Development of Chinese herbal medicine for sensorineural hearing loss

According to the World Health Organization's world report on hearing, nearly 2.5 billion people worldwide will suffer from hearing loss by 2050, which may contribute to a severe impact on individual life quality and national economies. Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) occurs commonly as a result of noise exposure, aging, and ototoxic drugs, and is pathologically characterized by the impairment of mechanosensory hair cells of the inner ear, which is mainly triggered by reactive oxygen species accumulation, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Though recent advances have been made in understanding the ability of cochlear repair and regeneration, there are still no effective therapeutic drugs for SNHL. Chinese herbal medicine which is widely distributed and easily accessible in China has demonstrated a unique curative effect against SNHL with higher safety and lower cost compared with Western medicine. Herein we present trends in research for Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of SNHL, and elucidate their molecular mechanisms of action, to pave the way for further research and development of novel effective drugs in this field.

Neurosarcomatous amelanotic transformation of malignant melanoma presenting as malignant periopheral nerve sheath tumor: Rare case report.

RATIONALE: Malignant melanoma (MM) is notorious for its remarkable morphological variation and aberrant histopathological patterns. In addition, Malignant Periopheral Nerve Sheath Tumor (MPNST) is an uncommon but aggressive soft tissue sarcoma. Because of the common embryological origin of melanocytes and Schwann cells in the neural crest, discriminating between a particular type of MM and MPNST can be difficult, particularly when they are amelanotic. Our goal is to increase awareness among clinicians of the rare variations of MM and the importance of medical history in improving the accuracy of the final clinical diagnosis. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 68-year-old man was admitted to the hospital due to pain in his right ankle, which had persisted for 8 months, along with swelling for 4 months. Medical history revealed delayed healing of right plantar for 5 years after a traumatic injury. DIAGNOSES: The ankle mass was initially diagnosed as MPNST through biopsy. After reviewing the patient's medical history and receiving the final pathological report following amputation, we have revised the diagnosis to metastatic amelanotic desmoplastic melanoma in the ankle part and lentigo maligna melanoma in the plantar part. This is due to both lesions displaying positive markers or mutated genes in immunohistology and Gene Mutation Detection, indicating homology between the 2 tumors. INTERVENTIONS: Due to the malignant characteristics of the tumor and the patient's wishes, amputation of the right lower leg was carried out. OUTCOMES: Subsequently, the patient was treated with interferon-γ and immunosuppressant PD-1 inhibitor, and survived for 1 year after amputation. LESSONS: Clinical data, immunohistochemisty biomarkers and genes detection results can serve as valuable evidence for pathologists and clinicians in identifying the disease process. Collaborative efforts between clinicians and scientists are crucial in order to identify specific markers that can effectively differentiate between the 2 tumors, thereby enhancing the conclusiveness of the diagnosis.

Psychological states and needs among post-allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation survivors.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze psychological states and needs of patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). METHODS: Questionnaires were sent to 101 allo-HSCT survivors and 96 questionnaires were returned. The questionnaire covered several categories: (1) demographics and general information, (2) physical conditions, (3) psychologic status and sleep quality, (4) survivor's comments on transplantation, (5) demands and needs, (6) preferred forms and channels of information. RESULTS: Depression and poor sleep quality were major concerns troubling allo-HSCT survivors. A notable discrepancy exists between clinically diagnosed depression (4.2%) and self- reported depression based on BDI-13 (55.2%). Young adults (18-49 years old), chronic graft-versus-host disease, the ECOG performance score of 2-4, surviving within 5 years since HSCT, no or low dose of ATG used and being single were significantly associated with self-reported depression. Based on the PSQI score, 75% of survivors experienced varying degrees of sleep quality impairment. Young adults, chronic GVHD and the ECOG score of 2-4 were significantly associated with worse sleep quality. The majority of patients reported unmet needs on physical and psychosocial aspects. Nutrition information was the most important topic, followed by disease treatments and fatigue. Differences in informational needs were found in the survivors according to age, time since HSCT and gender. WeChat public account and WeChat applet, mobile interactive platform and one-to-one conversation were the favorite channel for information. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should establish more appropriate survivorship care plans focusing on survivors' psychologic states, demands and needs.

Preliminary study on the process and prognosis of 55 cases of esophageal stricture after circumferential endoscopic submucosal dissection / 中华消化杂志

Objective:To investigate the characteristics, process, and prognosis of esophageal stricture after circumferential endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), and to preliminarily analyze the prevention and treatment effects of simple dilation, stent placement, mucosal transplantation, and glucocorticoid (hereinafter referred to as hormone) application in esophageal stricture.Methods:From August 2017 to March 2022, at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, the clinical and follow-up data of 55 patients who underwent circumferential ESD for early esophageal cancer and precancerous lesions were retrospectively analyzed. According to the prevention and treatment methods for esophageal stricture, the patients were divided into two groups: simple dilation group (23 cases) and combined dilation group (32 cases). The combined dilation group was divided into mucosal transplantation subgroup (9 cases), stent placement subgroup (14 cases), hormone application subgroup (7 cases), and bleomycin subgroup (2 cases, excluded from comparative analysis due to limited cases). Overall prognosis of patients was observed. Treatment efficacy, prognosis, and adverse events were compared among the simple dilation group, mucosal transplantation subgroup, stent placement subgroup, and hormone application subgroup. Independent samples t-test, chi-square test, and Fisher′s exact test were used for statistical analysis. Results:Among the 55 patients, the follow-up time was (894.1±417.7) days. Refractory esophageal stricture (total dilation times ≥ 5) occurred in 33 patients (60.0%). Fifty-two patients (94.5%) achieved clinical remission of the stricture. The total number of dilations was 5.8±4.0, and the average dysphagia-free period was (52.3±37.1) days. The dysphagia-free period of mucosal transplantation subgroup was longer than that of the simple dilation group, stent placement subgroup, and hormone application subgroup ((114.5±50.0) days vs. (40.9±20.0), (39.7±10.0), and (40.9±25.5) days, respectively), and the differences were statistically significant ( t=4.82, 3.77 and 3.14, P<0.001, =0.011, =0.009). There were no statistically significant differences between the simple dilation group and the mucosal transplantation subgroup, stent placement subgroup, and hormone application subgroup in the total number of dilations (6.8±4.8 vs. 3.0±2.5, 5.8±2.2, and 5.7±5.0), stricture remission rate (95.7%, 22/23 vs. 8/9, 13/14, and 7/7), and incidence of adverse events (17.4%, 4/23 vs. 5/9, 5/14, and 2/7; all P>0.05). Conclusions:Esophageal stricture formed after circumferential ESD shows the characteristics of recurrence and intractability. The over all number of dilations is high, and the average dysphagia-free period is short. Most patients can achieve clinical remission of the stricture after multiple times of endoscopic dilation treatment. However mucosal transplantation, stent placement, and hormone application cannot well intervene the natural process of esophageal stricture.

Analysis on influencing factors of leg work-related musculoskeletal disorders among shipbuilding workers / 中国职业医学

{L-End}Objective To investigate the current status and influencing factors of leg work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) in shipbuilding workers. {L-End}Methods A total of 3 393 shipbuilding workers from Guangdong Province, Liaoning Province, Shandong Province, and Beijing City were selected as the research subjects using the convenience sampling method. The Chinese Version of the Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire was used to investigate the prevalence of leg WMSDs in the past year. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors of leg WMSDs. {L-End}Results The prevalence of leg WMSDs in the research subjects was 11.3% (382/3 393). The result of multivariate logistic regression showed that the risk of leg WMSDs was higher in workers with a length of service >10 years than those with a length of service <5 years (P<0.05). Workers with frequent used of vibration tools at work had higher the risk of leg WMSDs (all P<0.05). Workers who did the same work every day, had insufficient rest time, had a shortage of department staff, and those who often repeated the same leg movements had a higher risk of leg WMSDs (all P<0.05). The risk of leg WMSDs in workers who sometimes stand for a long time was lower than that in workers who rarely stand for a long time (P<0.01). {L-End}Conclusion Length of service, rarely long-standing work, use of vibration tools at work, daily engagement in the same work, in-adequate rest time, shortage of department staff, and frequent repetition of the same leg movements are all influencing factors for leg WMSDs in shipbuilding workers.

Increased Hes1 expression to regulate differentiation of liver epithelial progenitor cells into cholangiocytes / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

【Objective】 To use hairy enhancer of split 1 (Hes1) to regulate the differentiation of liver epithelial progenitor cells (LEPCs) into cholangiocytes. 【Methods】 The vectors, pTet-on and pTRE2hyg-Hes1, were transfected into LEPCs. The expression of Hes1 was induced by doxycycline (DOX) with different concentrations (0, 0.1, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 μg/mL). The expressions of Hes1, molecular markers of hepatocyte and cholangiocyte, glutathione synthetase (Gss), keratin 19 (Krt19) and hepatic nuclear factor 1β (HNF1β) in LEPCs were verified by Western blotting, RT-PCR, Real-time PCR, immunocytochemistry and immunofluorescence. 【Results】 The expression of Hes1 in LEPCs transfected by pTet-on/pTRE2hyg-Hes1 was increased by 11.21 fold when induced by DOX at 10 ug/mL, which drove the LEPCs to differentiate into biliary epithelial cells. With increasing expression of Hes1, cholangiocyte markers, Krt19 and HNF1β, were significantly upregulated, while the hepatocyte marker, Gss, was obviously downregulated. 【Conclusion】 DOX at 10 μg/mL may induce a suitably up-regulated expression of Hes1 in LEPCs double-transfected by pTet-on and pTRE2hyg-Hes1, and the suitable high-expression rather than over-expression of Hes1 can regulate LEPCs to differentiate into cholangiocytes.

Relationship between adverse childhood experiences and depression and anxiety among students in middle school / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To investigate the relationship between adverse childhood experiences with depression and anxiety prevention and intervention among middle school students, so as to provide evidence for preventing and intervening in depression and anxiety among adolescents.@*Methods@#From October to November 2020, a total of 4 861 middle school students from 12 schools in a province in central China, including junior high schools, senior high schools, secondary vocational schools, and vocational high school selected by using convenient sampling method. Demographic information, adverse childhood experiences, depression and anxiety symptoms were collected. The Chi square test and multivariate Logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the data.@*Results@#The detection rates of depression and anxiety of students in middle school were 39.0% and 52.3%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that the total scores of adverse childhood experiences and dimensions of childhood maltreatment and neglect, family dysfunction, parent absence, and violence outside the home were significantly associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms ( χ 2=105.36, 147.12, 43.69, 46.61, 196.48; 100.06, 132.28, 26.53, 24.32, 169.94, P <0.01). After controlling variables such as age, only child, sex and economic status of family, Logistic regression showed that childhood maltreatment and neglect, family dysfunction,family absence and violence outside the home were positively associated with depressive symptoms ( OR =1.61, 1.62, 1.06,2.08, P <0.01) and anxiety symptoms ( OR =1.66, 1.50, 1.98, P <0.05).@*Conclusion@#Depressive and anxiety symptoms among middle school students are associated with adverse childhood experiences, and those who experienced childhood maltreatment and neglect and violence outside the home are at higher risk.

Research overview of anti-osteoporosis effects of traditional animal medicines / 药学实践杂志

Osteoporosis is a systemic bone metabolism disease characterized by low bone mass, bone microstructure destruction, increased bone fragility, and easy fracture，which is more common in the elderly. Animal medicine, as an important part of natural medicines, has the characteristics of wide resources, complex chemical components, and broad pharmacological effects. It has been extensively used in the field of anti-osteoporosis. This article summarizes the pharmacological effects and applications of several major animal medicines for osteoporosis, and discusses the existing problems, aiming to provide a reference for the development of animal drugs against osteoporosis.

Mechanism of regulatory T cells in heat stroke-induced acute kidney injury / 中华危重病急救医学

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the mechanism of regulatory T cells (Treg) in heat stroke (HS)-induced acute kidney injury (AKI).@*METHODS@#Male SPF Balb/c mice were randomly divided into control group, HS group (HS+Rat IgG), HS+PC61 group, and HS+Treg group (n = 6). The HS mice model was established by making the body temperature of the mice reach 42.7 centigrade at room temperature 39.5 centigrade with relative humidity 60% for 1 hour. In HS+PC61 group, 100 μg PC61 antibody (anti-CD25) was injected through the tail vein in consecutive 2 days before the model was established to eliminate Tregs. Mice in HS+Treg group was injected with 1×106 Treg via tail vein immediately after successful modeling. The proportion of Treg infiltrated in the kidney, serum creatinine (SCr) and histopathology, levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) both in the serum and kidney tissue, as well as proportion of neutrophils and macrophages located in the kidney were observed at 24 hours after HS.@*RESULTS@#HS dampened renal function and exaggerated kidney injury, up-regulated levels of inflammatory cytokines both in local kidney and circulation, and increased infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages to the injured kidneys. The proportion of Treg (Treg/CD4+) infiltrated in kidney was significantly decreased in HS group, compared with control group [(3.40±0.46)% vs. (7.67±0.82)%, P < 0.01]. Compared with HS group, local Tregs in kidney were almost completely depleted via PC61 antibody [(0.77±0.12)% vs. (3.40±0.46)%, P < 0.01]. Depletion of Tregs could exacerbate HS-AKI, indicating by increased serum creatinine [SCr (mmol/L): 348.22±35.36 vs. 254.42±27.40, P < 0.01] and pathological injury (Paller score: 4.70±0.20 vs. 3.60±0.20, P < 0.01), incremental levels of IFN-γand TNF-α both in injured kidney and serum [serum IFN-γ (ng/L): 747.70±64.52 vs. 508.46±44.79, serum TNF-α (ng/L): 647.41±26.62 vs. 464.53±41.80, both P < 0.01], and more infiltrated neutrophils and macrophages in the injured kidney [neutrophil proportion: (6.63±0.67)% vs. (4.37±0.43)%, macrophage proportion: (38.70±1.66)% vs. (33.19±1.55)%, both P < 0.01]. On the contrast, adoptive transfer of Tregs could reverse the aforementioned effects of Treg depletion, indicating by incremental proportion of Tregs in the injured kidney [(10.58±1.19)% vs. (3.40±0.46)%, P < 0.01], decreased serum creatinine [SCr (mmol/L): 168.24±40.56 vs. 254.42±27.40, P < 0.01] and pathological injury (Paller score: 2.73±0.11 vs. 3.60±0.20, P < 0.01), reduced levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α both in injured kidney and serum [serum IFN-γ (ng/L): 262.62±22.68 vs. 508.46±44.79, serum TNF-α (ng/L): 206.41±22.58 vs. 464.53±41.80, both P < 0.01], and less infiltrated neutrophils and macrophages in the injured kidney [neutrophil proportion: (3.04±0.33)% vs. (4.37±0.43)%, macrophage proportion: (25.68±1.93)% vs. (33.19±1.55)%, both P < 0.01].@*CONCLUSIONS@#Treg might be involved in HS-AKI, possibly via down-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and infiltration of inflammatory cells.

Effect of 5 methods of critical illness score in the prognosis evaluation of sepsis-associated encephalopathy / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective:To explore the effect of pediatric critical illness score (PCIS), pediatric risk of mortality Ⅲ score (PRISM Ⅲ), pediatric logistic organ dysfunction 2 (PELOD-2), pediatric sequential organ failure assessment (p-SOFA) score and Glasglow coma scale (GCS) in the prognosis evaluation of septic-associated encephalopathy (SAE).Methods:The data of children with SAE admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2010 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into the survival and death groups according to the clinical outcome on the 28th day after admission. The efficiency of PCIS, PRISM Ⅲ, PELOD-2, p-SOFA and GCS scores for predicting death were evaluated by the area under the ROC curve (AUC). The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test assessed the calibration of each scoring system.Results:Up to 28 d after admission, 72 of 82 children with SAE survived and 10 died, with a mortality rate of 12.20%. Compared with the survival group, the death group had significantly lower GCS [7 (3, 12) vs. 12 (8, 14)] and PCIS scores [76 (64, 82) vs. 82 (78, 88)], and significantly higher PRISM Ⅲ [14 (12, 17) vs. 7 (3, 12)], PELOD-2 [8 (5, 13) vs. 4 (2, 7)] and p-SOFA scores [11 (5, 12) vs. 6 (3, 9)] ( P<0.05). The AUCs of PCIS, PRISM Ⅲ, PELOD-2, p-SOFA and GCS scores for predicting SAE prognosis were 0.773 ( P=0.012, AUC>0.7), 0.832 ( P=0.02, AUC>0.7), 0.767 ( P=0.014, AUC>0.7), 0.688 ( P=0.084, AUC<0.7), and 0.692 ( P=0.077,AUC<0.7), respectively. Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test showed that PCIS ( χ2=5.329, P=0.722) predicted the mortality and the actual mortality in the best fitting effect, while PRISM Ⅲ ( χ2=12.877, P=0.177), PELOD-2 ( χ2=8.487, P=0.205), p-SOFA ( χ2=9.048, P=0.338) and GCS ( χ2=3.780, P=0.848) had poor fitting effect. Conclusions:The PCIS, PRISM Ⅲ and PELOD-2 scores have good predictive ability assessing the prognosis of children with SAE, while the PCIS score can more accurately evaluate the fitting effect of SAE prognosis prediction.

Effect of traditional Chinese medicine Syngnathus on D-galactose-induced learning and memory impairment in aging mice / 药学实践杂志

Objective To study the effect of traditional Chinese medicine, Syngnathus on learning and memory impairment induced by D-galactose in aging mice and its mechanism of action. Methods HPLC was used to determine the content of DHA, the active ingredient in anti-learning and memory impairment in Syngnathus. The aging mouse model was prepared by intraperitoneal injection of D-galactose (D-gal). Morris water maze test and Western blot were used to detect the ability of learning and memory, biochemical indicators and protein expression related to oxidative damage in the hippocampus, and to explore the protective effect and mechanism of Syngnathus on learning and memory impairment in aging mice. Results HPLC results showed that the DHA content in Syngnathus was 7.761 3 mg/g (calculated as crude drug), accounting for about 47% of the total composition. Morris water maze results showed that Syngnathus could reduce the escape latency of learning and memory-impaired aging mice and increase the target quadrant swimming time, the proportion of swimming distance and the number of times of crossing the platform, and improve the learning and memory impairment of mice. In addition, Syngnathus can activate the AKT/FOXO1/SOD2 signaling pathway in the hippocampus of aging mice with learning and memory impairment, promote the expression of oxidative stress pathway-related proteins, and improve the learning and memory impairment in aging mice by reducing the degree of oxidative damage in the hippocampus of aging mice. Conclusion This study found that Syngnathus is rich in DHA, which has the effect of improving learning and memory impairment induced by D-galactose in aging mice, and preliminarily clarified that its mechanism of action is related to anti-oxidation. Experimental evidence is provided.

Factors associated with prolonged duration of viral clearance in non-severe SARS-CoV-2 patients in Osaka, Japan

BACKGROUND@#We investigated factors associated with prolonged viral clearance of SARS-CoV-2 among non-severe adult patients in Osaka, Japan. A total of 706 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients were enrolled in this longitudinal observational study between 29 January 2020 and 31 May 2020, across 62 hospitals and three non-hospital recuperation facilities.@*METHODS@#Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the factors associated with prolonged (29 days: upper 25% in duration) viral clearance of SARS-CoV-2. Linear regression analysis was conducted to assess these factors 14 days after symptom onset.@*RESULTS@#The median duration of viral clearance was 22 days from symptom onset. After adjustment for sex, age, symptoms, comorbidity, and location of recuperation, comorbidities were associated with prolonged duration: (OR, 1.77 [95% CI, 1.11-2.82]) for one, (OR, 2.47 [95% CI, 1.32-4.61]) for two or more comorbidities. Viral clearance 14 days after symptom onset was 3 days longer for one comorbidity and 4 days longer for two or more comorbidities compared to clearance when there was no comorbidity.@*CONCLUSION@#The presence of comorbidity was a robust factor associated with a longer duration of viral clearance, extending by 3 to 4 days compared to patients with no comorbidity.

A controlled study of the effects of laparoscopic radical resection of colon cancer on the shedding of peritoneal and intestinal cancer cells and peritoneal fibrinolysis in patients with locally advanced colon cancer / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of laparoscopic radical resection of colon cancer on the shedding of cancer cells in the abdominal cavity and intestinal cavity and peritoneal fibrinolysis in patients with locally advanced colon cancer, to provide a reference for treatment.Methods:From March 2018 to May 2020, 76 patients with locally advanced colon cancer in Wanbei Coal and Electricity Group General Hospital were selected and divided into group A (33 patients) and group B (43 patients) according to different treatment procedures. Group A underwent laparoscopic radical resection of colon cancer, group B underwent open radical resection of colon cancer. The related indexes, complications, and serum immune function indexes (CD 4+, CD 8+, CD 4+/CD 8+) before operation and 1 d and 3 d after operation, peritoneal fibrinolytic function indexes of the peritoneal tissue: peritoneal tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), the positive rate of peritoneal cancer cell shedding at the beginning of the operation and immediately after the operation, the positive rates of intestinal cancer cell shedding before and immediately after surgery were compared between the two groups. Results:Although the operation time of group A was longer than that of group B: (186.21 ± 24.07) min vs. (149.49 ± 17.82) min, the postoperative anal exhaust time and hospital stay were shorter than those of group B: (3.32 ± 0.75) d vs. (3.84 ± 1.02) d, (10.62 ± 1.74) d vs. (12.85 ± 2.26) d, and the amount of intraoperative blood loss was less than that of group B: (102.08 ± 16.39) ml vs. (159.50 ± 23.14) ml, the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The complication rate of group A was lower than that of group B: 9.09% (3/33) vs. 27.91%(12/43)( P<0.05). Serum CD 4+, CD 8+, CD 4+/CD 8+ levels in the two groups at 1 and 3 days after operation were lower than those before the operation, but those in group A were higher than those in group B ( P<0.05). The t-PA level of the peritoneal tissue immediately after the operation in the two groups was lower than that at the beginning of the operation, but that in group A was higher than that in group B. The level of PAI-1 was higher than that at the beginning of the operation, but the level of PAI-1 in group A was lower than group B ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the positive rate of cancer cells in the abdominal cavity and intestinal cavity at each time point in the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Application of laparoscopic radical resection of colon cancer for locally advanced colon cancer can reduce surgical trauma, promote postoperative recovery, reduce complications, reduce the impact on the body′s immune function and peritoneal fibrinolytic function, and does not increase the risk of shedding cancer cells in the abdominal cavity and intestinal cavity after surgery.

Risk factors associated with mortality of COVID-19 in 2692 counties of the United States

BackgroundThe number of cumulative confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States has risen sharply since March 2020. A county health ranking and roadmaps program has been established to identify factors associated with disparity in mobility and mortality of COVID-19 in all counties in the United States. MethodsTo find out the risk factors associated with county-level mortality of COVID-19 with various levels of prevalence, a negative binomial design was applied to the county-level mortality counts of COVID-19 as of August 27, 2020 in the United States. In this design, the infected counties were categorized into three levels of infections using clustering analysis based on time-varying cumulative confirmed cases from March 1 to August 27, 2020. COVID-19 patients were not analyzed individually but were aggregated at the county-level, where the county-level deaths of COVID-19 confirmed by the local health agencies. Results3125 infected counties were assigned into three classes corresponding to low, median, and high prevalence levels of infection. Several risk factors were significantly associated with the mortality counts of COVID-19, where higher level of air pollution (0.153, P<0.001) increased the mortality in the low prevalence counties and elder individuals were more vulnerable in both the median and high prevalence counties. The segregation between non-Whites and Whites and higher Hispanic population had higher likelihood of risk of the deaths in all infected counties. ConclusionsThe mortality of COVID-19 depended on sex, race/ethnicity, and outdoor environment. The increasing awareness of the impact of these significant factors may lead to the reduction in the mortality of COVID-19.

Data-driven analysis on the simulations of the spread of COVID-19 under different interventions of China

Since February 2020, COVID-19 has spread rapidly to more than 200 countries in the world. During the pandemic, local governments in China have implemented different interventions to efficiently control the spread of the epidemic. Characterizing transmission of COVID-19 under some typical interventions is essential to help countries develop appropriate interventions. Based on the pre-symptomatic transmission patterns of COVID-19, we established a novel compartmental model: Baysian SIHR model with latent Markov structure, which treated the numbers of infected and infectious individuals without isolation to be the latent variables and allowed the effective reproduction number to change over time, thus the effects of policies could be reasonably estimated. By using the epidemic data of Wuhan, Wenzhou and Shenzhen, we migrated the corresponding estimated policy modes to South Korea, Italy, and the United States and simulated the potential outcomes for these countries when they adopted similar policy strategies of three cities in China. We found that the mild interventions implemented in Shenzhen were effective to control the epidemic in the early stage, while more stringent policies which were issued in Wuhan and Wenzhou were necessary if the epidemic was more severe and needed to be controlled in a short time.

Detection of the epidemic of the H3N8 subtype of the equine influenza virus in large-scale donkey farms.

To monitor the occurrence of equine influenza in large-scale donkey farms in Liaocheng City, Shandong Province, serological investigation and sequence analysis of HA/M protein gene of equine influenza virus (EIV) were carried out. Samples (n = 65) of the lung and nasal swab were collected in six different large-scale donkey farms and detected with RT-PCR for HA and M protein gene. The homology and evolution of HA and M genes were analysed with known sequences. Antibody titres of serum samples (n = 120, unvaccinated) level was determined by the HI test. The average seropositive rate was 32.5% (39/120) with great diversity among different populations. The positive rate of EIV HA/M protein gene was 21.5% (14/65) by RT-PCR. The equine influenza H3N8 virus was confirmed by gene sequencing, and the homology of the sequence was 99.77% with isolates from Northeast China (equine/heilongjiang/1/2010), consistent with the input of donkeys. This suggested that EIV has become an important threat to large-scale donkey farms in Liaocheng and threats from the input area must be vigilant.

Analysis of the situation of school bullying and related factors in junior high school students in China 2016 / 中华预防医学杂志

Objective@#To analyze the current situation of school bullying and related factors in junior high school students in China 2016.@*Methods@#Junior high school students were selected from the 2016 China Education Panel Survey. A total of 6 750 students with completed records of suffering from school bulling, individual characteristics, family environment, and school conditions were selected. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the related factors of being bullied.@*Results@#A total of 57.29% (3 867/6 750) of students in the past year had suffered from at least one type of school bullying. The proportions of students who suffered from verbal bullying, social bullying, physical bullying and cyber bullying were 49.12% (3 298/6 714), 37.87% (2551/6736), 18.18% (1226/6743), and 13.51% (910/6 735), respectively. According to the logistic regression model, students who were boys, came from ethnic minorities, lived with their mothers only, had frequent quarreling parents, boarded and had experience of school transfer in primary education were more vulnerable to school bullying compared with those who were girls, came from Han nationality, lived with parents, had parents who seldom quarrel, commute to school daily and had no school transfer experience in primary education. The corresponding OR (95%CI) values were 1.86 (1.66-2.08), 1.27 (1.02-1.57), 1.35 (1.13-1.61), 1.49 (1.23-1.81), 1.65 (1.33-2.04), and 1.21 (1.08-1.36), respectively. Students who were the only child, had relatively good health, had mothers with middle school, high school or secondary specialized school education level, had medium or good family economic conditions, had good academic performance, served as class cadres and had good relations with head teachers were less vulnerable to school bullying compared with those who were not the only child, had relatively bad health, had mothers with primary school or below education level, had poor family economic conditions, had poor academic performance, had never been class cadres and had bad relations with head teachers. The corresponding OR (95%CI) values were 0.80 (0.72-0.90), 0.60 (0.48-0.75), 0.74 (0.64-0.85), 0.75 (0.61-0.91), 0.70 (0.69-0.82), 0.64 (0.52-0.79), 0.85 (0.74-0.99), 0.88 (0.79-0.99), and 0.62 (0.55-0.69), respectively.@*Conclusion@#The situation of suffering from school bullying among junior high school students in China is not optimistic. Individual characteristics, family environment and school conditions were all related to school bullying.

Functional mechanism of malate dehydrogenase 2 in tumors / 国际肿瘤学杂志

The role of malate dehydrogenase 2 (MDH2) in tumors is double-sided,it has a cancerpromoting effect in some tumors and an inhibitory effect in other tumors.The function of MDH2 is related to energy metabolism,tumor resistance and its pseudo hypoxia.MDH2 plays an important role in the occurrence,development,invasion and metastasis of tumors.An in-depth understanding of the functional mechanism of MDH2 in tumors can provide new molecular targets for tumor intervention in the clinic.

Association between depression behavior and expression of calreticulin precursor, tropomyosin 1, milogen activated prolein kinase 1 and dual specificity mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 in spontaneous diabetes mellitus rats / 实用医学杂志

Objective To investigate the association between depression behavior and the expression of calreticulin precursor, tropomyosin I, milogen activated prolein kinase 1 and dual specificity mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 in spontaneous diabetes mellitus rats. Methods Twenty adult male healthy rats (control group) and 40 spontaneous diabetic rats were studied. Forty spontaneous diabetic rats were further divided into diabetes group and diabetic depression group, and the latter was to construct depression model. The depressive behavior of the 3 groups was measured by sucrose water consumption test and wilderness test. The expression level of calreticulin precursor, tropomyosin 1, milogen activated prolein kinase 1, and dual specificity mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 in the hippocampus of the 3 groups was measured by western blot. Results In the 15 th day and 22 nd days of stress, the amount of sucrose water drinking of the rats in diabetic depression group was significantly lower than that of the control group and the diabetes group (P < 0.05) , and there was no significant difference between the control group and the diabetic group (P> 0.05). The score of field test and vertical score in the diabetic depression group were significantly lower than those of the control group and the diabetes group (P < 0.05) , but there was no significant difference between the control group and the diabetic group (P> 0.05). The expression of calreticulin precursor, tropomyosin 1, milogen activated prolein kinase 1, and dual specificity mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 in the hippocampus of diabetic depression group was significantly lower than that in the control group and the diabetic group (P < 0.05) , and there was no significant difference between the control group and the diabetic group (P> 0.05).Conclusions The depressive behavior of spontaneously diabetic rats is associated with the decrease of the expression level of calreticulin precursor, tropomyosin 1, milogen activated prolein kinase 1, and dual specificity mitogenactivated protein kinase 1 in the hippocampus of rats.

Efficacy of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation on the treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia / 器官移植

Objective To observe the efficacy of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation on the treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in complete remission stage. Methods Clinical data of 14 AML patients underwent autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation were analyzed retrospectively, including 7 low-risk patients, 6 moderate-risk patients and 1 high-risk patient. After pretreatment, pre-cryopreserved autologous peripheral blood stem cells were retransfused. And component blood transfusion, increasing white blood cell (WBC) count and preventing from infection, etc. were given. Hematopoietic reconstitution of autologous stem cells in the patients was observed, and incidence of transplantation related complications was obtained. Furthermore, survival curves were drawn, and postoperative 1- and 3-year overall survival rates and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were calculated. Results Hematopoietic reconstitution was achieved in all 14 patients. The median time of WBC implantation was 12(9-28) d, and that of platelet implantation was 29(8-158) d. Two patients suffered from E. coli septicemia during neutropenia stage, 1 from proteus vulgaris septicemia, 1 from cytomegalovirus viremia within 29 d after transplantation and the remaining from infection or gastrointestinal reaction after pretreated. All patients were cured by anti-infection and other symptomatic relief and supportive treatment. All patients were followed up for 29.8(5.3-61.5) months. In 14 patients, 5 cases recurred. 11 patients survived and 3 died of recurrence. The postoperative 1- and 3-year overall survival rates were 86％ and 79％, and the postoperative 1- and 3-year DFS rates were 64％ and 57％. Conclusions Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is effective in the treatment of majority patients with low- or moderate-risk AML.