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ObjectiveTo discuss the diagnostic methods of global developmental delay caused by 10q24.3 heterozygous loss. MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of one child with global developmental delay, and the results of low depth whole-genome copy number variation sequencing (CNVseq) and family whole exome sequencing (WES) of the child and his parents. ResultsThe patient was a 10-month-old male with developmental retardation in four areas, with some special features (ocular hypertelorism, strabismus, flat nose bridge, protruding forehead, cleft palate, high palatal arch, etc.) and hypotonia of limbs. The CNVseq and WES test showed that the patient had new 10q24.3 heterozygosis loss. Because this region contains the gene SUFU associated with basal cell nevus syndrome and the gene CNNM2 associated with hypomagnesemia, seizures, and mental retardation, and the gene TRIM8 associated of Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis with neurodevelopmental syndrome, we speculated that the cause of the disease in the child was highly related to the heterozygosity deletion of SUFU gene and CNNM2 gene and TRIM8 gene. ConclusionGenetic testing should be improved as soon as possible for children with global developmental delay and special facial manifestations, so as to make clear diagnosis and to judge prognosis.
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Objective:To observe the short-term efficacy and safety of a new strategy of dexamethasone intravitreal implant (DEX) combined with ranibizumab in the treatment of retinal vein occlusion (RVO) secondary to macular edema (ME) (RVO-ME).Methods:A prospective clinical interventional study. From May 2020 to September 2021, 78 RVO-ME patients with 78 eyes diagnosed in the eye examination of Department of Ophthalmology of The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Science&Technology were included in the study. Among them, there were 35 males and 43 females, all with monocular disease. Branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) was found in 40 patients with 40 eyes; central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) was found in 38 patients with 38 eyes. According to the treatment strategies, patients were randomly divided into DEX and ranibizumab combination therapy group (initial combination therapy group), DEX monotherapy group and ranibizumab monotherapy group, with 29 eyes, 26 eyes and 23 eyes respectively. Different types of RVO were divided into different treatment groups of BRVO and CRVO. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and frequency domain optical coherence tomography were performed. The BCVA examination was carried out using the international standard visual acuity chart, which was converted into the logarithmic minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) visual acuity during statistics. There were no significant differences in logMAR BCVA ( χ2 =2.376) and central retinal thickness (CRT) ( F=0.052) among the three groups ( P>0.05). After treatment, the patients were followed up every month for 6 months. The changes of BCVA, CRT and the incidence of adverse reactions were observed during follow-up. One-way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis H test were used to compare the differences. Results:During the follow-up period, compared with the baseline, the BCVA of the eyes in the initial combination treatment group, DEX treatment group and ranibizumab treatment group were significantly improved ( Z=110.970, 90.359, 207.303), and CRT was significantly decreased ( F=107.172, 88.418, 61.040), the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.01). At 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 months after treatment, there were significant differences in the mean changes in BCVA between the initial combined treatment group, DEX treatment group, and ranibizumab treatment group ( χ2=34.522, 29.570, 14.199, 7.000, 6.434, 6.880; P<0.05); 1, 2, 3, and 6 months after treatment, the differences were statistically significant ( F=4.313, 7.520, 3.699, 3.152; P<0.05). The time required to improve BCVA by 0.1 logMAR units in the initial combination treatment group, DEX treatment group, and ranibizumab treatment group was 5.73 (3.21, 8.48), 9.97 (6.29, 18.78), and 20.00 (9.41, 37.89) d, respectively; The time required for CRT to drop to 300 μm was 24.31 (21.32, 26.15), 29.42 (25.65, 31.37), and 29.17 (25.28, 36.94) d, respectively. The BCVA improvement of 0.1 logMAR unit and the time required for CRT to decrease to 300 μm in the eyes of initial combined treatment group were shorter than those in the eyes of DEX treatment group and the ranibizumab treatment group, and the differences were statistically significant ( Z=-3.533, -4.445, -3.670, -4.030; P<0.01). Different BRVO treatment groups: 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 months after treatment, the mean BCVA changes were significantly different ( χ 2=24.989, 21.652, 11.627, 7.054, 9.698; P<0.05); CRVO was different treatment group: 1 and 2 months after treatment, there were significant differences in mean BCVA changes ( χ 2=11.137, 9.746; P<0.05). Two months after treatment, there were significant differences in CRT changes between BRVO and CRVO groups with different treatment regimens ( F=3.960, 3.722; P<0.01). The time required to improve BCVA by 0.1 logMAR unit in the eyes of BRVO and CRVO combined treatment group was shorter than that in the eyes of BRVO, CRVO DEX treatment group and the BRVO, CRVO ranibizumab treatment group, and the differences were statistically significant (BRVO: Z=-2.687, -3.877; P<0.05; CRVO: Z=-2.437, -3.575; P<0.05). The time required for CRT to drop to 300 μm in the CRVO combined treatment group was significantly shorter than that in the CRVO DEX treatment group and the CRVO ranibizumab treatment group, and the difference was statistically significant ( F=6.910, P<0.010); there was no statistically significant difference between the different BRVO treatment groups ( F=1.786, P>0.05). The number of re-treated eyes in the initial combined treatment group and DEX treatment group was less than that in the ranibizumab treatment group, and the difference was statistically significant ( χ 2=18.330, 7.224; P<0.05). The retreatment interval of the eyes in the initial combined treatment group was significantly longer than that in the DEX treatment group and the ranibizumab treatment group, and the difference was statistically significant ( P <0.01). There was no significant difference in the incidence of intraocular hypertension among the initial combined treatment group, DEX treatment group and ranibizumab treatment group ( χ2=0.058, P>0.05). Conclusions:The new strategy of initial combination therapy with DEX and ranibizumab in the treatment of RVO-ME has a better short-term effect. Compared with the monotherapy group, the retreatment interval is shorter, the visual and anatomical benefits are faster, the efficacy lasts longer, and the safety is better.
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Objective:To observe the short-term efficacy and safety of a new strategy of dexamethasone intravitreal implant (DEX) combined with ranibizumab in the treatment of retinal vein occlusion (RVO) secondary to macular edema (ME) (RVO-ME).Methods:A prospective clinical interventional study. From May 2020 to September 2021, 78 RVO-ME patients with 78 eyes diagnosed in the eye examination of Department of Ophthalmology of The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Science&Technology were included in the study. Among them, there were 35 males and 43 females, all with monocular disease. Branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) was found in 40 patients with 40 eyes; central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) was found in 38 patients with 38 eyes. According to the treatment strategies, patients were randomly divided into DEX and ranibizumab combination therapy group (initial combination therapy group), DEX monotherapy group and ranibizumab monotherapy group, with 29 eyes, 26 eyes and 23 eyes respectively. Different types of RVO were divided into different treatment groups of BRVO and CRVO. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and frequency domain optical coherence tomography were performed. The BCVA examination was carried out using the international standard visual acuity chart, which was converted into the logarithmic minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) visual acuity during statistics. There were no significant differences in logMAR BCVA ( χ2 =2.376) and central retinal thickness (CRT) ( F=0.052) among the three groups ( P>0.05). After treatment, the patients were followed up every month for 6 months. The changes of BCVA, CRT and the incidence of adverse reactions were observed during follow-up. One-way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis H test were used to compare the differences. Results:During the follow-up period, compared with the baseline, the BCVA of the eyes in the initial combination treatment group, DEX treatment group and ranibizumab treatment group were significantly improved ( Z=110.970, 90.359, 207.303), and CRT was significantly decreased ( F=107.172, 88.418, 61.040), the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.01). At 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 months after treatment, there were significant differences in the mean changes in BCVA between the initial combined treatment group, DEX treatment group, and ranibizumab treatment group ( χ2=34.522, 29.570, 14.199, 7.000, 6.434, 6.880; P<0.05); 1, 2, 3, and 6 months after treatment, the differences were statistically significant ( F=4.313, 7.520, 3.699, 3.152; P<0.05). The time required to improve BCVA by 0.1 logMAR units in the initial combination treatment group, DEX treatment group, and ranibizumab treatment group was 5.73 (3.21, 8.48), 9.97 (6.29, 18.78), and 20.00 (9.41, 37.89) d, respectively; The time required for CRT to drop to 300 μm was 24.31 (21.32, 26.15), 29.42 (25.65, 31.37), and 29.17 (25.28, 36.94) d, respectively. The BCVA improvement of 0.1 logMAR unit and the time required for CRT to decrease to 300 μm in the eyes of initial combined treatment group were shorter than those in the eyes of DEX treatment group and the ranibizumab treatment group, and the differences were statistically significant ( Z=-3.533, -4.445, -3.670, -4.030; P<0.01). Different BRVO treatment groups: 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 months after treatment, the mean BCVA changes were significantly different ( χ 2=24.989, 21.652, 11.627, 7.054, 9.698; P<0.05); CRVO was different treatment group: 1 and 2 months after treatment, there were significant differences in mean BCVA changes ( χ 2=11.137, 9.746; P<0.05). Two months after treatment, there were significant differences in CRT changes between BRVO and CRVO groups with different treatment regimens ( F=3.960, 3.722; P<0.01). The time required to improve BCVA by 0.1 logMAR unit in the eyes of BRVO and CRVO combined treatment group was shorter than that in the eyes of BRVO, CRVO DEX treatment group and the BRVO, CRVO ranibizumab treatment group, and the differences were statistically significant (BRVO: Z=-2.687, -3.877; P<0.05; CRVO: Z=-2.437, -3.575; P<0.05). The time required for CRT to drop to 300 μm in the CRVO combined treatment group was significantly shorter than that in the CRVO DEX treatment group and the CRVO ranibizumab treatment group, and the difference was statistically significant ( F=6.910, P<0.010); there was no statistically significant difference between the different BRVO treatment groups ( F=1.786, P>0.05). The number of re-treated eyes in the initial combined treatment group and DEX treatment group was less than that in the ranibizumab treatment group, and the difference was statistically significant ( χ 2=18.330, 7.224; P<0.05). The retreatment interval of the eyes in the initial combined treatment group was significantly longer than that in the DEX treatment group and the ranibizumab treatment group, and the difference was statistically significant ( P <0.01). There was no significant difference in the incidence of intraocular hypertension among the initial combined treatment group, DEX treatment group and ranibizumab treatment group ( χ2=0.058, P>0.05). Conclusions:The new strategy of initial combination therapy with DEX and ranibizumab in the treatment of RVO-ME has a better short-term effect. Compared with the monotherapy group, the retreatment interval is shorter, the visual and anatomical benefits are faster, the efficacy lasts longer, and the safety is better.
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Objective:To investigate methods of molecular diagnosis and clinical features of 46, XY disorders of sexual development(DSD).Methods:A total of 206 cases of 46, XY DSD patients, who visited the Shanghai Ninth People′s Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, from July 2009 to June 2021, underwent AA chip based on multiplex PCR and probe-capture-targeted next-generation sequencing. Clinical features of patients with genetic diagnosis were analyzed.Results:Among 206 patients, the diagnostic rate of patients with micropenis, hypospadias and cryptorchidism was the highest, up to 75.28%. Almost all patients had different degrees of undermasculinized external genitalia. The most frequent phenotype was micropenis with hypospadias(87.25%). Only one gene variant was detected in 81 patients(39.32%), multiple genetic variants were detected in 104 patients(50.49%), and no gene variant was identified in 21 patients(10.19%). 107 patients had definite genetic diagnosis, with a diagnostic rate of 51.94% by adding the pathogenic and likely pathogenic ratios following the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics(ACMG) guidelines, including 40 patients of steroid 5α-reductase type 2(SRD5A2) variants(37.38%), 36 patients of androgen receptor(AR) variants(33.64%), 13 patients of steroidogenic factor 1(NR5A1) variants(16.82%), 6 patients of 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases 3(HSD17B3) variants(5.61%), 2 patients of 17α-hydroxylase/17, 20-lyase enzyme(CYP17A1), Wilms′ tumor 1(WT1) and GATA binding protein 4(GATA4) variants(1.87%), and one patient of luteinizing hormone receptor(LHCGR) variant(0.93%). Gynecomastia was found in 29 of 81 postpubertal patients, of which 25(86.21%) had AR variants.Conclusions:46, XY DSD presents complex clinical manifestations and molecular etiologies. Targeted nextgeneration sequencing has the advantages of high throughput, high efficiency and low cost, which has a high value especially in etiological diagnosis of 46, XY DSD with large genetic heterogeneity.
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Objective:To investigate the specific types of lateral meniscus injury in Schatzker type II tibial plateau fractures and its potential correlation with CT features of the lateral plateau.Methods:The data of 213 patients with Schatzker II tibial plateau fractures from August 2014 to June 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, including 132 males and 81 females, aged from 29 to 61 years, with an average of 44.9 years. All patients underwent arthroscopic evaluation of fracture reduction immediately after open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF). According to the actual situation during the operation, the types and locations of lateral meniscus injury were determined and the patients were divided into the meniscus injury group and non-injury group. By measuring lateral plateau depression (LPD) and lateral plateau widening (LPW) of the lateral tibial plateau on CT images, the correlation of which and lateral meniscus injury was analyzed. The optimal critical values of LPD and LPW for predicting lateral meniscus injury were obtained by drawing the relevant receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.Results:The meniscus injury group (109 patients) mainly showed injuries involving the mid-body and posterior horn of lateral meniscus (98.2%, 107/109) and LPD was 13.1±3.2 mm; while the LPD of 104 patients without meniscus injury was 9.1±3.0 mm with a statistical difference ( t=3.98, P<0.001). The LPW of meniscus injury group and non-injury groups was 8.0±1.3 mm and 6.7±1.6 mm, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( t=2.68, P=0.011). The optimal predictive critical point of LPD and LPW was 7.6 mm (sensitivity 90.3%, specificity 64.7%, area under the curve 0.834) and 7.3 mm (sensitivity 80.5%, specificity 58.8%, area under the curve 0.722). Conclusion:Schatzker II tibial plateau fractures combined with lateral meniscus injury is usually characterized by meniscus-joint capsule separation, rupture and longitudinal fracture. The mid-body and posterior horn of lateral meniscus injury is more likely to occur when LPD> 7.6 mm and/or LPW> 7.3 mm on coronal CT images.
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On October, 2021, the WHO announced the recommendation of RTS, S/AS01 for use among children living in moderately and highly malaria-endemic areas, which receives global attention. Here, the history of RTS, S/AS01 vaccine development and its role in malaria control are described.
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@#Diagnosis of early keratoconus(KC)contributes to identifying potential patients before typical clinical symptoms. It also contributes to timely intervention of the progress of disease and improvement of long-term prognosis. Hence, it is crucial to prevent iatrogenic corneal ectasia and reduce the burden of keratoplasty. There are diverse kinds of early KC diagnosis techniques, including corneal topography, corneal aberrations, epithelial and corneal thickness measurement, corneal confocal microscopy, corneal biomechanics, and genetic examination. Since it is often difficult to ensure sufficient sensitivity and specificity with single technique, multiple techniques are beneficial to evaluate the cornea comprehensively, which may become the development tendency of early KC diagnosis in the future.
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Sophora alopecuroides, a plant of the family Leguminosae, is one of the Daodi herbs in Ningxia. The active constituents of Sophora alopecuroides are abundant and complex, including alkaloids, flavonoids, volatile oils, steroids, polysaccharides, fatty acids and so on. In recent decades, a great number of domestic and overseas studies have been carried out on Sophora alopecuroides alkaloids, which have anti-hepatitis, anti-liver fibrosis, anti-cirrhosis, anti-liver failure and anti-liver cancer and other pharmacological effects. Clinically, Matrine-related drugs are used to treat hepatitis B virus infection and other diseases. This review aims to summarize the main active ingredients of Sophora alopecuroides, mainly focusing on the research progress in their treatment activities for liver diseases.
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Objective: To describe the prevalence of e-cigarette use among adolescent in Zhejiang province, and to analyze its distribution of different genders and school types to provide evidence for controlling the use of e-cigarette among adolescent. Methods: A total of 7 663 students from 60 middle schools through stratified multi-stage cluster sampling methods from Zhejiang province were surveyed by using questionnaire. Indicators as tried to use e-cigarette rate, current e-cigarette using rate, and other indicators were collected. All data were weighted by age proportions of adolescent in Zhejiang. Results: The prevalence of tried to use and current using e-cigarettes among middle school students were 6.99% and 1.45%, respectively; and there were 4.19% juniors who were susceptibility to future e-cigarette use. The rate of tied to use e-cigarette, current using e-cigarette and susceptibility to future e-cigarette use were higher in boys than in girls. The rate of current using e-cigarette was 2.07% for rural and 0.48% for urban. Technical secondary school students had the highest rate of tried to use e-cigarette and susceptibility to future e-cigarette use (13.53%, 6.91%). Junior school students (2.96%) had the lowest level of susceptibility to future tobacco use. The rate of tried e-cigarette use and current e-cigarette use and susceptibility to future e-cigarette use were higher in the group of "One of students' parents was smoker" (8.63%, 2.19%, 5.23%). The highest rate of current smoking was found in the group of "Weekly allowance more than 50 Yuan" (10.02%, 2.54%, 6.29%). Compared to technical secondary school students, senior school student (OR=0.57) and junior school students (OR=0.45) were less likely to try to use e-cigarette. Students whose weekly allowance were less than 20 Yuan were less likely to try to use e-cigarette (OR=0.49). Students who were boys (OR=5.44) and one of their parents was smoker (OR=1.59) were more likely to try to use e-cigarette. Conclusions: There were middle school students with tried e-cigarette use and current e-cigarette use, especially in technical secondary schools. The prevalence of e-cigarette using among middle school students increased with age. It is important to further spread of e-cigarette knowledge widely and deeply, and reduce the susceptible population of adolescents using e-cigarettes.
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Adolescent , Female , Humans , Male , China/epidemiology , Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems , Prevalence , Schools , Surveys and Questionnaires , Tobacco Products , VapingABSTRACT
"Omics" and bioinformatics have brought new ideas to the study of traditional Chinese medicine. This study used metabonomics and network pharmacology to investigate the pharmacodynamic basis and regulation of Qishen Yiqi dropping pill (QDP) improving cardiac energy metabolism in rats with heart failure (HF). 1H NMR metabonomics analysis showed that eight metabolites, including carnitine, glutamine, creatine, proline, homocitrulline, lactic acid, taurine and alanine appeared significant callback after QDP treatment for HF. The results indicate that QDP regulates the metabolism of carbohydrate, lipid, ATP and protein. The animal experiment was conducted in accordance with the regulations of the Ethics Committee for Experimental Animal Management and Animal Welfare of Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. A "drug-component-target-disease" network was established using network pharmacology, and the "component-target" sub-network related to the above energy metabolism processes was extracted by combining metabonomics results. Results revealed 79 chemical compounds and 47 potential targets of QDP involved in the regulation of energy metabolism, and identified key chemical components including ursolic acid, notoginsenoside G, ginsenoside-Rh1, and core targets such as INS, PPARG, and AKT1. The results also demonstrated the complex multi-target and multi-component relationship between QDP and HF from the perspective of energy metabolism. The molecular docking technique verified a strong interaction between some targets and chemical compounds, with affinities less than -5 kcal·mol-1. The results of this study provide useful information for the clinical application, development, and utilization of QDP.
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Abstract@#The aging process is increasingly accelerating in China, and the improvement of health literacy is a prerequisite to achieving health for all, and is an important strategy to promote healthy aging. Based on recent studies pertaining to health literacy among the elderly, this review, from the perspective of aging, summarizes the level and common influencing factors of health literacy among Chinese elderly populations, and discusses the health literacy promotion strategies among the elderly, so as to provide insights into improving the health literacy surveillance and promotion quality and health literacy levels among the elderly.
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Objective @#To investigate the establishment of smoke-free environments in medical and healthcare institutions in Zhejiang Province, so as to provide the evidence for improving the implementation of the tobacco control policy in medical and healthcare institutions.@*Methods@#Health administrative sectors and public health institutions at provincial, city and county levels, secondary and tertiary medical institutions, and community health service/township health centers in Zhejiang Province were enrolled. The status of institutional establishment of smoke-free environments was investigated through concealed photography and consulting medical service guides by the assigned the third-party professional investigation company in 2021. The layout of smoke-free environments and indoor smoking were assessed according to the Criteria for Scoring Smoking-free Medical and Healthcare Institutions.@*Results@#Totally 547 medical and healthcare institutions were enrolled in this undercover investigation, including 102 health administrative sectors, 209 public health institutions, 146 secondary and tertiary medical institutions, and 90 community health service/township health centers. The gross mean scores of establishment of smoke-free environments were 83.41±12.19 among all medical and healthcare institutions, 82.02±10.73, 85.56±9.70 and 83.18±12.59 among province-, city- and county-level medical and healthcare institutions, respectively, and the gross mean scores of establishment of smoke-free environments were 82.60±12.27, 85.79±10.74, 80.89±13.85, 82.27±11.62 scores among health administrative sectors, public health institutions, secondary and tertiary medical institutions and community health service/township health centers, respectively. There were 315 institutions with no smoking signs at entrances (57.59%), 255 institutions posting no smoking signs ( 46.62% ), 245 institutions assigning two and more types of health education materials for tobacco control ( 44.79% ), 110 institutions with outdoor smoking areas ( 51.16% ), 66 secondary and tertiary medical institutions with smoking cessation clinics ( 45.20% ) and 354 institutions with carpet smoking bans in indoor places ( 64.72% ).@*Conclusions@#The overall establishment of smoke-free environments is satisfactory among medical and healthcare institutions in Zhejiang Province. Nevertheless, improving the coverage of no smoking signs and health education of tobacco control, promoting the standardized construction of smoking cessation clinics and establishing a long-action tobacco control mechanism are still needed.
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Objective@#To investigate the prevalence of cigarette and electronic cigarette ( e-cigarette ) use among adults in Zhejiang Province, so as to provide insights into tobacco control. @*Methods @#Thirty study sites were randomly sampled from Zhejiang Province in 2020 using a multi-stage stratified random sampling method, and permanent residents at ages of 15 to 69 years were selected as study subjects. A questionnaire was designed based on the questionnaire for the China Adult Tobacco Survey to collect subjects' demographic characteristics, cigarette and e-cigarette use, smoking cessation and exposure to secondhand smoke ( SHS ). The weighted prevalence of smoking, current smoking, current e-cigarette smoking, smoking cessation and exposure to SHS was estimated based on the Seventh National Population Census in 2020.@*Results @#A total of 19 200 questionnaires were recovered, and 19 180 were valid, with an effective recovery rate of 99.90%. The respondents had a mean age of ( 50.30±12.90 ) years, with a male to female ratio of 1∶1.06 and an urban/rural population ratio of 1∶1.31. Among all the respondents, there were 6 033 smokers ( 31.45% ), 4 163 current smokers ( 21.70% ), 201 current e-cigarette users ( 1.05% ), 146 cigarette and e-cigarette dual users ( 0.76% ), 1 870 respondents quitting smoking ( 31.00% of smokers ) and 7 189 respondents with exposure to SHS ( 47.87% of non-smokers ). The weighted prevalence of smoking, current e-cigarette use, cigarette and e-cigarette dual uses, smoking cessation and exposure to SHS was 20.49%, 1.34%, 0.94%, 29.56% and 49.53% in Zhejiang Province, respectively, and the prevalence of current smoking, current e-cigarette use, cigarette and e-cigarette dual uses and exposure to SHS was 40.39%, 2.39%, 1.86% and 55.31% among males and 0.35%, 0.28%, <0.01% and 46.02% among females, respectively. The highest prevalence of current smoking was seen among respondents at ages of 55 to 64 years ( 24.24% ), while the highest prevalence of current e-cigarette use and cigarette and e-cigarette dual uses was seen in adults at ages of 25 to 34 years ( 2.18% and 1.58% ).@*Conclusions @#The prevalence of current e-cigarette use was higher among adults in Zhejiang Province in 2020 than the nationwide level in China. The prevalence of cigarette use was lower among adults in Zhejiang Province in 2020 than the nationwide level in China; however, improving the management of tobacco control in public places and the capacity building of smoking cessation services is still required to reduce the use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes.
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Objective To investigate the effects of nitroquine on the development of different stages of Plasmodium yoelii in Anopheles stephensi. Methods An. stephensi mosquitoes were fed with conventional sucrose water or sucrose water containing 100 μmol/L nitroquine one day prior to P. yoelii infection. Following starvation for 24 hours, mosquitoes were fed with the blood of Kunming mice infected with P. yoelii, and the number of oocysts was observed in the stomach of An. stephensi. After 6 days and 14 days of infection, the mosquitoes were starved for 24 hours, and then fed with conventional sucrose water or nitroquine treated sucrose water. The An. stephensi mosquitoes were starved for 24 hours 6 and 14 days post-infection with P. yoelii, and then fed with conventional sucrose water or nitroquine-containing sucrose water, the numbers of P. yoelii sporozoites were examined in the hemolymph and salivary glands of An. stephensi. Results Following exposure to nitroquine-containing sucrose water one day prior to P. yoelii infections, the number of P. yoelii oocysts was significantly lower in the An. stephensi stomach on day 7 (119.2 ± 16.1 vs. 207.3 ± 21.8; t = 3.207, P < 0.05). After conventional sucrose water was ceased for 24 hours on day 6, and An. stephensi was fed with nitroquine-containing sucrose water, the number of P. yoelii sporozoites peaked in the hemolymph on day 14 in the nitroquine treatment group (952.3 ± 22.7) and on day 12 in the sucrose water treatment group (1 287.0 ± 39.0), and there was a significant difference in the number of sporozoites in the salivary glands between the nitroquine treatment group and the sucrose water treatment group (9 467.0 ± 1 304.0 vs. 10 533.0 ± 758.7; t = 0.707, P = 0.506) on day 17. After conventional sucrose water was ceased for 24 hours on day 14, and An. stephensi was fed with nitroquine-containing sucrose water, the number of sporozoites in the salivary glands was significantly greater in the nitroquine treatment group than in the sucrose water treatment group (21 900.0 ± 2 613.0 vs. 10 533.0 ± 732.3; t = 4.188, P < 0.05). Conclusions Nitroquine treatment exhibits diverse effects the development of different stages of P. yoelii, and nitroquine treatment may reduce the transmission of P. yoelii in uninfected An. stephensi.
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Because the early symptoms of ovarian cancer are not typical and there is a lack of effective screening methods, most patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage, which seriously endangers the health of modern women. Platinum-based chemotherapy after tumor reduction is the first choice for patients with advanced and recurrent ovarian cancer, but almost all patients with recurrent ovarian cancer will eventually develop platinum resistance. Therefore, the search for natural, safe, and effective chemotherapeutic sensitizers has become an urgent and important topic in the study of ovarian cancer. With the increasingly extensive application of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the treatment of cancer, the research on Chinese herbal monomers is also deepening, and the mechanisms of Chinese herbal monomers in intervening in cisplatin (DDP)-induced resistance of ovarian cancer is becoming increasingly clearer. Based on the research status of Chinese herbal monomers available in many Chinese and English databases, it was found that Chinese herbal monomers were involved in the reversal of DDP-induced resistance of ovarian cancer via many routes, mainly through increasing the intracellular drug concentration, reversing the blocked apoptosis, correcting the abnormal intracellular signaling pathway, enhancing DNA damage and inhibiting DNA repair, regulating intracellular autophagy, and suppressing epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). Chinese herbal monomers weaken the resistance of ovarian cancer to DDP from multiple targets and enhance the toxicity of DDP to ovarian cancer cells in vitro and transplanted tumors in vivo. Therefore, Chinese herbal monomers are expected to become natural sensitizers for ovarian cancer chemotherapy with DDP. However, the current studies on Chinese herbal monomers are still confined to the single experimental type, and their action mechanisms and toxic and side effects remain to be further clarified. The application of Chinese herbal monomers for sensitizing DDP chemotherapy still needs to be verified by multi-target, multi-level experimental studies and large-scale clinical studies in the future.
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Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the three major gynecological malignancies. Due to its insidious onset at the early stage,most of OC patients are diagnosed at the advanced stage, making it become one of the most deadly gynecological tumors and thus a hot topic in the field of gynecology and oncology. Guizhi Fulingwan is a classic Chinese herbal compound derived from Synopsis of Golden Chamber (《金匮要略》) for the treatment of abdominal mass in women on account of its efficacy in resolving stasis, generating new blood, and eliminating mass. The articles concerning the treatment of OC with Guizhi Fulingwan were searched from such databases as China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), PubMed,Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, and Chongqing Weipu Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals (VIP) and collated for expounding its action mechanisms, in order to provide ideas for further research on its pharmacological effects,clinical application, and promotion. Clinically,Guizhi Fulingwan has been proved to control the growth of myoma,correct serological indexes,enhance chemotherapy sensitivity and anti-tumor immunity,reduce postoperative recurrence rate, and improve the quality of life of patients. As revealed by experimental research,Guizhi Fulingwan alleviates the pathological state of animal and cell models by promoting mitochondrial apoptosis and tumor immunity,inhibiting vascular factors,inducing cell cycle arrest, and reversing multidrug resistance. Guizhi Fulingwan exerts a certain therapeutic effect on OC through multi-target and multi-channel mechanisms, reflecting the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine in treating OC.
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AIM: To construct and validate a diagnostic model for early detection of keratoconus based on parameters in Sirius.METHODS: The study comprised of 46 early keratoconus eyes(including 20 right eyes and 26 left eyes in 34 patients)and 46 age- and gender-matched normal eyes(including the right eyes of 46 patients)in the prediction group. The predictive index was constructed using LASSO and Logistic regression analyses based on the topographic, pachymetric and aberrometry variables of Sirius. There were 23 early keratoconus eyes categorized as suspected keratoconus cases by Sirius(including 12 right eyes and 11 left eyes in 23 patients)and 23 age- and gender-matched normal eyes(including the right eyes of 23 patients)included in the application cohort. External validation of predictors was performed for the application cohort.RESULTS: Sirius Keratoconus Index(SKI)was calculated based on the minimum corneal thickness and symmetry index back of Sirius. Highest AUC values were obtained in the prediction group(AUC=0.932)after Logistic regression analysis. The cut-off value of SKI was set at 0.44. Then, the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve, calibration plot and nomogram of the diagnostic formula were analyzed for the prediction cohort in detail. Finally, the accuracy of the SKI was evaluated in the application cohort; the sensitivity was 91% and the specificity was 96%.CONCLUSION: SKI based on minimum corneal thickness and symmetry index back of Sirius is a simple and effective method for early detection of keratoconus in the preoperative screening for refractive surgery.
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MicroRNA (miRNA) plays an important role in the development of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) by binding to the 3′ non-coding region of the target gene mRNA to regulate gene expression after transcription. The expression level of miRNA is closely related to the clinical staging, typing, prognosis assessment, and therapeutic effect of DLBCL. miRNA has a great potential as that of DLBCL-related biomarkers, and because of the close link between the two, miRNA-based therapies are expected to lead to new treatment options for DLBCL patients.
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AIM: To study the effects of the specific simulated luminous environment on the visual performance of people with different vision, so as to provide an experimental basis for revising pilots' vision standards. METHODS: A controlled randomized trial was conducted. Twenty-four volunteers were recruited and divided into four groups(1.0/1.0, 0.8/0.8, 0.6/0.6 and 0.4/0.4, decimal vision)according to right/left eye visual acuity, with six subjects in each group. Each subject was tested for static distant vision, kinetic visual acuity, color vision, depth perception error and visual search time under the simulated luminous environments of sunlight, twilight, and on-cloud, respectively, to compare changes in the impact of distinctive luminous surroundings on the visual performance indicators of human beings with different vision.RESULTS: There were main effect differences in static distant vision, kinetic visual acuity, color error, depth perception error and visual search time under different light environments(all P<0.01). The binocular static distant visual acuity, abilities of color discrimination, depth perception and visual search in simulated sunlight environment were higher than those in simulated twilight and on-cloud environments. In the 0.4/0.4 vision group, kinetic vision in simulated twilight and on-cloud environments were significantly lower than that in simulated sunlight environment(P<0.01). There were main effect differences in binocular static distant vision, kinetic visual acuity, depth perception error and visual search time among subjects with different vision(all P<0.05). Compared with 1.0/1.0 vision group, those with 0.6/0.6 and 0.4/0.4 vision had significant decrease in kinetic visual acuity, depth perception ability and visual search ability(all P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Different luminous environments have a great impact on the visual performance of people with low vision, which poses a potential threat to flight safety.
ABSTRACT
Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors reduce cardiovascular mortality in patients with diabetes mellitus but the protective mechanism remains elusive. Here we demonstrated that the SGLT2 inhibitor, Empagliflozin (EMPA), suppresses cardiomyocytes autosis (autophagic cell death) to confer cardioprotective effects. Using myocardial infarction (MI) mouse models with and without diabetes mellitus, EMPA treatment significantly reduced infarct size, and myocardial fibrosis, thereby leading to improved cardiac function and survival. In the context of ischemia and nutritional glucose deprivation where autosis is already highly stimulated, EMPA directly inhibits the activity of the Na+/H+ exchanger 1 (NHE1) in the cardiomyocytes to regulate excessive autophagy. Knockdown of NHE1 significantly rescued glucose deprivation-induced autosis. In contrast, overexpression of NHE1 aggravated the cardiomyocytes death in response to starvation, which was effectively rescued by EMPA treatment. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo analysis of NHE1 and Beclin 1 knockout mice validated that EMPA's cardioprotective effects are at least in part through downregulation of autophagic flux. These findings provide new insights for drug development, specifically targeting NHE1 and autosis for ventricular remodeling and heart failure after MI in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients.