Correlation between ocular surface status and blood lipids in patients with meibomian gland dysfunction during pregnancy / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM: To analyze the correlation between ocular surface status and serum lipids in patients with meibomian gland dysfunction(MGD)during pregnancy, and to provide new ideas for the management and treatment of MGD during pregnancy.METHODS: Totally 120 pregnant women(240 eyes)treated in our hospital from May 2021 to May 2022 were selected and they were divided into MGD group(60 cases, 120 eyes)and control group(60 cases, 120 eyes)according to the presence or absence of MGD. All subjects received the ocular surface disease index scores(OSDI)and underwent examinations of meibomian gland morphology and function, tear film and blood lipid.RESULTS: The scores of OSDI, the related indexes of meibomian gland, corneal fluorescein staining(FL)scores, total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG)and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-C)in the MGD group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P<0.05). The scores of fluorescein breakup time(FBUT), Schirmer Ⅰ test(SIt)and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)in the MGD group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that the scores of TG, TC, LDL-C were negatively correlated with the values of FBUT(rs =-0.702, -0.647, -0.710, all P<0.001).CONCLUSION: The level of blood lipids in pregnant patients with MGD is significantly increased, and the levels of TC, TG and LDL-C may be related to the stability of tear film.

Prevalence and associated risk factors of pre-hypertension and hypertension in young and middle-aged population in Nanjing / 中华内科杂志

Objective:To investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors of pre-hypertension and hypertension in young and middle-aged population in Nanjing.Methods:Subjects of the study were those who underwent physical examination in the physical examination center of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from 2009 to 2016. The prevalence and risk factors of pre-hypertension and hypertension in young (aged 18-44 years old) and middle-aged people (aged 45-59 years old) were analyzed.Results:A total of 142 857 participants aged 18-59 years old were analyzed. Among them, 64 220 cases in the pre-hypertension group and 13 912 cases in the hypertension group. The prevalence of hypertension was 9.74% (12.51% in males and 5.82% in females). The prevalence of pre-hypertension was 44.95% (53.31% in males and 33.15% in females). In the middle-aged group, the prevalence of pre-hypertension and hypertension were 51.68% and 15.13%, respectively, which was higher than that in the young group (37.95% and 4.13%, respectively). The prevalence of pre-hypertension and hypertension in 2013-2016 was 45.37% and 10.65%, respectively, which was higher than that in 2009-2012(44.52% and 8.78%). In addition, the prevalence of abnormal blood glucose metabolism, abnormal blood lipid metabolism and abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism in the pre-hypertension group was higher than that in the normal blood pressure group, but lower than that in the hypertension group ( P<0.001). A logistic regression analysis indicated that age, overweight or obesity, hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia were risk factors of pre-hypertension in male. Age, overweight or obesity, hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia and hyper-low density cholesterolemia were associated with hypertension in male and with pre-hypertension and hypertension in female. Conclusions:Middle age, overweight/obesity, elevated fasting plasma glucose, elevated triglyceride and elevated total cholesterol were risk factors of pre-hypertension and hypertension in both men and women. Intervention on the related risk factors should be conducted as early as possible.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity and its relationship with the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases among population for physical examination in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

Objective:To investigate the prevalences of overweight and obesity and its relationship with the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases among physical examination population in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 384 061 adults aged 20 years and older. Age- and sex-standardized prevalences of overweight and obesity were calculated using Chinese census data in 2010. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the associations of overweight and obesity with the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases.Results:The age-standardized prevalences of overweight and obesity were 42.8% and 13.2% in men and 23.9% and 6.6% in women. A gradually increasing trend was observed in the prevalences of overweight and obesity from 2008 to 2016, especially in subjects aged 20-39 years. Overweight and obesity were significantly associated with increased risks of dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperuricemia. These associations were found to be the strongest among subjects aged 20-39 years, which became weaker along with the increasing of age. The OR(95% CI) of dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperuricemia were 4.23(4.01-4.47), 3.70(2.97-4.60), 6.19(5.76-6.64), and 3.66(3.45-3.88) in obese men aged 20-39 years, while 5.29(4.63-6.04), 6.38(3.86-10.55), 9.36(7.86-11.13), and 6.65(5.70-7.74) in obese women aged 20-39 years, respectively. Conclusion:The increasing trend in the prevalence of overweight and obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases in Nanjing adults, especially in individuals aged 20-39 years.

A correlation analysis of subclinical hypothyroidism with body composition and insulin resistance in overweight/obese patients with polycystic ovary syndrome / 中华临床营养杂志

Objective To determine the association of subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) with body composition (measured by body impedance analysis) and insulin resistance (IR) in overweight/obese patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted of the clinical records of 109 overweight or obese [body mass index (BMI) ≥ 24 kg/m2] PCOS patients who visited the Department of Endocrinology and Fertility Center of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital between April 2013 and April 2016 for menstrual disorder or infertility and were referred to receive weight management.24 of the patients had SCH,and 85 had euthyroid (EU).We determined the body composition of the patients with Biospace Inbody 720 body composition analyzer,measured the patients' serum lipid profiles,conducted in each patient the 75 g oral glucose tolerance test and the insulin release test,and calculated the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HO-MA-IR) indices.Results Patients with SCH and autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) accounted for 22.02％ and 24.36％ of the total.The obesity level [(145.19±13.75)％ vs.(153.31±18.15)％,t=-2.032,P=0.045],VFA [(132.48±20.85) cm2vs.(147.35±24.26) cm2,t=-2.730,P=0.007],body fat (BF) [(31.91±5.88) kgvs.(35.43±6.89) kg,t=-2.274,P=0.025],body fat percentage (BFP) [(40.92±3.701)％ vs.(43.07±4.26)％,t=-2.241,P=0.027],body mass index (BMI) [(30.49±2.88) kg/m2 vs.(32.19±3.81) kg/m2,t=-2.026,P=0.045] and waist circumference (WC) [(98.34±7.13) cm vs.(102.86±8.74) cm,t=-2.324,P=0.022] of SCH group were significantly lower than those of euthyroid,with significant statistical difference.The levels of serum thyroid hormone (TSH) in patients with EU were positively correlated with the degree of obesity,the BF,the BFP,the BMI and the hip circumference (P=0.019,0.042,0.005,0.019,0.039),but not with the VFA (t=1.797,P=0.076).There were no statistically significant differences (P＞ 0.05) between patients with SCH and those with EU in their HOMA-IR indices,insulin levels,blood glucose,blood lipid,and ratio of IR (defined as HOMA-IR ≥2.69).Conclusions Obesity related body composition parameters were lower in PCOS patients with SCH than in those with EU.However,there was no significant difference between the two groups in blood lipid level and the ratio of IR.TSH levels in the EU group were correlated with the BMI and the BFP,but not with the VFA.A larger sample is needed to identify how and why thyroid hormones may affect the body composition and glycolipid metabolism of females with PCOS.

Crystal structure of a PP2A B56-BubR1 complex and its implications for PP2A substrate recruitment and localization

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) accounts for the majority of total Ser/Thr phosphatase activities in most cell types and regulates many biological processes. PP2A holoenzymes contain a scaffold A subunit, a catalytic C subunit, and one of the regulatory/targeting B subunits. How the B subunit controls PP2A localization and substrate specificity, which is a crucial aspect of PP2A regulation, remains poorly understood. The kinetochore is a critical site for PP2A functioning, where PP2A orchestrates chromosome segregation through its interactions with BubR1. The PP2A-BubR1 interaction plays important roles in both spindle checkpoint silencing and stable microtubule-kinetochore attachment. Here we present the crystal structure of a PP2A B56-BubR1 complex, which demonstrates that a conserved BubR1 LxxIxE motif binds to the concave side of the B56 pseudo-HEAT repeats. The BubR1 motif binds to a groove formed between B56 HEAT repeats 3 and 4, which is quite distant from the B56 binding surface for PP2A catalytic C subunit and thus is unlikely to affect PP2A activity. In addition, the BubR1 binding site on B56 is far from the B56 binding site of shugoshin, another kinetochore PP2A-binding protein, and thus BubR1 and shugoshin can potentially interact with PP2A-B56 simultaneously. Our structural and biochemical analysis indicates that other proteins with the LxxIxE motif may also bind to the same PP2A B56 surface. Thus, our structure of the PP2A B56-BubR1 complex provides important insights into how the B56 subunit directs the recruitment of PP2A to specific targets.

Study of the clinical characteristics and treatment of hyperlipidemic acute pancreatitis / 局解手术学杂志

Objective To study the clinic characteristics and the treatment of acute pancreatitis ( AP) with and without hyperlipidemia. Methods The clinical data of 99 patients in our hospital from Jan. 2013 and Dec. 2013 were studied. Patients were divided into the hyper-lipidemic acute pancreatitis ( HAP) group and the control group ( AP without hyperlipidemia) . All the patients received standardized clinical AP treatment. The patient’ s condition, plasma biochemical index, treatment outcome, length of hospital stay, cost, and relapse were ob-served. Results The proportion of severe pancreatitis of HAP group (13. 6%) was obviously higher than that of control group (7. 8%). Blood sugar and uric acid of HAP group were significantly higher than that of control group, and the average blood sugar of HAP group reached to 171% of the control group. And the blood amylase of HAP group was only 44. 5% of that in the control group. One year recur-rence rate of HAP group (13. 6%) was significantly higher than that of control group (2. 6%) with a singnificant difference (P<0. 01). Conclusion It is suggested that hyperlipidemia condition has significant relations with the condition, performance and outcome of acute pan-creatitis.

Risk factors of ventilator-associated pneumonia in intensive care unit / 现代临床护理

Objective To analysis the occurrence and risk factors of ventilator-associated pneumonia(VAP)in intensive care unit in order to direct the clinical work.Method The clinical data of 158 cases receiving mechanical ventilation in ICU were retrospectively analyzed to investigate the incidence of VAP and risk factors.Result Mechanical ventilation and intubation of nasogastric tubes were the main risk factors of VAP(P<0.01).Conclusion The nursing measures such as earlier extubating, keeping the oropharynx clean,decreasing the risk of colonization,strengthening disinfection and air purification,paying attention to the tracheotomy nursing and enhancing nursing procedure skills are important for VAP prevention.

Effect of positive pressure ventilation extubation on arterial blood gas indexes of patients undergoing cardiac surgery / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective To study the effect of positive pressure ventilation extubation on arterial blood gas indexes of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods 50 patients with orotracheal intubation after intracardiac opening operation under direct vision were randomly divided into the control group and the experimental group with 25 cases in each group. We used traditional method to pull out tracheal intubation in the control group. And positive pressure ventilation at 5 ～15 cm H2O during inspiration and pulling out tracheal intubation during expiration in the experimental group. The change of arterial blood PaO2, PaCO2, SaO2, pH and respiratory rate before and 1min、5min、10min after extubation was observed,and also the incidence rate of air tube obstruction was recorded. Results The change amplitude of arterial blood gas indexes of patients in the experimental group was obviously lower,and the length of change time reduced more than 50%. There were 4 air tube obstructions in the control group and there was no obstruction in the experimental group. The difference was statistically significant. Conclusions Positive pressure ventilation extubation can raise lung's compliance and improve oxygenation. And arterial blood gas indexes are more stable. It can decrease the incidence rate of hypoxemia and is a much more safe method.

Crystal structure of a novel non-Pfam protein PF2046 solved using low resolution B-factor sharpening and multi-crystal averaging methods

Sometimes crystals cannot diffract X-rays beyond 3.0 Å resolution due to the intrinsic flexibility associated with the protein. Low resolution diffraction data not only pose a challenge to structure determination, but also hamper interpretation of mechanistic details. Crystals of a 25.6 kDa non-Pfam, hypothetical protein, PF2046, diffracted X-rays to 3.38 Å resolution. A combination of Se-Met derived heavy atom positions with multiple cycles of B-factor sharpening, multi-crystal averaging, restrained refinement followed by manual inspection of electron density and model building resulted in a final model with a R value of 23.5 (R(free)= 24.7). The asymmetric unit was large and consisted of six molecules arranged as a homodimer of trimers. Analysis of the structure revealed the presence of a RNA binding domain suggesting a role for PF2046 in the processing of nucleic acids.

Structural basis for prokaryotic calcium-mediated regulation by a Streptomyces coelicolor calcium binding protein

The important and diverse regulatory roles of Ca(2+) in eukaryotes are conveyed by the EF-hand containing calmodulin superfamily. However, the calcium-regulatory proteins in prokaryotes are still poorly understood. In this study, we report the three-dimensional structure of the calcium-binding protein from Streptomyces coelicolor, named CabD, which shares low sequence homology with other known helix-loop-helix EF-hand proteins. The CabD structure should provide insights into the biological role of the prokaryotic calcium-binding proteins. The unusual structural features of CabD compared with prokaryotic EF-hand proteins and eukaryotic sarcoplasmic calcium-binding proteins, including the bending conformation of the first C-terminal α-helix, unpaired ligand-binding EF-hands and the lack of the extreme C-terminal loop region, suggest it may have a distinct and significant function in calcium-mediated bacterial physiological processes, and provide a structural basis for potential calcium-mediated regulatory roles in prokaryotes.