[Analysis of mental state of allergic rhinitis patients in Chengdu city by symptom check list 90 (SCL-90) scale]

Objective: To analyse the mental state of patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) in Chengdu. Methods: One thousand five hundred and thirty-six AR patients from Sichuan Provincial Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan People's Hospital, Sichuan Second Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine were selected from July 2013 to January 2018. Eight hundred and twenty-seven patients were screened into study group by inclusion and exclusion standards. The symptom check list 90 (SCL-90) was used to group and score the mental state of these patients according to nine classification criteria: gender, BMI, age, marital status, monthly salary, disease duration, living environment, education level and working environment. Then, the scores were compared within groups. Inter-group comparison was made between the study group and the Chinese norm, and the positive factors for psychological disorders were extracted. Four symptoms in the study group, i.e. nasal itching, sneezing, clear discharge and nasal congestion, were scored on the visual analogue scale (VAS). SPSS 19.0 software was used to carry out statistical analysis. Partial correlation analysis was performed between the positive factors and the symptom scores by multiple regression statistical method. Results: The total score of SCL-90 in the study group was 2.64±0.25, which was accorded with mild to moderate mental health impairment. There were 124 (15.0%) without mental health damage, 176 (21.3%) with mild damage, 474 (57.3%) with mild to moderate damage, 41 (5.0%) with moderate to severe damage and 12 (1.4%) with severe damage. The in-group comparison showed that the top three categories of different items were the living environment, gender and working environment. The scores of somatization, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, psychosis, other (sleep, diet) and total average score of urban residents were higher than that of country residents (3.29±0.61 vs 2.65±0.50, 2.81±0.77 vs 2.05±0.38, 3.10±0.19 vs 2.49±0.67, 3.40±0.84 vs 2.49±0.70, 3.04±0.64 vs 2.33±0.51, 3.02±0.55 vs 2.40±0.77, 3.40±0.41 vs 2.52±0.77, 2.91±0.11 vs 2.29±0.40, Z value was 4.88, 5.25, 4.57, 5.91, 5.09, 4.63, 5.55, -4.55, respectively, all P<0.05). Women scored higher than man for somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, depression and others (2.66±0.51 vs 2.00±0.45, 3.37±0.47 vs 2.63±0.51, 3.44±0.57 vs 2.85±0.52, 3.47±0.36 vs 2.76±0.45, Z value was -5.10, -5.51, -4.86, -5.28, respectively, all P<0.05). The scores of somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, psychosis and other (sleep, diet) were higher in the indoor group than those in the outdoor group (3.49±0.64 vs 2.78±0.46, 3.33±0.30 vs 2.56±0.68, 3.28±0.60 vs 2.67±0.31, 3.50±0.85 vs 2.85±0.37, Z value was 5.31, 5.79, 4.89, 5.00, respectively, all P<0.05). The outdoor group scored higher on obsessive-compulsive symptoms, anxiety and hostility (3.44±0.40 vs 2.83±0.35, 3.40±0.50 vs 2.57±0.93, 3.34±0.88 vs 2.69±0.56, Z value was 4.96, 6.22, 5.08, respectively, all P<0.05). The inter-group comparison found that depression, anxiety, psychosis and other (sleep, diet) could be partially correlated with VAS scores as 4 positive factors. The results of partial correlation analysis showed that depression was positively correlated with sneezing and nasal runny discharge, anxiety was positively correlated with nasal itching and nasal obstruction, psychosis was positively correlated with nasal itching and sneezing, and other (sleep, diet) was positively correlated with nasal runny discharge and nasal obstruction. Conclusion: AR patients have mild to moderate mental health impairments, which are correlated with AR symptoms.

[Analysis of pregnancy outcome of embryos derived from abnormal prokaryotes]

Objective: To summarize the clinical outcome of abnormal prokaryotic embryos [0PN (non-pronuclear), 1PN (one-pronuclear)] transfer for reference in clinical work. Methods: To collect the clinical data of infertility patients who received in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm microinjection-embryo transfer from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2018 at the reproductive center of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University, and to retrospectively analyze the pregnancy outcome of the cases of embryo transfer from 0PN and 1PN sources. Results: Forty-seven patients were transplanted non-2PN-derived embryos during 50 cycles. There were 18 cycles which only 0PN embryos were transplanted, and the clinical pregnancy rate was 50.0%. There were 17 cycles which only 1PN embryos were transplanted, and the clinical pregnancy rate was 29.4% (compared with 0PN, the difference was not statistically significant, P>0.05). No abnormalities were found in the delivered newborns. Conclusions: In the absence of 2PN-derived embryos, patients can be transplanted blastocysts from 0PN and 1PN sources. Acceptable clinical pregnancy outcomes can be achieved, and the clinical outcomes of 0PN may be better than 1PN.

Beneficial bacteria for aquaculture: nutrition, bacteriostasis and immunoregulation

Despite being the fastest growing sector, the modern aquaculture industry faces serious challenges such as the lack of protein source in feed, the susceptibility to pathogens, and deterioration in quality during culture and storage. Bacterial biomass is considered as a proper protein source for feed, and the beneficial bacterial species protect aquatic animals from infection or reduce spoilage of products. In this review, we summarized the application of beneficial bacteria to aquatic products, focusing mainly on the nutritional, anti-pathogenic, anti-spoilage and immunoregulatory functions of these bacteria. We then discussed the relationship between beneficial bacteria, intestinal microbiota and host immunity, and the recent progress and drawbacks of the technology.

Brugada syndrome with SCN5A mutations exhibits more pronounced electrophysiological defects and more severe prognosis: A meta-analysis

Whether the presence of SCN5A mutation is a predictor of BrS risk remains controversial, and patient selection bias may have weakened previous findings. Therefore, we performed this study to clarify the clinical characteristics and outcomes of BrS probands with SCN5A mutations. We systematically retrieved eligible studies published through October 2018. A total of 17 studies enrolling 1780 BrS patients were included. Overall, our results found that compared with BrS patients without SCN5A mutations, patients with SCN5A mutations exhibited a younger age at the onset of symptoms and higher rate of the spontaneous type-1 electrocardiogram pattern, more pronounced conduction or repolarization abnormalities, and increased atrial vulnerability. In addition, the presence of SCN5A mutations was associated with an elevated risk of major arrhythmic events in both Asian (odds ratio [OR] = 1.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07-3.11; P = .03) and Caucasian (OR = 2.24, 95% CI 1.02-4.90; P = .04) populations. In conclusions, patients with SCN5A mutations exhibit more pronounced electrophysiological defects and more severe prognosis. Clinicians should be cautious when utilizing genetic testing for risk stratification or treatment guidance before determining whether the causal relationship regarding SCN5A mutation status is an independent predictor of risk.

Anisotropic dependence of light extraction behavior on propagation path in AlGaN-based deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes

The anisotropic extraction dependence of polarized light on propagation path in AlGaN-based deep-ultraviolet (DUV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is investigated by simulations and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. Theoretical calculations based on k⋅p approximation and Monte Carol ray tracing indicate that there are two kinds of polarized sources with different angular distributions in ~280 nm AlGaN-based LEDs, s-polarized (spherical-shaped) and p-polarized (dumbbell-shaped) sources, which have different extraction behaviors. It is found that the total light extraction intensities are improved with decreasing the propagation path, and the lateral surface extraction gradually becomes dominant. Moreover, the extraction intensity of s-polarized light improves more than that of p-polarized light when the propagation path decreases, leading to a greater polarization degree. Polarization-resolved PL measurements show that the polarization degree of extracted light from lateral facet of the AlGaN multiple quantum well sample can be enhanced from 1% to 17% as the average propagation path reduces by 0.6 mm, which is consistent with the simulation results of the anisotropic dependence of light extraction on propagation path. Our results are significant for understanding and modulating the anisotropic extraction behavior of polarized light to realize high efficiency AlGaN-based DUV LEDs.

[Genetic characteristic of hemagglutinin of avian influenza A (H7N9) virus in Guizhou Province in 2017]

The number of H7N9 bird flu cases was high and the situation was grim in guizhou province in 2017. To understand the molecular characteristics of the hemagglutinin gene (HA) and the risk of human infection with avian influenza virus A(H7N9) in Guizhou Province, 2017. Homology, genetic evolution and pivotal sites related to receptor binding regions, pathogenicity and potential glycosylation of 14 avian influenza viruses A(H7N9) were analyzed by a series of bioinformation softwares. It was cleared that there was 95.9%-100% similarity among 14 strains in nucleotide of the HA gene, and there were 96.8%-97.8% and 96.8%-97.9% similarities with vaccine strains A/Shanghai/2/2013 and A/Anhui/1/2013 recommended by WHO, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis showed that 14 HA genes were directly evolved in the Yangtze River Delta evolution branch, but they could be derived from five diffenrent strains. Then 13 of 14 strains cleavage site sequences of HA protein revealed they were low pathogenic avian influenza viruses, while A/Guizhou-Weining/CSY01/2017 was high pathogenic avian influenza virus. Mutation G186V at the receptor binding sites in the HA was found in all 14 strains, and mutation Q226L in 13 strains besides A/Guizhou-Weining/CSY01/2017. All five potential glycosylation motifs in the HA were conservative.

Inhibition of Cannabinoid Receptor 1 Can Influence the Lipid Metabolism in Mice with Diet-Induced Obesity

A growing number of evidences accumulated about critical metabolic role of cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1), carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT1) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) in some peripheral tissues, including adipose tissue, liver, skeletal muscle and heart. To better understand the interactions of CB1, CPT1 and PPARs in these tissues, 30 diet-induced obese (DIO) C57BL/6J male mice were obtained, weight-matched and divided into two groups (15 in each group): (i) DIO/vehicle mice (D-Veh) and (ii) DIO/SR141716 mice (D-SR) treated with SR141716 (or rimonabant, a selective CB1 receptor blocker) administered orally (10 mg/kg daily). Another 15 mice fed standard diet (STD) formed the STD/vehicle group (S-Veh). At the end of 3-week treatment, mean body weight was 28.4 ± 0.5, 36.5 ± 0.8, and 30.3 ± 1.2 g for the S-Veh, D-Veh, and D-SR group, respectively (p < 0.05; D-Veh vs. D-SR). Liver weight in the D-SR group was also decreased significantly compared to the D-Veh group (p < 0.05). Serum levels of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, leptin and adiponectin in the D-SR group were ameliorated compared to the D-Veh group (p < 0.05). Both qRT-PCR and Western blot assay revealed that CB1 expression levels were efficiently blocked by SR141716 in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), skeletal muscles and liver (D-SR vs. D-Veh; p < 0.05), whereas there was no significant difference between S-Veh and D-Veh mice (p > 0.05). Simultaneously with the reduction of CB1 expression in the D-SR group, the expression levels of CPT1A isoform (protein) in the liver and heart and CPT1B isoform (protein) in the SAT, VAT, liver and skeletal muscles were significantly increased (p < 0.05; D-SR vs. D-Veh). Interestingly, the CPT1A and CPT1B expression levels in heart were detected slightly. The expression levels of PPARα in the SAT, VAT, liver and skeletal muscles and PPARγ in the SAT and skeletal muscles in the D-SR group were significantly increased compared to the D-Veh mice (p < 0.05). However, the PPARβ expression level differed from that of PPARα and PPARγ. Taken together, these data indicate that the inhibition of CB1 could ameliorate lipid metabolism via the stimulation of the CPT1A and CPT1B expression in vivo. Simultaneously, the PPARα and PPARγ expression levels significantly differed compared to that of PPARβ in obesity and lipid metabolism-related disorders under blockade of CB1. Both the mechanism of the influence of CB1 inhibition on lipid metabolism in the examined tissues and the specific mechanism of PPARα, PPARγ and PPARβ involvement in lipid exchange under these conditions remain to be further elucidated.

[The expression and prognostic significance of microRNA-34a in Uygur and Han patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China]

To investigate the expression of microRNA-34a (miR-34a) in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in Xinjiang Uygur and Han nationalities and its prognostic significance. Our data showed that miR-34a expression in Uygur and Han CLL patients was significantly higher than that in their respective healthy controls, while miR-34a levels were similar between Uygur and Han patients. By comparing with known prognostic factors, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed that miR-34a was a good predictive factor for the prognosis of CLL (demarcation value was 3.567 6). Survival analysis was further performed according to miR-34a expression level, that low expression of miR-34a translated into poor prognosis.

Diabetes transition care and adverse events: a population-based cohort study in Ontario, Canada

AIMS

To describe patterns of primary and diabetes care during transition age (17 to < 19 years) into early adulthood (age 19 to 26 years), and to evaluate the association of primary and diabetes care patterns during transition age with the risk of adverse events in early adulthood.

METHODS

We conducted a population-based cohort study of individuals in Ontario, Canada who were diagnosed with diabetes aged < 15 years and who turned 17 between November 2006 and March 2011, followed until March 2015 (n = 2525). Using linked administrative databases, we examined healthcare use during: 'pre-transition-age' (15 to < 17 years), 'transition-age' (17 to < 19 years), and 'early adulthood' (19 to 26 years). The main outcomes were time to death or ketoacidosis and rate of diabetes-related admissions. The main exposures were the gap in diabetes care and primary care visits during transition age.

RESULTS

There were < 6 deaths and 446 individuals (17.7%) had at least one admission for ketoacidosis during early adulthood. In all, 1188 individuals (47.0%) had a > 12-month gap in diabetes care and 241 (9.5%) had no primary care visits during transition age. A gap in diabetes care of > 12 months and no primary care visits during transition age were associated with an increased risk of ketoacidosis or death (adjusted hazard ratio 1.31, 95% CI 1.04-1.66 and adjusted hazard ratio 1.42, 95% CI 1.02-1.97, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

In Ontario, Canada, where physician and hospital-based services are universally covered, a high proportion of young adults with diabetes have insufficient care during transition age and this is associated with a higher risk of important adverse outcomes in early adulthood. Ensuring primary care involvement during transition may be a strategy to reduce morbidity.

[A study of the Polish missionary Michel Boym's pharmacy books]

Michel Boym was a 17th-century missionary who came to China from Poland. He was the first man who introduce Chinese herbal medicine to Europe by writing Flora Sinensis (Chinese Flora) and Medicamenta Simplicia quae Chinensibus ad usum medicum adhibentur. This article reveals that which Chinese herbal medicine books may have been consulted in the Medicamenta Simplicia quae Chinensibus ad usum medicum adhibentur by analyzing its content and comparing it with the Chinese herbal medicine books. We believed that in order to write this book, he consulted many Chinese books, collected a variety of herbal samples and consulted Chinese people who knew about herbals, and added his own understanding. As a western pharmacology book, his book structure, content and characteristics are the closest to Chinese herbal medicine books. And which Chinese books he has consulted, may include, but is not limited to BenCao GangMu(Compendium of Materia Medica)《》, Lei Gong Pao Zhi Yao Xing Jie 《》, Ben Cao Meng Quan《》 and Xin Kan Lei Gong Pao Zhi Bian Lan 《》.

Changing Metrics of Organ Procurement Organization Performance in Order to Increase Organ Donation Rates in the United States

The shortage of deceased-donor organs is compounded by donation metrics that fail to account for the total pool of possible donors, leading to ambiguous donor statistics. We sought to assess potential metrics of organ procurement organizations (OPOs) utilizing data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) from 2009-2012 and State Inpatient Databases (SIDs) from 2008-2014. A possible donor was defined as a ventilated inpatient death ≤75 years of age, without multi-organ system failure, sepsis, or cancer, whose cause of death was consistent with organ donation. These estimates were compared to patient-level data from chart review from two large OPOs. Among 2,907,658 inpatient deaths from 2009-2012, 96,028 (3.3%) were a "possible deceased-organ donor." The two proposed metrics of OPO performance were: (1) donation percentage (percentage of possible deceased-donors who become actual donors; range: 20.0-57.0%); and (2) organs transplanted per possible donor (range: 0.52-1.74). These metrics allow for comparisons of OPO performance and geographic-level donation rates, and identify areas in greatest need of interventions to improve donation rates. We demonstrate that administrative data can be used to identify possible deceased donors in the US and could be a data source for CMS to implement new OPO performance metrics in a standardized fashion.

[Influence of high-fat diet in paternal C57BL/6 mice on liver fat deposition in offspring]

Objective: To investigate the influence of high-fat diet (HFD) in paternal C57BL/6 mice on HFD-induced liver fat deposition in male offspring, as well as transgenerational inheritance caused by paternal HFD and related mechanisms. Methods: A total of 20 male C57BL/6 mice aged 3 weeks (F0) were randomly divided into normal control group (C, 10 mice) and HFD group (HF, 10 mice). After 12 weeks of HFD intervention, the male mice in the HFD group mated with female ones treated with normal diet and pups were obtained. Male pups (F1) were selected as study subjects. According to the intervention for F0 mice, male F1 mice were divided into control male offspring group (CM, 8 mice) and HFD male offspring group (HFM, 9 mice). All these mice were given normal diet after weaning until 4 weeks old, followed by HFD for 4 weeks. The body length and body weight were measured and recorded every week. Oil red O staining was used to observe fat deposition in the liver. Western blot and real-time PCR were used to measure the expression of related proteins and genes involved in the de novo synthesis and aerobic oxidation of fatty acid, mitochondriogenesis, and autophagy. Results: After 4 weeks of HFD intervention, the HFM group had a significantly higher body weight than the CM group (P < 0.05); the oil red O staining showed that compared with the CM group, the HFM had a significant increase in liver fat deposition and a significantly higher integral absorbance value in the oil red O staining-positive area (384 360±57 600 vs 236 754±12 607, P < 0.01). For related factors involved in the de novo synthesis of fatty acid in the liver, compared with the CM group, the HFM group had significant increases in the expression of sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 and fatty acid synthase (P < 0.05); for related factors involved in the mitochondrial biosynthesis in the liver, the HFM group had significant reductions in the relative expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α, nuclear respiratory factor 1, and mitochondrial transcription factor A compared with the CM group (P < 0.05). For autophagy-related factors in the liver in the F1 mice, compared with the CM group, the HFM group had a significant reduction in microtubule-associated protein I light chain 3 (LC3-II/I) (P < 0.05) and a significant increase in P62 (P < 0.05), suggesting a reduced autophagy function in the liver. Conclusion: HFD intervention for paternal C57BL/6 mice can increase HFD-induced liver fat deposition in male offspring, which may be related to the increased de novo synthesis of fatty acid and reduced mitochondriogenesis and autophagy function in the liver.

[The clinical characteristics of adult hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis treated with haploidentical donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation]

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of adult patients with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) receiving haploidentical donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HID HSCT). Method: We retrospectively reviewed 20 adult patients with HLH from August 2009 to August 2014.The clinical features and outcome were analyzed. Results: Conditioning regimens consisted of total body irradiation/etoposide/cyclophosphamide (TBI/VP-16/CTX) and busulfan (Bu)/VP-16/CTX in HLH with anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) 8 mg/kg.The stem cells were mobilized from donors' peripheral blood.Median time to white blood cell engraftment was 13 (9-27) days.Median time to platelet engraftment was 14 (10-28) days.Mixed chimerism after transplantation developed in 4 patients and no patient presented graft failure.Eight patients developed grade Ⅱ to Ⅲ acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), while as chronic GVHD occurred in 9 patients.Among 12 patients with EB virus(EBV) reactivation, 2 patients developed post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD), 7 were suspected as PTLD and 3 were considered as relapse of primary disease.With a median follow-up of 20 months (range: 0.5-108 months) after transplantation, the estimated 2-year overall survival (OS) rate was (60.0±11.0)% in all patients.During the follow-up, 12 patients survived, 8 died including 5 within 100 days after HSCT.Among 5 non-remission patients before HSCT, 4 patients died within 100 days after HCT. Conclusions: HID HSCT is an effective treatment for adult patients with HLH to achieve remission and long-term survival. High proportion of mixed chimerism has been seen at early stage after transplantation.EBV reactivation and early transplant-related mortality are common.

[A prospective study of the efficacy and safety of maintenance therapy with recombinant human thrombopoietin in patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia: a multicenter study]

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of maintenance therapy with reduced dose of rhTPO in the patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) who attained stable platelet (PLT) counts after daily administration of rhTPO. Methods: Treatment was started with a daily administration of rhTPO (300 U/kg) for 2 consecutive weeks. Patients who attained stable PLT≥50×10(9)/L were enrolled to maintenance therapy starting with every other day administration of rhTPO, then adjusted dose interval to maintain platelet count (30-100) ×10(9)/L. Results: A total of 91 eligible patients were enrolled. Fourteen patients discontinued the study due to noncompliance (12/14) and investigator decision (2/14) . Among 77 patients who completed the study, 38 patients with the administration of rhTPO at every other day or less could maintain PLT≥30×10(9)/L for 12 weeks. The percentage of patients with a platelet response (PLT≥30×10(9)/L) at 4(th) week, 8(th) week and 12(th) week of maintain therapy was 92.6% (63/68) , 82.7% (43/52) and 85.0% (34/40) , respectively. Median platelet counts remained in the range of (70-124) ×10(9)/L. The overall incidence of rhTPO-related adverse events was 7.7%. All the adverse events were generally mild. Conclusion: Extending the dose interval of rhTPO is feasible to maintain stable platelet count in the patients with ITP, but the optimal dose interval is uncertain and might vary with individuals.