Analysis on epidemic characteristics of COVID-19 in Qingpu District of Shanghai / 上海预防医学

Objective To analyze epidemic characteristics of COVID-19 epidemic in Qingpu District of Shanghai and provide evidence for prevention and control of COVID-19. Methods The COVID-19 cases diagnosed in the medical facilities in Qingpu District were included in the study.Descriptive epidemiology was employed to describe diagnosis, clinical symptoms and possible exposure. Results There were 53 suspected cases identified in Qingpu District, 47 of which were excluded and 6 were confirmed.Two confirmed cases were identified when seeking medical treatment and 4 by other means.Of the confirmed cases, 83.3% were male and 66.7% were imported.Their initial symptom was mainly cough.The 75.0% of the confirmed cases had underlying diseases.By PCR testing of SARS-CoV-2, 100.0% of the sputum specimens tested positive, 50.0% of the nasopharyngeal swabs were positive, whereas 100.0% of the throat swabs were negative. Conclusion COVID-19 is more common in men than in women.The positive rate of SARS-CoV-2 in sputum samples is highest, followed by nasopharyngeal swabs and throat swabs.It is crucial to implement the countermeasures at earlier stages, such as strengthening the road entrance monitoring, at-home or intensive health observation of foreign visitors for early identification of suspected COVID-19 cases.

Review: plant polyphenols modulate lipid metabolism and related molecular mechanism / 中国中药杂志

Lipid metabolism disorder is an important risk factor to obesity, hyperlipidemia and type 2 diabetes as well as other chronic metabolic disease. It is also a key target in preventing metabolic syndrome, chronic disease prevention. Plant polyphenol plays an important role in maintaining or improving lipid profile in a variety of ways. including regulating cholesterol absorption, inhibiting synthesis and secretion of triglyceride, and lowering plasma low density lipoprotein oxidation, etc. The purpose of this article is to review the lipid regulation effects of plant polyphenols and its related mechanisms.

Analysis of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and macular thickness in unaffected female carrier of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy / 中华实验眼科杂志

Background Researches documented that retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) in unaffected carriers of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) becomes thickened in different quadrants to different degrees.But the change of their macular thickness is still unclear.Objective This study was to clarify RNFLT and macular thickness by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in unaffected female carriers of LHON families.Methods Five female LHON patients (5 eyes) from 5 LHON families,eighteen unaffected female carriers (18eyes) from 18 LHON families and twenty-five age-matched healthy female controls (25 eyes) were included in this study.The patients and genetic carriers were diagnosed in PLA General Hospital from 2011 September to 2012 October.Regular ocular examination were performed followed by OCT measurement of retinas.The Optic Disc Cube 200×200 and Macular Cube 200×200 protocols were used during the OCT measurement.Average (360°) RNFLT,RNFLT at four quadrantic sections,cube average macular thickness and macular thickness of nine Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) sub-areas were compared among the LHON genetic carriers,LHON patients and normal controls.Results Compared to the normal control group,significant reduced values were seen in temporal,superior,nasal and inferior side of sub-area macular thickness in the LHON female carriers (P=0.022,0.046,0.024,0.008).In addition,but no significant differences were found in cube average thickness,central subarea macular thickness,temporal,superior,nasal and inferior side of lateral sub-area macular thickness,average RNFLT,and temporal,superior,nasal and inferior quadrant RNFLT between the LHON female carriers and normal controls (P=0.102,0.051,0.238,0.663,0.1 10,0.104,0.419,0.371,0.158,0.063,0.563).Compared to the unaffected female carrier group,female patients showed significant reductions in cube average macular thickness,temporal,superior,nasal and inferior side of sub-area macular thickness,temporal,superior,nasal and inferior side of lateral sub-area mac ular thickness,average R NFLT and temporal,superior,and inferior quadrant RNFLT (P =0.000,0.000,0.000,0.007,0.002,0.002,0.000,0.000,0.040,0.000,0.016,0.000,0.000) except for the central subarea macular thickness and nasal quadrant RNFLT (P=0.388,0.580).Conclusions Unaffected LHON female carriers show a normal peripapillary RNFLT,but the macular thickness at medial sub-area is thinner.This first report offers an information of macular structure change in unaffected LHON female carriers,which suggest that macular damage appears prior to RNFLT change.

Effects of endoplasmic reticulum stress related proteins and their mediated apoptosis in the formation of deep tissue injury of pressure ulcer in rats / 中华烧伤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effects of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) related proteins and their mediated apoptosis in the formation of deep tissue injury of pressure ulcer in rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into normal control group and groups A, B, C, D according to the random number table, with 8 rats in each group. Rats in group A were loaded with 22.47 kPa pressure with a special pressure apparatus for 2.0 h in the region over gracilis, and then unloaded for 0.5 h. Rats in group B were treated with the same manoeuvre as that in group A for 3 times in one day. Rats in groups C and D were treated with the same manoeuvre as that in group B for 2 and 3 days. Rats in normal control group were free from pressure loading. Rats in groups A, B, C, and D were sacrificed after pressure loading, and then the central part of pressure loaded muscular tissues were harvested for observation of histomorphological change with HE staining; apoptotic nucleoli per millimeter pressure loaded muscular tissue were counted with Hoechst 33258 staining; the levels of binding protein (BIP), protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), and caspase-12 were assessed with Western blotting (denoted as gray level ratio of target protein to GAPDH). The same parts of gracilis of rats in normal control group were harvested for determination of all the indexes as above. Data were processed with one-way analysis of variance, LSD-t test was applied for paired comparison.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) Histomorphological observation. Some pathological changes, including inflammatory cell infiltration, myofibers lysis, and vacuolar degeneration, etc. were observed in pressure loaded muscular tissue of rats in groups A, B, C, and D, but not in the same parts of gracilis muscle of rats in normal control group. Compared with those in normal control group [(2.7 ± 1.4) per millimeter muscular tissue], the number of apoptotic nuclei was significantly increased in pressure loaded muscular tissue of rats in groups A, B, C, and D [(14.5 ± 4.4), (11.0 ± 2.9) , (13.8 ± 5.1), (21.3 ± 6.0) per millimeter pressure loaded muscular tissue, with t values from 4.223 to 6.000, P values all below 0.01). (2) Western blotting. The protein expressions of BIP and PDI in rats of normal control group and groups A, B, C, D were respectively 0.64 ± 0.12, 1.20 ± 0.34, 1.59 ± 0.24, 1.17 ± 0.28, 1.44 ± 0.33; 0.48 ± 0.15, 0.61 ± 0.19, 1.23 ± 0.38, 0.37 ± 0.19, 0.29 ± 0.15, and they showed significant statistical difference (with F values respectively 5.32, 7.95, P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The protein expressions of CHOP and caspase-12 in rats of normal control group and groups A, B, C, D were respectively 0.58 ± 0.18, 1.48 ± 0.27, 1.03 ± 0.21, 0.95 ± 0.30, 1.69 ± 0.34; 0.55 ± 0.12, 1.08 ± 0.31, 0.69 ± 0.24, 1.79 ± 0.20, 2.06 ± 0.47, with significant statistical difference (with F values respectively 8.17, 15.48, P values all below 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>ERS related proteins and their apoptotic pathway may play an important role in the formation of deep tissue injury of pressure ulcer in rats.</p>

Expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor in the late stage of pressure ulcer / 中华烧伤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the distribution and expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in the III-IV stage of pressure ulcer wound, and to explore their correlation with ulceration.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-one patients hospitalized in the two Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College from June 2010 to March 2012 were recruited, including twenty-one patients with 23 pressure ulcer of stage III-IV, 14 acute injury patients, and 6 donors of normal skin. Samples harvested from the 41 patients through surgery were divided into four groups, including pressure ulcer centre group (n = 23), pressure ulcer margin group (n = 23), acute wound group (n = 14), and normal skin group (n = 6). The histological changes in wounds were observed after HE staining. The distribution of collagen fiber in wound was observed with Masson staining. Expressions of VEGF and bFGF in wounds were detected with immunohistochemical staining. Data were processed with independent samples t test and paired samples t test.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) In the two pressure ulcer groups, large number of inflammatory cells were found in aggregation; the expression of collagen fiber was decreased or disappeared; the positive expressions of VEGF and bFGF were mainly located in fibroblasts and endothelial cells. The expression levels of VEGF and bFGF were respectively 100 ± 39, 132 ± 46 in pressure ulcer centre group, and 228 ± 48, 299 ± 80 in pressure ulcer margin group. The differences between the two pressure ulcer groups were statistically significant (with t values respectively 13.497 and 13.020, P values below 0.01). (2) In acute wound group, a large number of fibroblasts but a small amount of collagen fibers were observed; the positive expressions of VEGF and bFGF were mainly located in fibroblasts, with respective expression levels of 292 ± 59 and 443 ± 194, which were significantly higher than those of the two pressure ulcer groups (with t values from 2.370 to 11.570, P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). (3) In normal skin group, structure of tissue was appropriate, and abundant collagen fibers were observed; the expression levels of VEGF and bFGF were respectively 45 ± 18 and 54 ± 22, which were significantly lower than those of the other three groups (with t values from 3.983 to 14.087, P values all below 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>In contrast with those of the acute wounds, the expression levels of VEGF and bFGF are significantly decreased in the pressure ulcer wound at stage III-IV. It may be closely correlated with the decrease or cessation of the synthesis of collagen fiber.</p>

Ocular manifestations of intracranial germinomas: three cases report and literature review / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Intracranial germinomas are malignant neoplasms of gonadal origin, which have some features in terms of age, sex, and clinical manifestations. They mainly occur in children and adolescents. Patients with intracranial germinomas mainly manifest with hypothalamic pituitary axis dysfunction and/or compression syndromes. Visual disturbance is one of the most significant clinical presentations, which is mainly caused by tumor cell infiltration into the optic pathway. In this article, we present three cases of patient with intracranial germinoma to analyze the ocular manifestations. All the three patients presented with endocrine symptoms in the early stage and with visual disturbances (including decreased visual acuity and visual field defects) later. In general, germinoma is diagnosed by its characteristic radiological appearance, supported by tumor markers and/or stereotactic biopsy. However, decisive diagnoses were established when ocular manifestations were presented. A suspicion for germinoma should be considered, when young patients manifest visual disturbances accompanied by endocrine symptoms.