astrocytic necrosis, supporting a cell protective effect of functional Cx43 channels. Our data suggest that AMPK is important for Cx43-mediated ROS resistance. Inhibition of AMPK activation results in reduction of necrosis and ROS production. Taken together, our findings suggest that the role of Cx43 in response to H2O2 stress is dependent on the activation of AMPK signaling pathways and regulates ROS production and cell necrosis.

Catheter-based acoustic interrogation device for real-time monitoring of the dynamics of the lower esophageal sphincter: in vitro and pilot canine studies.

This paper presents a novel minimally-invasive catheter-based acoustic interrogation device for real-time monitoring the dynamics of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). Dysfunction of the LES could result gastrointestinal (GI) diseases, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). A micro-oscillator actively emitting sound wave at 16 kHz is located at one side of the LES, and a miniature microphone is located at the other side of the LES to capture the sound generated from the oscillator. Thus, the dynamics of the opening and closing of the LES can be monitored. The device was tested in vitro by utilizing a custom-designed LES simulator, as well as in vivo in a pilot canine model. In the in vitro test, the sound was captured by the microphone and its strength was correlated with the level of LES opening and closing which was controlled by the simulator. The measurements showed statistically significant (p < 0.05) Pearson correlation coefficients (0.905 on the average in quiet environment and 0.736 on the average in noisy environment, DOF = 9). In the in vivo test, the LES was forced open and closed by a transoral endoscope, which was monitored in real-time by a transpyloric endoscope inserted from the duodenum and positioned into the distal stomach. Frame-by-frame video analysis validated the interrelation between the sound strength and the LES opening and closing. The LES dynamics monitored by the proposed device has the potential to become a valuable minimally-invasive technique for understanding LES dysfunction.

On the structure of solutions to a class of quasilinear elliptic Neumann problems. Part II.

We continue our work (Y. Li, C. Zhao in J Differ Equ 212:208-233, 2005) to study the structure of positive solutions to the equation epsilon(m) Delta(m)u - u(m-1) + f(u) = 0 with homogeneous Neumann boundary condition in a smooth bounded domain of RN (N >/= 2). First, we study subcritical case for 2 < m < N and show that after passing by a sequence positive solutions go to a constant in C(1, alpha) sense as epsilon --> infinity. Second, we study the critical case for 1 < m < N and prove that there is a uniform upper bound independent of epsilon in [1, infinity) for the least-energy solutions. Third, we show that in the critical case for 1 < m infinity.