2,3,4',5-Tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-d-glucoside attenuates atherosclerotic progression by inhibiting inflammation via downregulation of TNF receptor-associated factor 6 expression

OBJECTIVE

Atherosclerosis (As) is an inflammatory disease, and 2,3,4',5-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-d-glucoside (TSG) has been shown to suppress inflammation. However, it is still unclear if TSG alleviates As by inhibiting inflammation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to assess the mRNA levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6), TNF-α and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in lipoprotein E knockout (ApoE -/-) mice with As. Hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining was performed to examine the atherosclerotic plaques in the aortic sinus. QRT-PCR and western blotting were used to measure the expression levels of TRAF6, TNF-α, and IL-6 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were performed to monitor the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in serum and cell culture medium.

RESULTS

TSG inhibited subendothelial plaques formation in the aortic sinus and inhibited the levels of total cholesterol (TCHO), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), TRAF6, TNF-α and IL-6 in AS mice in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, TSG attenuated the oxidatively modified LDL (ox-LDL)-induced increases in TRAF6, TNF-α and IL-6 expression, whereas TRAF6 overexpression reversed the TSG-induced decreases in TRAF6, TNF-α, and IL-6 expression in HUVECs.

CONCLUSIONS

TSG attenuates atherosclerotic progression by inhibiting inflammation via the downregulation of TRAF6 in ApoE-/- mice and HUVECs.

Temporal Structures in Electron Spectra and Charge Sign Effects in Galactic Cosmic Rays

We present the precision measurements of 11 years of daily cosmic electron fluxes in the rigidity interval from 1.00 to 41.9 GV based on 2.0×10^{8} electrons collected with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) aboard the International Space Station. The electron fluxes exhibit variations on multiple timescales. Recurrent electron flux variations with periods of 27 days, 13.5 days, and 9 days are observed. We find that the electron fluxes show distinctly different time variations from the proton fluxes. Remarkably, a hysteresis between the electron flux and the proton flux is observed with a significance of greater than 6σ at rigidities below 8.5 GV. Furthermore, significant structures in the electron-proton hysteresis are observed corresponding to sharp structures in both fluxes. This continuous daily electron data provide unique input to the understanding of the charge sign dependence of cosmic rays over an 11-year solar cycle.

[Comparative analysis of clinical diagnosis and treatment guidelines for drug-induced liver injury at home and abroad]

Drug-induced liver injury influencing factors are complex and have diverse clinical manifestations. Simple and reliable diagnostic methods are still deficient, and further classification of toxicological mechanisms is required. There are numerous pertinent discrepancies between domestic and international guidelines aimed at drug-induced liver injury diagnosis and treatment, with partial to no consensus on the content. The American Gastroenterological Association's 2021 Clinical Guidelines, the Asia-Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver's 2021 Consensus Guidelines, the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences' 2020 International Consensus, the European Society's Hepatology Committee's 2019 Clinical Practice Guidelines, and the 2015 Chinese Medical Association Guidelines are five influential clinical guidelines on drug-induced liver injury at home and abroad. The epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis and evaluation, treatment management, and other contents, particularly traditional Chinese medicine, were compared and analyzed using other relevant consensus opinions or guidelines in order to improve understanding and provide a reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment of drug-induced liver injury.

The global prevalence of premature ovarian insufficiency: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this review was to answer the global prevalence of premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), and explore the associated factors including etiopathology and regions with POI.

METHODS

The search was conducted on reports from a total of eight databases that comprised Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, China BioMedical Literature Database (CBM), PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science and Ovid MEDLINE^® between 1946 and 2021. To analyze the source of heterogeneity, we performed subgroup analysis based on different etiologies and regions. Meta-analysis was carried out by Stata14.0 software.

RESULTS

The results showed that the global overall prevalence of POI among women was 3.5%. By subgroup analysis, the prevalence of POI among women with iatrogenic etiology was 11.2%, followed by autoimmunity (10.5%); the prevalence of POI by region was 11.3% at the highest in North America followed by South America (5.4%); and the prevalence of POI was 5.3% in a developing country, higher than 3.1% in a developed country. The trend of prevalence of POI over the past 20 years was on the rise (although p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

We recommend that health and medical institutions strengthen public health awareness, achieve health-education goals related to POI and increase women's awareness of and attention to POI.

Functions and interaction of plant lipid signalling under abiotic stresses

Lipids are the primary form of energy storage and a major component of plasma membranes, which form the interface between the cell and the extracellular environment. Several lipids - including phosphoinositide, phosphatidic acid, sphingolipids, lysophospholipids, oxylipins, and free fatty acids - also serve as substrates for the generation of signalling molecules. Abiotic stresses, such as drought and temperature stress, are known to affect plant growth. In addition, abiotic stresses can activate certain lipid-dependent signalling pathways that control the expression of stress-responsive genes and contribute to plant stress adaptation. Many studies have focused either on the enzymatic production and metabolism of lipids, or on the mechanisms of abiotic stress response. However, there is little information regarding the roles of plant lipids in plant responses to abiotic stress. In this review, we describe the metabolism of plant lipids and discuss their involvement in plant responses to abiotic stress. As such, this review provides crucial background for further research on the interactions between plant lipids and abiotic stress.

[The mechanism, inducement and long-term effects of acquired weakness in intensive care units]

With the development of critical care medicine, the case fatality rate in intensive care units (ICU) patients has decreased significantly, but most patients still suffer from the long-term problems of related complications after discharge, which seriously affects the quality of life and social integration after discharge. Complications such as ICU acquired weakness (ICU-AW) and Post-ICU Syndrome (PICS) are not uncommon throughout the treatment of severe patients. The treatment of critically ill patients should not only focus on the treatment of the disease, but also gradually extend to the whole-process physiological-psychological-social medical intervention mode in the ICU, during the stay in the general ward and after discharge. On the basis of ensuring patient safety, patients' physical and psychological status assessment in the early stage of ICU admission, and disease prevention as soon as possible, which can reduce the long-term impact on the quality of life and social work after discharge.

Drug monitoring detects under- and overdosing in patients receiving 5-fluorouracil-containing chemotherapy-results of a prospective, multicenter German observational study

INTRODUCTION

Body surface area (BSA)-based dosing of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) results in marked inter-individual variability in drug levels, whereas determination of plasma 5-FU concentration and area under the curve (AUC) is a more precise dosing method but has not been integrated into clinical routine. We conducted a multicenter, prospective study to study 5-FU AUC distributions and assess clinical factors predicting therapeutic dosing in patients receiving BSA-dosed 5-FU.

METHODS

Between June 2017 and January 2018, a total of 434 patients receiving continuous, infusional BSA-dosed 5-FU from 37 sites in Germany were included. Plasma 5-FU concentration and AUC were measured in venous blood samples at steady state. The primary objective was to determine 5-FU AUC distributions in relation to the target range, which is defined as 20-30 mg × h/l. The second objective was to explore clinical parameters that correlate with achievement of 5-FU AUC target range.

RESULTS

The primary tumor was mainly located in the gastrointestinal tract (96.3%), with colorectal cancer being the most common (71.2%) tumor entity. 5-FU was administered as monotherapy (8.1%) or as part of FOLFOX (33.2%), FOLFIRI (26.3%), or other regimens (12.4%). Treatment setting was adjuvant (31.3%) or metastatic (64.5%). The median AUC was 16 mg × h/l. Only 20.3% of patients received 5-FU treatment within the target range, whereas the majority of patients (60.6%) were underdosed and 19.1% of patients were overdosed. In the univariate logistic regression, treatment setting was the only clinical parameter that significantly correlated with achievement of the target range. Patients treated in the metastatic setting had a 2.1 (95% confidence interval 1.186-3.776, P = 0.011) higher odds to reach the target range compared with patients treated in the adjuvant setting.

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of patients received suboptimal doses of 5-FU using BSA dosing. Therapeutic drug monitoring of 5-FU is an option for optimized individualized cancer therapy and should be integrated into the clinical practice.

A stochastic animal life cycle simulation model for a whole dairy farm system model: Assessing the value of combined heifer and lactating dairy cow reproductive management programs

This analysis introduces a stochastic herd simulation model and evaluates the estimated reproductive and economic performance of combinations of reproductive management programs for both heifers and lactating cows. The model simulates the growth, reproductive performance, production, and culling for individual animals and integrates individual animal outcomes to represent herd dynamics daily. The model has an extensible structure, allowing for future modification and expansion, and has been integrated into the Ruminant Farm Systems model, a holistic dairy farm simulation model. The herd simulation model was used to compare outcomes of 10 reproductive management scenarios based on common practices on US farms with combinations of estrous detection (ED) and artificial insemination (AI), synchronized estrous detection (synch-ED) and AI, timed AI (TAI, 5-d CIDR-Synch) programs for heifers; and ED, a combination of ED and TAI (ED-TAI, Presynch-Ovsynch), and TAI (Double-Ovsynch) with or without ED during the reinsemination period for lactating cows. The simulation was run for a 1,000-cow (milking and dry) herd for 7 yr, and we used the outcomes from the final year to evaluate results. The model accounted for incomes from milk, sold calves, and culled heifers and cows, as well as costs from breeding, AI, semen, pregnancy diagnosis, and calf, heifer, and cow feed. We found that the interaction between heifer and lactating dairy cow reproductive management programs influences herd economic performance primarily due to heifer rearing costs and replacement heifer supply. The greatest net return (NR) was achieved when combining heifer TAI and cow TAI without ED during the reinsemination period, whereas the lowest NR was obtained when combining heifer synch-ED with cow ED.

Predicting inhabitable areas for locust based on field observation and multi-environmental factors in alpine grassland—A case study in the Qilian Mountain National Park, China

Alpine grassland is one of the most critical grassland types in the world, and it is vulnerable and sensitive to external disturbances. The development and outbreak of locust might result in the irreversible degradation. However, most locust studies have been on the tropical, temperate, and desert areas. Our knowledge of inhabitable areas in alpine grassland still needs to be explored. This study was carried out in the alpine grassland in the Qilian Mountain National Park. Environmental factors (remote sensing vegetation index, meteorology, soil, topography, and grassland types) and their impact on locust density were investigated. Finally, the inhabitable areas of locust in the study area were mapped. The results showed that: (1) six out of 26 factors [including precipitation, solar radiation (average and maximum value), normalized vegetation index (NDVI), soil, and temperature] had great influence on locust density, with a relative contribution (RC) more than 10%. (2) Among all locust density estimation models, those based on average and maximum solar radiation, maximum precipitation, maximum NDVI, average temperature, and clay content in deep soil performed better than others, with R ranging from 0.58 to 0.73 and root mean square error ranging from 21.70 to 25.82 head/m2. (3) The areas most suited for locust growth, development, and frequent outbreak were found in the south of Tianjun County, middle and northwest of Qilian County (account for 27% of the study area), while the inhabitability was weak in south of Gangcha County, northwest of Tianjun County, and most of Delingha City. Thus our study clarified the distribution region and occurrence variation of the locust and provided a scientific basis for locust prevention and control in alpine grassland in the Qilian Mountain National Park.

High prevalence of vertebral deformity in tumor-induced osteomalacia associated with impaired bone microstructure

PURPOSE

Patients with tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) often suffer from irreversible height loss due to vertebral deformity. However, the prevalence of vertebral deformity in TIO patients varies among limited studies. In addition, the distribution and type of vertebral deformity, as well as its risk factors, remain unknown. This study aimed to identify the prevalence, distribution, type and risk factors for vertebral deformity in a large cohort of TIO patients.

METHODS

A total of 164 TIO patients were enrolled in this retrospective study. Deformity in vertebrae T4-L4 by lateral thoracolumbar spine radiographs was evaluated according to the semiquantitative method of Genant. Bone microstructure was evaluated by trabecular bone score (TBS) and high-resolution peripheral QCT (HR-pQCT).

RESULTS

Ninety-nine (99/164, 60.4%) patients had 517 deformed vertebrae with a bimodal pattern of distribution (T7-9 and T11-L1), and biconcave deformity was the most common type (267/517, 51.6%). Compared with patients without vertebral deformity, those with vertebral deformity had a higher male/female ratio, longer disease duration, more height loss, lower serum phosphate, higher bone turnover markers, lower TBS, lower areal bone mineral density (aBMD), lower peripheral volumetric BMD (vBMD) and worse microstructure. Lower trabecular vBMD and worse trabecular microstructure in the peripheral bone and lower spine TBS were associated with an increased risk of vertebral deformity independently of aBMD. After adjusting for the number of deformed vertebrae, we found little difference in clinical indexes among the patients with different types of vertebral deformity. However, we found significant correlations of clinical indexes with the number of deformed vertebrae and the spinal deformity index.

CONCLUSION

We reported a high prevalence of vertebral deformity in the largest cohort of TIO patients and described the vertebral deformity in detail for the first time. Risk factors for vertebral deformity included male sex, long disease duration, height loss, abnormal biochemical indexes and bone impairment. Clinical manifestation, biochemical indexes and bone impairment were correlated with the number of deformed vertebrae and degree of deformity, but not the type of deformity.

Risk factors for late preterm and term stillbirth: A secondary analysis of an individual participant data meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Identify independent and novel risk factors for late-preterm (28-36 weeks) and term (≥37 weeks) stillbirth and explore development of a risk-prediction model.

DESIGN

Secondary analysis of an Individual Participant Data (IPD) meta-analysis investigating modifiable stillbirth risk factors.

SETTING

An IPD database from five case-control studies in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and an international online study.

POPULATION

Women with late-stillbirth (cases, n = 851), and ongoing singleton pregnancies from 28 weeks' gestation (controls, n = 2257).

METHODS

Established and novel risk factors for late-preterm and term stillbirth underwent univariable and multivariable logistic regression modelling with multiple sensitivity analyses. Variables included maternal age, body mass index (BMI), parity, mental health, cigarette smoking, second-hand smoking, antenatal-care utilisation, and detailed fetal movement and sleep variables.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Independent risk factors with adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for late-preterm and term stillbirth.

RESULTS

After model building, 575 late-stillbirth cases and 1541 controls from three contributing case-control studies were included. Risk factor estimates from separate multivariable models of late-preterm and term stillbirth were compared. As these were similar, the final model combined all late-stillbirths. The single multivariable model confirmed established demographic risk factors, but additionally showed that fetal movement changes had both increased (decreased frequency) and reduced (hiccoughs, increasing strength, frequency or vigorous fetal movements) aOR of stillbirth. Poor antenatal-care utilisation increased risk while more-than-adequate care was protective. The area-under-the-curve was 0.84 (95% CI 0.82-0.86).

CONCLUSIONS

Similarities in risk factors for late-preterm and term stillbirth suggest the same approach for risk-assessment can be applied. Detailed fetal movement assessment and inclusion of antenatal-care utilisation could be valuable in late-stillbirth risk assessment.

[Application of CRISPR/Cas systems in the nucleic acid detection of pathogens: a review]

Rapid, sensitive and specific detection tools are critical for the prevention and control of infectious diseases. The in vitro nucleic acid amplification assays, including polymerase chain reaction and isothermal amplification technology, have been widely used for the detection of pathogens. Recently, nucleic acid detection-based on clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated proteins (Cas) have been developed, which are rapid, highly sensitive, highly specific, and portable. This review describes the classification and principle of CRISPR/Cas systems and their applications in pathogen detection, and discusses the prospects of CRISPR/Cas systems.

Reproducibility of T1ρ and T2 quantification in a multi-vendor multi-site study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the multi-vendor multi-site reproducibility of two-dimensional (2D) multi-echo spin-echo (MESE) T2 mapping (product sequences); and to evaluate the longitudinal reproducibility of three-dimensional (3D) magnetization-prepared angle-modulated partitioned k-space spoiled gradient echo snapshots (MAPSS) T1ρ and T2 mapping (research sequences), and 2D MESE T2 mapping, separated by 6 months, in a multi-vendor multi-site setting.

METHODS

Phantoms and volunteers (n = 5 from each site, n = 20 in total) were scanned on four 3 T magnetic resonance (MR) systems from four sites and three vendors (Siemens, General Electric, and Phillips). Two traveling volunteers (3 knees) scanned at all 4 sites at baseline and 6-month follow-up. Data was transferred to one site for centralized processing. Coefficients of variation (CVs) were calculated to evaluate reproducibility.

RESULTS

For baseline 2D MESE T2 measures, average CV were 0.37-2.45% (intra-site) and 5.96% (inter-site) for phantoms, and 3.15-8.49% (intra-site) and 14.16% (inter-site) for volunteers. For longitudinal phantom data, intra-site CVs were 1.42-3.48% for 3D MAPSS T1ρ, 1.77-3.56% for 3D MAPSS T2, and 1.02-2.54% for 2D MESE T2. For the longitudinal volunteer data, the intra-site CVs were 2.60-4.86% for 3D MAPSS T1ρ, 3.33-7.25% for 3D MAPSS T2, and 3.11-8.77% for 2D MESE T2.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated excellent intra-site reproducibility of 2D MESE T2 imaging, while its inter-site variation was slightly higher than 3D MAPSS T2 imaging (10.06% as previously reported). This study also showed excellent reproducibility of longitudinal T1ρ and T2 cartilage quantification, in a multi-vendor multi-site setting for both product 2D MESE T2 and 3D MAPSS T1p/T2 research sequences.

Predictive value of peritumour radiomics in the diagnosis of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules with halo sign

AIM

To evaluate peritumour radiomics in predicting benign and malignant pulmonary nodules with halo sign.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this retrospective study, 305 pulmonary nodules with halo sign (benign, 120; adenocarcinoma, 185) were collected. Manual segmentation was used to mark the gross tumour volume (GTV) and the peritumour volume (PTV) was established by uniform dilation (1 cm) of the tumour area in three dimensions. The GTV and PTV radiomic features were combined to produce the gross tumour and peritumour volume (GPTV). The minimum-redundancy maximum-relevance (mRMR) feature ranking method and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm were used to eliminate redundant radiomic features. Predictive models combined with clinical features and radiomic signatures were established. Multivarible logistic regression analysis was used to establish the combined model and develop a nomogram. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the predictive performance of the model.

RESULTS

In the testing cohort, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the GTV, PTV, and GPTV radiomic models was 0.701 (95% CI: 0.589-0.814), 0.674 (95% CI: 0.557-0.791) and 0.755 (95% CI: 0.643-0.867), respectively. The AUC of the nomogram model based on clinical and GPTV radiomic signatures was 0.804 (95% CI: 0.707-0.901).

CONCLUSION

The nomogram model based on clinical and GPTV radiomic signatures can better predict benign and malignant pulmonary nodules with halo signs, demonstrating that the model has potential as a convenient and effective auxiliary diagnostic tool for radiologists.

Effect of Multicomponent Intervention on Functional Decline in Chinese Older Adults: A Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial

OBJECTIVES

To confirm whether multicomponent exercise following vivifrail recommendations was an effective method for improving physical ability, cognitive function, gait, balance, and muscle strength in Chinese older adults.

METHODS

This was a multicenter and randomized clinical trial conducted in Jiangsu, China, from April 2021 to April 2022. Intervention lasted for 12 weeks and 104 older adults with functional declines were enrolled. All participants were randomly assigned to a control (usual care plus health education) or exercise group (usual care plus health education plus exercise). Primary outcomes were the change score of Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and activities of daily living (ADL). The secondary outcomes included instrumental activities of daily living, Tinetti scores, Frailty score, short-form Mini Nutritional Assessment, Mini-Mental State Examination, Geriatric Depression Scale-15, the 12-item Short Form Survey, 4-meter gait speed test, 6-min walking distance, grip strength, and body composition analysis.

RESULTS

Among the participants, the average age was 85 (82, 88) years. After 12 weeks of follow-up, the exercise group showed a significant improvement in SPPB, with a change of 2 points (95% confidence interval [0, 3.5], P<0.001) compared to control. In contrast, SPPB remained stable in the control group. Compared to the control group, ADL improved in the exercise group, as did instrumental activities of daily living, Tinetti, Frailty, Short Form Survey, 4-meter gait speed test, and 6-min walking distance. Although there was no significant difference between groups in body composition analysis after post-intervention, the exercise group still improved in soft lean mass (P=0.002), fat-free mass (P=0.002), skeletal muscle mass index (P<0.001), fat-free mass index (P=0.004), appendicular skeletal muscle mass (P<0.001), and leg muscle mass (P<0.001), while the control group had no significant increase. No difference was observed in adverse events during trial period.

CONCLUSIONS

The multicomponent exercise intervention following vivifrail recommendations is an effective method for older adults with functional decline and can reverse the functional decline and improve gait, balance, and muscle strength. Additionally, the 12-week multicomponent exercise method provides guidance for Chinese medical professionals working in the field of geriatrics and is a promising method to improve physical function in the general population.