Rutaecarpine Ameliorates Murine N-Methyl-N'-Nitro-N-Nitrosoguanidine-Induced Chronic Atrophic Gastritis by Sonic Hedgehog Pathway.

CAG is a burdensome and progressive disease. Numerous studies have shown the effectiveness of RUT in digestive system diseases. The therapeutic effects of RUT on MNNG-induced CAG and the potential mechanisms were probed. MNNG administration was employed to establish a CAG model. The HE and ELISA methods were applied to detect the treatment effects. WB, qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, TUNEL, and GES-1 cell flow cytometry approaches were employed to probe the mechanisms. The CAG model was successfully established. The ELISA and HE staining data showed that the RUT treatment effects on CAG rats were reflected by the amelioration of histological damage. The qRT-PCR and WB analyses indicated that the protective effect of RUT is related to the upregulation of the SHH pathway and downregulation of the downstream of apoptosis to improve gastric cellular survival. Our data suggest that RUT induces a gastroprotective effect by upregulating the SHH signaling pathway and stimulating anti-apoptosis downstream.

[First-Class Nursing Discipline Construction Spearheads the Cultivation of First-Class Talents].

Cultivating first-class talents is a key task of the Double First-Class Initiative, a national plan to build a number of world-class universities and disciplines in China by the end of 2050. On the basis of reviewing the history of the development of the nursing discipline, we analyzed, herein, opportunities and challenges of nursing professional training under the strategic guidance of the Double First-Class Initiative. We proposed suggestions on the cultivation of first-class nursing professionals of the future by considering the following aspects, constructing a theoretical system of ideological and political education for nursing education with Chinese characteristics, exploring for ways to develop a nursing knowledge system and personnel training model around the axis of a life-course approach to health, building "nursing plus" interdisciplinary clusters to cultivate innovative talents with interdisciplinary integrated abilities, enhancing efforts to recruit and cultivate scientific and technological talents, optimizing in an all-round way the composition of qualified nursing personnel, gaining the support of first-class research platforms, and creating incubation centers for innovative and outstanding nursing professionals.

[Automatic Segmentation of Digital Pathology Slides Based on Unsupervised Learning].

OBJECTIVE: To segment images through an unsupervised method as an alternative to manual labeling. METHODS: A total of 100 whole slide image (WSI) data of HE stained and Pap stained slides were selected as the research and test objects, including 70 breast slides, 20 lung slides and 10 thyroid slides. In order to ensure the diversity of data, the breast slides included those of normal tissue, inflammation and tumor, the lung slides were mainly neoplasms in the lower lobe, including those of inflammation and tumor, and the thyroid slides were of cells, all benign, obtained through fine needle aspiration. The maximum total magnification (original magnification) of each image was 400 times, and the file format was NDPI. Each WSI was manually labeled, and the labeled area of each WSI was more than 10 fields of vision. The labeled information was to be used for validity verification. An unsupervised image segmentation technique based on superpixel and fully convolution neural network algorithms was constructed and used to segment any region of interest (ROI) of unlabeled WSI. In comparison with the region adjacency graph merging method, the segmentation effect of the two methods was assessed with the under segmentation error, the boundary recall and the mean Intersection-over-Union, and the efficiency of the two methods was also compared. In the comparison of execution efficiency, the test process included the preprocessing time of superpixel, and excluded the time of loading the deep learning engine. RESULTS: Unsupervised automatic segmentation was implemented for any ROI region of WSI according to the texture and color. The results of the breast slides, lung slides and thyroid slides showed slight differences, and multiple tests yielded stable results. However, the performance of this method in differentiating inflammation and tumor was average. The under-segmentation error, the boundary recall and the mean Intersection-over-Union were 19.10%, 82.06% and 45.06%, respectively. The under segmentation error, the boundary recall and the mean Intersection-over-Union for the region adjacency graph merging method were 21.52%, 78.39% and 44.81%, respectively. The average time consumption of the whole process was 0.27 s in GPU mode and 1.30 s in CPU mode. The average time consumption of the region adjacency graph merging method was 10.5 s in CPU mode because the method of region adjacency graph merging was not realized in the GPU mode. CONCLUSION: This method produced ideal pixel level labeling results through simple human-computer interaction, which could effectively reduce the cost of digital pathology slide data labeling. Compared with the region adjacency graph merging method, this method had better performance in processing image texture and had faster processing speed.

[Application Test of the AI-Automatic Diagnostic System for Ki-67 in Breast Cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To study the different methods of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted Ki-67 scoring of clinical invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) of the breast and to compare the results. METHODS: A total of 100 diagnosed IDC cases were collected, including slides of HE staining and immunohistochemical Ki-67 staining and diagnosis results. The slides were scanned and turned into whole slide image (WSI), which were then scored with AI. There were two AI scoring methods. One was fully automatic counting by AI, which used the scoring system of Ki-67 automatic diagnosis to do counting with the whole image of WSI. The second method was semi-automatic AI counting, which required manual selection of areas for counting, and then relied on an intelligent microscope to conduct automatic counting. The diagnostic results of pathologists were taken as the results of pure manual counting. Then the Ki-67 scores obtained by manual counting, semi-automatic AI counting and automatic AI counting were pairwise compared. The Ki-67 scores obtained from the manual counting (pathological diagnosis results), semi-automatic AI and automatic AI counts were pair-wise compared and classified according to three levels of difference: difference ≤10%, difference of >10%-<30% and difference ≥30%. Intra-class correlation coefficient ( ICC) was used to evaluate the correlation. RESULTS: The automatic AI counting of Ki-67 takes 5-8 minutes per case, the semi-automatic AI counting takes 2-3 minutes per case, and the manual counting takes 1-3 minutes per case. When results of the two AI counting methods were compared, the difference in Ki-67 scores was all within 10% (100% of the total), and the ICC index being 0.992. The difference between manual counting and semi-automatic AI was less than 10% in 60 cases (60% of the total), between 10% and 30% in 37 cases (37% of the total), and more than 30% in only 3 cases (3% of the total), ICC index being 0.724. When comparing automatic AI with manual counting, 78 cases (78% of the total) had a difference of ≤10%, 17 cases (17% of the total) had a difference of between 10% and 30%, and 5 cases (5%) had a difference of ≥30%, the ICC index being 0.720. The ICC values showed that there was little difference between the results of the two AI counting methods, indicating good repeatability, but the repeatability between AI counting and manual counting was not particularly ideal. CONCLUSION: AI automatic counting has the advantage of requiring less manpower, for the pathologist is involved only for the verification of the diagnosis results at the end. However, the semi-automatic method is better suited to the diagnostic habits of pathologists and has a shorter turn-over time compared with that of the fully automatic AI counting method. Furthermore, in spite of its higher repeatability, AI counting, cannot serve as a full substitute for pathologists, but should instead be viewed as a powerful auxiliary tool.

Novel effects of sphingosylphosphorylcholine on the apoptosis of breast cancer via autophagy/AKT/p38 and JNK signaling.

Sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC), an important lipid mediator in blood, inhibits the proliferation and migration of various cancer cells. However, its effect as a cell-specific sphingolipid in breast cancer cells is still unknown. Here, we showed that SPC promoted autophagy and apoptosis in triple-negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells. Autophagy worked as a negative regulator of apoptosis-induced by SPC. Mechanistically, SPC mediated apoptosis via activating c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Meanwhile, p38MAPK (p38) and protein kinase B (PKB or AKT) signaling pathways were also activated to inhibit apoptosis, suggesting that SPC could evoke multiple signaling pathways to modulate cell apoptosis. In addition, the crosstalk between autophagy, p38, AKT and JNK is that autophagy, p38, and AKT attenuated the JNK. AKT and p38 were in the downstream of autophagy, which is autophagy/AKT/p38 signaling evoked by SPC to antagonize JNK signaling and subsequent apoptosis. Although the pathways that antagonize apoptosis were evoked, the cells eventually reached apoptosis by SPC. Therefore, the combination with pharmacological autophagy inhibitors would be a more effective therapeutic strategy for eliminating breast cancer cells by SPC.

Emerging roles of sphingosylphosphorylcholine in modulating cardiovascular functions and diseases.

Sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC) is a bioactive sphingolipid in blood plasma that is metabolized from the hydrolysis of the membrane sphingolipid. SPC maintains low levels in the circulation under normal conditions, which makes studying its origin and action difficult. In recent years, however, it has been revealed that SPC may act as a first messenger through G protein-coupled receptors (S1P1-5, GPR12) or membrane lipid rafts, or as a second messenger mediating intracellular Ca2+ release in diverse human organ systems. SPC is a constituent of lipoproteins, and the activation of platelets promotes the release of SPC into blood, both implying a certain effect of SPC in modulating the pathological process of the heart and vessels. A line of evidence indeed confirms that SPC exerts a pronounced influence on the cardiovascular system through modulation of the functions of myocytes, vein endothelial cells, as well as vascular smooth muscle cells. In this review we summarize the current knowledge of the potential roles of SPC in the development of cardiovascular diseases and discuss the possible underlying mechanisms.

FRET-based detection of isozyme-specific activities of transglutaminases.

Transglutaminases (TGs) comprise a protein family in which the members catalyze the formation of isopeptide bonds between glutamine and lysine residues in various proteins. Expression studies on its three major members, FXIII, TG1, and TG2, have been performed in a relatively large number of mammalian tissues in comparison with those on the other isozymes. We previously identified a highly reactive substrate peptide, including glutamine, for each isozyme from a phage display library and developed a method for detecting isozyme-specific activities by incorporating a labeled substrate peptide into lysine residues of proteins. Here, we describe genetically encoded Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based probes composed of each fluorescence protein (Cerulean and EVenus) fused with substrate peptides. The probe pairs, designated as Trac-MTG (His-CerΔ11-LQ/EV-K-His) containing linker and substrate peptide sequence for microbial TG (MTG), increased the EVenus:Cerulean fluorescence intensity ratio by more than 1.5-fold. Furthermore, we demonstrated that Trac-TG1 (His-CerΔ11-K5) and Trac-TG2 (His-CerΔ11-T26) containing substrate peptide sequence for mammalian TGs successfully detected the isozyme-specific activity of TG1 and TG2, respectively. In this study, we developed a rapid and convenient experimental system for measuring the isozyme-specific activity of TGs. The application of these probes for analyses in cells and tissues will be helpful for elucidating the physiological and pathological functions of TGs.

Aspirin alleviates cardiac fibrosis in mice by inhibiting autophagy.

Aspirin (ASA) is a cardioprotective drug with anti-cardiac fibrosis action in vivo. This study was aimed to clarify the anti-cardiac fibrosis action of ASA and the underlying mechanisms. Two heart injury models (injection of isoproterenol and ligation of the left anterior descending branch) were used in mice to induce cardiac fibrosis. The animals were treated with ASA (10 mg·kg-1·d-1, ig) for 21 and 14 d, respectively. ASA administration significantly improved cardiac function, and ameliorated heart damage and fibrosis in the mice. The mechanisms underlying ASA's anti-fibrotic effect were further analyzed in neonatal cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) exposed to hypoxia in vitro. ASA (0.5-5 mmol/L) dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation and Akt phosphorylation in the CFs. In addition, ASA significantly inhibited CF apoptosis, and decreased the levels of apoptosis markers (cleaved caspase 3 and Parp1), which might serve as a side effect of anti-fibrotic effect of ASA. Furthermore, ASA dose-dependently inhibited the autophagy in the CFs, as evidenced by the reduced levels of autophagy marker LC3-II. The autophagy inhibitor Pepstatin A (PepA) promoted the inhibitory effect of ASA on CF proliferation, whereas the autophagy inducer rapamycin rescued ASA-caused inhibition of CF proliferation, suggesting an autophagy-dependent anti-proliferative effect of ASA. Both p38 inhibitor SB203580 and ROS scavenger N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) significantly decreased Akt phosphorylation in CFs in the basal and hypoxic situations, but they both significantly increased LC3-II levels in the CFs. Our results suggest that an autophagy- and p38/ROS-dependent pathway mediates the anti-cardiac fibrosis effect of ASA in CFs. As PepA and SB203580 did not affect ASA-caused inhibition of CF apoptosis, the drug combination will enhance ASA's therapeutic effects.

[Effects of Limb Ischemic Postconditioning on Behavioral Improvement and Proliferation of Neural Cells in Rats with Transient Cerebral Ischemia].

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of non-invasive limb ischemic postconditioning (NLIP) on the behavioral performance and the expression and distribution of neural cells in rats with ischemic cortex. METHODS: Rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: sham group (n=10), ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) group (n=50), and NLIP group (n=50). Focal cerebral ischemia was induced by intraluminal MCAO in the rats in the I/R and NLIP groups, while no suture was inserted in the sham-operated rats. NLIP (reperfusion-10 min, ischemia-10 min, ×3 cycles) was conducted immediately after reperfusion on bilateral femoral arteries by modified ischemicelastic bands. Body mass and behavioral performance of the rats were assessed at 3 d, 7 d, 14 d, 21 d and 28 d post-ischemia (n=5-10). Doublecortin (DCX) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in the ischemic cortex were detected by immunohistochemistry.The expression of microtubule associated protein 2 (MAP2) was detected by Western blot. RESULTS: The rats in the sham group showed mild body mass loss and minor neurological deficit 1-3 d post-ischemia and weakened muscle strength 1 d post-ischemia, which were alleviated gradually overtime. Compared with the sham group, neurological deficits were more obvious in the rats in the I/R and NLIP groups, which were alleviated 3-21 d post-ischemia and reached a level close to that of the sham group at 28 d post-ischemia. No significant difference was found betweenthe I/R and NLIP groups in neurologic deficit scores.NLIP significantly alleviated body mass loss 2-7 d post-ischemia (P<0.05) and improved muscle strength 14-28 d post-ischemia (P<0.05).Compared with the sham group, rats in the I/R and NLP groups had increased numbers of DCX and GFAP-labeled cells in the ischemic penumbra over time, increased hypotrophic cell bodies and longer and thickened dendrites, and decreased expression of MAP2 (P>0.05) at 3 d post-ischemia prior to an up-regulation.Higher expression of MAP2 was found 14-21 d post-ischemia (P<0.05) in the I/R group and 7-28 d post-ischemia in the NLIP group(P<0.05). Significant difference in MAP2 was found between the I/R and NLIP groups at 7 d post-ischemia (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: NLIP has the potential to improve neurological outcomes and promote increase of neural cells in penumbral cortex after cerebral ischemia.

Safety, immunogenicity and protective effect of sequential vaccination with inactivated and recombinant protein COVID-19 vaccine in the elderly: a prospective longitudinal study.

The safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in the elderly, a high-risk group for severe COVID-19 infection, have not been fully understood. To clarify these issues, this prospective study followed up 157 elderly and 73 young participants for 16 months and compared the safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of two doses of the inactivated vaccine BBIBP-CorV followed by a booster dose of the recombinant protein vaccine ZF2001. The results showed that this vaccination protocol was safe and tolerable in the elderly. After administering two doses of the BBIBP-CorV, the positivity rates and titers of neutralizing and anti-RBD antibodies in the elderly were significantly lower than those in the young individuals. After the ZF2001 booster dose, the antibody-positive rates in the elderly were comparable to those in the young; however, the antibody titers remained lower. Gender, age, and underlying diseases were independently associated with vaccine immunogenicity in elderly individuals. The pseudovirus neutralization assay showed that, compared with those after receiving two doses of BBIBP-CorV priming, some participants obtained immunological protection against BA.5 and BF.7 after receiving the ZF2001 booster. Breakthrough infection symptoms last longer in the infected elderly and pre-infection antibody titers were negatively associated with the severity of post-infection symptoms. The antibody levels in the elderly increased significantly after breakthrough infection but were still lower than those in the young. Our data suggest that multiple booster vaccinations at short intervals to maintain high antibody levels may be an effective strategy for protecting the elderly against COVID-19.

[Clinical manifestation and autoantibody profile in 123 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the autoantibody profile and its clinical implication in the patients with primary biliary cirrhosis. METHODS: During the period of 2008 to 2010,123 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) in our hospital were enrolled in this study, of whom, 70 patients were with cirrhosis and 53 without cirrhosis, The autoantibody profile was tested for each patient by using immunoblotting and indirect immunofluorescence. RESULTS: Of the 123 PBC patients with liver cirrhosis, 49% were positive with serum ANA positive; 47%, 51%, 54%, 31% and 49% were positive with serum anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA), anti-mitochondrial antibodies-M2 (AMA-M2), anti-promyelocytic leukemia (anti-PML), anti-sp100 antibodies (anti-sp100), anti-Ro-52 antibody (anti-52KD), respectively. By contrast, of the PBC patients without liver cirrhosis, only 38%, 37%, 51%, 60%, 30% and 51% were positive with serum ANA, AMA, AMA-M2, anti-PML, anti-sp100 and anti-52KD, respectively.There was the statistical difference between the two groups. In addition, it was also found that the anti-gp210 antibody positive group had a higher Mayo risk score,lower serum albumin and severe cholestasis and impaired liver function when compared with anti-gp210 antibody negative patients. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that serum AMA is helpful for early diagnosis of PBC, and in particular, serum ANA positivity can help make a diagnosis for the AMA-negative patients. These indicate that anti-gp210 antibodies appear in the late course of PBC.Anti-gp210 positive PBC patients have more severe cholestasis and liver dysfunction.

[A clinical and pathological analysis of 22 cases of primary sclerosing cholangitis].

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the clinical, laboratory, imaging and pathological features of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and investigate the impact of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) therapy on patient prognosis. METHODS: The medical records of 22 patients diagnosed with PSC between 2002 and 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. The PSC diagnosis had been made in patients with suspect biochemical abnormalities following evaluation by magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and/or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC). Fibrosis and inflammation were assessed by immunohistochemical analyses of tissue biopsies. Outcome of patients treated with UDCA (13-15 mg/kg/day, oral) were compared to that of patients without UDCA treatment by the X2 or corrected X2 tests. RESULTS: Among the 22 PSC patients, the majority was male (n=15) and presented with fatigue, dark urine, and body weight loss (n=15). Four cases had ulcerative colitis. At admission, all 22 cases showed elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase[ALP: (348+/-184) U/L], 19 cases showed elevated alanine aminotransferase [ALT: (94.0+/-67.0) U/L] and aspartate aminotransferase [AST: (98.0+/-67.0) U/L], and 15 cases showed elevated levels of total bilirubin (99.0+/-115.0) mumol/L and direct bilirubin (74.4+/-92.4 mumol/L. ERCP examination showed segmental intrahepatic bile duct stenosis with expansion, and stiff and enlarged gallbladder bile ducts, but unclear findings for the common bile ducts and pancreatic ducts. MRCP showed beading of the intrahepatic bile duct, stiffness of the bile duct wall, and dilation of the common bile duct. Fibrosis and inflammation were observed in the bile ducts, along with hyperplasia and the typical features of "onion skin" fibrosis and fibrous obliterative cholangitis. Five of the 10 patients treated with UDCA improved, and seven of the 12 patients in the non-UDCA treatment group improved. There was no statistically significant difference in outcome between the groups (paired X2=0.333, corrected X2=0.083, P more than 0.05). CONCLUSION: PSC patients were predominantly male and the common clinical manifestations were fatigue, dark urine, and body weight loss. At admission, serum biochemical indicators of cholangitis were increased significantly and subsequent imaging studies confirmed the suspected diagnosis by showing obvious characteristic changes. UDCA treatment did not significantly improve patient prognosis.

[Investigation on the current situation of human soil-borne nematode infection in Shapingba district of Chongqing].

By stratified cluster sampling method, 2 urban and 2 rural fields were selected from Shapingha district of Chongqing for survey in December 2009 to February 2010. According to the Administrating Regulations of National Investigation on Important Human Parasitic Diseases, Kato-Katz method was used to examine human intestinal soil-borne nematode eggs, and adhesive cellophane anal swab method was applied to examine Enterobius infection for children under 12 years old. 203 cases were found positive in 2121 subjects, with an infection rate of 9.6% (203/2 121), and the infection rate of hookworms, Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura with mild infection mostly was 9.3% (197/2 121), 0.4% (8/2 121) and 0.1% (2/2 121), respectively. The rate among people over 50 years old was 15.5% (160/1 030), and the farmers was with 22.3%(113/506). The higher the education level, the lower the infection rate (P < 0.01), and there was a significant difference in the prevalence between urban (2.1%) and rural people (17.3%) (chi2 = 140.443 5, P < 0.01). The infection rate of soil-borne nematodes in Shapingba of Chongqing was much lower than the standard of II regions and most infected subjects were with hookworm infection.

Prevalence, correlates, and network analysis of depression and its association with quality of life in survivors with myocardial infarction during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Depression is common among myocardial infarction (MI) survivors and is strongly associated with poor quality of life (QOL). The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence, correlates and the network structure of depression, and its association with QOL in MI survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This cross-sectional study evaluated depression and QOL in MI survivors with the Chinese version of the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF), respectively. Univariable analyses, multivariable analyses, and network analyses were performed. RESULTS: The prevalence of depression (PHQ-9 total score ≥ 5) among 565 MI survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic was 38.1 % (95 % CI: 34.1-42.1 %), which was significantly associated with poor QOL. Patients with depression were less likely to consult a doctor regularly after discharge, and more likely to experience more severe anxiety symptoms and fatigue. Item PHQ4 "Fatigue" was the most central symptom in the network, followed by PHQ6 "Guilt" and PHQ2 "Sad mood". The flow network showed that PHQ4 "Fatigue" had the highest negative association with QOL. CONCLUSION: Depression was prevalent among MI survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic and was significantly associated with poor QOL. Those who failed to consult a doctor regularly after discharge or reported severe anxiety symptoms and fatigue should be screened for depression. Effective interventions for MI survivors targeting central symptoms, especially fatigue, are needed to reduce the negative impact of depression and improve QOL.

Prevalence of depression and its association with quality of life in patients after pacemaker implantation during the COVID-19 pandemic: A network analysis.

Background: This study was designed to investigate the prevalence and predictors of depression in patients after pacemaker implantation during the COVID-19 pandemic in addition to identifying specific depressive symptoms associated with quality of life (QOL) using network analysis (NA). Methods: This cross-sectional, observational study was conducted in China between July 1, 2021, and May 17, 2022. Descriptive analysis was used to calculate depression prevalence. Univariate analyses were used to compare differences in demographic and clinical characteristics between depressed and non-depressed patients following pacemaker implantation. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to assess factors independently associated with depression. Network analysis "expected influence," and flow function indexes were used to identify symptoms central to the depression network of the sample and depressive symptoms that were directly associated with QOL, respectively. Network stability was examined using a case-dropping bootstrap procedure. Results: In total, 206 patients implanted with a pacemaker met the study entry criteria and completed the assessment. The overall prevalence of depression (PHQ-9 total score ≥ 5) was 39.92% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 29.37-42.47%]. A binary logistic regression analysis revealed that patients with depression were more likely to report a poor health status (p = 0.031), severe anxiety symptoms (p < 0.001), and fatigue (p < 0.001). In the network model for depression, "Sad mood," "Poor Energy," and "Guilt" were the most influential symptoms. "Fatigue" had the strongest negative association with QOL, followed by "Sad mood" and "Appetite". Conclusion: Depression is common among patients having undergone pacemaker implantation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Anxiety, central symptoms of depression (i.e., "Sad mood", "Poor Energy", and "Guilt") and depressive symptoms linked to QOL (i.e., "Sad mood", "Appetite", and "Fatigue") identified in this study are promising targets for interventions and preventive measures for depression in patients who have undergone pacemaker implants.

The relationship of intent to be COVID-19 vaccinated with depression, anxiety, insomnia, pain and smoking among Chinese patients with a pacemaker.

Background: This study examined the intent to be COVID-19 vaccinated and its correlates among patients with a pacemaker. Methods: This observational study was carried out between July 1, 2021, and May 17, 2022 in Beijing, China. Patients with a pacemaker were consecutively invited by a research physician to participate in the study. Intent to be COVID-19 vaccinated, depression, anxiety, insomnia, pain and smoking were measured with standard scales or questions. Results: Of the 206 participating patients, 72.82% (N = 150; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 66.74%-78.89%) expressed an intention to be COVID-19 vaccinated. Intent to be COVID-19 vaccinated was not significantly associated with severity of depression, anxiety, and insomnia. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that patients believing that COVID-19 vaccines provided protection and smokers were more likely to express an intention to receive COVID-19 vaccines. In contrast, older patients and those with higher level of physical pain were less likely to express an intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Conclusions: Specific vaccination promotion strategies should be implemented targeting this vulnerable segment of the population.

Correlation between bone volume fraction in posterior implant area and initial implant stability.

OBJECTIVE: Bone volume fraction (BV/TV) was used as a quantitative indicator of bone mineral density (BMD) in the posterior dental implant area, and the relationship between it and the initial stability of the implant was analyzed. METHODS: 53 patients with posterior dental implantation were selected. Remove the bone fragments from the planting area and put them in the formalin solution. Then, the implant was placed after the operator prepared the hole step by step. Peak Insertion torque value (ITV) and Implant stability quotient (ISQ) were recorded. The BV/TV of the bone fragments was measured by Image pro Plus6.0. The correlation between it and ITV and ISQ was analyzed. RESULTS: BV/TV was correlated with ITV and ISQ in the posterior dental planting area (r=0.862, r=0.832, P < 0.05). The correlation of the parameters in the posterior part of maxilla was higher than that in the mandible. There were significant differences in BV/TV, ITV, and ISQ between the mandible and maxilla, and the implant area of the mandible was higher than that of the maxilla. CONCLUSION: BV/TV can provide an objective index for BMD in the implant area, which has an important influence on the evaluation of the initial stability of the implant.

Gut microbiota metabolic characteristics in coronary artery disease patients with hyperhomocysteine.

Hyperhomocysteine (HHcy) is known as a risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). Despite the knowledge that gut microbiota related metabolism pathway shares metabolites with that of Hcy, little has been shown concerning the association between HHcy and gut microbiota. To explore their relationship in the context of CAD, 105 patients and 14 healthy controls were recruited from one single medical center located in Beijing, China. Their serum and fecal samples were collected, with multi-omics analyses performed via LC/MS/MS and 16S rRNA gene V3-V4 region sequencing, respectively. Participants from the prospective cohort were divided into CAD, CAD & HHcy and healthy controls (HC) groups based on the diagnosis and serum Hcy concentration. The results revealed significant different metabolic signatures between CAD and CAD & HHcy groups. CAD patients with HHcy suffered a heavier atherosclerotic burden compared to CAD patients, and the difference was closely associated to betaine-homocysteine S-methyltransferase (BHMT)-related metabolites and trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO)-related metabolites. Dimethylglycine (DMG) exhibited a strong positive correlation with serum total Hcy (tHcy), and TMAO and trimethylysine (TML) were associated with heavier atherosclerotic burden. Multiple other metabolites were also identified to be related to distinct cardiovascular risk factors. Additionally, Clostridium cluster IV and Butyricimonas were enriched in CAD patients with elevated tHcy. Our study suggested that CAD patients with elevated tHcy were correlated with higher atherosclerotic burden, and the impaired Hcy metabolism and cardiovascular risk were closely associated with BHMT-related metabolites, TMAO-related metabolites and impaired gut microbiota homeostasis.

Artificial intelligence applications in pathological diagnosis of gastric cancer.

Globally, gastric cancer is the third leading cause of death from tumors. Prevention and individualized treatment are considered to be the best options for reducing the mortality rate of gastric cancer. Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has been widely used in the field of gastric cancer, including diagnosis, prognosis, and image analysis. Eligible papers were identified from PubMed and IEEE up to April 13, 2022. Through the comparison of these articles, the application status of AI technology in the diagnosis of gastric cancer was summarized, including application types, application scenarios, advantages and limitations. This review presents the current state and role of AI in the diagnosis of gastric cancer based on four aspects: 1) accurate sampling from early diagnosis (endoscopy), 2) digital pathological diagnosis, 3) molecules and genes, and 4) clinical big data analysis and prognosis prediction. AI plays a very important role in facilitating the diagnosis of gastric cancer; however, it also has shortcomings such as interpretability. The purpose of this review is to provide assistance to researchers working in this domain.