Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli for efficient production of l-arginine.

As a semi-essential amino acid, l-arginine (l-Arg) plays an important role in food, health care, and medical treatment. At present, the main method of producing l-Arg is the use of microbial fermentation. Therefore, the selection and breeding of high-efficiency microbial strains is the top priority. To continuously improve the l-Arg production performance of the strains, a series of metabolic engineering strategies have been tried to transform the strains. The production of l-Arg by metabolically engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum (C. glutamicum) reached a relatively high level. Escherichia coli (E. coli), as a strain with great potential for l-Arg production, also has a large number of research strategies aimed at screening effective E. coli for producing l-Arg. E. coli also has a number of advantages over C. glutamicum in producing l-Arg. Therefore, it is of great significance to screen out excellent and stable E. coli to produce l-Arg. Here, based on recent research results, we review the metabolic pathways of l-Arg production in E. coli, the research progress of l-Arg production in E. coli, and various regulatory strategies implemented in E. coli.

A 3D printing personalized percutaneous puncture guide access plate for percutaneous nephrolithotomy: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: CT-Urography combined with 3D printing technology, digital design, construction of individualized PCNL puncture guides, and preliminary analyze their efficacy, safety puncture positioning for PCNL. METHODS: Twenty-two patients with renal calculi were randomly selected at the affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University during 2017-2018. We randomly divided the patients into two groups: in 10 experimental groups, we used our 3D printing personalized percutaneous puncture guide access plate for PCNL, and in the control group, 12 patients with standard USG guide PCNL. The accuracy of puncture position, puncture time, and intraoperative blood loss was compared. RESULTS: In the experimental group, 10 patients with 3D printing personalized percutaneous puncture guide access plate. The puncture needle was accessed through the guide plate and verified by the color Doppler. The single puncture, needle position, and depth success rate were 100.00% (10/10). The angles were consistent with the preoperative design. In the control group, 12 patients via USG guided PCNL success rate was 75.00% (9/12). The puncture time and amount of hemorrhage was (7.78 ± 0.94) min and (49.31 ± 6.43) mL, and (9.04 ± 1.09) min and (60.08 ± 12.18) mL, respectively. The above data of the two groups were statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: 3D printing personalized percutaneous nephrolithotomy guide plate for PCNL can improve PCNL renal puncture channel positioning accuracy, shorten puncture time, reduce intraoperative blood loss, bleeding-related complications and provide a new method for PCNL renal puncture positioning, which is worthy of further clinical exploration.

Heterogeneous Iris One-to-One Certification with Universal Sensors based On Quality Fuzzy Inference and Multi-Feature Fusion Lightweight Neural Network.

Due to the unsteady morphology of heterogeneous irises generated by a variety of different devices and environments, the traditional processing methods of statistical learning or cognitive learning for a single iris source are not effective. Traditional iris recognition divides the whole process into several statistically guided steps, which cannot solve the problem of correlation between various links. The existing iris data set size and situational classification constraints make it difficult to meet the requirements of learning methods under a single deep learning framework. Therefore, aiming at a one-to-one iris certification scenario, this paper proposes a heterogeneous iris one-to-one certification method with universal sensors based on quality fuzzy inference and a multi-feature entropy fusion lightweight neural network. The method is divided into an evaluation module and a certification module. The evaluation module can be used by different devices to design a quality fuzzy concept inference system and an iris quality knowledge concept construction mechanism, transform human logical cognition concepts into digital concepts, and select appropriate concepts to determine iris quality according to different iris quality requirements and get a recognizable iris. The certification module is a lightweight neural network based on statistical learning ideas and a multi-source feature fusion mechanism. The information entropy of the iris feature label was used to set the iris entropy feature category label and design certification module functions according to the category label to obtain the certification module result. As the requirements for the number and quality of irises changes, the category labels in the certification module function were dynamically adjusted using a feedback learning mechanism. This paper uses iris data collected from three different sensors in the JLU(Jilin University) iris library. The experimental results prove that for the lightweight multi-state irises, the abovementioned problems are ameliorated to a certain extent by this method.

Qingnaopian: A Chinese herbal formula in reducing glial fibrillary acidic protein and inflammation in concussion mice.

Qingnaopian has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating central nervous system (CNS) injury and inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Qingnaopian in concussion mice. C57BL/6 mice were used to establish the mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI)/ concussion using the weight-drop techniques. Animal behavioral experiments righting reflex response and locomotor activity were assessed. The expression of pro inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1 and Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot method, respectively. SPSS 19.0 software was used for statistical analysis. The results showed that righting reflex time and locomotor activity were higher in model group compared with those in control group. Qingnaopian treated mice had lower pro inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α with alleviated GFAP. In short, Qingnaopian treatment improved GFAP induced by blow to head and inflammatory cytokines in concussion mice.

Molecular evidence for nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane-oxidising bacteria in the Jiaojiang Estuary of the East Sea (China).

Nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (N-DAMO) is a recently discovered process linking the global carbon and nitrogen cycles. This process was reported to be mediated by "Candidatus Methylomirabilis oxyfera". To date, M. oxyfera-like bacteria have been detected in a limited number of freshwater habitats, but whether these bacteria occur in estuarine habitats is currently unknown. In this study, the distribution, diversity and abundance of M. oxyfera-like bacteria were studied in the sediment of the Jiaojiang Estuary of the East Sea (China). Both the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and pmoA genes confirmed the occurrence of M. oxyfera-like bacteria in the examined estuary. The recovered 16S rRNA gene sequences showed 91.5-97.2 % identity to the 16S rRNA gene of M. oxyfera, and the recovered pmoA gene sequences showed 85.1-95.4 % identity to the pmoA gene of M. oxyfera. Quantitative PCR further confirmed the occurrence of M. oxyfera-like bacteria in this estuary, with the abundance varying from 5.80 ± 0.28 × 10(4) to 8.35 ± 0.52 × 10(7) copies g (dry weight)(-1). Correlation analysis indicated that the sediment organic content was the most important factor affecting the distribution of M. oxyfera-like bacterial communities in the examined sediments among the environmental factors investigated. This study demonstrated for the first time the existence of M. oxyfera-like bacteria in an estuarine environment and showed the correlations between the distribution of these bacteria and the estuarine environmental conditions.

Fracture propagation and pore pressure evolution characteristics induced by hydraulic and pneumatic fracturing of coal.

A two-dimensional unsteady seepage model for coal using a finite element program is developed, and the temporal variations of key factors such as water pressure and hydraulic gradient are analyzed in this paper. Additionally, the triaxial rock mechanical experiment and utilized pneumatic fracturing equipment on raw coal samples to investigate both hydraulic and pneumatic fracturing processes are conducted. Through these experiments, the relationship between pressure and crack formation and expansion are examined. The analysis reveals that the pore pressure gradient at the coal inlet reaches its peak during rapid surges in water pressure but diminishes over time. Conversely, the pore pressure gradient at the outlet side exhibits a gradual increase. Hydraulic fracturing is most likely to occur at the water inlet during sudden increases in water pressure. Besides, as the permeability of coal decreases, the duration for seepage stabilization prolongs due to the intensified pore pressure gradient resulting from sudden increases in water pressure. Moreover, an extended period of high hydraulic gradient further increases the risk of hydraulic fracturing. The experimental findings indicate that coal samples initially experience tensile failure influenced by water and air pressure. Subsequently, mode I cracks form under pressure, propagating along the fracture surface and becoming visible. The main types of failure observed in hydraulic and pneumatic fracturing are diametrical tensile failure, and the development of fractures can be categorized into three distinct stages, which contains the initial stage characterized by slight volume changes while water pressure increases, the expansion stage when pressure reaches the failure strength, and the crack closure stage marked by little or even decreasing volume changes during pressure unloading. The acoustic emission signal accurately corresponds to these three stages.

Recent advances on bioactive compounds, biosynthesis mechanism, and physiological functions of Nelumbo nucifera.

Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn, commonly known as lotus, is a genus comprising perennial and rhizomatous aquatic plants, found throughout Asia and Australia. This review aimed to cover the biosynthesis of flavonoids, alkaloids, and lipids in plants and their types in different parts of lotus. This review also examined the physiological functions of bioactive compounds in lotus and the extracts from different organs of the lotus plant. The structures and identities of flavonoids, alkaloids, and lipids in different parts of lotus as well as their biosynthesis were illustrated and updated. In the traditional medicine systems and previous scientific studies, bioactive compounds and the extracts of lotus have been applied for treating inflammation, cancer, liver disease, Alzheimer's disease, etc. We suggest future studies to be focused on standardization of the extract of lotus, and their pharmacological mechanisms as drugs or functional foods. This review is important for the lotus-based food processing and application.

Efficacy and Safety of Ningmitai Capsules in Patients with Chronic Epididymitis: A Prospective, Parallel Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Ningmitai (NMT) capsules in patients with chronic epididymitis. METHODS: This prospective randomized controlled trial included 112 patients diagnosed with chronic epididymitis. The patients were randomized (1 : 1 : 1) to receive levofloxacin (LVX), NMT, or NMT combined with LVX for 4 weeks. The patients were followed up at 2 and 4 weeks after initiation of treatment and were evaluated in terms of Chronic Epididymitis Symptom Index (CESI) scores, epididymal nodules, and safety parameters. The primary endpoints were the CESI scores at the end of 2 and 4 weeks of treatment. The secondary endpoints included the mean epididymal nodule diameter and the clinical efficacy rate. Safety was evaluated by hepatorenal function tests and adverse event reports during the trial. RESULTS: After 2 weeks of treatment, the CESI score of the NMT group was significantly lower than that of the LVX group (P < 0.05). In addition, the clinical efficacy rate of the NMT group was significantly higher than that of the LVX group (55% vs. 8.33%, P < 0.0001), indicating that NMT has a rapid effect on chronic epididymitis. After 4 weeks of treatment, there was no significant difference in CESI scores or clinical efficacy rates between the two monotherapy regimens (P > 0.05); however, the mean diameter of epididymal nodules was significantly smaller in the NMT group than in the LVX group (P < 0.0001). Moreover, after 4 weeks of treatment, the patients in the LVX + NMT group, which had a clinical efficacy rate of 97.22%, had lower CESI scores (both P < 0.01) and a smaller epididymal nodule diameter (vs. LVX, P < 0.0001; vs. NMT, P < 0.05) than those in the other two groups. No adverse events or abnormal hepatorenal function were found during the study. CONCLUSION: NMT significantly improved CESI scores and epididymal nodule diameter in patients with chronic epididymitis. The combination of NMT and LVX provides a much better effect than monotherapy, and this treatment regimen was well tolerated.

Somatization Symptoms Regulate Emotional Memory Bias in Adolescents With Major Depressive Disorder.

Objective: Somatization symptoms are commonly comorbid with depression. Furthermore, people with depression and somatization have a negative memory bias. We investigated the differences in emotional memory among adolescent patients with depressive disorders, with and without functional somatization symptoms (FSS). Methods: We recruited 30 adolescents with depression and FSS, 38 adolescents with depression but without FSS, and 38 healthy participants. Emotional memory tasks were conducted to evaluate the emotional memory of the participants in the three groups. The clinical symptoms were evaluated using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and the Children's Somatization Inventory (CSI). Results: The valence ratings and recognition accuracy rates for positive and neutral images of adolescent patients were significantly lower than those of the control group (F = 12.208, P < 0.001; F = 6.801, P < 0.05; F = 14.536, P < 0.001; F = 6.306, P < 0.05, respectively); however, the recognition accuracy rate for negative images of adolescent patients of depression without FSS was significantly lower than that of patients with FSS and control group participants (F = 10.316, P < 0.001). These differences persisted after controlling for HDRS scores. The within-group analysis revealed that patients of depression with FSS showed significantly higher recognition accuracy rates for negative images than the other types (F = 5.446, P < 0.05). The recognition accuracy rate for negative images was positively correlated with CSI scores (r = 0.352, P < 0.05). Conclusion: Therefore, emotional memory impairment exists in adolescent patients of depression and FSS are associated with negative emotional memory retention.

Binocular treatment in adult amblyopia is based on parvocellular or magnocellular pathway.

INTRODUCTION: Amblyopia is speculated to be an untreatable disease in the patient, who is beyond the critical period of vision; however, currently, it is treatable in adults. PURPOSE: This study aimed to elucidate whether the treatment is useful in both anisometropic amblyopia and strabismic amblyopia. In addition, the differences were detected between anisometropic amblyopia and strabismic amblyopia after the same perceptual treatment and whether the suppression in anisometropic amblyopia or strabismic amblyopia could be decreased before and after the treatment. METHODS: A binocular perceptual learning was applied for the treatment, the suppression was measured, and the patients were followed up for 2 months after training. Anisometropic amblyopia and strabismic amblyopia groups were subjected to the assessment of stereo, visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and suppression before and after the training. RESULTS: After 6 weeks of "Diploma Gabor Orientation Coherence" training, in the anisometropic amblyopia group, the outcomes of visual acuity (t = 3.114, p = 0.026) and contrast sensitivity (t = 7.786, p = 0.001) were increased significantly. While in the strabismic amblyopia group, the outcomes of stereo (t = 2.987, p = 0.040) and contrast sensitivity (t = 3.638, p = 0.022) were increased significantly. CONCLUSION: After Diploma Gabor Orientation Coherence training in the same frequency and in the same duration, the anisometropic amblyopia group got an improvement in visual acuity, but the strabismic amblyopia group got an improvement in stereo. As there are evidences to show that anisometropic amblyopia and strabismic amblyopia were injured in different pathways, we think the diverse results might come from the different pathway injury in anisometropic amblyopia and strabismic amblyopia.

Progress of early prediction methods for refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children / 国际儿科学杂志

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is one of the main pathogen of community-acquired pneumonia in children in China. Although most children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia have a good prognosis，a small number of children can progress to refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia. Compared with general mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia，the clinical symptoms and lung imaging findings of refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia are more serious. Fever and treatment time are longer and extrapulmonary complications are more likely to occur. In order to better identify and treat refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia at an early stage，some scholars have carried out studies on early prediction of refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia by using biomarkers，imaging findings and nomogram. This paper reviews relevant studies in recent years，to provide reference for early prediction of refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia.

Research progress on PET dual-tracer separation methods / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

Dual-tracer PET imaging can provide more comprehensive clinical information for disease diagnosis. How to achieve dual-tracer imaging through single imaging session is one of the hot topics in the field of nuclear medicine. The key issues in achieving dual-tracer imaging with a single scan is the accurate separation of single-tracer information from the mixed tracer signal. In the last two decades, separation methods for different tracers have been proposed, and the injection interval between two tracers was reduced. This paper summarizes recent dual-tracer separation methods. The basic principles, features and advantages of separation methods are analyzed. Besides, the outlook on the future development of dual-tracer separation is also discussed in the present review.

Effect of lumbar CT values in the diagnosis of osteoporosis in women patients with lumbar degenerative diseases / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:Patients with severe lumbar degenerative disease may have their bone mineral density incorrectly raised by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.While lumbar cancellous bone Hounsfield unit value can assist dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in reducing osteoporosis misdiagnosis. OBJECTIVE:To identify osteoporosis in woman patients with lumbar degenerative diseases using lumbar CT scans. METHODS:Bone mineral density test results and lumbar CT data of 192 women patients who were treated at the Department of Spine Surgery,Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University were retrospectively reviewed.All patients were divided into a degeneration group(n=107)and a control group(n=85)according to the criteria of severity of vertebral degeneration as assessed on CT of the lumbar spine.The CT value of axial cancellous bone of L1 vertebral body was measured in the two groups.The T score and bone mineral density of the hip and L2-L4 were recorded.According to previously published studies,osteoporosis was diagnosed at L1 vertebral CT values≤110.The prevalence of osteoporosis diagnosed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and CT values was compared between the two groups. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)CT values were significantly and positively correlated with T scores and mean bone mineral density of the L2-L4 vertebrae in both groups(P<0.001),while the correlation was higher in the control group.(2)Lumbar T scores and bone mineral density values were significantly higher in the degeneration group than those in the control group(P<0.05)and CT values were significantly lower in the degeneration group than that in the control group(P = 0.001).Hip T scores and bone mineral density were not significantly different in the two groups.(3)The prevalence of osteoporosis diagnosed by CT thresholds was higher in all patients than that diagnosed by T values(51.0%and 42.7%).(4)The prevalence of osteoporosis diagnosed by CT values was as high as 23.6%in the 110 patients diagnosed with non-osteoporosis by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry in both groups,and was higher in the degeneration group than that in the control group(31.7%and 14.0%,respectively).(5)The prevalence of missed osteoporosis was as high as 38.6%(27/70)of non-osteoporosis patients diagnosed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry of the lumbar spine in the degeneration group compared to 19.6%(11/56)in the control group.(6)It is concluded that osteoporosis is common in female patients with lumbar degenerative diseases aged≥50 years.Measurement of lumbar cancellous bone CT values may be a useful complementary method for diagnosing osteoporosis in patients with lumbar degenerative diseases,especially in patients with severe degenerative lumbar degenerative diseases where more missed osteoporosis patients can be identified.

Survey on knowledge, attitude and practice for diabetic retinopathy among diabetic patients in Shanghai suburb and related influencing factors / 中华全科医师杂志

Objective:To survey the knowledge,attitude and practice (KAP) for diabetic retinopathy (DR) among diabetic patients in Shanghai suburb, and to analyze the related influencing factors.Methods:A cross-sectional survey on KAP for diabetic retinopathy was conducted from January to January 2022,a total of 260 diabetic patients were selected from Huacao Town of Shanghai Minhang District by stratified cluster random sampling method as the investigation subjects. The gender, age, height, weight, education level, occupation, frequency of exercise or outdoor sports, medical insurance status, comorbid chronic diseases, diabetic retinopathy in direct relatives were documented;the KAP of diabetes retinopathy prevention and treatment was investigated by a self-designed questionnaire. The influencing factors were analyzed by univariate and multivariate regression analysis.Results:A total of 260 valid questionnaires were received with a recovery rate of 100.0%. The survey showed that the knowledge awareness rate, attitude positive rate and behavior execution rate were 25.38% (66/260), 50.76% (132/260) and 14.61% (38/260), respectively; scores of knowledge,attitude,behavior and medication compliance of the subjects were 13.74±4.55, 10.40±3.23 and 14.92±4.51, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that the knowledge was significantly related to occupations,frequency of exercise or outdoor exercise,chronic disease, direct relatives with DR( F=5.03, 8.77, 5.08, 32.37,all P<0.05);the attitude was significantly related to age, education level, chronic disease, direct relatives with DR and awareness level of DR( F=2.12, 2.09, 2.75, 3.28,all P<0.05); the behavior was significantly related to age, frequency of exercise or outdoor exercise, direct relatives with DR( F=2.30, 2.70, 3.11,all P<0.05). Multiple stepwise linear regression analysis showed that the knowledge awareness score was significantly associated with age,education levels,direct relatives with DR( t=2.83, 2.46, 6.24,all P<0.05),and the age, chronic disease, awareness score were significantly associated with the attitude toward DR prevention and treatment ( t=3.70, 3.42, 6.03,all P<0.05).Patients with insufficient awareness had worse behavior of DR prevention and treatment( t=11.00, P<0.05). Conclusions:The KAP status of DR prevention and treatment in diabetes patients in Huacao Town is less satisfactory. In order to prevent the occurrence of diabetic retinopathy, it is necessary to strengthen health education, improve self-management ability, enhance lifestyle intervention, and increase the frequency of exercise or outdoor exercise in diabetic patients.

Characteristics of endometriosis in 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

Objective:To explore the 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging features in endometriosis (EMS), in order to provide valuable information for accurate clinical diagnosis. Methods:The clinical and imaging data of 21 patients (age range 23-72 (44.0±11.4) years) who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center between December 2016 and May 2021, and were pathologically confirmed to be EMS, were retrospectively collected. The symptoms and signs, carbohydrate antigen (CA)125 levels, and the characteristics of the lesions on PET/CT images were analyzed. According to the intraoperative lesion invasion score, patients were divided into group A with lesion confined to the adnexal region (the score ≤4), and group B with multiple sites invaded (the score >4). The differences in age, CA125, SUV max, SUV mean, metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) were analyzed by independent-sample t test or Mann-Whitney U test. Results:About 42.9%(9/21) had a history of dysmenorrhea. CA125 was elevated in 95.2%(20/21) of the patients. CA125 levels of the group A and group B were 88.4(42.0, 351.5) and 619.8(72.3, 1 420.0) kU/L, respectively, which meant the higher the CA125 and the wider the lesion involvement ( z=-2.32, P=0.041). The older the patients, the more likely the lesions were confined to the adnexal region ( t=-2.10, P=0.049). The SUV max of the two groups were 3.67±1.78 and 3.93±1.88, respectively ( t=0.33, P=0.746). The other metabolic parameters (SUV mean, MTV and TLG) of the 2 groups were not significantly different either ( t=0.79, both z=-1.16, P values: 0.446, 0.245, 0.245). About 23.8%(5/21) of patients were with SUV max greater than 5, and 4 of them had inflammation. Conclusions:EMS patients are often accompanied by abdominal pain and increased CA125. The older the age, the more prone to focal involvement of appendages. The higher the CA125 level, the wider the lesion involvement. The 18F-FDG metabolism level has nothing to do with the scope of the lesion, but when the SUV max of the lesion >5, it is often accompanied by acute inflammation, which is easy to be misdiagnosed.

Research progress on the application of combining radiotherapy and systemic therapy in breast cancer / 国际肿瘤学杂志

Compared with single therapy, radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, molecular targeted therapy and immunological therapy can not only shorten the treatment cycle, but also improve the local control rate and prolong the survival of patients. However, the safety of combined therapy still needs to be further clarified to comprehensively evaluate the feasibility. Therefore, exploring the efficacy and safety of radiotherapy combined with systematic therapy will provide evidence for clinical benefits.

Cognitive profile in mild cognitive impairment with Lewy bodies

INTRODUCTION@#This study aimed to elucidate the cognitive profile of patients with mild cognitive impairment with Lewy bodies (MCI-LB) and to compare it to that of patients with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease (MCI-AD).@*METHODS@#Subjects older than 60 years with probable MCI-LB (n = 60) or MCI-AD (n = 60) were recruited. All patients were tested with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) to assess their global cognitive profile.@*RESULTS@#The MCI-AD and MCI-LB patients did not differ in total MMSE and MoCA scores. However, some sub-items in MMSE and MoCA were shown to be screening markers for differentiating MCI-LB from MCI-AD. In the visuoconstructive test, the total score and hands subitem score in the clock-drawing test were significantly lower in MCI-LB than in MCI-AD. As for the executive function, the 'animal fluency test', 'repeat digits backward test' and 'take paper by your right hand' in MMSE all showed lower scores in MCI-LB compared with MCI-AD. As for memory, 'velvet' and 'church' in MoCA and 'ball' and 'national flag' in MMSE had lower scores in MCI-AD than in MCI-LB.@*CONCLUSION@#This study presents the cognitive profile of patients with MCI-LB. In line with the literature on Dementia with Lewy bodies, our results showed lower performance on tests for visuoconstructive and executive function, whereas memory remained relatively spared in the early period.

Electroacupuncture stimulation of the head relieves motor function impairment in rats modeling cerebral palsy / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective:To observe any effect of electroacupuncture in the head motor area on motor impairment and JAK2/STAT3 signaling in rats modeling cerebral palsy.Methods:Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a sham operation group, a model group and an electroacupuncture group, each of 10. A model of cerebral palsy was induced in the model and electroacupuncture groups, while the sham operation group was not ligated in a sham operation. The motor functioning of all of the rats was evaluated 24h and 21d after the modeling using the Basso, Beattie Bresnahan locomotor rating scale (BBB scale). At 21d all of the rats were sacrificed and their brain tissues were collected. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe any pathological changes in the cerebral cortex, and fluorescence quantitative PCRs were employed to detect the mRNA expression of apoptotic gene B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated x-protein (Bax), and cysteine-aspartate protein hydrolase-3 (Caspase-3). ELISA was used to detect the mRNA expression of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interferon-γ(IFN-γ), and the oxidative stress indicators superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), and malondialdehyde (MDA). Western blotting was applied to detect the expression of JAK2, STAT3, p-JAK2 and p-STAT3.Results:The average BBB motor function score, Bcl-2 mRNA expression, SOD and T-AOC of the model group were all significantly lower than that of the sham-operated group at 21d. The average expression of Caspase-3 mRNA, TNF-α, IL-1β and IFN-γ, were significantly greater as were MDA content, p-JAK2, and p-STAT3 levels. The average BBB motor function score of the electroacupuncture group was significantly higher than the model group′s average, but caspase-3 mRNA expression, TNF-α, IL-1β, IFN-γ, MDA, p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 were all significantly lower.Conclusion:Electroacupuncture applied to the head motor area relieves motor function impairment in rats modeling cerebral palsy. That may be related to inhibition of the JAK2/STAT3 pathway′s activation resulting in less apoptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress.

Study progress in erectile dysfunction after radical pelvic surgery / 中华泌尿外科杂志

Radical pelvic surgery is a surgical method mainly used to treat tumors in the pelvic cavity, and erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common sexual dysfunction after surgery. The incidence of ED after radical pelvic surgery is not uniformly understood due to differences in surgical approaches and methods of investigation. The main causes of postoperative ED include intraoperative neurovascular injury, psychosomatic factors and preoperative patient characteristics, with intraoperative injury to the neurovascular bundle being the most common. Studies have shown that the occurrence of postoperative ED can be prevented by active intervention, but still lack of effective treatment measures. This article reviews and summarizes the clinical epidemiological features and research progress in recent years on ED after radical pelvic surgery, and discusses specific measures for the prevention and treatment of postoperative ED.

High preoperative neutrophile-lymphocyte ratio predicts poor prognosis of patients undergoing radical cystectomy for nonurothelial carcinoma of the bladder / 现代泌尿外科杂志

【Objective】 To investigate the predictive value of high preoperative neutrophile-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for the prognosis of nonurothelial carcinoma of the bladder (NUBC) after radical cystectomy (RC). 【Methods】 Clinical and follow-up data of NUBC patients undergoing RC during Jan.2005 and Dec.2020 were collected. The optimal cut-off value of NLR was determined with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The survival curve was drawn with Kaplan-Meier method to compare the differences in cancer specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) between the high-NLR and low-NLR groups. The independent risk factors of CSS and OS were screened with Cox proportional hazard regression model. 【Results】 Of the 62 eligible cases,34 (54.8%) were diagnosed with adenocarcinoma,17 (27.4%) with squamous cell carcinoma, 6 (9.7%) with small cell carcinoma and 5 (8.1%) with sarcoma. Kaplan-Meier analysis results showed high NLR was associated with poor CSS (P=0.001) and OS (P<0.001). Cox regression results indicated that high NLR (HR=2.42, 95%CI: 1.12-5.23, P=0.025) and advanced pathologic tumor stage (HR=3.21, 95%CI:1.53-6.74,P=0.002) were independent risk factors of unfavorable CSS. Similarly, high NLR (HR=2.75, 95%CI: 1.35-5.56, P=0.005) and advanced pathologic tumor stage (HR=2.81, 95%CI:1.43-5.57, P=0.003) were independent risk factors of unfavorable OS. 【Conclusion】 As an independent risk factor of unfavorable CSS and OS in NUBC patients undergoing RC, high preoperative NLR is of great value in the prediction of long-term prognosis and may help to optimize individualized treatment.