The effects of quality improvement program on the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in very preterm infants / 中国新生儿科杂志

Objective:To evaluate the effects of quality improvement (QI) program on the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in very preterm infants (VPIs) [gestational age (GA)<32 weeks].Methods:From July to December 2017,VPIs admitted to the Department of Neonatology of Yancheng Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital were retrospectively enrolled and were assigned into pre-quality improvement program group (Pre-QI group).From July to December 2018, VPIs were assigned into post-quality improvement program group (Post-QI group). QI program included delayed umbilical cord clamping (DCC), early postnatal nasal continuous positive airway pressure ventilation (nCPAP) and minimally invasive pulmonary surfactant therapy (MIST). The clinical data and prognostic indicators of the two groups of VPIs and their mothers were compared. Independent sample t-test or continuity-adjusted Chi-square test (or Fisher's exact test) and Logistic regression were used for statistical analysis. Results:A total of 204 VPIs were enrolled, including 96 cases in Pre-QI group and 108 cases in Post-QI group. 1 min Apgar score and hematocrit on admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in the Post-QI group were significantly higher than the Pre-QI group( P<0.05). The incidence of delivery room resuscitation, endotracheal intubation at birth and endotracheal intubation in NICU in the Post-QI group were significantly lower than the Pre-QI group( P<0.05). The application of pulmonary surfactant and mechanical ventilation, the incidence of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome and BPD in the Post-QI group were lower than the Pre-QI group ( P<0.05). After adjusting for confounding factors, Logistic regression analysis showed that DCC ( aOR=0.261,95% CI 0.091~0.718, P=0.023), nCPAP ( aOR=0.284,95% CI 0.123~0.667, P=0.015), MIST ( aOR=0.276,95% CI 0.114~0.627, P=0.011) were protective factors of BPD, and MV ( aOR=2.023,95% CI 1.048~3.918, P=0.036) was risk factor of BPD. Conclusions:The QI program consisting of DCC, early nCPAP and MIST for VPIs can reduce the incidence of BPD.

A highly selective C-rhamnosyltransferase from Viola tricolor and insights into its mechanisms

C-Glycosides are important natural products with various bioactivities. In plant biosynthetic pathways, the C-glycosylation step is usually catalyzed by C-glycosyltransferases (CGTs), and most of them prefer to accept uridine 5'-diphosphate glucose (UDP-Glc) as sugar donor. No CGTs favoring UDP-rhamnose (UDP-Rha) as sugar donor has been reported, thus far. Herein, we report the first selective C-rhamnosyltransferase VtCGTc from the medicinal plant Viola tricolor. VtCGTc could efficiently catalyze C-rhamnosylation of 2-hydroxynaringenin 3-C-glucoside, and exhibited high selectivity towards UDP-Rha. Mechanisms for the sugar donor selectivity of VtCGTc were investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and molecular mechanics with generalized Born and surface area solvation (MM/GBSA) binding free energy calculations. Val144 played a vital role in recognizing UDP-Rha, and the V144T mutant could efficiently utilize UDP-Glc. This work provides a new and efficient approach to prepare flavonoid C-rhamnosides such as violanthin and iso-violanthin.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Serum AFP-L3 and GP-73 in the Diagnosis of Primary Liver Cancer.

Objective: To investigate the combined application value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) combined with serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)-L3 and Golgi protein (GP)-73 in the diagnosis of primary liver cancer. Methods: The data of 200 patients with suspected liver cancer admitted to our hospital from February 2020 to February 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, and they were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group, with 100 cases in each group. The experimental group received a combined detection of MRI with serum AFP-L3 and GP-73, and the control group adopted traditional diagnostic methods (spiral computed tomography and serum AFP). The diagnostic yields of the two groups were compared. Surgical resection was performed after the diagnosis of primary liver cancer, and the correlation between the efficacy and combined detection of MRI with serum AFP-L3 and GP-73 levels was analyzed. Results: The two groups presented comparable general information (P >0.05). The surgical results showed 160 cases of primary liver cancer, including 75 cases in the experimental group and 85 cases in the control group, and 40 cases of benign liver lesions. The diagnostic accuracy of the experimental group (73/75, 95%) was significantly higher than that of the control group (76/85, 86%) (P < 0.05). The serum levels of AFP-L3, GP-73, and AFP in patients with primary liver cancer were remarkably decreased after surgery (P < 0.001). The preoperative and postoperative AFP-L3, GP-73, and AFP levels of patients with primary liver cancer were significantly higher than those of patients with benign liver lesions. The AUC (95% CI) for the combined detection of MRI and serum AFP-L3 and GP-73 levels in patients with surgically confirmed primary liver cancer was 0.747 (0.619-0.874). Conclusion: MRI combined with serum AFP-L3 and GP-73 presents favorable diagnostic efficiency in the diagnosis of primary liver cancer, which is worthy of clinical application.

The relationship of serum albumin level and early-onset sepsis in very low birth weight infants / 中国新生儿科杂志

Objective:To study the predictive value of serum albumin (ALB) on the first day of life for early-onset sepsis (EOS) in very low birth weight infants (VLBWI).Methods:From January 2015 to December 2020, clinical data of VLBWI (gestational age < 34 weeks, birth weight < 1 500 g) born and hospitalized in our hospital were collected. Based on the serum ALB level at admission, the infants were assigned into high, moderate and low ALB groups. C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) levels among different ALB groups were compared. The infants were also assigned into EOS and non-EOS groups according to the occurrence of EOS and perinatal complications were compared between the two groups. The relationship between EOS and ALB level was analyzed. The predictive value of serum ALB was studied using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.Results:A total of 183 infants were enrolled, including 62 in the high ALB group, 87 in the moderate ALB group and 34 in the low ALB group; and 36 in EOS group and 147 in non-EOS group. The incidence of maternal chorioamnionitis was significantly higher in EOS group than non-EOS group [33.3% (12/36) vs. 6.8% (10/147), P<0.001]. Serum CRP and PCT in the low and moderate ALB groups were significantly higher than the high ALB group ( P<0.05), and the low ALB group showed higher CRP and PCT than the moderate ALB group ( P<0.05). Compared with the non-EOS groups, ALB in the EOS group was significantly lower [24.9 (24.0, 28.5) g/L vs. 29.5 (27.4, 31.2) g/L, P<0.001] and the incidence of hypoproteinemia was significantly higher [52.8% vs.10.2%, P<0.001]. As ALB decreased, the incidence of EOS increased. The incidence of EOS was 55.9% in the low ALB group, 16.1% in the moderate ALB group and 4.8% in the high ALB group ( P<0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of ALB predicting EOS was 69.4% and 79.6%, respectively, with a cut-off value of 27.0 g/L. Conclusions:The VLBWI with maternal chorioamnionitis and serum albumin lower than 27.0 g/L on the first day of life have higher risk of EOS.

The Formation of Shanghai Customs Quarantine System based on Medical Inspection: Acceptance and Transformation between England-Shanghai-Joseon from 1872 to 1894 / 의사학

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the process of establishing a quarantine system based on medical inspection by Shanghai Customs. England was the first to introduce a quarantine system based on medical inspection during the nineteenth century; with the majority of the Shanghai Customs administration being English, this system was able to be adopted with ease, and it was later transformed and accepted in Joseon. This paper further investigates the details of the actual medical inspection conducted by the Customs Medical Officer (CMO) who worked at the forefront of the actual quarantine as a medical inspector.In the nineteenth century, International Sanitary Conferences were held in Paris, Vienna, and Constantinople to discuss the process of quarantine and public health. Furthermore, the Public Health Act was passed in England in 1872. This Act established port sanitary authorities in each of England’s ports to carry out medical inspections. This medical inspection enabled healthy and infected people to be separated from each other instead of conventional isolation. The duties of the CMO would consist of boarding any incoming ship to check for any infected people. Any infected persons would then be sent to a non-quarantine hospital, and the ship was sanitized. This concept of quarantine based on medical inspection was borrowed by Shanghai Customs.The unique political situation in Shanghai, which consisted of multiple imperial concessions, necessitated the adaptation of England’s medical quarantine concept to suit the special environment in which the Shanghai Customs was located, and by 1875, the Shanghai Customs quarantine medical inspection system was established. In this system, patients found in the Customs quarantine medical inspection were sent to a non-quarantine hospital in the settlement. Due to the extraterritoriality, the extent of the authority of the Customs Medical Officer was dependent on agreements with the possibility to be granted a one-time or temporary position after conferring with the Shanghai local government and consuls in each country. The Treaty Ports of Joseon were similar to Shanghai with regards to the presence of the Customs system alongside different settlements. The Joseon ports went through another transformation when the Commissioner of Shanghai Customs, H. F. Merrill, who also served as the Chief Commissioner of Seoul, accepted the Shanghai Customs’ modified concept of medical inspection in 1887.The process of acceptance and transformation of the medical quarantine concept leading to the ‘England-Shanghai-Joseon’ connection shows that the concept of medical quarantine in the nineteenth century spread from England to Joseon through Shanghai Customs as a medium.

Genome-wide investigation and comparative analysis of MATE gene family in Rosaceae species and their regulatory role in abiotic stress responses in Chinese pear (Pyrus bretschneideri).

The Multidrug and Toxic Compound Extrusion (MATE) protein belongs to a secondary transporter gene family, which plays a primary role in transporting many kinds of substrates such as organic compounds, secondary metabolites, and phytohormones. MATE protein members exist in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. However, evolution and comprehensive analysis of the MATE genes has not been performed in Rosaceae species. In the present study, a total of 404 MATEs genes were identified from six Rosaceae genomes (Prunus avium, Pyrus bretschneideri, Prunus persica, Fragaria vesca, Prunus mume, and Malus domestica) and classified into eight main subfamilies (I-VII) based on structural and phylogenetic analysis. Microcollinearity analysis showed that whole-genome duplication events might play a vital role in the expansion of the MATE genes family. The Ka/Ks analysis, chromosomal localization, subcellular localization, and molecular characteristics (length, weight, and pI) were performed using various bioinformatics tools. Furthermore, different subfamilies have different introns-exons structures, cis-acting elements, and conserved motifs analysis, indicating functional divergence in the MATE family. Subsequently, RNA-seq analysis and real-time qRT-PCR were conducted during Chinese pear fruit development. Moreover, PbMATE genes were significantly expressed under hormonal treatments of MeJA (methyl jasmonate), SA (salicylic acid), and ABA (abscisic acid). Overall, our results provide helpful insights into the functions, expansion complexity, and evolutions of the MATE genes in Chinese pear and five Rosaceae species.

Ginger-separated moxibustion for chronic fatigue syndrome and its effect on intestinal flora / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effect of ginger-separated moxibustion on fatigue state and intestinal flora in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).@*METHODS@#A total of 62 patients with CFS were randomly divided into an observation group (31 cases, 3 cases dropped off) and a control group (31 cases, 2 cases dropped off). The patients in the control group were treated with normal diet and moderate exercise; on the basis of the control group, the patients in the observation group were treated with ginger-separated moxibustion at Zhongwan (CV 12), Shenque (CV 8) and Guanyuan (CV 4), 30 min each time, once every other day, three times a week. Both groups were intervened for 4 weeks. Before and after treatment, the fatigue scale-14 (FS-14) was used to observe the improvement of fatigue state, and 16S rRNA detection technology was used to detect the distribution of intestinal flora.@*RESULTS@#Compared before treatment, the FS-14 score was reduced after treatment in the observation group (@*CONCLUSION@#The ginger-separated moxibustion could significantly improve the fatigue state in CFS patients, which may be related to the regulation of intestinal flora structure and the repair of intestinal barrier.

Lobeglitazone, A Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-Gamma Agonist, Inhibits Papillary Thyroid Cancer Cell Migration and Invasion by Suppressing p38 MAPK Signaling Pathway

Background@#Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ) ligands have been widely shown to correlate with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer progression. Lobeglitazone (LGZ) is a novel ligand of PPAR-γ; and its role in EMT and metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is poorly understood. We aimed to investigate the role of LGZ in metastatic behavior of PTC cells. @*Methods@#Half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of LGZ in BRAF-mutated PTC cell lines (BCPAP and K1) were determined using MTT assay. Rosiglitazone (RGZ), the PPAR-γ ligand was used as a positive control. The protein expression of PPAR-γ, cell-surface proteins (E-cadherin, N-cadherin), cytoskeletal protein (Vimentin), transcription factor (Snail), p38 mitogenactivated protein kinase (MAPK), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 pathway, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 expression were measured using Western blotting. Changes in E-cadherin expression were also determined using immunocytochemistry. Cell migration and invasion were analyzed using wound healing and Matrigel invasion assays. @*Results@#Treatment with LGZ or RGZ significantly inhibited transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1)-induced EMT-associated processes such as fibroblast-like morphological changes, EMT-related protein expression, and increased cell migration and invasion in BCPAP and K1 cells. LGZ restored TGF-β1-induced loss of E-cadherin, as observed using immunocytochemistry. Furthermore, LGZ and RGZ suppressed TGF-β1-induced MMP-2 expression and phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, but not ERK1/2. Although there was no change in PPAR-γ expression after treatment with LGZ or RGZ, the effect of downstream processes mediated by LGZ was hampered by GW9662, a PPAR-γ antagonist. @*Conclusion@#LGZ inhibits TGF-β1-induced EMT, migration, and invasion through the p38 MAPK signaling pathway in a PPAR-γ-dependent manner in PTC cells.

3-lead electrocardiography and pulse oximetry in early heart rate assessment of high-risk neonates / 中华围产医学杂志

Objective:To compare the accuracy and timeliness of 3-lead electrocardiography (ECG) and pulse oximetry (POX) in neonatal heart rate (HR) monitoring after birth.Methods:This prospective study recruited 42 high-risk newborns with gestational age ≥37 weeks and birth weight >1 500 g who were born through cesarean section without resuscitation requirement in Xi'an People's Hospital (Xi'an Fourth Hospital) from October 2019 to August 2020. 3-lead ECG electrodes and POX sensors were attached to the neonates immediately after drying to continuously monitor the HR within 10 min after birth. All procedure was recorded by video camera, and data were independently analyzed by a clinician after the procedure was completed. Differences in time required to connect the devices, time to obtain a reliable HR and the interval between them, the time needed for obtaining a reliable HR after birth, the proportion of neonates with reliable HR obtained within 5 min after birth and the consistency in the reliable HR readings between the two devices were compared using Wilcoxon signed-rank test, McNemar test, Spearman's correlation coefficient, intraclass correlation coefficient or Bland-Altman bias analysis.Results:The median time required to connect POX and 3-lead ECG and to acquire a reliable HR were 13.0 s (10.0-17.0 s) vs 23.0 s (18.0-28.3 s) ( Z=-5.050, P<0.001), and 79.5 s (56.2-128.0 s) vs 11.0 s (10.0-13.3 s) ( Z=-5.646, P<0.001), respectively. The total time from the beginning of connecting the devices and birth to acquiring a reliable HR were both longer for POX than those for 3-lead ECG [92.0 s (71.3-139.0 s) vs 35.0 s (30.0-39.5 s), Z=-5.579, P<0.001; 110.5 s (85.8-153.5 s) vs 52.0 s (45.0-66.3 s), Z=-5.579, P<0.001]. Reliable HRs were obtained in 69.1% (29/42) and 2.4% (1/42) of the infants by 3-lead ECG and POX within 1 min after birth, respectively. The percentage of infants for obtaining a reliable HR detected by 3-lead ECG within 5 min after birth were more than those by POX, but with statistically significant differences only at the first 60 s, 90 s, 120 s and 150 s (all P<0.001). The median HRs obtained by 3-lead ECG and POX within 10 min after birth were 161 beats/min (147-175 beats/min) and 160 beats/min (146-176 beats/min), respectively ( r=0.966, P<0.001). The mean difference of HR detected by the two devices was 0.56 beats/min (95% CI:-4.3 to 5.4 beats/min). The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.961, showing good internal consistency. Conclusions:Neonatal HR can be assessed accurately by 3-lead ECG within 1 min after birth, which is far earlier than that by POX. Therefore, 3-lead ECG can be an option for continuously HR monitor in neonatal resuscitation.

Analysis on protein expression of ferritin light chain in alveolar macrophages of patients with occupational silicosis / 中国职业医学

OBJECTIVE: To observe the protein expression of ferritin light chain(FTL) in alveolar macrophages(AM) of patients with occupational silicosis(hereinafter referred to as silicosis). METHODS: The male patients with silicosis at stage Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ were separately selected as the silicosis groupⅠ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ using judgment sampling method, with 15 patients in each group. Meanwhile, 15 male silicon dust workers with small lung shadows but not diagnosed as silicosis were selected as the control group. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was collected from the four groups, and AM was separated and purified, and protein was extracted after lysis of the AM. Western blotting was used to detect the relative expression of FTL protein in the AM. RESULTS: The relative expression of FTL protein in AM of silicosis groupⅠ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ was lower than that in the control group(all P<0.05). The relative expression of FTL protein in AM decreased with the increase of silicosis stage(P<0.05).CONCLUSION: The expression of FTL protein in AM was down-regulated in patients with silicosis in a dose-response manner. It is speculated that FTL may have a negative regulatory effect in the progress of silicosis fibrosis.

Incomplete convergence of gliding mammal skeletons.

Ecology and biomechanics play central roles in the generation of phenotypic diversity. When unrelated taxa invade a similar ecological niche, biomechanical demands can drive convergent morphological transformations. Thus, examining convergence helps to elucidate the key catalysts of phenotypic change. Gliding mammals are often presented as a classic case of convergent evolution because they independently evolved in numerous clades, each possessing patagia ("wing" membranes) that generate lift during gliding. We use phylogenetic comparative methods to test whether the skeletal morphologies of the six clades of extant gliding mammals demonstrate convergence. Our results indicate that glider skeletons are convergent, with glider groups consistently evolving proportionally longer, more gracile limbs than arborealists, likely to increase patagial surface area. Nonetheless, we interpret gliders to represent incomplete convergence because (1) evolutionary model-fitting analyses do not indicate strong selective pressures for glider trait optima, (2) the three marsupial glider groups diverge rather than converge, and (3) the gliding groups remain separated in morphospace (rather than converging on a single morphotype), which is reflected by an unexpectedly high level of morphological disparity. That glider skeletons are morphologically diverse is further demonstrated by fossil gliders from the Mesozoic Era, which possess unique skeletal characteristics that are absent in extant gliders. Glider morphologies may be strongly influenced by factors such as body size and attachment location of patagia on the forelimb, which can vary among clades. Thus, convergence in gliders appears to be driven by a simple lengthening of the limbs, whereas additional skeletal traits reflect nuances of the gliding apparatus that are distinct among different evolutionary lineages. Our unexpected results add to growing evidence that incomplete convergence is prevalent in vertebrate clades, even among classic cases of convergence, and they highlight the importance of examining form-function relationships in light of phylogeny, biomechanics, and the fossil record.

The Effects of Open-Lung Strategy on Lung Injury Markers in Patients under General Anesthesia with Low-tidal-volume Ventilation / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

@#【Objective】To determine the effects of an open-lung strategy（OLS）comprising moderate positive end- expiratory pressure （PEEP） and intermittent recruitment manoeuvres（RMs） on plasma levels of lung epithelial injury markers［i.e. soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products（sRAGE）and Clara cell protein（CC16）］during low- tidal-volume ventilation for surgery.【Methods】One hundred patients who were undergoing laparoscopic colorectal cancer resection under low-tidal-volume ventilation were enrolled in this study. They were randomly assigned（1∶1）to the OLS group（using PEEP of 6~8 cmH2O and intermittent RM），or the NOLS group（without using PEEP and RM）. Blood samples were taken before anesthesia induction（T1），immediately after surgery（T2）and the postoperative day 3（T3）to measure the plasma concentrations of sRAGE and CC16. 【Results】 Significant differences were not observed in the concentrations of sRAGE and CC16 at T1，T2 and T3 between the two groups（all P > 0.05）. For all the enrolled patients， the concentrations of sRAGE at T2 and T3 were higher than that at T1，the concentration of sRAGE at T3 was higher than that at T2，and the concentration of CC16 at T3 was higher than that at T1 and T2（all P < 0.05）.【Conclusions】In patients under general anesthesia with low-tidal-volume ventilation，the using of an OLS comprising medium PEEP and intermittent RMs can not alter plasma levels of lung epithelial injury markers（sRAGE and CC16）in three days after surgery.

Effect of ginger-separated moxibustion on fatigue, sleep quality and depression in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: a randomized controlled trial / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effect of ginger-separated moxibustion on fatigue, sleep quality and depression in the patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.@*METHODS@#A total of 62 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome were randomized into an observation group (31 cases, 3 cases dropped off) and a control group (31 cases, 2 cases dropped off). In the control group, the patients had normal diet and proper physical exercise. In the observation group, on the basis of the control group, the ginger-separated moxibustion was added at Zhongwan (CV 12), Shenque (CV 8) and Guanyuan (CV 4), 30 min each time, once every two days, 3 times weekly. Separately, before treatment and after 4 weeks of treatment, the MOS item short form health survey (SF-36), the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) scale and the self-rating depression scale (SDS) were adopted to evaluate the degrees of fatigue, sleep quality and depression in the patients of the two groups.@*RESULTS@#In the observation group, the score of each item of SF-36, the score of each item of PSQI and SDS score after treatment were all improved significantly as compared with those before treatment respectively (<0.05, <0.01). In the control group, the scores of overall health, vitality and mental health in SF-36 and the score of sleep time of PSQI after treatment were improved as compared with those before treatment respectively (<0.05). After treatment, the score of each item of SF-36, the scores of sleep quality, sleep time, sleep efficiency and sleep disorders of PSQI, as well as SDS score in the observation group were all better than those in the control group respectively (<0.01, <0.05). The score of SF-36 was relevant to the scores of PSQI and SDS in the patients of chronic fatigue syndrome ( =0.331, <0.05; =-0.706, <0.01). The improvement value of SF-36 score was closely related to the improvement value of SDS score in the observation group ( =-0.657, <0.01).@*CONCLUSION@#The ginger-separated moxibustion effectively relieves fatigue and depression condition and improves sleep quality in the patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. The fatigue condition is relevant with sleep quality and depression condition to a certain extent in the patients.

Hierarchical bioresponsive nanocarriers for codelivery of curcumin and doxorubicin.

Hierarchical responsive nanocarriers have received much attention for targeted delivery of chemotherapeutics. In this study, we designed pH and redox dual-stage responsive nanocarriers in the different delivery stages for co-delivery phosphorylated curcumin (p-Cur) with doxorubicin (Dox). The MSNs nanocarriers were functionalized via specific cleavable PEGylation and hydrogel coating crosslinked by disulfide bonds: MSNs as core load Dox; p-Cur encapsulated in hydrogel coating. In blood circulation, PEGylation endow the nanocarriers with long time during blood circulation; while in tumor tissue, PEG shells could be cleaved due to the pH-sensitive bond and expose the cationic hydrogel coating to improve cell uptake; while inside tumor cells, hydrogel coating could be cleaved due to the GSH and release the drugs. The results showed that the dual-responsive shells endowed the nanocarriers with tumor extracellular pH-triggered cell uptake and specific cancer cell target release. The synergistic effects of the p-Cur and Dox enhanced cellular apoptosis in Hela cells.

The neural encoding of continuous speech - recent advances in EEG and MEG studies / 生理学报

Speech comprehension is a central cognitive function of the human brain. In cognitive neuroscience, a fundamental question is to understand how neural activity encodes the acoustic properties of a continuous speech stream and resolves multiple levels of linguistic structures at the same time. This paper reviews the recently developed research paradigms that employ electroencephalography (EEG) or magnetoencephalography (MEG) to capture neural tracking of acoustic features or linguistic structures of continuous speech. This review focuses on two questions in speech processing: (1) The encoding of continuously changing acoustic properties of speech; (2) The representation of hierarchical linguistic units, including syllables, words, phrases and sentences. Studies have found that the low-frequency cortical activity tracks the speech envelope. In addition, the cortical activities on different time scales track multiple levels of linguistic units and constitute a representation of hierarchically organized linguistic units. The article reviewed these studies, which provided new insights into the processes of continuous speech in the human brain.

Regular transient limb ischemia prevents atherosclerosis progression in hypercholesterolemic rabbits / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Background:@#Endothelial dysfunction, the initial pathogenic factor in atherosclerosis, can be alleviated via transient limb ischemia. We observed the effects of regular transient limb ischemia (RTLI) on atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic rabbits.@*Methods:@#Twenty-eight rabbits were randomized to control, cholesterol, sham, ischemia groups (n=7 each) between October 2010 and March 2011. They were fed a normal diet in the control group and hypercholesterolemic diet in other groups for 12 weeks. Six cycles of RTLI were performed once per day on the ischemia group. Serum samples were prepared to measure the total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) before the experiment (W0), at the end of weeks 4, 8, 12 (W4, W8, W12). The whole aorta was harvested at W12 and stained using Sudan IV to identify the plaque. The plaque area was measured using Image J. Results were analyzed by analysis of variance or rank sum test.@*Results:@#Concentrations of TC in the cholesterol group were higher than those in the control group at W4 (29.60 [23.75, 39.30] vs. 1.00 [0.80, 1.55], Z = –2.745, P = 0.006), W8 (41.78 [28.08, 47.37] vs. 0.35 [0.10, 0.68], Z = –2.739, P = 0.006), W12 (48.32 [40.04, 48.95] vs. 0.61 [0.50, 0.86], Z = –2.739, P = 0.006). Similar results were obtained for HDL-C and LDL-C. Serum concentrations of TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C in the hypercholesterolemic groups had no differences (all P > 0.05). The percentage of plaque area in the cholesterol group was higher than that in the control group (47.22 ± 23.89% vs. 0, Z = –2.986, P = 0.003). Square root of the percentage of plaque area was smaller in the ischemia group than that in the cholesterol (0.44 ± 0.13 vs. 0.67 ± 0.18, P = 0.014) or sham groups (0.44 ± 0.13 vs. 0.61 ± 0.12, P = 0.049).@*Conclusion:@#In hypercholesterolemic rabbits, RTLI might prevent atherosclerosis progression by reducing the percentage of plaque area.

Regular transient limb ischemia prevents atherosclerosis progression in hypercholesterolemic rabbits / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Endothelial dysfunction, the initial pathogenic factor in atherosclerosis, can be alleviated via transient limb ischemia. We observed the effects of regular transient limb ischemia (RTLI) on atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic rabbits.@*METHODS@#Twenty-eight rabbits were randomized to control, cholesterol, sham, ischemia groups (n = 7 each) between October 2010 and March 2011. They were fed a normal diet in the control group and hypercholesterolemic diet in other groups for 12 weeks. Six cycles of RTLI were performed once per day on the ischemia group. Serum samples were prepared to measure the total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) before the experiment (W0), at the end of weeks 4, 8, 12 (W4, W8, W12). The whole aorta was harvested at W12 and stained using Sudan IV to identify the plaque. The plaque area was measured using Image J. Results were analyzed by analysis of variance or rank sum test.@*RESULTS@#Concentrations of TC in the cholesterol group were higher than those in the control group at W4 (29.60 [23.75, 39.30] vs. 1.00 [0.80, 1.55], Z = -2.745, P = 0.006), W8 (41.78 [28.08, 47.37] vs. 0.35 [0.10, 0.68], Z = -2.739, P = 0.006), W12 (48.32 [40.04, 48.95] vs. 0.61 [0.50, 0.86], Z = -2.739, P = 0.006). Similar results were obtained for HDL-C and LDL-C. Serum concentrations of TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C in the hypercholesterolemic groups had no differences (all P > 0.05). The percentage of plaque area in the cholesterol group was higher than that in the control group (47.22 ± 23.89% vs. 0, Z = -2.986, P = 0.003). Square root of the percentage of plaque area was smaller in the ischemia group than that in the cholesterol (0.44 ± 0.13 vs. 0.67 ± 0.18, P = 0.014) or sham groups (0.44 ± 0.13 vs. 0.61 ± 0.12, P = 0.049).@*CONCLUSION@#In hypercholesterolemic rabbits, RTLI might prevent atherosclerosis progression by reducing the percentage of plaque area.

Changes and Relationship Analysis of Ocular Parameters After Short-term Discontinuation of Orthokeratology / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

@#【Objective】To observe and assess the changes of refraction error，axial length，anterior chamber depth， intraocular pressure，and corneal topography parameters 1 month after discontinuation of orthokeratology，and analyse the related factors of refraction error growth. 【Methods】 This was a retrospective self-control clinical study ． A total of 66 children（66 eyes）with a history of wearing orthokeratology lens and voluntary discontinuation，aged 8 to 15 years，were enrolled in this study. They had worn orthokeratology lens for about 1 year，averaged 13（S = 3）months，with about 1 month of discontinuation ，averaged 29（S = 4）days. Observation of refraction error ，axial length ，anterior chamber depth ， intraocular pressure，and corneal topography parameters were taken before wearing orthokeratology lens and 1 month after discontinuation，and the changes and correlation were analyzed by paired t test and linear regression analyses.【Results】 Compared with the values at baseline，spherical equivalent refraction error and cylindrical degree increased［-0.13（-0.50~0.00）］D and［0.00（-0.25~0.00）］D，（P = 0.113）after 1 month of discontinuation，respectively. The value of steep Keratometry，and that of flat K，Em and Es both decreased 了 0.10（- 0.10~0.30）D，0.20（0.00~0.48）D，- 0.10（- 0.30~0.20）D，（P1 = 0.001，P2 < 0.001，P3 = 0.015）. Significantly，change of refraction error was only strongly correlated with axial elongation（X），and we built a predictive model for growth of refraction error（Y）：＾y = -1.294X+0.095（P < 0.001）.【Conclusion】 Refractive error exceed to baseline values completely ，and corneal power rebounded to baseline values basically after 1 month of discontinuation in children who wore orthokeratology lens for about 1 year.

Preliminary mechanism study on overexpression of PDCD4 in reversing cisplatin resistance in gastric cancer / 医学研究生学报

Objective Gastric cancer is the most common cancer in the world. In China, Patients with gastric cancer are mostly treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. Programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) was found as an important proapoptosis recently, the aim of the present study was to investigate the role of PDCD4 reversed the apoptosis induced by cisplatin in gastric cancer cell. The study will provide the target marker for treatment and diagnosis of cisplatin resistance in gastric cancer.Methods Stable transfection with pCMV-PDCD4 vector into human cisplatin resistance gastric cancer cell line-SGC7901/DDP; the cells were divided into control group, over-expression group, control with cisplatin group, over-expression with cisplatin group for following experiments. Hoechst dying with immunofluorescence and flow cytometry were used to measure the cell apoptosis in vitro; Real-time PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of PDCD4, and the protein levels of PDCD4, pAK, pGSK3β, BCL-2 and Bak were detected by Western blot. The cells were divided into vector group, PDCD4 group, PDCD4 with activator group for detect the level of PARP(C) by Western blot.Results Compared with control group, the Results of real-time PCR and western blot were showed the level of PDCD4 was augmented in over-expression group (also in the over-expression with cisplatin group), which was indicated stable transfection with PDCD4 was successful. Immunofluorescence (with hoechst dying) and flow cytometry demonstrated that PDCD4 facilitated cell apoptosis exposed to cisplatin. PDCD4 overexpression attenuated the protein levels of pAkt, pGSK3β and BCL-2, but increased the protein levels of BAK. Furthermore, incubation with SC-79 (the activator of Akt) reversed cell apoptosis induced by PDCD4.Conclusion Overexpression of PDCD4 promotes the apoptosis induced by cisplatin through pAKT/pGSK3β pathway, which is favorable to reverse cisplatin resistance in gastric cancer.

Intracavitary Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in the Management of Post-Surgical Gastrointestinal Fistulas.

The goal of this study was to investigate intracavitary contrast-enhanced ultrasound (IC-CEUS) measures in the management of post-surgical gastrointestinal (GI) fistula throughout detection, treatment and follow-up. From June 2010 to August 2016, patients who were administered ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) via a drainage tube for IC-CEUS were enrolled and retrospectively analyzed. They were suspected of having GI anastomotic fistulas or had been found to have fluid collections with ultrasound that were accompanied by abdominal pain or fever after surgical procedures. Forty-two patients met the inclusion criteria and were enrolled into this study. Twenty-two were confirmed to have GI fistulas confirmed by standard references. None were detected by conventional ultrasound. Although IC-CEUS successfully detected GI fistulas in 16 patients, it missed GI fistulas in 6 patients. One patient was misdiagnosed with a GI fistula. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of the diagnosis of GI fistulas by IC-CEUS were 72.7% (16/22), 95.0% (19/20), 94.1% (16/17), 76.0% (19/25) and 83.3% (35/42), respectively. Twenty peritoneal fluid collections in 14 patients were related to fistulas by IC-CEUS based on the distribution of ultrasound contrast agents. Additional drainage was performed in 14 fistula-related fluid collections. Eight GI fistulas were judged to be cured after IC-CEUS re-evaluation, and the drainage tubes were removed from these patients. In conclusion, IC-CEUS can greatly improve the ability to diagnose post-surgical GI fistulas and may also play an important role in interventional treatment and follow-up.