Differences between trapeziometacarpal arthrodesis and trapeziectomy with ligament reconstruction for the treatment of trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The optimal management of trapeziometacarpal (TMC) osteoarthritis remains controversial. This meta-analysis assessed the subjective and objective outcomes of trapeziometacarpal arthrodesis (TMA) versus trapeziec-tomy with ligament reconstruction (LRTI). The PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of science data-bases were searched from inception to June 30, 2022. Keywords included "trapeziometacarpal osteoarthrosis", "trapeziometacarpal arthrodesis" and "trapeziectomy with ligament reconstruction". Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials (CCTs) including patients treated for TMC osteoarthritis were included. The subjective outcomes visual analogue scale (VAS) , Patient-Rated Wrist and Hand Evaluation (PRWHE), Disabilities of arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) scores, Kapanji scores, objective outcomes total interphalangeal (IP) and metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint motion, palmar abduction, grip strength, tip, key pinch strength and complications were extracted. The methodological quality of each was assessed in- dependently. Meta-analysis was performed for comparative trials. From the 5 included studies (2 RCTs, 3 CCTs), 208 cases were divided into TMA group (n = 107) and LRTI group (n =101) groups. Compared with the TMA group, PRWHE, tip pinch strength and palmar abduction was better in the LRTI group. There was no statistical difference in DASH score, VAS, kapandji score, grip strength, key pinch strength, total IP joint motion, total MCP joint motion and complications. The LRTI group had more obvious advantages in term of PRWHE, tip pinch strength and palmar abduction. Moreover, there was no statistical difference in DASH score, VAS, kapandji score, grip strength, key pinch strength, total IP joint and total MCP joint motion and complications. Therefore, we concluded LRTI was more recommendable for more management of TMC osteoarthritis. Certainly, high-quality studies are required in long-term follow-up.

[Clinicopathological analysis of primary gastric (gastrointestinal)-type mucoglandular lesion of endometrium].

Objective: To investigate the clinical and pathological features of primary gastric (gastrointestinal)-type mucoglandular lesions of the endometrium. Methods: Eight cases of primary gastric (gastrointestinal)-type mucoglandular lesions of endometrium diagnosed between 2014 to 2022 were retrieved from pathology archives of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai, China. The clinical history, pathological sections and follow-ups were analyzed. Results: The eight patients ranged in age from 35 to 67 years, with an average age of 55.5 years. Seven patients were examined for high-risk human papillary virus (HPV) before operation. Only one of them was positive for high-risk HPV52. No cervical mucinous lesions were found in any of the patients. Two cases were invasive gastric (gastrointestinal)-type adenocarcinoma, 2 cases were benign gastric (gastrointestinal)-type mucinous metaplasia, and the other 4 cases were atypical gastric (gastrointestinal)-type mucinous gland hyperplasia. Microscopically, tumor cells showed mucous epithelium with gastrointestinal differentiation. Immunophenotyping showed that MUC6 was diffusely or focally positive in 5 cases, CK20 and CDX2 were positive in 3 cases. And p16 was negative or focally positive in 5 cases and strongly positive in 1 case. ER was expressed in both benign and atypical lesions, and weakly positive or negative in the invasive adenocarcinoma. p53 showed mutant expression in one case and wild-type expression in the rest. HPV in situ hybridization was negative. Conclusions: Primary gastric (gastrointestinal)-type mucoglandular lesions of the endometrium show various forms of gastrointestinal differentiation, which are high-risk HPV independent. Morphology combined with immunohistochemistry is helpful for the diagnosis, which can only be made on exclusion of cervical gastrointestinal glandular lesion, gastrointestinal metastatic carcinoma and the mucinous subtype of endometrioid carcinoma.

[Application of ultrasound in the diagnosis and preoperative evaluation of cystic hepatic echinococcosis].

Objective: To investigate the value of ultrasound in the diagnosis and preoperative evaluation of cystic hepatic echinococcosis. Methods: The data of 59 patients (102 lesions) with cystic hepatic echinococcosis confirmed by surgical pathology and serological examination in the Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from January 2018 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed, including 23 males and 36 females; age13 to 64 (42±6) years. The ultrasonographic manifestations were classified, and the involvement of the lesions in the blood vessels and bile ducts was determined. The coincidence rate between ultrasound diagnosis of hepatic echinococcosis and surgical pathology was compared, and the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of ultrasounic diagnosis of hepatic echinococcosis were analyzed. Results: Ultrasound showed 12 CE1 type lesions, 24 CE2 type lesions, 16 CE3a type lesions, 6 CE3b type lesions, 34 CE4 type lesions, and 10 CE5 type lesions. The coincidence rates of hydatid ultrasound and surgical pathological classification were 91.66% (11/12), 95.80% (23/24), 93.75% (15/16), 83.33% (5/6), 91.17% (31/34) and 100.00% (10/10), respectively. Ultrasound diagnostic efficiency analysis: the accuracy of classification was 94.12%, the sensitivity was 96.94%, and the specificity was 25%. Among the characteristic ultrasound manifestations, the gyrus sign and the polycystic sign were the most frequent, followed by homogeneous thickening of the cyst wall, double wall, separation of the inner cyst wall, and thick wall calcification. There were significant differences between ultrasound in the determination of lesions involving blood vessels and bile ducts and intraoperative findings (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Ultrasound could clearly diagnose cystic hepatic echinococcosis, could better display the imaging characteristics of the disease, and had important clinical significances in indicating the evolution of the disease and determining the involvement of the lesions in the blood vessels and bile ducts.

Tea consumption and risk of fractures: an updated meta-analysis.

This meta-analysis included 16 studies, involving seven cohort studies and nine case-control studies, and the results indicated that tea consumption may be associated with a reduced the risk of fractures. INTRODUCTION: Regarding relationship of tea consumption with the risk of fractures remains controversial. We performed a meta-analysis to elucidate the association between tea consumption and the risk of fractures. METHODS: Relevant articles were identified up to March 2019 by searching PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases. The pooled relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed utilizing fixed or random effects model based on heterogeneity. RESULTS: Altogether 16 studies (seven cohort and nine case-control studies) were included in this meta-analysis, involving 772,707 participants with 37,166 fracture cases. The RRs (95% CIs) of fracture for the highest versus lowest category of tea consumption were 0.86 (0.78-0.94). Subgroup analysis indicated significant associations in cohort studies (0.90 (0.86-0.94)) and case-control studies (0.77 (0.69-0.85)). CONCLUSIONS: The current meta-analysis indicates that tea consumption may be associated with a reduced the risk of fractures.

[Etiological analysis on patients with vertigo or dizziness].

Objective: To explore the spectrum of causes for patients with vertigo or dizziness in the Department of Neurology, and provide a reference for diagnosis and treatment of patients with vertigo or dizziness. Methods: Clinical data of patients in the Department of Neurology, Baotou Central Hospital between January 2016 and September 2017 was retrospectively analyzed. The target group under study was diagnosed based on the uniform diagnostic criteria. Results: A total of 9 200 patients with a chief complaint of vertigo or dizziness were included. The ratio of male to female was 1∶1.8, with an age range of 19 to 85 years. The different etiology was as follows: benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) (3 148 cases, 34.22%), persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD) (2 006 cases, 21.80%), vertigo caused by cerebrovascular diseases (1 463 cases, 15.90%), vestibular neuritis (741 cases, 8.05%), vestibular migraine (536 cases, 5.83%), vestibular paroxysmia (336 cases, 3.65%), Ménière disease (187 cases, 2.03%), drug-induced vertigo (96 cases, 1.04%), neurological degenerative diseases (74 cases, 0.80%), sudden sensorineural hearing loss (51 cases, 0.55%), multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica (21 cases, 0.23%), other reasons (22 cases, 0.24%), unknown reasons (519 cases, 5.64%). Conclusions: Dizziness is resulted from various causes, and BPPV is the most common reason. Vertigo caused by cerebrovascular diseases appears to gradually increase along with age. PPPD is very common in clinical practice, so clinicians needs to be highly aware of BPPV and PPPD. Although those dizziness diseases have a low incidence, they should not be ignored. There are still certain proportion of vertigo patients whose diagnosis are undetermined.

[Curative effects of Ningmitai capsules on the residual fragments and postoperative complications following lithotripsy treatment of upper urinary calculi].

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of Ningmitai capsules, a traditional Chinese medicine using for clearing heat and dampness, in the treatment of residual fragments and postoperative complications following lithotripsy for upper urinary stones. Methods: During October 2016 and March 2018, patients from Wuhan 1st Hospital, Wuhan 2nd Hospital, Wuhan 3rd Hospital, and Wuhan Puai Hospital having upper urinary residual fragments following minimally-invasive stone treatment were randomly assigned to control group and Ningmitai group with a proportion of 1∶3. The patients in control group were treated with antibiotics or sodium diclofenac suppository on demand, while patients in Ningmitai group took additional Ningmitai capsule orally (4 capsules per time, 3 times per day). The observation was started when a patient was enrolled in this study and continued for a maximum of 12 weeks or until stone-free status. During the observation, the stone expulsion time, stone-free time, stone-free rate were observed, and the difference in curative effect between the two groups on postoperative complications such as pain and infection were compared. Statistical analysis was done using t-test or χ2 test by GraphPad Prism 5 software. Results: Totally 269 cases enrolled in this study. Eighty-six patients were from Wuhan 1st Hospital, 69 patients from Wuhan 2nd Hospital, 58 patients from Wuhan 3rd Hospital, 56 patients from Wuhan Puai Hospital, respectively. There were 66 cases in control group and 203 cases in Ningmitai group. The residual fragments expulsion time in Ningmitai group was significantly earlier than that in control group ((4.5±0.4) days vs. (7.5±1.3) days, t=2.877, P=0.004), the residual fragments clearance time in Ningmitai group was significantly shorter than that in control group ((13.6±1.0) days vs.(25.6±3.8) days, t=4.252, P=0.000), and the stone-free rate within 4 weeks post operation in Ningmitai group was significantly higher than control group (91.6% vs. 68.2%, χ2=22.57, P=0.000). After 12 weeks of treatment, the total effective rate of control group was 89.4%, and the total effective rate of Ningmitai group was 99.5%, with statistically significant difference (χ2=17.65, P=0.000). The proportion of caregivers that offered analgesia in Ningmitai group was significantly lower than that in control group (16.3% vs. 30.3%, χ2=6.212, P=0.013), the recovery rate of routine urinalysis following 4 weeks' treatment was significantly higher in Ningmitai group than that in control group (88.2% vs.71.2%, χ2=10.67, P=0.001). No obvious adverse effects were observed in both groups. Conclusions: Ningmitai capsule can facilitate the stone passage and increase the stone-free rate in the treatment of residual fragments and postoperative complications of upper urinary stones. It is also helpful for the prevention and treatment of postoperative pain, infection and other complications.

Fabivirga thermotolerans gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel marine bacterium isolated from culture broth of a marine cyanobacterium.

A Gram-stain-negative, red, non-spore-forming, strictly aerobic bacterium, designated strain A4T, was isolated from culture broth of a marine cyanobacterium. Cells were flexible rods with gliding motility. Phylogenetic analysis, based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, revealed that strain A4T formed a coherent cluster with members of the genera Roseivirga and Fabibacter, and represents a distinct lineage in the family Flammeovirgaceae. Thermotolerance and a distinctive cellular fatty acid profile could readily distinguish this isolate from any bacteria of the genera Roseivirga and Fabibacter with a validly published name. On the basis of the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic characteristics, strain A4T is suggested to represent a novel species in a novel genus, for which the name Fabivirga thermotolerans gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is A4T ( = KCTC 42507T = CGMCC 1.15111T).

Serum uric acid level and left ventricular hypertrophy in elderly male patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Recent studies have suggested that serum uric acid (SUA) induces oxidative stress and inflammation, which are involved in the mechanism of cardiac hypertrophy. In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), comorbidity of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) exacerbates cardiac function. In this study, we investigated the association between SUA and cardiac hypertrophy in AF patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: Initially, 1296 consecutive elderly patients (age >60) with nonvalvular AF were retrospectively selected from the inpatient clinic between January 2012 and April 2015. Demographic, clinical, and echocardiographic characteristics were carefully recorded. The final study population was 577 patients. The mean SUA level was significantly higher in patients with LVH than those without LVH. Compared with the non-LVH group, the LVH group was older, had a higher percentage of female patients, and had lower hemoglobin levels and estimated glomerular filtration rates. Patients in the LVH group also had a higher rate of coronary heart disease and fewer had history of radiofrequency ablation compared with the non-LVH group. In the hyperuricemia group, B-type natriuretic peptide levels, left atrial diameter, left ventricular mass index, and percentage of NYHA (New York Heart Association) class III/IV were significantly higher than the SUA normal group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated the independent risk factors for LVH in elderly AF patients included SUA, age, male sex, the presence of coronary heart disease, and diuretic therapy. Subgroup analysis identified SUA as a significant risk factor associated with LVH in men. CONCLUSIONS: SUA was independently associated with LVH in elderly male patients with nonvalvular AF.

In vivo visualization of honeycomb pattern, cobblestone pattern, ringed pattern, and dermal papillae by confocal laser scanning microscopy.

BACKGROUND: In vivo confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) represents a promising technique for noninvasive visualization of lesions. Honeycomb pattern, cobblestone pattern, ringed pattern and dermal papillae are terms commonly used to describe CLSM architectures. Understanding of these four terms individually or in combination on confocal images facilitates the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of skin diseases. METHODS: Seventy-eight patients and 5 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Their lesions were imaged with the VivaScope 1500 reflectance confocal microscope. RESULTS: Concerning these four terms mentioned above, they had different features in different skin diseases and played an important role in the understanding of skin diseases individually or in combination. CONCLUSION: By understanding the CLSM features of honeycomb pattern, cobblestone pattern, ringed pattern and dermal papillae individually or in combination, the findings support the roles of these characteristic architectures in diagnosis and differential diagnosis of skin diseases.

The effects of an overnight holding of whole blood at room temperature on haemoglobin modification and in vitro markers of red blood cell aging.

BACKGROUND: Some effects of the red blood cell (RBC) storage lesion are well documented whereas others are not. Whether a period of room temperature hold (RTH) during RBC production enhances the RBC storage lesion has remained controversial. In this study, we compared whole blood (WB)-derived RBCs produced after 24-h RTH with rapidly cooled (RC) RBCs and tested them for classical metabolic markers and signs of oxidative damage. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: SAGM-RBCs were prepared from mixed and split pairs (n = 12) of WB units. RBCs prepared after a 24-h period of RTH on day+1 after collection (RTH-RBCs) were compared with RC-RBCs. All RBCs were stored at 4°C for 42 days with assay of in vitro variables on days+1, +15, +22, +29 and +42. The study examined standard quality parameters, glutathione, catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, and indicative markers of oxidative cell damage including post-translational haemoglobin modification, malondialdehyde (MDA), and phosphatidylserine expression. RESULTS: RTH-RBCs exhibited decreased levels of potassium (1·98 ± 0·26 vs. 5·23 ± 0·65 mmol/l) and of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG) on day+1 compared with RC-RBCs. Haemolysis rate on day+42 was higher in RTH-RBCs than in RC-RBCs (0·52 ± 0·13 vs. 0·37 ± 0·12%). The phosphatidylserine expression amounted to 0·25 ± 0·20% in RTH-RBCs and 0·07 ± 0·12% in RC-RBCs. Haemoglobin modification was not different between both RBC groups. RTH-RBCs showed slightly higher MDA concentration on days +29 and +42. CONCLUSIONS: RC-RBCs and RTH-RBCs show only small differences of classical in vitro parameters and no relevant differences in antioxidative metabolism and oxidative haemoglobin modification. These findings do not explain the loss observed in in vivo survival studies with RBCs.

A Medicago truncatula H+-pyrophosphatase gene, MtVP1, improves sucrose accumulation and anthocyanin biosynthesis in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.).

We recently cloned MtVP1, a type I vacuolar-type H(+)-translocating inorganic pyrophosphatase from Medicago truncatula. In the present study, we investigated the cellular location and the function of this H(+)-PPase in Arabidopsis and potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). An MtVP1::enhanced green fluorescent protein fusion was constructed, which localized to the plasma membrane of onion epidermal cells. Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana overexpressing MtVP1 had more robust root systems and redder shoots than wild-type (WT) plants under conditions of cold stress. Furthermore, overexpression of MtVP1 in potato accelerated the formation and growth of vegetative organs. The tuber buds and stem base of transgenic potatoes became redder than those of WT plants, but flowering was delayed by approximately half a month. Interestingly, anthocyanin biosynthesis was promoted in transgenic Arabidopsis seedlings and potato tuber buds. The sucrose concentration of transgenic potato tubers and tuber buds was enhanced compared with that of WT plants. Furthermore, sucrose concentration in tubers was higher than that in tuber buds. Although there was no direct evidence to support Fuglsang's hypothetical model regarding the effects of H(+)-PPase on sucrose phloem loading, we speculated that sucrose concentration was increased in tuber buds owing to the increased concentration in tubers. Therefore, overexpressed MtVP1 enhanced sucrose accumulation of source organs, which might enhance sucrose transport to sink organs, thus affecting anthocyanin biosynthesis.

Variations in water use efficiency and carbon and nitrogen concentrations in red heart Chinese fir.

Temperature can significantly (P < 0.05) affect plant growth by modifying water use strategies, which are determined by intrinsic water use efficiency (WUEi). Red Heart Chinese Fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) is one of the most important ecological and economic plantation species in China. However, the C. lanceolata water use strategy in response to increased temperatures and uneven temporal distribution of precipitation during the growing season is rarely reported. In a 7-year-old C. lanceolata plantation, differences in WUEi and C and N concentrations in different organs were analysed by anova, and the δ13C stable isotope, C, and N concentrations in stems determined at different tree heights. Stepwise regression and variance inflation factor were used to remove autocorrelated factors, and structural equation modelling was then used to explore relationships between WUEi and climate and biological factors. WUEi differed significantly between leaf and branch at different standardized precipitation evapotranspiration indices (SPEI). WUEi and N concentration decreased with age. The highest WUEi in branches and leaves were 92.7 and 88.4 µmol·mol-1 in 2020 (SPEI = 0.00), respectively. δ13C increased with relative tree height but N concentration and C/N ratio were not affected. Air temperatures has increased in between 2014 and 2020. WUEi and N concentration decreased with increasing branch and leaf age, but C concentration increased. SPEI significantly positively affected WUEi (P < 0.05), and WUEi was significantly negatively related to C concentration, which is consistent with the trade-off between C and water.

A multi-omics analysis reveals vitamin D supplementation since childhood modulates molecules for signal transductions in the mouse striatum.

Vitamin D is a critical fat-soluble vitamin for the nervous system. Research suggests a potential link between vitamin D deficiency and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), particularly in children and adolescents. The core symptoms of ADHD are associated with deficits in striatal functions, and maintaining sufficient levels of vitamin D may help prevent or alleviate ADHD symptoms. However, the molecular changes in the striatum caused by vitamin D supplementation that may contribute to the brain processes linked to ADHD symptoms remain unclear. In this study, we established a mouse model fed diets with three different dose gradients of vitamin D3 (0, 500, and 2000 IU/kg·day) from postnatal day 21 (P21) to 14 weeks of age. Striatal tissues from mice with gradient vitamin D3 intake were subjected to reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS), RNA-sequencing, and neurotransmitter profiling by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Our findings indicate that vitamin D supplementation since childhood influenced the overall landscape of DNA methylations and the expression of many genes involved in critical neurological functions in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, our data demonstrate how vitamin D modulated neuropeptide signaling pathways, as well as cholinergic and dopaminergic synapses in the striatum, through an orchestrated mechanism involving epigenetic and transcriptional regulations. Furthermore, we observed a synergistic effect of vitamin D on dopamine release following acute methylphenidate injection into our mouse model. In summary, this study provides mechanistic insights into how dietary vitamin D supplementation since childhood can modulate specific signal transductions among striatal cells, underscoring the importance of vitamin D supplementation for ADHD management.

Deep Learning-Based Facial and Skeletal Transformations for Surgical Planning.

The increasing application of virtual surgical planning (VSP) in orthognathic surgery implies a critical need for accurate prediction of facial and skeletal shapes. The craniofacial relationship in patients with dentofacial deformities is still not understood, and transformations between facial and skeletal shapes remain a challenging task due to intricate anatomical structures and nonlinear relationships between the facial soft tissue and bones. In this study, a novel bidirectional 3-dimensional (3D) deep learning framework, named P2P-ConvGC, was developed and validated based on a large-scale data set for accurate subject-specific transformations between facial and skeletal shapes. Specifically, the 2-stage point-sampling strategy was used to generate multiple nonoverlapping point subsets to represent high-resolution facial and skeletal shapes. Facial and skeletal point subsets were separately input into the prediction system to predict the corresponding skeletal and facial point subsets via the skeletal prediction subnetwork and facial prediction subnetwork. For quantitative evaluation, the accuracy was calculated with shape errors and landmark errors between the predicted skeleton or face with corresponding ground truths. The shape error was calculated by comparing the predicted point sets with the ground truths, with P2P-ConvGC outperforming existing state-of-the-art algorithms including P2P-Net, P2P-ASNL, and P2P-Conv. The total landmark errors (Euclidean distances of craniomaxillofacial landmarks) of P2P-ConvGC in the upper skull, mandible, and facial soft tissues were 1.964 ± 0.904 mm, 2.398 ± 1.174 mm, and 2.226 ± 0.774 mm, respectively. Furthermore, the clinical feasibility of the bidirectional model was validated using a clinical cohort. The result demonstrated its prediction ability with average surface deviation errors of 0.895 ± 0.175 mm for facial prediction and 0.906 ± 0.082 mm for skeletal prediction. To conclude, our proposed model achieved good performance on the subject-specific prediction of facial and skeletal shapes and showed clinical application potential in postoperative facial prediction and VSP for orthognathic surgery.

Distinct forebrain regions define a dichotomous astrocytic profile in multiple system atrophy.

The growing recognition of a dichotomous role of astrocytes in neurodegenerative processes has heightened the need for unraveling distinct astrocytic subtypes in neurological disorders. In multiple system atrophy (MSA), a rare, rapidly progressing atypical Parkinsonian disease characterized by increased astrocyte reactivity. However the specific contribution of astrocyte subtypes to neuropathology remains elusive. Hence, we first set out to profile glial fibrillary acidic protein levels in astrocytes across the human post mortem motor cortex, putamen, and substantia nigra of MSA patients and observed an overall profound astrocytic response. Matching the post mortem human findings, a similar astrocytic phenotype was present in a transgenic MSA mouse model. Notably, MSA mice exhibited a decreased expression of the glutamate transporter 1 and glutamate aspartate transporter in the basal ganglia, but not the motor cortex. We developed an optimized astrocyte isolation protocol based on magnetic-activated cell sorting via ATPase Na+/K+ transporting subunit beta 2 and profiled the transcriptomic landscape of striatal and cortical astrocytes in transgenic MSA mice. The gene expression profile of astrocytes in the motor cortex displayed an anti-inflammatory signature with increased oligodendroglial and pro-myelinogenic expression pattern. In contrast, striatal astrocytes were defined by elevated pro-inflammatory transcripts accompanied by dysregulated genes involved in homeostatic functions for lipid and calcium metabolism. These findings provide new insights into a region-dependent, dichotomous astrocytic response-potentially beneficial in the cortex and harmful in the striatum-in MSA suggesting a differential role of astrocytes in MSA-related neurodegenerative processes.

[Epidemiological investigation of iron deficiency among preschool children in 10 provinces, autonomous regions, or municipalities in China].

Objective: To understand the current status of anemia, iron deficiency, and iron-deficiency anemia among preschool children in China. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a multi-stage stratified sampling method to select 150 streets or townships from 10 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions, or municipalities (East: Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, and Hainan; Central: Henan; West: Chongqing, Shaanxi, Guizhou, and Xinjiang; Northeast: Liaoning). From May 2022 to April 2023, a total of 21 470 children, including community-based children aged 0.5 to<3.0 years receiving child health care and kindergarten-based children aged 3.0 to<7.0 years, were surveyed. They were divided into 3 age groups: infants (0.5 to<1.0 year), toddlers (1.0 to<3.0 years), and preschoolers (3.0 to<7.0 years). Basic information such as sex and date of birth of the children was collected, and peripheral blood samples were obtained for routine blood tests and serum ferritin measurement. The prevalence rates of anemia, iron deficiency, and iron-deficiency anemia were analyzed, and the prevalence rate differences were compared among different ages, sex, urban and rural areas, and regions using the chi-square test. Results: A total of 21 460 valid responses were collected, including 10 780 boys (50.2%). The number of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers were 2 645 (12.3%), 6 244 (29.1%), and 12 571 (58.6%), respectively. The hemoglobin level was (126.7±14.8) g/L, and the serum ferritin level was 32.3 (18.5, 50.1) µg/L. The overall rates of anemia, iron deficiency, and iron-deficiency anemia were 10.4% (2 230/21 460), 28.3% (6 070/21 460), and 3.9% (845/21 460), respectively. The prevalence rate of anemia was higher for boys than for girls (10.9% (1 173/10 780) vs. 9.9% (1 057/10 680), χ2=5.58, P=0.018), with statistically significant differences in the rates for infants, toddlers and preschoolers (18.0% (475/2 645), 10.6% (662/6 244), and 8.7% (1 093/12 571), respectively, χ2=201.81, P<0.01), and the rate was significantly higher for children in rural than that in urban area (11.8% (1 516/12 883) vs. 8.3% (714/8 577), χ2=65.54, P<0.01), with statistically significant differences in the rates by region (χ2=126.60, P<0.01), with the highest rate of 15.8% (343/2 173) for children in Central region, and the lowest rate of 5.3% (108/2 053) in Northeastern region. The prevalence rates of iron deficiency were 33.8% (895/2 645), 32.2% (2 011/6 244), and 25.2% (3 164/12 571) in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, respectively, and 30.0% (3 229/10 780) in boys vs. 26.6% (2 841/10 680) in girls, 21.7% (1 913/8 821), 40.0% (870/2 173), 27.1% (2 283/8 413), 48.9% (1 004/2 053) in Eastern, Central, Western, and Northeastern regions, respectively, and each between-group showed a significant statistical difference (χ2=147.71, 29.73, 773.02, all P<0.01). The prevalence rate of iron-deficiency anemia showed a significant statistical difference between urban and rural areas, 2.9% (251/8 577) vs. 4.6% (594/12 883) (χ2=38.62, P<0.01), while the difference in iron deficiency prevalence was not significant (χ2=0.51, P=0.476). Conclusions: There has been a notable improvement in iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia among preschool children in China, but the situation remains concerning. Particular attention should be paid to the prevention and control of iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia, especially among infants and children in the Central, Western, and Northeastern regions of China.

TSUnet-CC: Temporal Spectrogram Unet embedding Cross Channel-wise attention mechanism for MDD identification.

Automatic detection of major depressive disorder (MDD) with multiple-channel electroencephalography (EEG) signals is of great significance for treatment of the mental diseases. In a U-net network, clear EEG signals are fed to obtain temporal feature tensor through encoder and decoder networks with several convolution operations. Moreover, the clear EEG signals can be converted into multi-scale spectrogram to obtain the rich saliency information and then the spectrogram feature tensor can be extracted by another symmetrical U-net. The temporal and spectrogram feature tensors can provide more comprehensive information, but may also contain redundant information, which may affect the detection of MDD. To deal with such issue, this paper proposed a novel Temporal Spectrogram Unet (TSUnet-CC), which embeds the cross channel-wise attention mechanism for multiple-channel EEGbased MDD identification. We make three novel contributions: 1) multi-scale saliency-encoded spectrogram using Fourierbased approach to capture rich saliency information under different scales, 2) TSUnet network using a symmetrical twostream U-net architecture that learns multiple temporal and spectrogram feature tensors in time and frequency domains, and 3) cross channel-wise block enabling the larger weights of key feature channels that contain MDD information. The leaveone-subject-out experiments show that our proposed TSUnetCC gains high performance with a classification accuracy up to 98.55% and 99.22% in eyes closed and eyes open datasets, which outperformed some state-of-the-art methods and revealed its clinical potential.

Attributable causes of cancer in China.

BACKGROUND: Most cancers are due to modifiable lifestyle and environmental risk factors, and are potentially preventable. No studies have provided a systematic quantitative assessment of the burden of cancer mortality and incidence attributable to known risk factors in China. METHODS: We calculated the proportions of cancer deaths and new cases attributable to known risk factors in China, based on the prevalence of exposure around 1990 and national data on cancer mortality and incidence for the year 2005. RESULTS: Chronic infection is the main risk factor for cancer in China, accounting for 29.4% of cancer deaths (31.7% in men and 25.3% in women), followed by tobacco smoking (22.6% with 32.7% in men and 5.0% in women), low fruit intake (13.0%), alcohol drinking (4.4%), low vegetable intake (3.6%) and occupational exposures (2.7%). The remaining factors, including environmental agents, physical inactivity, the use of exogenous hormones and reproductive factors are each responsible for <1.0%. CONCLUSIONS: Modifiable risk factors explain nearly 60% of cancer deaths in China, with a predominant role of chronic infection and tobacco smoking. Our findings could provide a basis for cancer prevention and control programs aimed at reducing cancer risk in other developing countries.

Current-pulse-induced enhancement of transient photodetective effect in tilted manganite film.

A current-pulse-induced enhancement effect of transient photovoltage has been discovered in tilted manganite La(2/3)Ca(1/3)MnO(3) film at room temperature. Here, by applying a pulsed current stimulus before pulse laser irradiation, we observed a significant enhancement of more than 50% in photovoltaic sensitivity. The current-pulse-induced photovoltaic enhancement can be tuned not only by the stimulating current value but also by the stimulating time. Such enhancement is time-sensitive and reproducible. This electrically induced effect, observed at room temperature, has both the benefit of a discovery in materials properties and the promise of applications for thin film manganites in photodetectors.

Evaluation of donor semen quality provided by six sperm banks: a retrospective study of 1877 artificial insemination cycles.

This study aimed at evaluating the impacts of sperm quality of six national sperm banks on pregnancy rates (PRs) of artificial insemination with donor sperm (AID) in China. A large retrospective analysis was performed on 1877 insemination cycles in 1209 women in a unique setting during a 3.5-year period. Global PRs of 22.1% per cycle and 34.2% per patient were achieved. The PRs of the six banks varied from 15.5% to 29.0% (P = 0.011). Significant differences were observed in the quality of donor semen provided by the six sperm banks. Moreover, in some banks, the poor sperm quality was related to the suboptimal PRs. However, in certain banks, high values of sperm parameters did not result in satisfactory PRs accordingly. These data demonstrated that variability of donor semen quality existed in the different banks. But, sperm parameters after thawing may not be detrimental factors affecting the success rate of AID treatment. Further studies are needed to seek potential molecular markers for predicting fertility potency of donor sperm.