Anxiety symptoms and risk factors in patients with SARS-cov-2 omicron variant in shanghai, China.

OBJECTIVES: The psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic may include anxiety. However, the association between demographic and physiological factors in COVID-19 associated anxiety symptoms is poorly understood. Therefore, the present cross-sectional study was conducted to examine anxiety symptoms and associated factors among patients with the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant during quarantine in Shanghai. METHODS: The study was conducted between April 16, 2022, and May 21, 2022, at Fangcang Shelter Hospital in Shanghai, China. Data were collected using an anonymous online questionnaire. Demographic characteristics, respiratory symptoms, vaccine dose, comorbidities (such as hypertension and diabetes), type of work, and mental health symptoms were evaluated. Logistic regression was used to investigate the relationship between anxiety symptoms and risk factors. Stratification analysis was performed to investigate potential interactions. RESULTS: A total of 2132 patients with confirmed omicron variant SARS-CoV-2 infection were enrolled. The results showed that sex, age, type of work, respiratory symptoms, and comorbidities were positively associated with anxiety symptoms. Female gender (OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.11-1.94), nonmanual labor (OR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.25-2.09), respiratory symptoms (OR = 3.19, 95% CI = 2.30-4.43), and other comorbidities (OR = 1.65, 95% = 1.09-2.50)were positively associated with anxiety symptoms. A significant interaction was observed between gender and nonmanual labor (OR = 1.54, 95% = 1.29-1.85), respiratory symptoms (OR = 2.06, 95% = 1.72-2.48), and comorbidities (OR = 1.57, 95% = 1.16-2.12), such that effects were stronger in women compared to men. There were also significant interactions between age group and nonmanual labor and respiratory symptoms in their association with anxiety symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Alleviation of respiratory symptoms, addressing comorbidities, and both psychological and psychopharmacological treatments may help reduce anxiety symptoms following infection with the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant in mainland China.

Screening the Efficacy and Safety of Molluscicides from Three Leaf Extracts of Chimonanthus against the Invasive Apple Snail, Pomacea canaliculata.

Pomacea canaliculata, the invasive snail, is a host of the parasitic nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis, which has adverse effects on the agriculture system and human health. This work evaluated the molluscicidal activity of petroleum ether extracts (PEEs) from three species of Chimonanthus against the snail P. canaliculate. Pcp (PEE of C. praecox) showed the most effective molluscicide activity. Sixty-one compounds were identified by GC-MS and the main components were terpenoids and fatty acids. The half-lethal concentration (LC50) of Pcp at 24 h (0.27 mg/mL) and 48 h (0.19 mg/mL) was used to evaluate the biochemical alterations in snail tissue. These sublethal concentrations caused the levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity to increase, while acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity decreased. Also, under LC50 treatment, several histological changes were observed in the hepatopancreas and foot of the snail compared with the control group. Moreover, the toxic test in rice demonstrated that Pcp has low toxicity. These results suggest that Pcp could be developed as an effective molluscicide for P. canaliculata control.

The landscape of investigator-initiated oncology trials conducted in mainland China during the past decade (2010-2019).

The number of clinical trials conducted in mainland China, including investigator-initiated trials (IITs), has increased rapidly in recent years. However, there are few data on the characteristics of cancer-related IITs. We performed a comprehensive analysis of the landscape of cancer-related IITs in mainland China in the past decade. All cancer-related IITs registered on two clinical trial registries in the United States (www.clinicaltrials.gov, CT.gov) and mainland China (www.chictr.org.cn, ChiCTR) from 2010 to 2019 were identified. IITs were reviewed manually to validate classification, subcategorized by cancer type, and stratified by design characteristics to facilitate comparison across cancer types and with other specialties. A total of 8199 cancer-related IITs were identified. The number of trials registered annually increased over time, especially in the last 5 years. Although interventional studies were predominant, randomized double-blind studies accounted for only 8% of IITs. In the past decade, the trend for interventional studies conducted with different drugs increased year on year, although the increase in hormonal therapy IITs was not significant. Additionally, cancer-related IITs were unevenly geographically distributed, with half concentrated in the economically developed cities Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangdong. We also found an increase in registration before participant enrollment (64.9% for trials in conducted in 2015-2019 vs. 40.2% in 2010-2014, p < 0.001) and data monitoring committee use (44.5% vs. 40.0%, p = 0.001) and a decrease in randomization (51.5% vs. 62.7%, p < 0.001) and funding (36.4% vs. 56.3%, p < 0.001) between these periods. We also observed changes in intervention type (decrease in cytotoxic drug therapy [34.8% vs. 48.9%, p < 0.001]; increase in targeted therapy [17.8% vs. 14.2%, p = 0.004], immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy [6.6% vs. 0.0%, p < 0.001], and immune cell therapy [9.6% vs. 4.5%, p < 0.001]). Details of cancer-related IITs conducted during the past decade illustrate the merits of oncology research in mainland China. Although the increased quantity of IITs is encouraging, limitations remain regarding the quality of clinical trials, regional imbalances, and funding allocation.

Liraglutide Suppresses Myocardial Fibrosis Progression by Inhibiting the Smad Signaling Pathway.

OBJECTIVE: Liraglutide is a commonly used hypoglycemic agent in clinical practice, and has been demonstrated to have protective effects against the development of cardiovascular disease. However, its potential role in myocardial fibrosis remains unexplored. The present study aims to assess the impact of liraglutide on the activation of cardiac fibroblasts. METHODS: Primary rat adult fibroblasts were isolated, cultured, and randomly allocated into 4 groups: control group, transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFß1) stimulation group, liraglutide group, and TGFß1+liraglutide group. Fibroblast activation was induced by TGFß1. Cell proliferation activity was assessed using the CKK-8 kit, and cellular activity was determined using the MTT kit. Reverse transcrition-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was utilized to quantify the level of collagen transcription, immunofluorescence staining was performed to detect the expression level of type III collagen and α-smooth muscle protein (α-SMA), and immunoblotting was conducted to monitor alterations in signal pathways. RESULTS: The addition of 10, 25, 50 and 100 nmol/L of liraglutide did not induce any significant impact on the viability of fibroblasts (P>0.05). The rate of cellular proliferation was significantly higher in the TGFßl stimulation group than in the control group. However, the treatment with 50 and 100 nmol/L of liraglutide resulted in the reduction of TGFßl-induced cell proliferation (P<0.05). The RT-qPCR results revealed that the transcription levels of type I collagen, type III collagen, and α-SMA were significantly upregulated in the TGFßl stimulation group, when compared to the control group (P<0.05). However, the expression levels of these aforementioned factors significantly decreased in the TGFßl+liraglutide group (P<0.05). The immunofluorescence staining results revealed a significant increase in the expression levels of type III collagen and α-SMA in the TGFßl stimulation group, when compared to the control group (P<0.05). However, these expression levels significantly decreased in the TGFßl+liraglutide group, when compared to the TGFßl stimulation group (P<0.05). The Western blotting results revealed that the expression levels of phosphorylated smad2 and smad3 significantly increased in the TGFßl stimulation group, when compared to the control group (P<0.05), while these decreased in the TGFßl+liraglutide group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Liraglutide inhibits myocardial fibrosis development by suppressing the smad signaling pathway, reducing the activation and secretion of cardiac fibroblasts.

Analysis of the Timing of Cervical Cerclage Treatment in Pregnant Women with Cervical Insufficiency and the Effect on Pregnancy Outcome.

Purpose: To analyze the effect of the choice of timing of cervical cerclage treatment on pregnancy outcome in pregnant women with cervical insufficiency (CI). Methods: The case data of 160 pregnant women admitted to our hospital for cervical cerclage due to CI from January 2020 to September 2021 were sampled. They were divided into the early group (14∼18 weeks of pregnancy, n = 86), the middle group (19∼27 weeks of pregnancy, n = 74) according to the different gestational periods of surgical treatment, and into the elective group (elective operation, n = 71) and the emergency group (emergency operation, n = 89) according to the different timings of surgical treatment. To compare the pregnancy outcomes of the four groups and the effects of different treatment timings on pregnant women and newborns. Results: After the operation, the intrauterine infection rate in the early group was lower (8.14% (7/86)) than that (71.62% (53/74)) in the middle group, and the intrauterine infection rate (18.31% (13/71)) in the elective group was lower (61.80% (55/89)) than that in the emergency group (P < 0.05). After the operation, the late abortion rate in the early group was 8.14% (7/86) lower than 63.51% (47/74) in the middle group, and the late abortion rate in the elective group was 15.49% (11/71) lower than 61.80% (55/89) in the emergency group (P < 0.05). After the operation, the full-term birth rate (82.56% (71/86)) in the early group was higher (21.62% (16/74)) than that in the middle group, and the full-term birth rate (73.24% (52/71)) of the elective group was higher (24.72% (22/89)) than that in the emergency group (P < 0.05). After the operation, there was no significant difference in the preterm birth rate between the early group and the middle group (8.14% vs 14.86%), and between the elective group and the emergency group (11.27% vs 12.36%) (P > 0.05). There was no significant difference in neonatal Apgar scores between the early group and the middle group (7.30 ± 0.98 vs 7.14 ± 0.91) scores, and between the selective group and the emergency group (7.15 ± 0.82 vs 7.07 ± 1.07) scores (P > 0.05). There was no significant difference in gestational week extension time between the early group and the middle group (6.52 ± 1.77 vs 6.99 ± 1.69) days and between the elective group and the emergency group (6.44 ± 1.37 vs 6.82 ± 1.70) days (P > 0.05). The length of hospital stay was (7.28 ± 1.39 vs 10.89 ± 2.65) days in the early group and the middle group, with the early group being shorter than the middle group (P < 0.05), and the length of hospital stay was (8.72 ± 1.23 vs 9.30 ± 1.39) days in the elective group and the emergency group, with the elective group being shorter than the emergency group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The therapeutic effect and pregnancy outcome of cervical cerclage are affected by the timing of treatment. Among them, the effect of elective operation at 14∼18 weeks of pregnancy is more ideal, which is worthy of clinical promotion.

FOXA1-induced circOSBPL10 potentiates cervical cancer cell proliferation and migration through miR-1179/UBE2Q1 axis.

BACKGROUND: Recently, extensive evidence has clarified the crucial role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) as a pro-tumor or anti-cancer participant in human malignancies. A new circRNA derived from oxysterol binding protein like 10 (OSBPL10) (circOSBPL10) has not been researched in cervical cancer (CC) yet. METHODS: The expression of molecules was analyzed by RT-qPCR or western blot. Several functional assays were applied to explore the biological influence of circOSBPL10 on CC. The interaction between RNAs was estimated via luciferase reporter, RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA pull-down assays. RESULTS: CircOSBPL10 characterized with cyclic structure was revealed to possess elevated expression in CC cells. CircOSBPL10 downregulation elicited suppressive impacts on CC cell proliferation and migration. Interestingly, circOSBPL10 regulated CC progression by interacting with microRNA-1179 (miR-1179). Moreover, ubiquitin conjugating enzyme E2 Q1 (UBE2Q1) targeted by miR-1179 was positively regulated by circOSBPL10 in CC. Furthermore, enhanced UBE2Q1 expression or suppressed miR-1179 level countervailed the repressive effect of circOSBPL10 depletion on the malignant phenotypes of CC cells. Moreover, forkhead box A1 (FOXA1) was confirmed to induce circOSBPL10 expression in CC cells. CONCLUSIONS: FOXA1-induced circOSBPL10 facilitates CC progression through miR-1179/UBE2Q1 axis, highlighting a strong potential for circOSBPL10 to serve as a promising therapeutic target in CC.

[Cluster Analysis of Medication Laws for Treating Coronary Heart Disease by Distinguished Veteran Doctors of Traditional Chinese Medicine].

OBJECTIVE: To provide inspiration and ideas for clinical treatment of coronary heart disease (CHD) by data mining technology based frequency analysis and cluster analysis of medical records, prescriptions and herbs in treating CHD by distinguished veteran doctors of traditional Chinese Dedicine (TCM). METHODS: Totally 386 medical cases were retrieved from Wanfang Data, Chinese Scientific Journals Database (VIP medical information resources system, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Typical Collections of Medical Cases by Contemporary Distinguished Veteran Doctors of Traditional Chinese Medicine. They input into database trimmed after unified standard. Medication laws of CHD by distinguished veteran doctors of TCM were analyzed using frequency analysis and cluster analysis, and so on. RESULTS: Distinguished veteran doctors of TCM frequently used top ten herbs in treatment of C D as Salvia miltiorrhiz , Ligusticum wallichii, Trichosanthes kirilowi, Pinellia ternat, Angelica sinensis, Poria coco stragalu , Panax ginseng, Allium macrostemon, and Radix Ophiopogonis. Cluster analysis summarized that there were 16 herb pairs commonly used, 7drug assemblies consisting of 3 herbs and 5 drug assemblies consisting of multiple herbs. CONCLUSIONS: Distinguished veteran doctors of TCM mainly used herbs assemblies capable for invigorating Pi to resolve phlegm, and promoting qi and activating blood circulation in treating CHD. Meanwhile, they concurrently used herbs combination of nourishing Xin and tranquilization, and regulating yin and yang.