[Short needling for knee osteoarthritis with blood stasis obstruction and its effect on serum inflammatory factors].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy and its effect on serum levels of tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α), interleukin 1ß(IL-1ß), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) between short needling (close-to-bone needling) and conventional acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis (KOA) with blood stasis obstruction. METHODS: A total of 68 KOA patients with blood stasis obstruction were randomized into a short needling group (34 cases, 3 cases dropped off) and a conventional acupuncture group (34 cases, 3 cases dropped off). The same acupoints (Dubi [ST 35], Neixiyan [EX-LE 4], Binzhong [Extra], Liangqiu [ST 34], etc. on the affected side) were selected in the two groups. In the short needling group, short needling technique was adopted, the needles were slowly inserted and the needle bodies were shaken, thus gradually penetrated to the bone. In the conventional acupuncture group, conventional acupuncture was adopted, the needles were penetrated to the muscle. After qi-arrival, Dubi (ST 35) and Neixiyan (EX-LE 4), Zusanli (ST 36) and Liangqiu (ST 34) were connected with CMNS6-1 electronic acupuncture instrument, with disperse-dense wave, 2 Hz/10 Hz in frequency, the current intensity was based on patients' feeling, the needles were retained for 30 min, at the same time, the knee joint was irradiated for 30 min with a special electromagnetic wave apparatus in the two groups. Once every other day, 3 times a week for 4 weeks. Before and after treatment, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) score, knee joint pain visual analogue scale (VAS) score, inflammatory response related indexes (serum TNF-a, IL-1ß, IL-6 and PGE2) and knee joint ultrasound were observed，and the clinical effect was evaluated in the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment，the pain, stiffness, function scores and total scores of WOMAC were decreased as compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05), except for the pain score, the changes of above scores in the short needling group were greater than the conventional acupuncture group (P<0.05). After treatment, the VAS scores, serum levels of TNF-a, IL-1ß, IL-6, PGE2 and knee joint synovium thickness, intra-articular effusion were decreased as compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05), the levels of TNF-a, IL-1ß, IL-6 in the short needling group were lower than the conventional acupuncture group (P<0.05). The total effective rate in the short needling group was 87.1% (27/31), which was superior to 83.9% (26/31) in the conventional acupuncture group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Short needling could improve the knee joint function, relieve the pain and inflammatory response, improve the knee joint synovium inflammatory response, reduce the knee joint intra-articular effusion for KOA patients, its effect is better than conventional acupuncture.

Evaluation of clinical efficacy of continuous care with improved insulin injection techniques on patients with diabetes mellitus: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical effect of continuous care with improved insulin injection techniques on patients with diabetes mellitus. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial enrolled patients with diabetes mellitus. They were randomly assigned to a control or observation group. Patients in the control group received conventional continuous nursing. Patients in the observation group were given optimized insulin injection education and continuous nursing on the same basis as the conventional nursing used in the control group. Blood glucose-related outcomes, knowledge of insulin injections and adverse events were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 96 patients with diabetes mellitus were enrolled in the study (n = 48 per group). There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of sex, age and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c). Compared with the control group, continuous care combined with optimized insulin injection techniques significantly reduced blood glucose target time, fasting blood glucose, 2-h postprandial blood glucose and HbA1c. The proportions of patients reporting a subcutaneous mass, insulin leakage and hypoglycaemic events were significantly lower in the observation group; and pain scores were significantly reduced compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Continuous care and optimization of insulin injection techniques can help patients achieve better diabetes-related outcomes.Study Registration Number: ChiCTR2200057166.

Enhancing CO2 utilization by a physical absorption-based technique in microalgae culture.

Carbon dioxide supplementation is significant for cell growth in autotrophic cultures of microalgae. However, the CO2 utilization efficiency is quite low in most processes. Aimed at this problem, six kinds of physical absorption enhancers were investigated to enhance the biological carbon sequestration of microalgae. By the addition of a small amount of CO2 absorption enhancer, the total inorganic carbon concentration of the medium was significantly increased. In addition, the biomass productivity of Scenedesmus dimorphus was maximally increased by 63% by the addition of propylene carbonate in flask cultures. In cultures using an air-lift photobioreactor equipped with a pH-feedback control system to supply CO2, the CO2 consumption was maximally reduced by 71% with added polyethylene glycol dimethyl ether. This study indicates that the incorporation of physical absorption enhancers could be a promising approach to overcome the problems of low CO2 utilization efficiency and high carbon source cost in algal biomass production.

Evolution of blood lipids and risk factors of dyslipidemia among people living with human immunodeficiency virus who had received first-line antiretroviral regimens for 3 years in Shenzhen.

BACKGROUND: Lipid abnormalities are prevalent among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLWH) and contribute to increasing risk of cardiovascular events. This study aims to investigate the incidence of dyslipidemia and its risk factors in PLWH after receiving different first-line free antiretroviral regimens. METHODS: PLWH who sought care at the Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen from January 2014 to December 2018 were included, and the baseline characteristics and clinical data during the follow-up were collected, including total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The risk factors of dyslipidemia after antiretroviral therapy were analyzed with the generalized estimating equation model. RESULTS: Among the 7623 PLWH included, the mean levels of TC, HDL-C and LDL-C were 4.23 ±â€Š0.85 mmol/L, 1.27 ±â€Š0.29 mmol/L and 2.54 ±â€Š0.65 mmol/L, respectively, and the median TG was 1.17 (IQR: 0.85-1.68) mmol/L. Compared with that in PLWH receiving tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) + lamivudine (3TC) + ritonavir-boosted lopinavir (LPV/r), zidovudine (AZT) + 3TC + efavirenz (EFV), and AZT + 3TC + LPV/r, the incidence of dyslipidemia was lower in PLWH receiving TDF + 3TC + EFV. In multivariate analysis, we found that the risks of elevations of TG, TC, and LDL-C were higher with TDF + 3TC + LPV/r (TG: odds ratio [OR] = 2.82, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.55-3.11, P < 0.001; TC: OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.14-1.35, P < 0.001; LDL: OR = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.00-1.12, P = 0.041), AZT + 3TC + EFV (TG: OR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.28-1.55, P < 0.001; TC: OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.31-1.56, P < 0.001; LDL: OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.12-1.25, P < 0.001), and AZT + 3TC + LPV/r (TG: OR = 3.08, 95% CI: 2.65-3.59, P < 0.001; TC: OR = 2.40, 95% CI: 1.96-2.94, P < 0.001; LDL: OR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.37-1.69, P < 0.001) than with TDF + 3TC + EFV, while treatment with TDF + 3TC + LPV/r was less likely to restore HDL-C levels compared with TDF + 3TC + EFV (OR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.97, P < 0.001). In addition to antiretroviral regimens, antiretroviral therapy duration, older age, overweight, obesity and other traditional factors were also important risk factors for dyslipidemia. CONCLUSION: The incidence of dyslipidemia varies with different antiretroviral regimens, with TDF + 3TC + EFV having lower risk for dyslipidemia than the other first-line free antiretroviral regimens in China.

Microalgal Cultivation and Nutrient Removal from Digested Piggery Wastewater in a Thin-film Flat Plate Photobioreactor.

This work investigated the cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris in a thin-film flat plate photobioreactor under outdoor conditions and using digested piggery wastewater as the culture medium. The algal cells were able to adapt quickly to the wastewater and outdoor conditions. A specific growth rate of 0.12 day-1 was obtained in the exponential growth phase, which was slightly higher than that during indoor cultivation using artificial culture medium. Results showed that Chlorella vulgaris effectively removed TN, TP, and COD by 72.48%, 86.93%, and 85.94%. Due to the difference in culture conditions and phosphorus availability, the biomass from outdoor cultivation contained higher lipid content and more unsaturated fatty acids compared to indoor cultures, while the amino acid composition was unaffected. Results of metallic element assay indicated that the biomass cultured with wastewater conformed to the standards required for animal feed additive production. The overall cost of the biomass production in the thin-film flat plate photobioreactor (32.94 US$/kg) was estimated to be 4.67 times lower than that of indoor cultivation (154.04 US$/kg). Together, these results provide a basis for large-scale outdoor production of microalgae and wastewater bioremediation.

miRNAs expression profile in bast of ramie elongation phase and cell wall thickening and end wall dissolving phase.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are 20-24 nucleotide long non-coding RNAs that play critical regulatory roles during plant development, organ morphogenesis, and cell fate determination and differentiation. In this study, miRNA microarray chips were used to explore the expression profile of ramie miRNAs between the bast of fiber elongation phase and those of cell wall thickening and end wall dissolving phase. There are 150 and 148 credible miRNAs in the bast of fiber elongation phase and cell wall thickening and end wall dissolving phase, respectively. These miRNAs distributed in 27 species and mainly concentrated in nine species. Analysis showed that 51 miRNAs were differentially expressed: 27 up-regulated (miR166, miR172, miR396, miR482, miR894 and miR2911 families) and 24 down-regulated (miR156, miR159, miR164, miR319 and miR1450 families) in the bast of fiber elongation phase compared with the bast of cell wall thickening and end wall dissolving phase. To further confirm our results, we examined the expression of three miRNAs (zma-miR172b*, pvu-miR482 and vvi-172a) by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR. Our results will provide a molecular basis for future research miRNA function on ramie genetics and breeding.