Occurrence of halogenated organic contaminants in surface sediments of the Yangtze River estuary and its adjacent marine area.

Halogenated organic contaminants, such as chlorinated and brominated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Cl/Br-PAHs), are some of the most important emerging environmental pollutants. However, empirical data on Cl/Br-PAHs in estuarine and marine ecosystems are limited, rendering assessments of Cl/Br-PAH contamination in estuarine and offshore environments uncertain. Here the occurrence, sources, and ecological risks of 7 Cl-PAHs and 18 Br-PAHs were determined in surface sediments of the Yangtze River Estuary (YRE), a highly urbanized and industrialized area, and its adjacent marine area. The concentrations of Cl-PAHs ranged from 4.50 to 18.38 ng g-1 (average 7.19 ng g-1), while those of Br-PAHs ranged from 4.80 to 61.18 ng g-1 (average 14.11 ng g-1). The dominant Cl-PAH and Br-PAH in surface sediment were 9-chlorofluorene (17.79%) and 9-bromofluorene (58.49%), respectively. The distributions and compositions of Cl/Br-PAHs in the surface sediments varied considerably due to complex hydrodynamic and depositional conditions in the YRE and its adjacent marine area, as well as differences in physicochemical properties of different Cl/Br-PAHs. Positive matrix factorization revealed that the primary sources of Cl/Br-PAHs in the study area were e-waste dismantling (33.6%), waste incineration (23.2%), and metal smelting (11.0%). According to the risk quotient, the Cl/Br-PAHs in sediments posed no toxic risk to aquatic organisms.

Prevalence, risk factors and clinical correlates of glucose disturbances in a large sample of Han Chinese patients with first-episode drug-naïve major depressive disorder.

Glucose disturbances are a common comorbidity of major depressive disorder (MDD) patients and have been extensively studied in the past. However, few studies have explored glucose disturbances in first-episode drug-naïve (FEDN) MDD patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and risk factors of glucose disturbances in FEDN MDD patients to understand the relationship between MDD and glucose disturbances in the acute early phase and provide important implications for therapeutic interventions. Using a cross-sectional design, we recruited a total of 1718 MDD patients. We collected their socio-demographic information, clinical data, and blood glucose indicators.17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), 14-item Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), and the positive symptom subscale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were used to assess their depression, anxiety, psychotic symptoms, respectively. The prevalence of glucose disturbances in FEDN MDD patients was 13.6%. Depression, anxiety and psychotic symptoms, body mass index (BMI) levels and suicide attempts rates were higher in the group with glucose disorders than in the group without glucose disorders among patients with first-episode drug-naive MDD. Correlation analysis showed that glucose disturbances were associated with HAMD score, HAMA score, BMI, psychotic symptoms and suicide attempts. Furthermore, binary logistic regression showed that HAMD score and suicide attempts were independently associated with glucose disturbances in MDD patients. Our findings suggest that the prevalence of comorbid glucose disturbances is very high in FEDN MDD patients. Moreover, more severe depressive symptoms and higher suicide attempts are correlated with glucose disturbances in MDD FEDN patients in the early stage.

Prevalence and clinical profile of comorbid anxiety in young adult patients with first-episode and drug-naive major depressive disorder.

AIM: Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) frequently have coexisting anxiety disorders. However, few studies have focused on the prevalence and risk factors of comorbid anxiety symptoms in young adult first-episode and drug-naive (FEDN) MDD patients. METHODS: We recruited 520 FEDN MDD patients and collected their demographic and clinical data. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) and the positive scale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were used to measure depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and psychotic symptoms, respectively. RESULTS: Anxiety symptoms were found in 79.6% of young adult patients. Besides, anxiety group patients had a higher prevalence of psychotic symptoms than the non-anxiety group. Anxiety symptoms were substantially related to suicide attempts in young adult patients. Logistic analysis shows that suicide attempts and total HAMD scores were significantly associated with anxiety symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The findings show that anxiety symptoms are common in Chinese young adult MDD patients. The anxiety group was more likely to have psychotic symptoms, suicide attempts, and more severe depressive symptoms than the non-anxiety group. Suicide attempts were associated with anxiety symptoms in young adult MDD patients, suggesting the importance of reducing anxiety symptoms in this population to prevent suicides.

Physiological responses and altered halocarbon production in Phaeodactylum tricornutum after exposure to polystyrene microplastics.

Oceanic emissions are a major source of atmospheric, very short-lived, ozone-depleting, brominated substances. These substances can be produced by marine microalgae, estimates of their current and future emissions are imperfect, because the processes by which marine microalgae respond to environmental changes are rarely account for environmental pollutants. Here, concurrent measurements of the potential effects of polystyrene (PS) microplastics with concentrations of 25-100 mg/L on the growth of Phaeodactylum tricornutum and their volatile halocarbons (VHCs) production were made over a 20-day culture period. The maximum inhibition rates (IR) due to 0.1 µm and 0.5 µm PS microplastics on cell density were 40.11 % and 32.87 %, on Chl a content were 25.89 % and 20.73 %, and on Fv/Fm were 9.74 % and 9.00 %, respectively. All IR showed dose-dependent effects with maxima occurring in the logarithmic phase. However, in the stationary phase, P. tricornutum exposed to PS microplastics exhibited improved attributes. Enhanced biogenesis of VHCs was induced by the excess reactive oxygen species in algal cells due to microplastics exposure, and their production rates were higher in the logarithmic phase than stationary phase. This represents that oxidative stress to cells plays a dominant role in determining the release of CHBrCl2, CHBr2Cl, and CHBr3. Hence, we suggest that the widespread microplastics in the ocean may be partly responsible for the increase in the emission of VHCs by marine phytoplankton, thereby affecting the ozone layer recovery in the future.

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of vocal fatigue index (VFI) to Chinese language.

Objectives: This study aimed to translate the Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI) into Simplified Chinese and test its reliability and validity in mainland China. Methods: The original English version of the VFI was translated and adapted to a Simplified Chinese version (VFI -SC). Fifty-four participants with voice disorders and 21 healthy controls completed the VFI-SC. Sixteen participants with voice disorders completed it again two weeks later. Reliability, validity, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) of the VFI-SC were analyzed. Results: The Cronbach's alpha values for the VFI factor scores were found to be 0.930 for tiredness and avoidance of voice use (factor 1), 0.878 for physical discomfort with voice use (factor 2), and 0.915 for improvement of symptoms with voice rest (factor 3). The test-retest reliability was 0.967 for all three factors. There was a significant difference between the total scores of the patient group and the control group (p < 0.01). Factor 1 and factor 2 were positively correlated with the Voice Handicap Index (VHI-30). The ROC curves showed acceptable intrinsic accuracies for factor 1 (AUC = 0.883), factor 2 (AUC = 0.901), and factor 3 (AUC = 0.800), with cutoff scores of 22, 7, and 9, respectively. Conclusions: This study provides preliminary evidence that the VFI-SC has good reliability and validity. It can be used to screen for clinical symptoms of voice fatigue in mainland China.

Sulfur hexafluoride in the marine atmosphere and surface seawater of the Western Pacific and Eastern Indian Ocean.

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is a powerful greenhouse gas with a high global warming potential. While SF6 emissions from urban areas have been extensively studied, our knowledge about SF6 concentrations in the oceanic atmosphere and its air-sea exchange remains limited. Herein, the concentrations of SF6 in the atmosphere and surface seawater of the WPO (Western Pacific Ocean) and EIO (Eastern Indian Ocean) were comprehensively characterized from 2019 to 2022 in the first long-term study. The mean mixing ratios of SF6 over the WPO and EIO during 2019-2020 (2021-2022) were 10.9 (11.2) and 10.9 (11.1) ppt, respectively. The atmospheric SF6 concentration over the WPO and EIO increased at rates of 0.40 ± 0.06 and 0.58 ± 0.28 ppt yr-1, respectively, surpassing previously reported annual growth rates. The faster growth was primarily attributed to the influence of polluted air masses originating from eastern Asian countries, particularly Japan, Northeast China, and India. This might explain why the radiative forcing caused by SF6 in the study region was higher than the global average. The concentrations of SF6 in the surface seawater of the WPO and EIO ranged from 0.33 to 2.54 fmol kg-1, and the distribution was affected by atmospheric concentrations and ocean currents. Estimated air-sea fluxes revealed that the ocean acted as a significant sink of atmospheric SF6, and the preliminary estimation suggested oceanic uptake accounts for about 7% of annual global SF6 emissions. Based on these findings, we tentatively suggest that the strength of the ocean as a sink of SF6 may warrant reassessment. The global oceanic uptake of SF6 has the potential to reduce its global abundance and environmental impacts.

Prevalence and clinical correlates of abnormal glucose metabolism in young, first- episode and medication-naïve outpatients with major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUNDS: The high co-morbidity of abnormal glucose metabolism in depressed patients has been extensively studied, but few studies have explored abnormal glucose metabolism in young patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). This study aimed to examine the prevalence and clinical correlates of abnormal glucose metabolism in young patients with first-episode medication-naïve (FEMN) MDD. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1289 young Chinese outpatients with FEMN MDD. All subjects were assessed on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, and their sociodemographic information was collected, and blood pressure, blood glucose, lipid and thyroid hormone levels were measured. RESULTS: The prevalence of abnormal glucose metabolism was 12.57% in young FEMN MDD outpatients. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels and HAMA scale scores were associated with fasting blood glucose levels in patients with FEMN MDD (P<0.05), and TSH could differentiate patients with abnormal normal glucose metabolism from those without abnormal glucose metabolism (Area Under Curve of 0.774). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed a high prevalence of comorbid glucose metabolism abnormalities in young FEMN MDD outpatients. TSH may be a promising biomarker of abnormal glucose metabolism in young patients with FEMN MDD.

Laryngeal Diadochokinesis in the Mandarin Population.

INTRODUCTION: This study identifies the most suitable syllable for laryngeal diadochokinesis (LDDK) in Mandarin speakers. METHODS: One hundred and ten Mandarin speakers aged 18-83 years were used in the study. LDDK was assessed using quick repetitions of /ʔe/, /ʔi/, /ʔa/, /he/, /ha/, and /hi/. The observation index included the average rate (syllable/s) and regularity (%). RESULTS: In the various age groups, there was no significant difference in LDDK rate and regularity of adducted syllables (p > 0.05), and only the regularity of /ʔi/ is significantly different between aged 18-40 and 41-64 years (p = 0.040). When vocal fold adduction was compared between various syllables, there was no significant difference in LDDK rate and regularity (p > 0.05). In various age groups, the LDDK rate of abduction syllables is different (p < 0.05) compared with the LDDK regularity of abduction syllables (p > 0.05). In various abduction syllables, there is no difference in LDDK rate (p > 0.05); however, /ha/ and /hi/ have significant differences in LDDK regularity (p = 0.007). CONCLUSION: According to the preliminary data, /ʔa/ and /ha/ can be used as suitable indicators to analyse the coordination ability of the laryngeal movement of Mandarin speakers.

Association between thyroid dysfunction, metabolic disturbances, and clinical symptoms in first-episode, untreated Chinese patients with major depressive disorder: Undirected and Bayesian network analyses.

Aims: Thyroid dysfunction and metabolic disturbances are common in major depressive disorder (MDD) patients. We aimed to assess the relationship between thyroid dysfunction, metabolic disturbances, and clinical symptoms in Chinese first-episode, drug-naïve (FEDN) MDD patients using undirected and Bayesian network methods. Methods: 1718 FEDN MDD patients were recruited. Serum levels of free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), anti-thyroglobulin (TgAb), thyroid peroxidases antibody (TPOAb), total cholesterol (TC), total triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), and glucose were assessed. Blood pressure and body mass index were measured. Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD), Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety, and positive subscale of Positive And Negative Syndrome Scales were used to detect clinical symptoms. An undirected network with EBICglasso default and a directed acyclic graph (DAG) using the Bayesian network approach was conducted. Results: The prevalence rates of clinical symptoms, thyroid dysfunction, and metabolic dysfunction were as follows: anxiety (n=894, 52%), psychotic symptoms (171, 10%), subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH, n=1041, 61%), abnormal TgAb (n=297, 17%), abnormal TPOAb (n=438, 25%), hyperthyroidism (n=5, 0.3%), hypothyroidism (n=3, 0.2%), hyperglycemia (n=241, 14%), hypertriglyceridemia (n=668, 39%), low HDL-C (n=429, 25%), hypercholesterolemia (421, 25%), abnormal TC (357, 21%), abnormal LDL-C (185, 11%). overweight or obesity (n=1026, 60%), and hypertension (n=92, 5.4%). Both networks demonstrated serum TSH and TC levels and the severity of depression played an important role in the pathophysiology of MDD. Conclusions: MDD patients may have thyroid and metabolic dysfunction in the early stage. Targeting hypercholesterolemia, depressive symptoms, and SCH in MDD patients may hold promise in reducing clinical symptoms, metabolic disturbances, and thyroid dysfunction.

Resveratrol inhibits multiple organ injury in preeclampsia rat model.

OBJECTIVE:  To investigate the effects of resveratrol on multiple organ injury and energy metabolism and its possible mechanism in preeclampsia model. METHODS:  A total of 45 clean-grade female adults Sprague Dawley (SD) rats (weight 270-320 g) were randomly divided into three groups: a control group, preeclampsia group (PE), and Preeclampsia with resveratrol treatment group (RE). Preeclampsia was induced in rats by administering 200 mg/kg/day L-NAME. Expression levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in the lungs and kidney tissues were analysed by ELISA, while the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) was determined by biochemical assays. The levels of lactic acid and pyruvate were detected using biochemical assays, while the epinephrine level in the kidney and heart tissues was determined by the ELISA method. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and the western blotting were used to detect the expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4) in the myocardial tissues. RESULTS:  We found that resveratrol treatment inhibited the levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and MDA in the lungs and kidney tissues, while the SOD activity was increased. Treatment with resveratrol reduced the levels of lactic acid, pyruvate, and epinephrine in the kidney and heart tissues. Furthermore, resveratrol treatment significantly increases the expression of PDK4 myocardial tissues in RE group compared to PE group. CONCLUSION:  Resveratrol may inhibit the release of tissue inflammatory factors, regulate the body's energy metabolism, and ultimately protect tissue damage caused during Preeclampsia.

Loss-tolerant quantum multi-party key agreement without quantum storage.

Quantum key distribution (QKD) and quantum key agreement (QKA) are two main branches of key establishment in quantum cryptography. However, the research of QKA falls far behind that of QKD, especially in practicability. The main reason is that QKA needs to resist not only the outside eavesdropping but also the participant cheating. Resisting dishonest participant is more difficult than resisting outside eavesdropping, especially when the apparatuses are imperfect. Actually, existing QKA protocols cannot tolerate the channel loss and have to rely on stable quantum storage. To solve this problem, we give a new quantum multi-party key agreement protocol based on the error-correcting code. Our protocol is loss tolerant, and the participants can measure the received qubits immediately in one of two conjugate bases, without storage, so our protocol can eliminate the requirement of quantum storage. Besides, our protocol is more fair because it can partially discriminate dishonest participants' cheating from outside eavesdropping (previously, these two attacks are generally checked simultaneously via decoy states but cannot be discriminated), as a result, dishonest participants generally will not cheat at the cost of losing good reputation.

Correlation of macrophage-related cytokines and silent information regulator 1 and forkhead box protein O3 levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective　To explore the correlation between the levels of silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) and forkhead box protein O3 (FOXO3) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis (APTB) and macrophage-related cytokines-inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and arginase-1 (Arg-1). Methods　A total of 64 APTB patients who were treated in Yubei Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 2020 to December 2021 were gathered as the APTB group, 59 people with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) were gathered as the LTBI group, and 62 healthy people were gathered as the control group. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) method was performed to measure the levels of SIRT1 mRNA and FOXO3 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to measure serum iNOS and Arg-1 levels; ROC curve was used to analyze the value of SIRT1 mRNA and FOXO3 mRNA levels in the differential diagnosis of LTBI and APTB; Pearson correlation was performed to analyze the correlation of SIRT1 mRNA and FOXO3 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of APTB patients with serum iNOS and Arg-1 levels. Results　The levels of SIRT1 mRNA, FOXO3 mRNA and serum iNOS in peripheral blood mononuclear cells decreased in control group, LTBI group and APTB group, and the level of serum Arg-1 increased in turn (P<0.05). The AUCs of SIRT1 mRNA and FOXO3 mRNA in differential diagnosis of LTBI and APTB were 0.876 and 0.887, respectively, the sensitivity was 71.2% and 76.3%, and the specificity was 96.9% and 90.6% respectively. The levels of SIRT1 mRNA and FOXO3 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of APTB patients were positively correlated (r=0.500, P<0.05), and they were positively correlated with serum iNOS and negatively correlated with serum Arg-1 (P<0.05). The SIRT1 mRNA, FOXO3 mRNA and serum iNOS in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of APTB patients after 6 months of treatment were higher than those before treatment, and serum Arg-1 was lower than before treatment (P<0.05). Conclusions　The levels of SIRT1 mRNA and FOXO3 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of APTB patients are low, and they are positively correlated with macrophage-related cytokine iNOS and negatively correlated with Arg-1.

Gender differences in prevalence and clinical correlates of anxiety symptoms in first-episode and drug-naïve patients with major depressive disorder.

AIM: Gender differences in major depressive disorder (MDD) are commonly reported; however, gender differences in first-episode and drug-naïve (FEDN) patients with major depressive disorder remain unclear. This study aimed to examine potential gender differences in the prevalence and clinical correlates of comorbid anxiety in FEDN patients with MDD. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with1718 FEDN patients with MDD. Patients' demographic and clinical data were collected and analyzed using standardized clinical evaluation forms. The Hamilton depression scale (HAMD), Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were used to evaluate depression, anxiety and psychotic symptoms, respectively. RESULTS: There were no gender-based differences in the comorbidity rates of MDD and anxiety disorders (male: 10.2% vs. female:12.7%, P = 0.123). The prevalence of MDD with severe anxiety symptoms in male patients was similar to that of female patients (80.8%vs. 80.1%, P = 0.749). Male MDD patients were younger, had earlier age of onset, and were less likely to be married. In both the male and female groups, HAMD scores, HAMA scores, suicide attempts, and psychotic symptoms in patients with severe anxiety symptoms were higher than those patients without severe anxiety symptoms (all p ≤ 0.001). Furthermore, binary logistic regression analysis showed that psychotic symptoms and suicide attempts significantly predicted severe anxiety symptoms in both male and female patients with MDD, while body mass index(BMI)significantly predicted severe anxiety symptoms in MDD females only. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that there were no gender differences in the prevalence of comorbid anxiety in FEDN patients with MDD. Suicide attempts and psychiatric symptoms were associated with severe anxiety symptoms in both men and women with MDD, whereas BMI was only correlated with severe anxiety symptoms in women.

Scutellarein induces apoptosis and inhibits proliferation, migration, and invasion in ovarian cancer via inhibition of EZH2/FOXO1 signaling.

Scutellarein, a flavone found in the perennial herb Scutellaria baicalensis, has antitumorigenic activity in multiple human cancers. However, whether scutellarein can attenuate ovarian cancer (OC) is unclear. This study investigated the effects of scutellarein in OC. In vitro cell viability was assessed using MTT assay whereas proliferation was assessed using 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine and colony formation assays. Cell apoptosis was detected by an Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide assay. Wound-healing and Transwell assays were used to determine cell migration and invasion. The differential expression of enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) and forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) was measured by Quantitative real-time PCR and western blot analysis. We found that scutellarein inhibited viability, migration, invasion of A2780 and SKOV-3 cells, and reduced the expression of EZH2 in OC cells. In addition, FOXO1 was downregulated in OC tissues and cells and negatively regulated by EZH2. Also, scutellarein inhibited tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. In conclusion, scutellarein alleviates OC by the regulation of EZH2/FOXO1 signaling.

The relationship between overweight and thyroid function in first-episode, untreated Chinese patients with major depressive disorder with different ages of onset.

BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) and obesity are common. There are many differences in many aspects of MDD patients at different ages of onset (AOO); however, there are currently no studies on differences in obesity or overweight. This study aims to evaluate whether thyroid function changes with body weight, and to explore the related factors of overweight in MDD patients with different AOOs. METHODS: A total of 1716 first-episode, untreated Chinese Han outpatients with MDD were recruited from a general hospital. Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and Positive Symptom subscale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were used to evaluate anxiety, depression and psychotic symptoms, respectively. The participants were divided into two groups: early adulthood onset (EAO, <45 years old) and mid-adulthood onset (MAO, >=45 years old). RESULTS: Compared with EAO patients, MAO patients scored higher on the HAMD, HAMA, CGI-S and PANSS positive symptoms subscale, and they also had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), higher serum levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), FBG, cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein, but they had lower serum levels of free triiodothyronine 3 and high-density lipoprotein. TSH, anti-thyroglobulin (TgAb), TC and systolic BP were correlated with overweight in MAO patients, while TSH and FBG were correlated with overweight of EAO patients. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that TSH is related to overweight in both AOO subgroups, and the influencing factors of overweight related to thyroid function may be different in different AOOs.

[Color characterization and its correlation with quality index during ripening of Rubus chingii].

The color of Rubus chingii was characterized by digital method, and the content of water extract, alcohol extract, total flavonoids, total polysaccharides, total polyphenols, ellagic acid, linden glycoside, kaophenol-3-O-rutin were determined. Correlation regression was used to analyze the correlation between color and composition. The results showed that L~* was positively correlated with total polyphenols, kaophenol-3-O-rutin and tilide, and moderately positively correlated with total flavones, ellagic acid and aqueous extracts. The a~* value was negatively correlated with total polyphenols, kaophenol-3-O-rutin, and linden glycosides, while was moderately correlated with total flavones, aqueous extracts, and ellagic acid. The b~* value was negatively correlated with the water extract, and moderately correlated with the content of total polyphenols, total polysaccharides, alcohol extract and kaophenol-3-O-rutin, which showed that R. chingii mature color had a significant correlation with material composition in the process of dynamic change. According to the law of dynamic change in the color and quality indexes, it is determined that the appropriate harvest time is in late April to May 1, while the fruit is not turn yellow. The agronomic traits related to fruit was(12.49±0.56) mm in diameter,(14.25±1.19)mm in height,(1.20±0.14) g in weight, the chroma L~* value was 52.87±3.14,a~* value was 2.01±1.58, b~* values was 28.31±3.88. The results lay a foundation for establishing an objective quantitative evaluation model of R. chingii color from experience.

IL-17A polymorphism (rs2275913) and levels are associated with preeclampsia pathogenesis in Chinese patients.

BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy-related condition that affects both the infant and the mother. Although the role of various inflammatory molecules in PE has been demonstrated, the importance of pro-inflammatory molecules such as IL-17A, IL-23 is not well understood. In the present investigation, a potential association of common genetic variants in the IL-17A and IL-23A genes with PE was investigated. METHODS: 115 PE clinically diagnosed patients who registered to the International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital were enrolled in this research. One hundred two pregnant women and 147 healthy Chinese women were also included. ELISA was used to measure IL-17A and IL-23 serum levels in all enrolled subjects. Common genetic polymorphisms in IL-17A (rs 2,275,913, rs1974226, and rs1974226), IL-23A (rs11171806), and IL-12B (rs3212227) were genotyped using the PCR-RFLP or TaqMan probe-based method. RESULTS: Elevated serum IL-17A levels were found in PE patients compared to pregnant (P < 0.0001) and healthy women (P < 0.0001). However, IL-23 levels were comparable across various clinical groups. In addition, heterozygous (GA) and minor allele (A) for IL-17A (rs2275913) and IL-23A (rs11171806) were more prevalent in PE patients compared to pregnant women indicating an important role in the predisposition to PE growth. Interestingly, IL-17A (r 2,275,913) mutants were associated with elevated IL-17A levels relative to wild type (GG). CONCLUSIONS: IL-17A (rs2275913) variants are associated with higher serum levels of cytokine, and predisposed PE development.

[Study on medication regularity of chronic atrophic gastritis in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region based on latent structure model].

To explore the etiology, pathogenesis, distribution of syndromes and the rule of medication of chronic atrophic gastritis(CAG) in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region based on the latent structure model. Chronic atrophic gastritis of 279 cases in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region were extracted from the established database of spleen and stomach diseases of famous veteran Chinese medicine experts. The latent structure models of symptoms and drugs of chronic atrophic gastritis were constructed by using Lantern 3.1.2 software, and the latent structure models were interpreted. SAS 10.0 software was used to mine association rules of drugs and symptoms. The constitutional characteristics of patients with chronic atrophic gastritis in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region were "turbid toxin and damaging Yin". The common syndromes were turbid toxin, deficiency of stomach Yin, stagnation of liver and stomach, stagnation of liver and stomach Qi, obstruction of stomach collaterals and blood stasis, and weakness of spleen and stomach. Common medicines are Lobeliae Chinensis Herba, Scutellariae Barbatae Herba, Amomi Fructus Rotundus, Amomi Fructus, Poria, Isatidis Radix, Artemisiae Scopariae Herba, Scorpio, Coptidis Rhizoma, Lilii Bulbus, Linderae Radix, Phragmitis Rhizoma, Ophiopogonis Radix, Pogostemonis Herba, Eupatorii Herba, Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex, Aurantii Fructus Immaturus. Common prescriptions are Baihe Wuyao Powder, Danggui Shaoyao Powder, Xiaoyao Pills, Xiangsu Powder, Dachengqi Decoction, Zuojin Pills, Qingzhong Decoction, Zhishi Daozhi Pills, etc. The application of latent structure model and correlation analysis in the empirical study of famous and veteran Chinese medicine experts is in line with the research direction of modern Chinese medicine "traditional Chinese medicine + X". The conclusions obtained effectively tap the experience of famous and veteran TCM experts, and provide a data and visual clinical reference and prescription compatibility for young TCM physicians in the treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis based on syndrome differentiation.

[Effects of different application amounts of potassium fulvic acid on yield and quality of Fritillaria thunbergii].

Fritillaria thunbergii is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine, which has the effects of clearing heat and resolving stagnation, eliminating phlegm and relieving cough. At present, it is mostly produced by cultivation, and the cultivation process requires application of base fertilizer, winter fertilizer, seedling fertilizer and late top dressing. Now farmyard manure or organic fertilizer can be used to replace the base fertilizer and winter fertilizer, but the research on the replacement of organic fertilizer has not been completed for the late top dressing. Potassium fulvate is a kind of fulvate fertilizer, which can not only regulate the growth of crops but also supplement potassium necessary for the growth of crops. In this paper, using F. thunbergii as a model plant with mature cultivation techniques, the effect of potassium fulvate on the quality and yield of rhizome traditional Chinese medicine F. thunbergii was systematically studied for the first time. HPLC-ELSD was used to determine the contents of peimine A and peimine B, hot dip method was used to determine the content of alcohol extract, and the SPAD-502 Plus chlorophyll meter was used to detect SPAD value. The results showed that applying 1.5 to 2.25 kg·hm~(-2) of potassium fulvic acid per hectare could effectively improve the yield of F. thunbergii and there was significantly difference between potassium phosphate monobasic and potassium fulvic acid in terms of quality. After the application of range 1.5 to 2.25 kg·hm~(-2) of potassium fulvic acid per hectare, the content of alcohol soluble extract of F. thunbergii was ranged 21.61% to 22.27%, the total amount of peimine A and peimine B were ranged 0.09% to 0.10%. Applying 1.5 to 2.25 kg·hm~(-2) of potassium fulvic acid per hectare could replace the conventional pure chemical fertilizer potassium phosphate monobasic, which could be used as top dressing fertilizer for the cultivation of F. thunbergii.