[Evaluation of the impact of the Japanese encephalitis vaccine included in an expanded immunization program on the reported incidence rate of Japanese encephalitis in Gansu province-based on interrupted time series]

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the Japanese encephalitis vaccine included in an expanded immunization program on the reported incidence rate of Japanese encephalitis in Gansu province. Methods: Information on the reported incidence rate of Japanese encephalitis in Gansu province from 1987 to 2019 was collected through the National Population Health Science Data Center and the China Disease Prevention and Control Information System. In addition, the trend of Japanese encephalitis reported incidence rate in Gansu province before and after the inclusion of the Japanese encephalitis vaccine in the expanded immunization program was analyzed using an interrupted time-series design. Results: The annual reported incidence rate of Japanese encephalitis in Gansu province from 1987 to 2019 was 0.448/per 100 000. However, after the inclusion of the Japanese encephalitis vaccine in the expanded immunization program in Gansu province in 2008, the amount of change in the level of Japanese encephalitis reported incidence rate was -2.223/per 100 000 (t=-2.90, P=0.007), the amount of change in the slope of Japanese encephalitis reported incidence rate was 0.082 (t=2.87, P=0.008) with the slope of Japanese encephalitis reported incidence rate as 0.071 (β₁+β₃=0.071). Conclusions: The Japanese encephalitis vaccine has achieved good prevention and control effects in Gansu province in the short term after its inclusion in the expanded immunization program, but outbreaks of Japanese encephalitis have still occurred. Therefore, in the future, Gansu province should promptly adjust the immunization strategy of the Japanese encephalitis vaccine, and strengthen the vaccination of the adult population, especially the rural adult population in the southeastern region of Gansu province, based on the continued focus on the works on Japanese encephalitis vaccination for children and adolescents.

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors attenuates osteoporosis in patients with diabetes: A nationwide, retrospective, matched-cohort study in Taiwan

BACKGROUND

Patients with diabetes have a relatively high risk of fracture due to osteoporosis. However, the risk of osteoporosis associated with the use of oral hypoglycemic drugs and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP-4i) by patients with diabetes is unclear. This study aimed to explore the effect of DPP-4i on the risk of osteoporosis in Taiwanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODS

This study enrolled 6339 patients on DPP-4i (DPP-4i group) and 25 356 patients without DPP-4i (non-DPP-4i group). They were matched by 1:4 propensity score matching, using confounding variables including sex, age, comorbidities, medication, and index year. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to compare hospitalization and mortality during an average follow-up period of 7 years.

RESULTS

The mean age of patients in the two groups was 66 years. Men were slightly higher in number (51.79%) than women. At the end of the follow-up period, 113 (0.36%) patients had osteoporosis, of which 15 (0.24%) were in the case group and 98 (0.39%) in the control group. The risk of all-cause osteoporosis was significantly lower in the DPP-4i group than in the non-DPP-4i group (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.616; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.358-0.961; p = 0.011). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the preventive effect on osteoporosis was positively correlated with the cumulative dose of DPP-4i (log-rank, p = 0.039) with the class effect.

CONCLUSION

Compared with not using DPP-4i, the use of DPP-4i in Taiwanese T2DM patients was associated with a lower risk of osteoporosis due to the class effect, and the preventive effect was dose-dependent. However, larger prospective studies are needed to validate this finding and to explore the possible mechanism of the preventive effect of DPP-4i.

Benzobis(imidazole) derivatives as STAT3 signal inhibitors with antitumor activity

Polycyclic aromatic systems have been considered good biological probes, but some may also be good scaffolds for drug development. In this study, a series of benzobis(imidazole) derivatives were identified as STAT3 signal inhibitors, among which compound 24 showed significant inhibition of IL-6 induced JAK/STAT3 signalling pathway activation. Moreover, 24 inhibited cancer cell growth and migration, and induced cell apoptosis as well as cycle arrest in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2) and oesophageal carcinoma cells (EC109). Compound 24 also displayed obvious antitumor activity in a mouse HepG2 cell xenograft tumor model without affecting the body weight. These results confirmed that 24 was a potential STAT3 signal inhibitor with certain antitumor activity.

A hemostatic keratin/alginate hydrogel scaffold with methylene blue mediated antimicrobial photodynamic therapy

Uncontrollable bleeding and infection are two of the most common causes of trauma-related death. Yet, developing safe materials with high hemostatic and antibacterial effectiveness remains a challenge. Keratin-based biomaterials have been reported to exhibit the functions of enhancing platelet binding and activating and facilitating fibrinogen polymerization. In this study, we designed a hemostatic material with good biodegradability, biocompatibility, hemostatic ability, and antibacterial function to solve the shortcomings of common hemostatic materials. Methylene blue-loaded keratin/alginate composite scaffolds were prepared by the freeze-gelation method. The composite scaffolds exhibited over 1600% liquid absorption, well-interconnected pores, good biocompatibility, and biodegradability. We find that the keratin/alginate composite scaffolds' synergistic action may significantly reduce hemostasis time. To prevent infection, the drug-loaded scaffolds generated high burst release by absorbing wound exudate in the early stages of wound healing. The results obtained by the antimicrobial photoinactivation assay in vitro suggest that an antimicrobial photodynamic effect might be triggered, thereby preventing the fast growth of colonies.

A Review of Basic Needs (Food Security, Housing Security, and Homelessness) of US College Students’ During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objectives

To assess the basic needs (food security, housing security, and homelessness) status of U.S. college students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

PubMed, CINAHL, Academic Search Premier, and OVID were searched for articles published in 2020–2021 that assessed housing/food security and/or homelessness in US college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 10,771 hits, 4 articles met the criteria, and data was extracted and summarized.

Results

All four studies utilized cross-sectional online surveys and reported response rates between 4–23%. Three of the studies offered incentives to participants. All studies assessed food security (using 2, 6, or 10 item USDA tools); two assessed housing security, and no studies assessed homelessness. Thirty-one to 65.5% of college students were found to have some form of food insecurity. Three studies showed an increase in food insecurity in college students during the pandemic. While the fourth did not evaluate food insecurity before the pandemic, 84.7% of students reported that the pandemic reduced their ability to buy food. Additionally, one study reported a decrease in housing security during the pandemic while a second study reported 49.8% of students being very or somewhat worried about losing housing as a result of the pandemic. No studies were found that assessed the incidence of homelessness in college students during the pandemic. Changes in living arrangements, loss of employment, being an international student, disability status, gender, ethnicity, and race were associated with food insecurity.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that among US college students, food and housing insecurity worsened during the pandemic. Colleges and universities should enhance their student screening methods and provide resources to those who need assistance with food or housing. Future studies should assess homelessness in college students to add to the literature available.

Funding Sources

No funding.

Unusual bilateral kidney and duodenal plasmablastic lymphoma presentation in an elderly patient: A case report

The present report described the case of a 71-year-old man who was admitted to the emergency department with a 7-day history of progressive left flank pain and tarry stool. Bedside point-of-care ultrasound of the left kidney showed lobulated ill-defined hypoechoic foci in the perirenal spaces with mild hydronephrosis. Subsequent contrast-enhanced abdominal computed tomography revealed lobulated low-density lesions in the bilateral perirenal space and paraaortic space. The patient was subsequently admitted to the internal medicine department of the hospital. Renal and duodenal biopsies were arranged, and pathology reports were consistent with the findings of plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL). This unusual presentation of flank pain and tarry stool caused by recurrent PBL highlighted that genitourinary or gastrointestinal manifestations could occur in cases of PBL recurrence. The patient received intensive chemotherapy regimens comprising a combination of etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin hydrochloride for aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma to achieve a good response.

[Disease spectrum analysis of children with inherited metabolic diseases detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of urinary organic acids]

Objective: To investigate the spectrum of amino acid, organic acid, and fatty acid oxidative metabolic diseases in children diagnosed by detecting urinary organic acid levels using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Methods: From January 2005 to December 2021, clinical data of 2 461 children diagnosed with inherited metabolic diseases (IMD) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, in combination with tandem mass spectrometry and genetic testing in Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Among 2 461 children, 1 446 were male and 1 051 were female. A total of 32 types of IMD were detected among 2 461 patients, which included 10 amino acid disorders in 662 cases (26.9%), 6 common diseases were hyperphenylalaninemia, citrin deficiency, ornithine carbamoyltransferase deficiency, maple syrup urine disease, alkaptonuria, and tyrosinemia-I, 17 types of organic acidemias in 1 683 cases (68.4%), 6 common diseases were methylmalonic acidemia, propionic acidemia, valeric acidemia-type Ⅰ, isovaleric acidemia, 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase deficiency and multiple carboxylase deficiency and 5 fatty acid β oxidative defects in 116 cases (4.7%), 2 common diseases were multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency and short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency). Conclusion: Among the diseases diagnosed by analyzing urinary organic acid profiling with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, the most common are organic acidemias, followed by amino acid disorders and fatty acid oxidation defects.

Exploring the evolution of archaic humans through sedimentary ancient DNA

Recent success in the retrieval of nuclear DNA of ancient humans and animals from cave sediments paves the way for genome-wide studies of past populations directly from sediments. In three studies, nuclear genomes of different species were obtained from the sediments of multiple archeological caves and their genetic histories were revealed, including an unknown population replacement of Neanderthals from Estatuas cave in Spain, which was recovered using a new DNA capture approach. By extending sediments as a source of DNA beyond fossils, this breakthrough is of particular significance to the field of ancient human genomics, which brings about more possibilities for exploring the history of past population migration, evolution and adaptation within larger time-scales and geographical areas where no fossil remains exist. Here, we mainly review the significance of the technical advances in retrieving ancient nuclear DNA from sediments and present new insights into the genetic history of Neanderthals revealed by this technique. By combining ancient genomes retrieved from fossils and additional mitochondrial DNA extracted from sediments of archaeological sites, we may begin investigating diverse archaic populations and examine their genetic relationships, movements and replacements in detail.

Exploration of adaptation, evolution and domestication of fermentation microorganisms by applying ancient DNA technology

Fermentation production is the most primitive application of microorganisms by humans, which is of great significance in human history. However, due to the lack of molecular evidence, the history of human fermentation production and the evolution and domestication of fermentation microorganisms remain to be further investigated. Taking wine and fermented dairy, the two most common types of fermented foods as examples, we introduce the archaeology evidence of fermented foods and the evolution and domestication of fermented microorganisms, introduce the research status of paleomicrobiology and fermented paleomicroorganisms, and explore the feasibility and challenges of the research of ancient fermented microorganisms applying microbial ancient DNA technology, as well as the application potential of ancient DNA capture technology in this field.

Visible-Light-Induced Dual Acylation of Alkenes for the Construction of 3-Substituted Chroman-4-ones

Heterocyclic compounds, especially oxygen-containing heterocyclic compounds, are crucial moieties in bioactive compounds and drug leads. Substituted chroman-4-ones are a kind of the most significant structural skeletons. Herein, we report a visible-light-induced dual acylation of alkenes for constructing 3-substituted chroman-4-ones, which undergoes a radical tandem cyclization reaction through carbon-carbon bond cleavage of oxime esters by a nitrogen-centered radical strategy. A series of 3-substituted chroman-4-ones were prepared with up to 86% yield.

[Association of blood lead and blood selenium with serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein among Chinese adults aged 19 to 79 years]

Objective: To investigate the association of blood lead and blood selenium with serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) among Chinese adults aged 19 to 79 years. Methods: The participants were enrolled from the first wave of China National Human Biomonitoring (CNHBM) conducted from 2017 to 2018. 10 153 participants aged 19 to 79 years were included in this study. Fasting blood samples were obtained from participants. Lead and selenium in whole blood and hs-CRP in serum were measured. Individuals with hs-CRP levels above 3.0 mg/L were defined as elevated hs-CRP. Generalized linear mixed models and restricted cubic spline models were used to analyze the association of blood lead and blood selenium with elevated hs-CRP. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the multiplicative scale and additive scale interaction between blood lead and blood selenium on elevated hs-CRP. Results: The age of participants was (48.91±15.38) years, of which 5 054 (61.47%) were male. 1 181 (11.29%) participants were defined as elevated hs-CRP. After multivariable adjustment, results from generalized linear models showed that compared with participants with the lowest quartile of blood lead, the OR (95%CI) of elevated hs-CRP for participants with the second, third, and highest quartiles were 1.14 (0.94-1.37), 1.25 (1.04-1.52) and 1.38 (1.13-1.68), respectively. When compared with participants with the lowest quartile of blood selenium, the OR (95%CI) of elevated hs-CRP for participants with the second, third and highest quartiles were 0.86 (0.72-1.04), 0.91 (0.76-1.11), and 0.75 (0.61-0.92), respectively. Results from the interaction analysis showed no significant interaction between lead and selenium on elevated hs-CRP. Conclusion: Blood concentration of lead was positively associated with elevated serum hs-CRP, and blood concentration of selenium was inversely related to elevated hs-CRP, while blood lead and selenium did not present interaction on elevated hs-CRP.

[Clinical analysis of 6 critically ill children with acute chlorine poisoning]

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics and treatment of critically ill children with acute chlorine poisoning and explore the risk factors and effective strategies. Methods: This retrospective study collected the clinical data, including general state, clinical characteristics, treatment and follow-up(till 1 year and 6 months after discharge), of 6 critically ill children who were hospitalized in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of Beijing Children's Hospital due to acute chlorine poisoning in August 2019. Results: There were 6 children characterized by severe dyspnea in this accident, among whom 4 were boys and two girls, aged 4-12 years. When the accident occurred, they were within 5 m of the chlorine source. These patients underwent tracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation in 3.5-7.0 h after poisoning. The child who was the closest to the chlorine source (1.5 m) and took the longest time (5 min) to evacuate was the most severe one. He suffered hypoxia which could not be corrected by conventional mechanical ventilation and severe shock, then had veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(ECMO) treatment started 10 h after the accident. All the 6 children in this study survived. Following-up found no growth and developmental abnormality. The pulmonary function tests were normal except for one case with increased small airway resistance due to previous suspected asthma, and the lung CT, electhoencephalogram, and brain magnetic resonance imaging were all normal. Conclusions: Severe chlorine poisoning is mainly characterized by respiratory failure. Mechanical ventilation is often required within a few hours after poisoning. When conventional mechanical ventilation is ineffective, ECMO could save live. Timely treatment could improve prognosis.

[Prediction of 6-year risk of activities of daily living disability in elderly aged 65 years and older in China]

Objective: To construct an easy-to-use risk prediction tool for 6-year risk of activities of daily living(ADL) disability among Chinese elderly aged 65 and above. Methods: A total of 34 349 elderly aged 65 and above were recruited from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. Demographic characteristics, lifestyle and chronic diseases of the elderly were collected through face-to-face interviews. The functional status of the elderly was evaluated by the instrumental activities of daily living(IADL) scale. The mental health status of the elderly was evaluated by the Mini-Mental State Examination. The height, weight, blood pressure and other information of the subjects were obtained through physical examination and body mass index(BMI) was calculated. The ADL status was evaluated by Katz Scale at baseline and follow-up surveys. Taking ADL status as the dependent variable and the key predictors were selected from Lasso regression as the independent variables, a Cox proportional risk regression model was constructed and visualized by the nomogram tool. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC) and calibration curve were used to evaluate the discrimination and calibration of the model. A total of 200 bootstrap resamples were used for internal validation of the model. Sensitivity analysis was used to evaluate the robustness of the model. Results: The M(Q₁, Q₃) of subjects' age as 86(75, 94) years old, of which 9 774(46.0%) were males. A total of 112 606 person-years were followed up, 4 578 cases of ADL disability occurred and the incidence density was 40.7/1 000 person-years. Cox proportional risk regression model analysis showed that older age, higher BMI, female, hypertension and history of cerebrovascular disease were associated with higher risk of ADL disability [HR(95%CI) were 1.06(1.05-1.06), 1.05(1.04-1.06), 1.17(1.10-1.25),1.07(1.01-1.13) and 1.41(1.23-1.62), respectively.]; Ethnic minorities, walking 1 km continuously, taking public transportation alone and doing housework almost every day were associated with lower risk of ADL disability [HR(95%CI): 0.71(0.62-0.80), 0.72(0.65-0.80), 0.74(0.68-0.82) and 0.69(0.64-0.74), respectively]. The AUC value of the model was 0.853, and the calibration curve showed that the predicted probability was highly consistent with the observed probability. After excluding non-intervening factors(age, sex and ethnicity), the AUC value of the model for predicting the risk of ADL disability was 0.779. The AUC values of 65-74 years old and 75 years old and above were 0.634 and 0.765, respectively. The AUC values of the model based on walking 1 km continuous and taking public transport alone in IADL and the model based on comprehensive score of IADL were 0.853 and 0.851, respectively. Conclusion: The risk prediction model of ADL disability established in this study has good performance and robustness.

Water-soluble AIE-active fluorescent organic nanoparticles for ratiometric detection of SO2 in mitochondria of living cells

We report a water-soluble AIEgen (TYDL) to be self-assembled into fluorescent organic nanoparticles (TYDLs) for specific sensing of SO2 in living hepatoma cells. It is demonstrated that TYDLs were suitable...

[Clinical research progress on disappearing colorectal liver metastases]

Colorectal cancer is currently one of the most common digestive system tumors, and the liver is the most common metastatic site of colorectal cancer. In recent years, with the continuous development of the multidisciplinary treatment for colorectal cancer patients, there are quite a few cases of disappearing liver metastases (DLM) after receiving preoperative chemotherapy (or combined targeted drug therapy), and the diagnosis and treatment of DLM is currently still a very challenging and controversial topic. This article sorts out the related researches on DLM in recent years, mainly including the following 4 aspects: (1) The factors associated with DLM, including the size and number of liver metastases, chemotherapy regimens and cycles, targeted therapy drugs, and the pattern of liver metastases, Ras/Braf status and the location of the primary lesion. (2) The relationship between DLM and true complete response (pathological complete response and persistent clinical complete response), and the related predictive factors of pathological complete response. (3) Clinical evaluation of DLM: preoperative evaluation includes ultrasound, CT, MRI, and PET, while intraoperative evaluation includes intraoperative exploration, intraoperative ultrasound, and augmented reality. (4) DLM treatment strategies, including surgical treatment, local treatment, non-surgical treatment and individualized treatment.

[Association between a novel regulatory genetic variants and lung cancer risk in Chinese: a two-stage case-control study]

Objective: Regulatory quantitative trait loci (regQTL) theory can help to evaluate the regulation function of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on crucial biological signals from a three-dimensional perspective. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of these regQTL-SNPs on the susceptibility of lung cancer. Methods: Based on the regQTL theory, using the database of identified lung cancer regQTL-SNPs, we screened the SNPs that may function as regQTL in the reported susceptible regions of lung cancer by genome-wide association study(GWAS), and a two-stage case-control study was conducted (screening stage: 2 331 lung cancer cases and 3 077 healthy controls; validation stage: 626 lung cancer cases and 667 healthy controls) to definite the association of related regQTL-SNPs with the susceptibility of lung cancer. Results: A total of 8 regQTL-SNPs were screened in the reported susceptible regions of lung cancer by GWAS. Among which, 3 SNPs were significantly associated with the risk of lung cancer (P<0.05) in the screening stage. Further validation results indicated that the variant T allele of rs6998591 in ADRA1A was significantly associated with increased risk of lung cancer (additive model: OR=1.33, 95%CI:1.01-1.74, P=0.040). In addition, the variant G allele of rs11202916 in ACTA2 was significantly associated with decreased risk of lung cancer (recessive model: OR=0.71, 95%CI:0.52-0.96, P=0.026). Stratified analysis indicated that the variant T allele of rs6998591 significantly increased lung squamous cell carcinoma risk (additive model: OR=1.53, 95%CI: 1.01-2.32, P=0.043), while the variant G allele of rs11202916 significantly decreased lung adenocarcinoma risk (additive model: OR=0.83, 95%CI: 0.69-0.98, P=0.031). Gene-environment interaction analysis indicated that the risk of developing lung cancer increased by 235% in smoking individuals carrying rs6998591 variant T allele compared with those non-smoking individuals carrying no rs6998591 variant T allele(OR=3.35,95%CI:2.10-5.34,P<0.001). Conclusion: There are two regQTL-SNPs that could significantly affect the susceptibility of lung cancer in the GWAS reported susceptible regions of lung cancer.

Pan-cancer analysis of clinical significance and associated molecular features of glycolysis

Tumor glycolysis is a major promoter of carcinogenesis and cancer progression. Given its complex mechanisms and interactions, comprehensive analysis is needed to reveal its clinical significance and molecular features. On the basis of a well-established glycolysis gene expression signature, we quantified 8633 patients with different cancer types from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and evaluated their prognostic associations. High tumor glycolytic activity correlated with inferior overall survival in the pan-cancer patients (hazard ratio: 1.70, 95% confidence interval: 1.20–2.40, P = 0.003). The prognostic value of glycolysis correlated with the molecular subtypes and was stable regardless of clinical parameters. The prognostic significance of glycolysis was validated using three independent datasets. In addition, genome, transcriptome, and proteome profiles were utilized to characterize the distinctive molecular features associated with glycolysis. Mechanistically, glycolysis fulfilled the fundamental needs of tumor proliferation in multiple ways. Exploration of the relationships between glycolysis and tumor-infiltrating immune cells showed that glycolysis enabled the immune evasion of tumor cells. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors and dopamine receptor antagonists can effectively reverse the glycolytic status of cancers. Overall, our study provides an in-depth molecular understanding of tumor glycolysis and may have practical implications for clinical cancer therapy.

Water-soluble AIE-active Fluorescent Organic Nanoparticles: Design, Preparation and Application for Specific Detection of Cyanide in Water and Food Samples

A dilactosyl-dicyanovinyl-functionalized tetraphenylethene (TPELC) was designed, synthesized and used for ratiometric sensing of cyanide. TPELC was comprised of three moieties (tetraphenylethylene, dicyanovinyl group and lactose unit) in one molecule, making TPELC water-soluble and aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-active and selectively reactive to cyanide. Compared with other reported fluorescent probes containing dicyanovinyl group, TPELC is the first AIE luminogen to be assembled as fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONs) for sensing of cyanide in water without the use of surfactant or the help of organic solvents based on the nucleophilic addition reaction. The detection mechanism was verified by liquid chromatograph mass spectrometry experiments and by protonation of cyanide to reduce the nucleophilicity of cyanide. In addition, TPELC was used for detection of the cyanide content of food samples and test strips were developed to simplify the detection procedure.

Photocatalytic degradation of nitrobenzene in wastewater by persulfate integrated with Ag/Pb3O4 semiconductor under visible light irradiation

Nitrobenzene oxidation was executed utilizing an innovative method, in which Ag/Pb3O4 semiconductors irradiated by visible light were used for activation of persulfate into sulfate radicals. Batch mode experiments were accomplished to elucidate the effect of persulfate concentrations and Ag/Pb3O4 dosages on the nitrobenzene oxidation behaviors. The physicochemical properties of original and reacted Ag/Pb3O4 were illustrated by X-ray diffraction analyses, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra, FE-SEM images, EDS analyses, photoluminescence spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectra, respectively. The main oxidant was hypothesized to be sulfate radicals, induced from persulfate caused by photocatalysis of Ag/Pb3O4. It was clearly reflected on the scavenging experiments with addition of benzene, ethanol and methanol individually. As far as degradation pathways concerned, nitrobenzene was essentially transformed into hydroxycyclohexadienyl radicals, and sequentially converted to 2-nitrophenol, 3-nitrophenol or 4-nitrophenol simultaneously. Denitration of nitrophenols gave rise to synthesis of phenol, followed with generation of hydroquinone and p-benzoquinone.

[A cohort study on plasma uric acid levels and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus among the oldest old in longevity areas of China]

Objective: To investigate the effect of plasma uric acid level on the incident risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among the oldest old (those aged ≥80 years). Methods: Participants were recruited from the Healthy Aging and Biomarkers Cohort Study (HABCS), which conducted a baseline survey in 2008-2009 and follow-up of 3 times in 2011-2012, 2014, and 2017-2018, respectively. A total of 2 213 oldest old were enrolled in this study. The general demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle and disease data of the oldest old were collected, and physical measurements were made for the oldest old. Fasting venous blood was collected for uric acid and blood glucose detection. Information on the incident and death of T2DM were collected through the follow-up. Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to explore the association of hyperuricemia and plasma uric acid level with the incidence of T2DM. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) function was used to explore the dose-response relationship of plasma uric acid levels with the risk of T2DM. Results: The age of participants was (93.2±7.6) years old, and 66.7% of the participants (1 475) were female. The plasma uric acid level at baseline was (289.1±88.0)μmol/L, and the prevalence of hyperuricemia was 13.3% (294 cases). During 9 years of cumulative follow-up of 7 471 person-years (average of 3.38 years for each), 122 new cases of T2DM occurred and the incidence density was 1 632.98/10⁵ person year. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that per 10μmol/L increase in plasma uric acid level, the risk of T2DM increased by 1.1% [HR (95%CI): 1.011 (1.004, 1.017)]. Compared with the participants with the lowest quintile of plasma uric acid (Q₁), the risk of diabetes increased by 20.7 % among the oldest old with uric acid in the highest quintile (Q₅) [HR (95%CI):1.207 (1.029, 1.416)]. The risk of T2DM was 19.2% higher in the hyperuricemia group than that in the oldest old with normal plasma uric acid [HR (95%CI): 1.192 (1.033, 1.377)]. RCS function showed that the risk of T2DM increased with the increase in plasma uric acid levels in a nonlinear dose-response relationship (P=0.016). Conclusion: The incident risk of T2DM increases with the elevates of plasma uric acid levels in the oldest old.

Postoperative pain after intrathecal analgesia in laparoscopic liver resection: a retrospective chart review

BACKGROUND

Intrathecal analgesia (IA) has been recommended by the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Society for laparoscopic colon resections; however, although IA is used in open liver resections, it has not been extensively studied in laparoscopic hepatobiliary surgery. This retrospective chart review was undertaken to explore postoperative pain within 48 hours among patients who underwent laparoscopic liver resections (LLR), receiving either IA with or without patient-controlled analgesia (IA±PCA) versus PCA alone.

METHODS

After ethics approval, charts were reviewed for adult patients who underwent LLR between January 2016 and April 2019, and had IA±PCA or PCA alone. Patients with any contraindication to IA with morphine, obstructive sleep apnea, body mass index >40 kg/m2, history of chronic pain, and/or history of drug use were excluded. Descriptive statistics used to describe postoperative pain levels at 48 hours by treatment group for each pain outcome.

RESULTS

Of 111 patients identified, 79 patients were finally included; 22 patients had IA±PCA and 57 patients had PCA only. There were no statistically significant differences in baseline characteristics, use of non-opioid pain control, and postoperative complications between the two groups. IA use was associated with reduced postoperative opioid consumption (measured in oral morphine equivalents) compared to PCA alone (mean difference [95% confidence interval] -45.92 [-83.10 to -8.75]; p=0.016).

CONCLUSIONS

IA has the potential to decrease postoperative opioid use for patients undergoing LLR, and appears to be safe and effective in the setting of LLR. These findings are consistent with the ERAS Society recommendations for laparoscopic colorectal surgery.

Assembly of Water-soluble AIE-active Fluorescent Organic Nanoparticles for Ratiometric Detection of Hypochlorite in Living Cells

Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) plays a crucial role in many physiological processes and is widely used as bleach, deodorant and fungicide. In this work, we designed an amphiphilic hydrazone fluorescent molecule THG-1 containing hydrophilic sugar units and hydrophobic tetraphenylethylene unit for ratiometric detection of HOCl with high sensitivity and excellent selectivity based on HOCl-triggered hydrolyzation reaction and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) effect. The detection mechanism was verified by liquid chromatograph mass spectrometry experiments and scanning electron microscope (SEM) tests. Contrast experiments revealed that the numbers of lactose unit and hydrazone linker were essential for assembly of THG-1 and detection of HOCl. In addition, THG-1 was successfully used for imaging of exogenous and endogenous HOCl in living cells.

[Study on the effectiveness of silicon dust prevention and control of small sandblasting cabinet type water curtain exhaust hood]

Objective: To explore the effect of cabinet type water curtain exhaust hood applied to small sandblasting machine to prevent and control silicon dust, and put forward a new idea of dust ventilation protection facilities to effectively protect the occupational health of workers. Methods: From August to October 2018, the cabinet type water curtain exhaust hood of sandblasting room in a research institute was selected as the research object, and the methods of occupational health survey, on-site detection and physical simulation of air distribution were used to conduct on-site detection and smoke emission test on the local exhaust facilities, silica dust concentration, control wind speed and air distribution before and after the transformation line analysis and evaluation. Results: The air distribution simulation experiment showed that the air distribution of the cabinet type water curtain exhaust hood was reasonable and could effectively control the whole range of silica dust emission during the cleaning process. After modification, the capture velocity was increased from 0.01 m/s to 0.53 m/s, and the capture velocity was increased by 98.1%. The time weighted average allowable concentration (C(TWA)) of silicon dust (total dust) during sand blasting, cabin opening and cleaning was reduced from 7.00 mg/m(3) to 0.50 mg/m(3). The C(TWA) of silica dust (exhalation dust) was decreased from 3.36 mg/m(3) to 0.27 mg/m(3), and the C(TWA) dust reduction rates of total dust and respirable dust were 92.9% and 92.0%, respectively. Conclusion: The combination of cabinet type exhaust hood and water curtain dedusting optimizes the combination mode of dust prevention and control. It has the advantages of high efficiency of dedusting and purification, energy saving and environmental protection, and can be popularized and used in enterprises of the same nature.

[Research progress of conversion therapy in colorectal cancer liver metastases]

The probability of developing liver metastases in patients with colorectal cancer is 40%-50%. Liver metastases remain an important adverse factor affecting long-term prognosis of colorectal cancer patients. Surgical resection of liver metastases is the only potentially curative treatment option. After comprehensive treatment, initially unresectable liver metastases might be converted to resectable tumors. This concept is known as conversion therapy. In this review, research status of conversion therapy in colorectal cancer liver metastases was summarized, providing updated concept of resectability, discussions on the assessment of tumor response and timing of operation, debates on the influence on tumor sidedness, and latest advancement in the treatment strategy of conversion therapy. Through analyzing existing problems, we hope to offer insights into possible progress in the future and provide references for the development of clinical practice.