A C-terminal glutamine recognition mechanism revealed by E3 ligase TRIM7 structures.

The E3 ligase TRIM7 has emerged as a critical player in viral infection and pathogenesis. However, the mechanism governing the TRIM7-substrate association remains to be defined. Here we report the crystal structures of TRIM7 in complex with 2C peptides of human enterovirus. Structure-guided studies reveal the C-terminal glutamine residue of 2C as the primary determinant for TRIM7 binding. Leveraged by this finding, we identify norovirus and SARS-CoV-2 proteins, and physiological proteins, as new TRIM7 substrates. Crystal structures of TRIM7 in complex with multiple peptides derived from SARS-CoV-2 proteins display the same glutamine-end recognition mode. Furthermore, TRIM7 could trigger the ubiquitination and degradation of these substrates, possibly representing a new Gln/C-degron pathway. Together, these findings unveil a common recognition mode by TRIM7, providing the foundation for further mechanistic characterization of antiviral and cellular functions of TRIM7.

Heritability of tea drinking and its relationship with cigarette smoking in the Chinese male adult twins.

The aims of this study are to estimate the contributions of genetic factors to the variation of tea drinking and cigarette smoking, to examine the roles of genetic factors in their correlation and further to investigate underlying causation between them. We included 11 625 male twin pairs from the Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR). Bivariate genetic modelling was fitted to explore the genetic influences on tea drinking, cigarette smoking and their correlation. Inference about Causation through Examination of FAmiliaL CONfounding (ICE FALCON) was further used to explore the causal relationship between them. We found that genetic factors explained 17% and 23% of the variation in tea drinking and cigarette smoking, respectively. A low phenotypic association between them was reported (rph = 0.21, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [0.19, 0.24]), which was partly attributed to common genetic factors (rA = 0.45, 95% CI [0.19, 1.00]). In the ICE FALCON analysis with current smoking as the exposure, tea drinking was associated with his own (ßself = 0.39, 95% CI [0.23, 0.55]) and his co-twin's smoking status (ßco-twin = 0.25, 95% CI [0.10, 0.41]). Their association attenuated with borderline significance conditioning on his own smoking status (p = 0.045), indicating a suggestive causal effect of smoking status on tea drinking. On the contrary, when we used tea drinking as the predictor, we found familial confounding between them only. In conclusion, both tea drinking and cigarette smoking were influenced by genetic factors, and their correlation was partly explained by common genetic factors. In addition, our finding suggests that familial confounders account for the relationship between tea drinking and cigarette smoking. And current smoking might have a causal effect on weekly tea drinking, but not vice versa.

Visfatin Promotes Monocyte Adhesion by Upregulating ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 Expression in Endothelial Cells via Activation of p38-PI3K-Akt Signaling and Subsequent ROS Production and IKK/NF-κB Activation.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Visfatin is known to act as a mediator in several metabolic disorders, such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to investigate the effect of visfatin on the adhesion of THP-1 monocytes to human vascular endothelial cells and the underlying mechanism. METHODS: Monocytes adhesion to endothelial cells was determined by using fluorescence-labeled monocytes. ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression in endothelial cells were measured by western blotting. Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was measured by using a fluorescent dye. The amounts of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and phosphorylation of inhibitory factor of NF-κB (IκB) were determined by using western blot analysis. The translocation of NF-κB from the cytoplasm to the nucleus was determined by using immunofluorescence. RESULTS: Here we showed that visfatin significantly caused the upregulation of intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in endothelial cells, as well as enhanced monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells. Moreover, we found that inhibition of PI3K, Akt, and p38 MAPK activation significantly prevented visfatin-enhanced expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 and monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells. Visfatin enhanced ROS production and IKK/NF-кB activation and then led to upregulation of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 and enhanced monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells. These effects were also p38/PI3K/Akt-dependent. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrated that visfatin promoted monocyte-endothelial cell adhesion by increasing ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression via the activation of p38/PI3K/Akt signaling and downstream ROS production and IKK/NF-кB activation.

Does the calcification of adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma resemble the calcium deposition of osteogenesis/odontogenesis?

AIMS: Calcification in adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma (ACP) is troublesome for surgical intervention. The aim of this study was to examine the osteogenic proteins that play important roles in the calcium deposition of the odontogenic/osteogenic tissues in craniopharyngioma. METHODS AND RESULTS: Craniopharyngiomas (n = 89) were investigated for the presence and expression pattern of the osteoinductive/odontoinductive factor bone morphogenetic protein-2 (Bmp2) and two osteoblastic differentiation makers, Runt-related transcription factor-2 (Runx2) and Osterix, using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Our results showed that Bmp2, Runx2 and Osterix levels increased in cases with high calcification and correlated positively with the degree of calcification in ACP, whereas they showed little or no expression in squamous papillary craniopharyngioma. In ACP, Bmp2 was expressed primarily in the stellate reticulum and whorl-like array cells; Runx2 and Osterix tended to be expressed in calcification-related epithelia, including whorl-like array cells and epithelia in/around wet keratin and calcification lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicated, for the first time, that osteogenic factor Bmp2 may play an important role in the calcification of ACP via autocrine or paracrine mechanisms. Given the presence of osteogenic markers (Runx2 and Osterix), craniopharyngioma cells could differentiate into an osteoblast-like lineage, and the process of craniopharyngioma calcification resembles that which occurs in osteogenesis/odontogenesis.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural communities: a cross-sectional study in the Sichuan Province of China.

OBJECTIVE: Recently, China has experienced a considerable influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local people's health and economy. Hence, the current research aims to investigate the psychological and socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 on rural communities in the Sichuan Province of China. METHODS: A total of 499 participants (village representatives of Sichuan Province) were approached to partake in a cross-sectional online survey and share their experience regarding the ongoing pandemic. The descriptive statistics and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression were used to analyse the data. RESULTS: Our analysis revealed that the pandemic has significantly affected local people psychologically, leading to socioeconomic vulnerability. Notably, we find that local households are worried about their income losses regardless of their socioeconomic status (40%-43%), level of income (37%-43%) and industry involvement (38%-43%). However, as income increases, the level of stress decreases. The results further show that government transfer payment is a significant factor in reducing stress due to its reliable and uninterrupted income flow. Contrary to our proposition, the pandemic stress was less observed, which might be because of people's trust in government and effective antiepidemic countermeasures to contain the disease. CONCLUSION: This study finds that COVID-19 has a significant impact on local people's health, psychology and income. This study is one of the first to provide empirical evidence regarding the early health and socioeconomic effects of COVID-19 at the household level in rural communities, which are very important to devise policies to ease the outbreak and prevent further losses at the local community level.

Socio-economic status, resilience, and vulnerability of households under COVID-19: Case of village-level data in Sichuan province.

This paper investigates economic impacts of COVID-19 on households based on differences in the socio-economic status (SES). We determine the household-level effects of the COVID-19 shock using income sources, types of industries, communities' resilience, household susceptibility, and relevant policy measures. For this purpose, we used primary data of 555 households collected through snowball sampling technique using an online survey questionnaire from different villages mostly located in Sichuan Province, China. Using step-wise binary logistic regression analysis, we estimated and validated the model. Results suggest the use of SES as a better measure for understanding the impacts of COVID-19 on different households. We find that households with low SES tend to depend more on farmland income and transfer payments from the government. Contrarily, high SES households focus more on business and local employment as sources of income generation. Poor households were less resilient and more likely to fall back into poverty due to COVID-19, while the opposite stands true for non-poor households with high SES. Based on the estimations, policies encouraging employment and businesses complemented with loans on lower interest rates are recommended, which may increase the SES, thus minimizing vulnerability and enhancing the households' resilience towards poverty alleviation and economic shocks.

Study on the evolution of TCM syndromes of 171 cases of Kawasaki disease under the intervention of gamma globulin therapy based on factor analysis / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective:To study the evolution of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndromes of 171 cases of Kawasaki disease (KD) under the intervention of gamma globulin therapy based on factor analysis.Methods:A cross-sectional study. 171 cases of KD children hospitalized in the Department of Cardiology of Guangzhou Women's and Children's Medical Center from July 2019 to December 2020 were collected. All patients were treated with intravenous gamma globulin (2 g/kg) for 1 week. According to the results of the treatment with C-ball, 171 children with C-ball sensitive KD were selected to collect the four diagnostic data, and the representative syndromes of defensive level, qi level, yin level, and nutritive level were observed. Factor analysis was used to analyze the evolution of syndrome in 171 children with KD c-ball sensitivity.Results:The result of factor analysis showed that the KMO statistics of 171 children with c-ball sensitivity before treatment was 0.792, and Bartley test was significant ( P<0.01). 16 common factors were extracted, and 23 syndromes were screened, mainly including defensive level disorder, qi level disorder,nutritive level disorder,yin level disorder, heat stagnation and blood stasis syndrome. One week after treatment, the statistic of KMO test was 0.787, and Bartley test was significant ( P<0.01). 9 common factors were extracted, and 10 syndromes were screened, mainly including qi deficiency syndrome, yin deficiency syndrome and blood stasis syndrome. Conclusion:Before treatment, the TCM syndromes in KD C-cell sensitive children are mainly nutritive level disorder, defensive level disorder, qi level disorder yin level disorder, and heat stagnation and blood stasis syndrome; after treatment, the main TCM syndromes are mainly qi deficiency syndrome, yin deficiency syndrome and blood stasis syndrome.

A descriptive analysis of hyperlipidemia in adult twins in China / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To describe the distribution characteristics of hyperlipidemia in adult twins in the Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR) and explore the effect of genetic and environmental factors on hyperlipidemia. Methods: Twins recruited from the CNTR in 11 project areas across China were included in the study. A total of 69 130 (34 565 pairs) of adult twins with complete information on hyperlipidemia were selected for analysis. The random effect model was used to characterize the population and regional distribution of hyperlipidemia among twins. The concordance rates of hyperlipidemia were calculated in monozygotic twins (MZ) and dizygotic twins (DZ), respectively, to estimate the heritability. Results: The age of all participants was (34.2±12.4) years. This study's prevalence of hyperlipidemia was 1.3% (895/69 130). Twin pairs who were men, older, living in urban areas, married,had junior college degree or above, overweight, obese, insufficient physical activity, current smokers, ex-smokers, current drinkers, and ex-drinkers had a higher prevalence of hyperlipidemia (P<0.05). In within-pair analysis, the concordance rate of hyperlipidemia was 29.1% (118/405) in MZ and 18.1% (57/315) in DZ, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Stratified by gender, age, and region, the concordance rate of hyperlipidemia in MZ was still higher than that in DZ. Further, in within-same-sex twin pair analyses, the heritability of hyperlipidemia was 13.04% (95%CI: 2.61%-23.47%) in the northern group and 18.59% (95%CI: 4.43%-32.74%) in the female group, respectively. Conclusions: Adult twins were included in this study and were found to have a lower prevalence of hyperlipidemia than in the general population study, with population and regional differences. Genetic factors influence hyperlipidemia, but the genetic effect may vary with gender and area.

A descriptive analysis on hypertension in adult twins in China / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To describe the distribution characteristics of hypertension among adult twins in the Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR) and to provide clues for exploring the role of genetic and environmental factors on hypertension. Methods: A total of 69 220 (34 610 pairs) of twins aged 18 and above with hypertension information were selected from CNTR registered from 2010 to 2018. Random effect models were used to describe the population and regional distribution of hypertension in twins. To estimate the heritability, the concordance rates of hypertension were calculated and compared between monozygotic twins (MZ) and dizygotic twins (DZ). Results: The age of all participants was (34.1±12.4) years. The overall self-reported prevalence of hypertension was 3.8%(2 610/69 220). Twin pairs who were older, living in urban areas, married, overweight or obese, current smokers or ex-smokers, and current drinkers or abstainers had a higher self-reported prevalence of hypertension (P<0.05). Analysis within the same-sex twin pairs found that the concordance rate of hypertension was 43.2% in MZ and 27.0% in DZ, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The heritability of hypertension was 22.1% (95%CI: 16.3%- 28.0%). Stratified by gender, age, and region, the concordance rate of hypertension in MZ was still higher than that in DZ. The heritability of hypertension was higher in female participants. Conclusions: There were differences in the distribution of hypertension among twins with different demographic and regional characteristics. It is indicated that genetic factors play a crucial role in hypertension in different genders, ages, and regions, while the magnitude of genetic effects may vary.

Gene-lifestyle interaction on coronary heart disease in adult twins of China / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To explore the gene-lifestyle interaction on coronary heart disease (CHD) in adult twins of China. Methods: Participants were selected from twin pairs registered in the Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR). Univariate interaction model was used to estimate the interaction, via exploring the moderation effect of lifestyle on the genetic variance of CHD. Results: A total of 20 477 same-sex twin pairs aged ≥25 years were recruited, including 395 CHD cases, and 66 twin pairs both had CHD. After adjustment for age and sex, no moderation effects of lifestyles, including current smoking, current drinking, physical activity, intake of vegetable and fruit, on the genetic variance of CHD were found (P>0.05), suggesting no significant interactions. Conclusion: There was no evidence suggesting statistically significant gene-lifestyle interaction on CHD in adult twins of China.

A descriptive analysis on coronary heart disease in adult twins in China / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To describe the distribution characteristics of coronary heart disease in adult twins recruited from Chinese Twin Registry (CNTR), and provide clues and evidence for the effect of genetic and environmental influences on coronary heart disease. Methods: By using the data of CNTR during 2010-2018, a total of 34 583 twin pairs aged ≥18 years who completed questionnaire survey and had related information were included in the current study to analyze the population and area distribution characteristics of coronary heart disease. Random effect models were used to compare the differences between groups. The concordane rate of coronary heart disease were calculated respectively in monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs and dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs to estimate the heritability. Results: The twin pairs included in this analysis were aged (34.2±12.4) years. The overall prevalence rate of coronary heart disease in twin pairs was 0.7%. Twin pairs who were women, older, obese and lived in northern China had higher prevalence of coronary heart disease (P<0.05). Intra-pair analysis in the same-sex twin pairs found that the concordane rate of coronary heart disease was higher in MZ twin pairs (25.3%) than in DZ twins (7.4%), and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The overall heritability of coronary heart disease was 19.3% (95%CI: 11.8%-26.8%). Stratified by gender, age and area, the concordane rate was still higher in MZ twin pairs than in DZ pairs. Participants who were women, aged 18-30 years or ≥60 years and lived in northern China had a higher heritability of coronary heart disease. Conclusion: The distribution of coronary heart disease in twin pairs differed in populations and areas. The prevalence of coronary heart disease was affected by genetic factors, but the effect varied with age, gender and area.

A descriptive analysis on type 2 diabetes in twins in China / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To describe the distribution characteristics of type 2 diabetes in twins in Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR), provide clues and evidence for revealing the influence of genetic and environmental factors for type 2 diabetes. Methods: Of all twins registered in the CNTR during 2010-2018, a total 18 855 twin pairs aged ≥30 years with complete registration information were included in the analysis. The random effect model was used to describe the population and area distribution characteristics and concordance of type 2 diabetes in twin pairs. Results: The mean age of the subjects was (42.8±10.2) years, the study subjects included 10 339 monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs and 8 516 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs. The self-reported prevalence rate of type 2 diabetes was 2.2% in total population and there was no sighificant difference between MZ and DZ. Intra-twin pairs analysis showed that the concordance rate of type 2 diabetes was 38.2% in MZ twin pairs, and 16.0% in DZ twin pairs, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The concordance rate of type 2 diabetes in MZ twin parts was higher than that in DZ twin pairs in both men and women, in different age groups and in different areas (P<0.05). Further stratified analysis showed that in northern China, only MZ twin pairs less than 60 years old were found to have a higher concordance rate of type 2 diabetes compared with DZ twin pairs (P<0.05). In southern China, the co-prevalence rate in male MZ twin pairs aged ≥60 years was still higher than that in DZ twin pairs (P<0.05). Conclusion: The twin pairs in this study had a lower self-reported prevalence of type 2 diabetes than the general population. The study results suggested that genetic factors play a role in type 2 diabetes prevalence in both men and women, in different age groups and in different areas, however, the effect might vary.

VISFATIN PROMOTES FOAM CELL FORMATION BY DYSREGULATING CD36, SRA, ABCA1, AND ABCG1 EXPRESSION IN RAW264.7 MACROPHAGES.

BACKGROUND: Visfatin is produced in and secreted from adipocytes. Increased circulating visfatin level is observed in obese subjects. Previous studies demonstrated that visfatin was involved in obesity-related cardiovascular diseases. AIMS: This study aims to explore the regulatory effects of adipokine visfatin on foam cell formation, a key step in the development of atherosclerosis. METHODS: Effect of visfatin on protein and mRNA expression of scavenger receptor and ATP binding cassette transporter in RAW264.7 macrophages were measured by western blotting and real-time RT-PCR. To confirm the influence of visfatin-regulated scavenger receptor and ATP binding cassette transporter to foam cell formation, the visfatin-caused changes of ox-LDL uptake, cholesterol efflux, and foam cell formation were determined. RESULTS: Visfatin significantly increased the expression of CD36 and scavenger receptor A (SRA), decreased the expression of ATP-binding cassette transporters A1 (ABCA1) and G1 (ABCG1), and had no effect on the expression of SR-B1. Visfatin increased oxidized-LDL (ox-LDL) uptake and decreased cholesterol efflux, which increased foam cell formation. The PI3K inhibitor LY294002 blocked the effect of visfatin on the protein and mRNA expression levels of CD36, SRA, and ABCG1 and ox-LDL uptake and cholesterol efflux. The ERK inhibitor PD98059 also prevented visfatin-induced ABCA1 instability and subsequently decreased cholesterol efflux. CONCLUSIONS: Visfatin upregulated CD36 and SRA expression and downregulated ABCA1 and ABCG1 expression, subsequently increased ox-LDL uptake and decreased cholesterol efflux, and finally promoted foam cell formation via the PI3K- and ERK-dependent pathways.

Application of scenario interaction combined with phased goal teaching method in nursing teaching of cardiovascular medicine / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective:To study the application of scenario interaction combined with phased goal teaching method in nursing teaching of cardiovascular medicine.Methods:A total of 55 nursing students who interned in our department before the implementation of scenario interaction combined phased goal teaching method (from September 2017 to February 2019) were randomly selected into control group, and 55 nursing students who had internship in our department after the implementation of the nursing teaching model (from March 2019 to September 2020) were randomly selected as study group. One week before the students leaving the department, the comprehensive ability (theoretical assessment and practical assessment), thinking ability (Critical thinking disposition inventory-Chinese version, CTDI-CV), work satisfaction (Minnesota satisfaction questionnaire, MSQ) and psychological states (Maslach burnout inventory, MBI) were compared between the two groups of intern nursing students. SPSS 19.0 was used for chi-square test and t test. Results:One week before the students leaving the department, the scores of theoretical assessment, practical assessment, CTDI-CV scale, MSQ scale and personal achievement of MBI scale of intern nursing students in study group were higher than those in control group ( P<0.05). The scores of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization tendency of MBI scale in study group were lower than those in control group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Scenario interaction combined with phased goal teaching method is beneficial to improve the comprehensive ability and job satisfaction, and strengthen the thinking ability and psychological states of intern nursing students.

Chronic endothelin-1 infusion causes adipocyte hyperplasia in rats.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the regulatory mechanism of endothelin-1 (ET-1), an endothelium-derived vasoconstrictor, on adipogenesis in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were used to explore the mechanisms mediating ET-1 actions on preadipocyte proliferation and adipocyte differentiation. To investigate the in vivo effect of ET-1, male Sprague-Dawley rats were infused with ET-1 or saline for 4 weeks via intraperitoneally implanted osmotic pumps, and the fat pad weight and adipocyte size of adipose tissues were measured. RESULTS: ET-1 stimulated preadipocyte proliferation and increased the cell number at the mitotic clonal expansion stage of adipocyte differentiation via the endothelin A receptor (ETAR) and activation of the protein kinase C (PKC) pathway. ET-1, via ETAR, inhibited adipocyte differentiation partially through an ERK-dependent pathway. Furthermore, no significant difference in the body weight and fat pad weight was observed in either ET-1- or saline-infused rats. Compared with saline-infused rats, the adipocyte cell number was significantly increased but the adipocyte size was significantly decreased in ET-1-infused rats. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic ET-1 infusion increased the number of small adipocytes without the change of white adipose tissue mass in rats, which were associated with ET-1-stimulated preadipocyte proliferation, but not ET-1-suppressed adipocyte differentiation.

Adipocytes play an etiological role in the podocytopathy of high-fat diet-fed rats.

Obesity is a risk factor that promotes progressive kidney disease. Studies have shown that an adipocytokine imbalance contributes to impaired renal function in humans and animals, but the underlying interplay between adipocytokines and renal injury remains to be elucidated. We aimed to investigate the mechanisms linking obesity to chronic kidney disease. We assessed renal function in high-fat (HF) diet-fed and normal diet-fed rats, and the effects of preadipocyte- and adipocyte-conditioned medium on cultured podocytes. HF diet-fed and normal diet-fed Sprague Dawley rats were used to analyze the changes in plasma BUN, creatinine, urine protein and renal histology. Additionally, podocytes were incubated with preadipocyte- or adipocyte-conditioned medium to investigate the effects on podocyte morphology and protein expression. In the HF diet group, 24 h urinary protein excretion (357.5 ± 64.2 mg/day vs 115.9 ± 12.4 mg/day, P < 0.05) and the urine protein/creatinine ratio were significantly higher (1.76 ± 0.22 vs 1.09 ± 0.15, P < 0.05), increased kidney weight (3.54 ± 0.04 g vs 3.38 ± 0.04 g, P < 0.05) and the glomerular volume and podocyte effacement increased by electron microscopy. Increased renal expression of desmin and decreased renal expression of CD2AP and nephrin were also seen in the HF diet group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, we found that adipocyte-conditioned medium-treated podocytes showed increased desmin expression and decreased CD2AP and nephrin expression compared with that in preadipocyte-conditioned medium-treated controls (P < 0.05). These findings show that adipocyte-derived factor(s) can modulate renal function. Adipocyte-derived factors play an important role in obesity-related podocytopathy.

Evidence in obese children: contribution of hyperlipidemia, obesity-inflammation, and insulin sensitivity.

BACKGROUND: Evidence shows a high incidence of insulin resistance, inflammation and dyslipidemia in adult obesity. The aim of this study was to assess the relevance of inflammatory markers, circulating lipids, and insulin sensitivity in overweight/obese children. METHODS: We enrolled 45 male children (aged 6 to 13 years, lean control = 16, obese = 19, overweight = 10) in this study. The plasma total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglyceride, glucose and insulin levels, the circulating levels of inflammatory factors, such as TNF-α, IL-6, and MCP-1, and the high-sensitive CRP level were determined using quantitative colorimetric sandwich ELISA kits. RESULTS: Compared with the lean control subjects, the obese subjects had obvious insulin resistance, abnormal lipid profiles, and low-grade inflammation. The overweight subjects only exhibited significant insulin resistance and low-grade inflammation. Both TNF-α and leptin levels were higher in the overweight/obese subjects. A concurrent correlation analysis showed that body mass index (BMI) percentile and fasting insulin were positively correlated with insulin resistance, lipid profiles, and inflammatory markers but negatively correlated with adiponectin. A factor analysis identified three domains that explained 74.08% of the total variance among the obese children (factor 1: lipid, 46.05%; factor 2: obesity-inflammation, 15.38%; factor 3: insulin sensitivity domains, 12.65%). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that lipid, obesity-inflammation, and insulin sensitivity domains predominantly exist among obese children. These factors might be applied to predict the outcomes of cardiovascular diseases in the future.

Land use change influences soil C, N, and P stoichiometry under 'Grain-to-Green Program' in China.

Changes in land use might affect the combined C, N and P stoichiometry in soil. The Grain-to-Green Program (GTGP), which converts low-yield croplands or abandoned lands into forest, shrub, and/or grassland, was the largest land reforestation project in China. This study collected the reported C, N and P contents of soil in GTGP zones to achieve the factors driving the changes in the C:N, C:P, and N:P values. The results showed that the annual average precipitation exerted significant effects on the C:P value, and on the N:P value became significant 20 years after the change in land use. The annual average temperature was the main factor affecting the C:N value during the first 10 years, while the annual average precipitation strongly affected this value afterwards. In addition, "Redfield-like" interactions between C, N, and P in the soil may exist. A linear regression revealed significant positive correlations between the C:N, C:P, and N:P values and the restoration age, temperature, and precipitation after a change in land use. Therefore large-scale changes in land use under the 'GTGP' program might significantly affect the C:N, C:P and N:P ratios in soil.

Analysis of clinical characteristics of rare variant Guillain-Barre syndrome / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective:To introduce some rare clinical features of the variant Guillain-barre syndrome (GBS) and to explore its possible pathogenesis for the early diagnosis.Methods:The clinical data, laboratory data and treatment outcomes of four patients, who admitted to Shenzhen People′s Hospital from October 2017 to June 2018 and diagnosed with variant GBS were analyzed and summarized.Results:All the four patients presented limb weakness as a first manifestation. However, they all had clinical features that were inconsistent with typical GBS, and the clinical features were shown differently in each patient. One patient showed asymmetrical limb paralysis. The first manifestation of one patient was severe and persistent back pain accompanied by paraplegia. One patient was accompanied by obvious headache and positive meningeal irritation. One patients had the plane of sensory obstacles, paraplegia, and positive pathological sign. Cerebrospinal fluid examination showed protein cell dissociation in four patients. Electromyogram was consistent with peripheral neurogenic damage. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and the spinal cord showed no obvious abnormalities. The four patients with obvious improvement in symptoms were treated with gamma globulin and glucocorticoid.Conclusions:Variant GBS is rare and clinical symptoms are various. Patients with atypical clinical symptoms should still be diagnosed by relevant auxiliary examinations to avoid delayed illness.

Gastrointestinal involvement of COVID-19 and potential faecal transmission of SARS-CoV-2 / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was found initially in Wuhan, China in early December 2019. The pandemic has spread to 216 countries and regions, infecting more than 23310 000 people and causing over 800 000 deaths globally by Aug. 24, 2020, according to World Health Organization (https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/ novel-coronavirus-2019). Fever, cough, and dyspnea are the three common symptoms of the condition, whereas the conventional transmission route for SARS-CoV-2 is through droplets entering the respiratory tract. To date, infection control measures for COVID-19 have been focusing on the involvement of the respiratory system. However, ignoring potential faecal transmission and the gastrointestinal involvement of SARS-CoV-2 may result in mistakes in attempts to control the pandemic.