Prevalence and risk factors of malnutrition in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Malnutrition is prevalent in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and is associated with a poor prognosis. Objective: This study aims to assess the prevalence and risk factors of malnutrition in patients with PTB. Methods: Studies related to the prevalence and risk factors of malnutrition in patients with PTB were searched through PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases from January 1990 to August 2022, and two researchers screened the literature, evaluated the quality, and extracted data independently. A random-effects model was used to pool the effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals. Subgroup analysis, meta-regression analysis, and sensitivity analysis were further performed to identify sources of heterogeneity and evaluate the stability of the results. Publication bias was assessed by Doi plot, Luis Furuya-Kanamori (LFK) asymmetry index, funnel plot, and Egger's tests. Results: A total of 53 studies involving 48, 598 participants were identified in this study. The prevalence of malnutrition was 48.0% (95% CI, 40.9-55.2%). Subgroup analysis revealed that malnutrition was more common among male gender (52.3%), bacterial positivity (55.9%), family size over 4 (54.5%), drug resistance (44.1%), residing in rural areas (51.2%), HIV infection (51.5%), Asian (51.5%), and African (54.5%) background. The prevalence of mild, moderate, and severe malnutrition was 21.4%, 14.0%, and 29.4%, respectively. Bacterial positivity (OR = 2.08, 95% CI 1.26-3.41), low income (OR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.11-1.86), and residing in rural areas (OR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.20-1.89) were risk factors of malnutrition in patients with PTB. However, male (OR = 1.04, 95% CI 0.85-1.26) and drinking (OR = 1.17, 95% CI 0.81-1.69) were not risk factors for malnutrition in patients with PTB. Due to the instability of sensitivity analysis, HIV infection, age, family size, smoking, and pulmonary cavity need to be reevaluated. Meta-regression suggested that sample size was a source of heterogeneity of prevalence. The Doi plot and LFK asymmetry index (LFK = 3.87) indicated the presence of publication bias for prevalence, and the funnel plot and Egger's test showed no publication bias for risk factors. Conclusion: This meta-analysis indicated that malnutrition was prevalent in patients with PTB, and bacterial positivity, low income, and those residing in rural areas were risk factors for malnutrition. Therefore, clinical workers should pay attention to screening the nutritional status of patients with PTB and identifying the risk factors to reduce the incidence of malnutrition and provide nutritional interventions early to improve the prognosis in patients with PTB.

Pial arteriovenous fistula resembling the vein of Galen aneurysmal malformation, treated with staged endovascular embolization: a case report.

A 41-month-old boy was presented to our hospital because of an intracranial mass suspected of cerebrovascular malformation. He was admitted and received cerebral angiography. The angiography result confirmed the intracranial mass was the dilated vein of Galen resulting from a pial arteriovenous fistula, which quite resembling the vein of Galen aneurysmal malformation. Considering one-time embolization of the fistula may greatly change the distribution of intracranial blood flow, we decided to perform staged embolization. In the first stage, we partially embolized the fistula, resulting in a sharp decrease in blood flow to the lesion. The second intervention was performed one month later, and completely embolized the fistula. The boy recoverd well and returned to normal childhood without any neurological deficits. Follow-up MR images obtained at 10 months after the last procedure showing total obliteration of the pAVF, gradually shrinking of the varix, and remodeling of the vein of Galen.

Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Patients with Adenocarcinoma of the Esophagogastric Junction: A Retrospective, Multicenter, Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Although the incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) has been increasing since the past decade, the proportion of AEG cases in two previous clinical trials (ACTS-GC and CLASSIC) that investigated the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy was relatively small. Therefore, whether AEG patients can benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy remains unclear. METHODS: Patients who were diagnosed with pathological stage II/III, Siewert II/III AEG, and underwent curative surgery at three high-volume institutions were assessed. Clinical outcomes were analyzed by using Kaplan-Meier curves, log-rank test, and Cox regression model. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to reduce the selection bias. RESULTS: A total of 927 patients were included (the chemotherapy group: 696 patients; the surgery-only group: 231 patients). The median follow-up was 39.0 months. The 5-year overall survival was 63.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 59.0-67.6%) for the chemotherapy group and 50.2% in the surgery-only group (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.54-0.88; p = 0.003). The 5-year, disease-free survival was 35.4% for the chemotherapy group and 16.6% for the surgery-only group (HR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.53-0.83; p < 0.001). After PSM, the survival benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy for AEG was maintained. Multivariate analysis for overall survival and disease-free survival further demonstrated the survival benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy, with HRs of 0.63 (p < 0.001) and 0.52 (p < 0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with improved overall survival and disease-free survival in patients with operable stage II or III AEG after D2 gastrectomy.

[Bifidobacterium bifidum TMC3115 Promotes Early Life Intestinal Microbiota Building to Alleviate Symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease].

Objective: To investigate the effects of using Bifidobacterium bifidum TMC3115 in early life on intestinal microbiota and immune functions and the long-term impact on inflammatory bowel disease. Methods: Fourteen pregnant BALB/c mice were purchased and 84 newborn BALB/c mice were subsequently obtained. Then, the newborn mice were randomly assigned to a normal saline (NS) group and a TMC3115 group, given via oral gavage normal saline and TMC3115, respectively, at a daily volume of 0.2 mL for each mouse. About 42 mice were assigned to each group. The gavage was stopped after 3 weeks. At this point, half of the mice in each group were sacrificed, and then the remaining mice in each group were randomly divided into NS-water group, NS-DSS group, TMC3115-water group, and TMC3115-DSS group, with about 10 mice in each group. The mice were given regular feed until the end of week 6 when they were given 3% dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) ad libitum for 4 days to establish the enteritis model, while the non-modeling groups were given pure water ad libitum. The experiment ended after 6 weeks and 4 days. The weekly body mass changes of the mice were documented. The intestinal tissue at the end of the experiment and the fecal samples, spleen and serum of the mice at 3 weeks and at the end of the experiment were collected to determine the pathology scores of colonic inflammation, the composition of fecal gut microbiota, spleen organ index and the mass concentration of serum cytokines. Results: 1) At the end of the experiment, the inflammatory pathology score was significantly lower in the TMC3115-DSS group compared with that of the Saline-DSS group ( P<0.05), with less disruption of colonic crypt structures and other structures, less inflammatory infiltration, and more intact epithelial structures. 2) At 3 weeks, in comparison with those of the NS group, the relative abundance of Bifidobacteriumwas significantly higher in the feces of the TMC3115 ( P<0.05), the relative abundance of both Enterococcusand Staphylococcuswas lower ( P<0.05), the splenic organ index was significantly higher ( P<0.05), and interleukin (IL)-10 was significantly decreased ( P<0.05), while there was no significant change in IL-6 or TNF-α ( P>0.05). At the end of the experiment, in comparison with those of the NS-DSS group that undergone DSS induction, the TMC3115-DSS group had reduced relative abundance of Staphylococcus, Staphylococcus tumefaciens and Escherichia/ Shigellain the feces ( P<0.05), while the splenic organ index was significantly higher ( P<0.05), and there were no significant changes in IL-6 or TNF-α ( P>0.05). Conclusion: The use of TMC3115 in early life promotes the construction of gut microbiota in neonatal mice, thereby producing a long-term effect that alleviates colitis in mice, but the mechanisms involved are still not fully understood.

The correlation between types of posterior upper rotator cuff tears and intramuscular fat infiltration based on magnetic resonance imaging: A retrospective observational study.

Objective: This study investigated the correlation between types of posterior upper rotator cuff tears (RCTs) and intramuscular fat infiltration (FI) in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: The shoulder joints of 50 adults with a full-thickness posterior upper RCT diagnosed by MRI, from January 2019 to December 2021, were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into three groups according to tear type: 1) an L-shaped tear group; 2) a crescent/U-shaped tear group; 3) a complete tear group. The correlation among age, gender, tear range, trauma history, and the duration of clinical symptoms was analyzed. The MRI images were used by two musculoskeletal imaging physicians to evaluate the type and range of tears, the Goutallier grade of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus, and the correlations and reliability were analyzed. Results: Differences in the tear range (p < 0.001) and the Goutallier grade of the infraspinatus muscle (p = 0.036) among the L-shaped, crescent/U-shaped, and complete tear groups were statistically significant; however, differences in the Goutallier grade of the supraspinatus muscle was not statistically significant (p = 0.356). In the crescent/U-shaped tear group, age was significantly correlated with the Goutallier grade of the supraspinatus muscle (RS = 0.720, p = 0.029) and the infraspinatus muscle (RS = 0.713, p = 0.032). In the complete tear group, tear range was significantly correlated with the Goutallier grade of the supraspinatus muscle (RS = 0.801, p = 0.001) and the infraspinatus muscle (RS = 0.802, p = 0.001). The Goutallier grades of the supraspinatus muscle (kappa, 0.489) and the infraspinatus muscle (kappa, 0.424) presented with interobserver consistency. Conclusion: The type of posterior upper RCT correlates with the degree of FI. There is a positive correlation between the FI of crescent/U-shaped full-thickness RCTs and age. Additionally, the range of complete tears in the posterior upper RC has a positive correlation with FI.

Magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of the correlation between calcific tendinitis and rotator cuff injury.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to evaluate the incidence of calcific tendinitis (CaT) in rotator cuff tears (RCTs) and to assess the correlation between CaT and RCTs with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: The MRI of 108 patients with rotator cuff CaT admitted to our hospital from January 2019 to January 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Another retrospective analysis was made of 108 patients with similar age, gender, occupation, and shoulder injury side to those in the first group. The incidence of RCTs and their correlation with CaT were assessed based on an MRI of shoulder joints. RESULTS: There was a statistical difference (p < 0.05) in the incidence of RCTs between the CaT group (23.4%) and the control group (37.2%). No significant difference was observed in the size of the RCTs between the two groups (P = 0.422). In the CaT group, 17.4% of patients had complete tears, compared with 26.3% in the control group. There was no significant correlation between the calcification site and RCTs in the CaT group, and only 3.7% of patients suffered calcification and a tear in the exact location of the same tendon (P > 0.05, r = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with patients with shoulder pain without CaT, patients with rotator cuff CaT suffered no increased risk of RCTs on MRI, so CaT and RCTs may have different pathological causes, and there is no significant correlation between the two.

OFDM Chirp Waveform Design Based on Subchirp Bandwidth Overlap and Segmented Transmitting for Low Correlation Interference in MIMO Radar.

There are some special merits for the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)chirp waveform as multiple input multiple output (MIMO) signals. This signal has high rangeresolution, good Doppler tolerance, and constant modulus superiority since it exploits a fullbandwidth and is based on chirp signals. The correlation sidelobe peaks level are critical for thedetection requirement of MIMO radar signals, however conventional OFDM chirp signals producehigh autocorrelation sidelobe peaks (ASP) and cross-correlation peaks (CP), which reducesdetection performance. In this paper, we explore the structure of OFDM chirp signals'autocorrelation function and proposed a scheme to reduce the designed signal's ASP by a designingsuitable range of subchirp bandwidth and a segmented transmit-receive mode. Next, we explore asuitable range of interval between the chirp rates of each two signals to reduce the CP. Thesimulation of designed signals verifies the effectiveness of the proposed methods in the reductionof ASP and CP, with the correlation performance being compared with recent relate studies. Inaddition, the multiple signals detection and one-dimensional range image simulation show thegood detection performance of a designed signal in MIMO radar detection.

[Detection of BDNF expression after injection of BDNF gene lentiviral vector in rat hippocampus].

AIM: To explore the method of injecting the BDNF gene lentiviral vector in rat hippocampus and detecting its expression. METHODS: SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: sham operated group (SH), normal saline group (NS), GFP gene lentiviral vector injection group (GFP) and BDNF lentiviral vector injection group (BDNF).The expression of BDNF was detected by Western blot, RT-PCR and situ hybridization (ISH) at day 7, 14 and 30 after the injection. RESULTS: BDNF Gene lentiviral vector can up-regulated the expression of BDNF in rat hippocampus. The result of RT- PCR and Western blot detection show that the level of mRNA and the protein level was remarkably increased. The result of in-situ hybridization showed the stable expression and distribution of BDNF. CONCLUSION: Successfully established the method of injecting BDNF gene lentiviral vector in rat hippocampus and detected the high level of BDNF expression following with the time, which lays the basis for its application in the treatment of the neurodamaged disease.