Nailfold capillaroscopy alterations in androgenetic alopecia: A cross-sectional study

Background: Androgenetic alopecia is considered to be an independent predictor of mortality from diabetes mellitus and heart disease. However, whether androgenetic alopecia causes changes in microcirculation is unknown. Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate whether alterations in nailfold capillaries occur in androgenetic alopecia patients. Methods: The nailfold capillaroscopy images of androgenetic alopecia patients and matched controls were collected and analyzed. Results: The frequencies of avascular areas, dilated, bushy and bizarre capillaries and capillary disorganization, nailfold capillaroscopy scores of 2 or scores both 2 and 3 were significantly higher in the androgenetic alopecia group than in the healthy controls (9.0% vs. 0%, 57.7% vs. 19.2%, 3.8% vs. 0%, 2.8% vs. 1.3%, 3.8% vs. 0%, 38.5% vs. 12.8% and 39.7% vs. 12.8%, respectively). Limitations: The results of this study may be biased on account of the limited sample size or the presence of an undiagnosed disease in participants which could alter the nailfold capillaries. Conclusion: Bushy, bizarre and dilated capillaries, capillary disorganization, avascular areas and nailfold capillaroscopy scores of 2 or 2 and 3 were more common in androgenetic alopecia patients than in healthy controls. These findings indicate that abnormalities in microcirculation may be involved in androgenetic alopecia

Effect evaluation of online lifestyle intervention on women with infertility and central obesity / 预防医学

Objective@#To evaluate the effect of online lifestyle intervention based on cognitive behavior adjustment on the female patients with infertility and central obesity. @*Methods@#From November 2019 to November 2020, the women with infertility and central obesity in the Reproductive Medicine Center of Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital were recruited and divided into two groups. The intervention group received online lifestyle intervention based on cognitive behavior adjustment for twelve weeks, and the control group received routine health education. Body weight, waist circumference, fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), body fat, the pregnancy rate and the abortion rate were compared between the two groups. @*Results@#There were 78 cases each in the intervention group and the control group, aged (31.15±4.87) years and (31.17±4.81) years, respectively. There were no significant differences between the two groups in age, body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR and body fat percentage before intervention (all P>0.05). After twelve-week intervention, the results of mixed effect model showed that the decrease of waist circumference, fasting insulin and body fat percentage in the intervention group were greater than those in the control group (all P<0.05). After six-month follow-up, there was no significant differences in the pregnancy rate (33.33% vs. 23.08%) and the abortion rate (7.69% vs. 16.67%) between the two groups (both P>0.05). @*Conclusion@#Online lifestyle intervention based on cognitive behavior adjustment helps to control central obesity and hyperinsulinemia.

Risk perception, emergency preparedness and emergency literacy among medical students under COVID-19 epidemic / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To investigate risk perception, emergency preparedness and emergency literacy among medical students under COVID-19 epidemic.@*Methods@#An online survey was conducted by using the self designed COVID-19 questionnaire on risk perception, emergency preparedness and emergency literacy from March 27 to March 30, 2020. The convenience sampling method was used to investigate 4 864 medical students from 2 colleges and technical secondary schools in Sichuan Province.@*Results@#The scores of risk perception, emergency preparedness and emergency literacy associated with COVID-19 were(35.18±4.33)(28.30±4.16) and(25.23±2.97) respectively. Risk perception of medical students was positively correlated with emergency preparedness and emergency literacy(r=0.35, 0.40), emergency preparedness was positively correlated with emergency literacy(r=0.51)(P<0.05).@*Conclusion@#Considering interrelationships among risk perception, emergency preparedness and emergency literacy associated with COVID-19, medical students should be given targeted prevention and control training.

Effects of SSTF on lipid metabolism and oxidative stress in rats with hypertriglyceridemia / 医学研究生学报

ObjectiveThe study of the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia with scutellaria baicalensis stem-leaf total flavonoid (SSTF) are rarely reported.The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of SSTF on lipid metabolism and oxidative stress in rats with hypertriglyceridemia.Methods60 SD rats were randomly divided into normal group, model group, fenofibrate group (100 mg·kg-1), SSTF groups with low, medium and high doses (50,100,200 mg·kg-1, respectively). All rats, except those of the normal group, were fed with high-fat diet and given corresponding drug intervention for 6 weeks. Then the body masses at the 2nd, 4th and 6th weeks as well as wet weight of the liver at the end of 6th week were recorded, and liver index was calculated. The serum levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were detected. The levels of TG, TC, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) in liver tissue were determined, and liver histopathological changes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining.ResultsIn the model group, compared with the normal group, the body masses at the 2nd, 4th and 6th weeks and liver index at the end of 6th week were increased, the serum levels of TG, TC and LDL-C got increased with decreased HDL-C level, and the levels of TG[（1.603±0.146）mmol/L], TC[（3.474±0.356）mmol/L] and MDA[（10.288±1.979）nmol/mg] in liver tissue were increased with decreased levels of SOD[（106.840±24.014）U/mg] and GSH-PX[（9.278±2.079）U/mg]. Compared with the model group,the fenofibrate group and all SSTF groups showed decreased body masses at the 2nd, 4th and 6th weeks and liver index at the end of 6th week, decreased serum levels of TG, TC and LDL-C with increased level of HDL-C, and decreased levels of TG, TC and MDA with increased levels of SOD and GSH-PX in liver tissue. The comparsion between the fenofibrate group and the high-dose SSTF group revealed that the body masses at the 4th and 6th weeks and liver index at the end of 6th week were decreased, the serum levels of TG, TC and LDL-C were decreased with increased level of HDL-C, and the levels of TG[（0.718±0.135）mmol/L] and MDA[（5.071±1.305）nmol/mg] in liver tissue got decreased with increased levels of SOD[（172.210±30.214）U/mg] and GSH-PX[（14.623±2.418）U/mg] in the latter group. All the above-mentioned differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05).ConclusionSSTF can regulate lipid metabolism and improve pathological injury of liver in hypertriglyceridemia rats, which may be related with inhibition of lipid peroxidation and reduction of oxidative stress.

Impact of enhanced recovery after surgery on postoperative rehabilitation, inflammation, and immunity in gastric carcinoma patients: a randomized clinical trial

We determined the effects of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in patients undergoing radical surgery for gastric carcinoma. Sixty patients undergoing radical gastrectomy for gastric carcinoma in Lishui Hospital between March and October 2016 were randomized to receive either ERAS (30 patients) or conventional care (30 patients, controls). Clinical, economic, and laboratory indices were analyzed. ERAS patients showed faster recovery and shorter postoperative hospital stays than the controls (P<0.05). Some clinical indices (i.e., time to first flatus and defecation, time to removal of drainage tubes, time to resumption of oral feeding, time to postoperative mobilization, and postoperative complications) were significantly better in ERAS patients than in controls. Duration of postoperative infusion was lower in ERAS patients than in controls (P<0.05). In ERAS patients, serum albumin and prealbumin were higher on postoperative day 7, C-reactive protein was lower on postoperative days 3 and 7, and neutrophil count was lower on postoperative day 3 compared to the values in controls (P<0.05 for all). IgM levels were higher in ERAS patients on postoperative days 3 and 7 (P<0.05), while IgG levels were higher on postoperative day 3 (P<0.05). Total T lymphocytes were higher in ERAS patients on postoperative day 3, while helper T cells and CD4+/CD8+ ratio were higher on postoperative days 3 and 7 (P<0.05 for all). In gastric carcinoma patients, ERAS may reduce perioperative inflammation, improve immunity and postoperative nutrition, shorten hospitalization, and enhance rehabilitation.

Risk Factors for Prognosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Curative Resection In Patients with Low Hepatitis B Viral Load

ABSTRACT Background. A retrospective cohort study was conducted to investigate the effect of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) level on prognosis in low viral load (< 2000 lU/mL) patients with hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after curative resection. Material and methods. A total of 192 patients with low viral load who had received curative resection of pathologically confirmed HCC were analyzed to determine the factors affecting prognosis. The risk factors for survival, early and late recurrence (2 years as a cut-off) were studied. Results. The median follow-up time was 38.5 months. The overall survival rates at 1-, 3-, and 5-year after curative resection were 94.2%, 64.0%, and 45.2%, respectively. The cumulative recurrence rates at 1-, 3-, and 5-year after curative resection were 22.4%, 46.5%, and 67.0%, respectively. Patients with high serum HBsAg levels (> 250 lU/mL) had significantly lower survival rates than those with low HBsAg levels (HR: 1.517,95% Cl: 1.005-2.292, P = 0.047). Stratified analysis showed that patients with high HBsAg levels had a significantly higher late recurrence incidence than those with low HBsAg levels (HR: 2.155, 95% Cl: 1.094-4.248, P = 0.026), but did not have a significantly higher risk of early recurrence postoperatively (HR: 1.320,95% Cl: 0. 837-2.082, P = 0.233). Multivariate analysis revealed that HBsAg > 250 lU/mL was an independent risk factor associated with late recurrence (HR: 2.109, 95% Cl: 1.068-4.165, P = 0.032). Conclusions. HBsAg > 250 lU/mL at the time of tumor resection was an independent risk factor for late recurrence in low viral load HCC patients.

Simultaneous Determination of Furan and Vinyl Acetate in Vapor Phase of Mainstream Cigarette Smoke by GC-MS

ABSTRACT A simple and sensitive method for simultaneous determination of furan and vinyl acetate (VA) in vapor phase of mainstream cigarette smoke with cold trap and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed. A Cambridge filter pad (CFP) was placed in front of the impingers of smoking machine to remove the particle phase from cigarette smoke. Furan and VA in vapor phase of mainstream cigarette smoke were collected in two impingers connected in series by filled with methanol at -78°C. The solutions were added with deuterium-labeled furan-d4 and VA-d6 as internal standards and analyzed by GC-MS. The results showed that the calibration curves for furan and VA were linear (r2 > 0.9995) over the studied concentration range. The intra- and inter-day precision values for furan and VA were <7.07% and <9.62%, respectively. The extraction recoveries of furan and VA were in the range of 94.5-97.7% and 92.3-94.9%, respectively. Moreover, the limits of detection for furan and VA were 0.028 µg mL-1 and 1.3 ng mL-1, respectively. The validated method has been successfully applied to determine the emissions of furan and VA in the vapor phase of mainstream cigarette smoke under International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and Canadian Intense (CI) smoking regimen.

Increased expression of aryl hydrocarbon receptor and interleukin 22 in patients with allergic asthma.

Objectives: We sought to determine whether the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and interleukin (IL)-22 may be involved in the pathogenesis of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in allergic asthmatic patients and whether their expression may be related to the severity of the disease. Methods: Blood samples were obtained from each subject with allergic asthma (n =18), controlled asthma (n =17) and healthy controls (n =12) respectively. The PBMCs were collected for AhR mRNA detection by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The plasma was collected for IL-22 protein detection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results: The expression of AhR mRNA in PBMCs and IL-22 protein in plasma of patients with allergic asthma were higher than those in controlled asthma cases and healthy controls. The plasma concentrations of IL-22 had negative correlation with the predicted percentage of forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1%) and the percentage of FEV1 and forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC%) and it was positively correlated with the asthma severity score (ASS) of the asthmatics. Conclusion: Our results suggested that both AhR and IL-22 might be involved in the pathogenesis of allergic asthma in human and the level of IL-22 might have some relationship with the severity of the disease.