Objectives To reveal the epidemiological trends of leprosy and the achievements of leprosy control in Fujian Province. Methods In the light of methods of Basic Statistics in Handbook of Leprosy Control written by Ma Hai De, each statistic index was analyzed. Results① The incidence and detection rate decreased from 0.782/10 000 and 1.231/10 000 in the period of 1955～ 1959 to 0.036/10 000 in the period of 1990～ 1994 and to 0.033/10 000 in the period of 1995～ 1998 respectively;② prevalence dropped from the highest of 0.65‰ in 1959 to 0.007‰ in 1998;③ with the elapse of time, the average age at onset showed a shift to advance age group, and incidence of leprosy in children decreased dramatically;④ the ratio of MB to PB was higher in early period and in late period than that in middle period, and the male ratio of MB to PB was always higher than female ratio;⑤ the average disease duration reduced, and the disability rate of new cases decreased. Conclusion Through the comprehensive measures against leprosy, the endemic of this disease in Fujian Province has been evidently under control.

Objective To explore the effect of suledexide on renal injury and podocalyxin expression of podocytes in STZ diabetic desoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-hypertensive rats. Methods Wistar rats were subjected to subcutaneous injection of streptozotocin(STZ), followed by uninephrectomy and subcutaneous administration of DOCA. Diabetic and hypertensive rats were randomly allocated to treatment with sulodexide or a combination of sulodexide and telmisartan for 8 weeks. Blood pressure (BP), 24-hour urinary albumin were measured every 2 weeks. Blood and urinary samples were collected to detect biochemical indexes of plasma and urinary β-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) at the end of the study. Immunohistochemistry (IHC), RT-PCR and Western blot were performed to examine the expression and distribution of podocalyxin. Results STZ +DOCA-treated rats progressively developed hypertension, albuminuria and hyperglycemia. Hyperlipidemia and hypoinsulinemia were found in diabetic and hypertensive rats compared with controls. Albuminuia was significantly reduced in sulodexide group at week 8 and sulodexide plus telmisartan group at week 6 and week 8. Blood pressure decreased in sulodexide plus telmisartan group. No significant effects on lipid and glucose metabolism were observed in all treated groups. Histopathological index increased in STZ+DOCA-treated rats, but was significantly lower in sulodexide group as well as sulodexide plus telmisartan group. The number of podocytes on glomerular cross-section of the four groups were comparable. Segmental loss and down-regulation of podocalyxin were detected in STZ+DOCA-treated rats, which were greatly attenuated by sulodexinde, meanwhile, combination treatment preserved more podocalyxin expression in glomeruli than sulodexide monotherapy. Conclusion Sulodexide effectively reduces albuminuria, prevents loss of podocyte podocalyxin and alleviates renal damage in STZ diabetic DOCA-hypertensive rats.

Objective Toinvestigatetherelationshipbetweendifferenttypesofinternalwatershed infarctionandtandemstenosesofinternalcarotidartery(ICA).Methods Atotalof55patientswith internal watershed infarction confirmed by head MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI )examination were enrolled. They all underwent the extracranial internal carotid artery (ICA ) ultrasonography and intracranial cerebral artery MR angiography (MRA)examinations. According to the findings of imaging,the 55 patients with internal watershed infarction were divided into a simple internal watershed infarction (IWSI)group and an internal watershed infarction accompanied with ipsilateral cortical watershed infarction (C-IWSI)group. The relationship between the two types of internal watershed infarction and tandem stenoses of ICA was analyzed. Results (1 ) Of the 55 patients with internal watershed infarction,24 cases (43. 6%)were in the internal watershed infarction group and 31 cases (56. 4%)were in the C-IWSI group. The ipsilateral vascular stenosis were ICA 20 cases (36. 4%,including extracranial segment 11 cases and intracranial segment 17 cases),middle cerebral artery (MCA)44 cases (80. 0%), and tandem stenoses of ICA 15 cases (27. 3%). (2)Ipsilateral tandem stenoses of ICA:2 cases were in the IWSI group (intracranial ICA+MCA 2 cases);13 cases were in the C-IWSI group (extracranial ICA+intracranial ICA +MCA 4 cases,extracranial ICA + intracranial ICA 1 case,extracranial ICA + MCA 2 cases,and intracranial ICA+MCA 6 cases). (3)Compared with the IWSI group,the incidences of ipsilateral ICA stenosis and tandem stenoses of ICA in patients of the C-IWSI group were higher (54. 8%[n=17]vs. 12. 5%[n=3],41. 9%[n=13]vs. 8. 3%[n =2]),and there were significant differences(P =0. 001, 0.006]). The incidences of extracranial and intercranial ICA stenosis were higher than those of the IWSI group (35. 5%[n=11]vs. 0,45. 2%[n=14]vs. 12. 5%[n=3]),and there were significant differences (P=0.003,0.009).Conclusion Inthedifferenttypesofinternalwatershedinfarction,theincidenceof tandem stenoses of ICA is different. The IWSI patients with ipsilateral cortical watershed infarction often accompany by tandem stenoses of ICA.

Objective To explore the clinical and electrophysiological features and pulmonary function of 8 Chinese patients with Kennedy's disease (KD) and to enhance the understanding for the disease.Methods Eight patients with KD,admitted to out hospital from July 2010 to December 2013 and confirmed by gene examination,were chosen in our study; their clinical and electrophysiological features,and laboratory characteristics and pulmonary function were compared with those in the healthy volunteers.Results The average age of onset in the 8 patients was (45.13±17.47) years,and the average age of diagnosis was (55.63±12.11) years.The most common complaint was leg weakness.All patients presented hemifacial spasm,tongue muscle atrophy and fibrillation,amyotrophy and gynaecomastia; creatine kinase level was elevated and endocrine disorder appeared in different degrees.The electromyogram characteristics included widespread neurogenic changes accompanied with/without sensory or motor conduction abnormalities.The forced vital capacity,forced expiratory volume in first second,maximal voluntary ventilation and peak expiratory flow rate were significantly lower,and the residual volume in the KD patients was statistically higher than that in the healthy volunteers (P＜0.05).Respiratory muscle strength (maximum inspiratory pressure and maximum expiratory pressure) decreased in the KD patients.Conclusion KD is a degenerative disease with slow clinical progression which has its own characteristics of inheritance pattern and natural course; the age of onset,repeat number of CAG sequences,pulmonary function and respiratory muscle strength may be valuable for illness evaluation.

We expressed B cell epitopes of dengue virus envelope protein and NS1 protein in prokaryotic cells,and purified and evaluated for its serological activities.A recombinant multi-epitope chimeric gene named rE including eight B cell epitopes was connected by linker peptide (EAAAK)2 and cloned into prokaryotic expression vector pET-28a(+),and transformed into E.coli BL21(DE3) cells for expression under induction of IPTG.The expressed recombinant protein was purified with 6× His purification media,and identified by SDS-PAGE and Western blot,and its antigenicity was analyzed by using an indirect ELISA assay.The recombinant expression vector pET28a-rE was constructed and expressed in BL21 (DE3) successfully,but the recombinant proteins mainly appeared as inclusion bodies.The target protein was obtained with high purity through the purification of affinity chromatography.SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis showed that the molecular weight of fusion protein was in the expected line.The established indirect ELISA has high accuracy.This recombinant peptide antigen expressed in E.coli has good potential for serum testing.

Objective To explore the association between diabetes mellitus type Ⅱ (DM) and deglutition function of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients.Methods Seventy-five ALS patients older than 45 years and admitted to our hospital from August 2008 to November 2015 were selected into this study;67 of them were without DM and 8 were with DM.Water swallow test,amyotrophic lateral sclerosis severity scale-swallow (s-ALSSS),amyotrophic lateral sclerosis functional rating scale (ALSFR-R) and videofluoroscopic swallow study (VFS) were performed to evaluate the deglutition functions of these ALS patients with or without DM,and the results of the two groups were compared.Results (1) Patients with DM had significantly higher s-ALSSS scores,ingurgitation part in ALSFRS-R scores and in parts of VFS scores,such as transportation to pharyngeal,pharyngeal transit,flow into pharyngeal before reflexion,epiglottic vallecula residue,and piriform sinus residue than patients without DM (8.88±1.34 vs.7.54±1.47,3.50±0.54 vs.2.96±0.77,2.88±0.35 vs.2.16±0.69,2.75±0.46 vs.2.09±0.69,2.88±0.35 vs.2.42±0.56,2.88±0.35 vs.2.39±0.58,P＜0.05).(2) Scores of Kubota drinking test,ALSFRS-R,VGF (including oral phase,pharyngeal phase and aspiration degree) in patients without DM were 2.15±1.12,7.18±1.41(1.78±0.69,1.69±0.60 and 3.72±0.65),and those in patients with DM were 1.88±1.34,8.00±0.93(2.13±0.64,2.00±0.53 and 4.00±0.00);no significant differences were noted between the two groups (P＞0.05),but there was a trend showing that DM patients had higher scores in these evaluations.Conclusion As compared with ALS patients without DM,ALS patients with DM get more mildly impaired deglutition function.

The leucine-rich repeat (LRR) containing 15 (LRRC15) protein is one of the members of the LRR superfamily. In the medical field, LRRC15 protein not only participates in parasitic, viral and other pathogen infections, but also plays a role in anti-tumor and rheumatoid arthritis treatment. It also regulates cell autophagy, stem cell ossification, and changes in hair follicle dermal papilla cell characteristics. This article reviews the research progress of LRRC15 protein in the medical field.

Objective To investigate the correlation of spinal mechanical imbalance and thoraco-dorsal pain of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods The clinical data of 90 patients with AS were collected. Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of thoracodorsal pain: the AS with thoraco-dorsal pain group (30 cases) and the AS without thoraco-dorsal pain group (60 cases). Clinical symptoms, Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI), Bath ankylosing spondylitis function index (BASFI), Bath ankylosing spondylitis measurement index (BASMI), ankylosing spondylitis disease activity (ASDAS), and spinal mechanical function and nuclear myocardial force test were compared using t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis and Spearman correlation analysis. Results ① There were differences between thoraco-dorsal pain group and patients without thoracodorsal pain group at the time of back muscle strength [(0.82±0.41) min vs (1.33±0.74) min, F=12.372, P=0.001]; ②Thoraco-dorsal pain in the AS group was mainly the middle and lower thoracic vertebrae, such as the inflammation of rib head and rib transverse process, facial arthritis, and spinous ligaments, etc. And the missed diagnosis rate of magnetic resonance imagin (MRI) was high. ③ In healthy control group, the anterior flexion strength of thoracodorsal pain group was signific-antly different from that of patients without thoracodorsal pain [(92.1 ±46.3) Nm vs (126.6±35.7) Nm, F=6.440, P=0.002]. ④ There was significant difference in spinal strength as well as left and right rotation strength between the thoracodorsal pain group and patients without thoracodorsal pain [(1.18 ±0.22) vs (1.05 ±0.17), F=10.044, P<0.01];⑤In the thoraco-dorsal pain group, the right/left index was related to BASDAI (r=-0.522, P=0.004). For spinal mobility, the right/left index was related to cross cutting faces to right ( r=0.435, P=0.021), cross cutting faces to left (r=0.528, P=0.004). In spinal strength, the right/left index was related to left turn (r=0.57, P=0.001); right lateral flexion (r=0.368, P=0.049) and left lateral flexion (r=0.369, P=0.049). Conclusion The thoracodorsal pain of AS is dominated by the middle and lower thoracic vertebrae, and the missed diagnosis rate of MRI is high. The imbalance of the left and right side of the spine is one of the factors of the thoracic back pain in AS.

Objective:Lung ultrasound (LUS) has been used in the diagnosis of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome(RDS) successfully, but there have been no multicenter prospective studies to verify its reliability or determine how to grade RDS with LUS findings.This study aimed to discuss the necessity and feasibility of using LUS findings to determine RDS grades through a multicenter prospective study.Methods:Every researcher participated in the National Neonatal Lung Ultrasound Training Course and receiving 3-6 months of lung ultrasound system training at the National Neonatal Lung Ultrasound Training Center.Patients between June 2018 and May 2020 who met the RDS ultrasound diagnostic criteria and had full available clinical data were included in this study.The LUS examination was completed immediately after the patients were admitted to the hospital.Some of them also underwent chest X-ray examination.Arterial blood gas analysis was completed immediately before or after the LUS ultrasound examination.RDS grading was performed according to the LUS findings and whether the patient had serious complications.Results:A total of 275 qualifying cases were included in this study, which included 220 premature infants and 55 full-term infants, and the primary RDS occurred in 117 cases (42.5%), and secondary RDS occurred in 158 cases (57.5%). LUS manifestations of RDS patients can be divided into three categories: (1)A ground-glass opacity sign: which could be found among 50 infants when they were admitted to the hospital (that was, at their first LUS examination). Twenty-eight of these infants were considered to have wet lungs and were not sent for special management on admission, but LUS showed typical snowflake-like lung consolidation within 0.5 to 4 hours.Twenty-two of them were given mechanical ventilation with exogenous pulmonary surfactant; Eighteen cases were controlled within 6-12 hours, but the lung lesions became more severe in the other 4 infants (due to severe intrauterine infection). (2)Snowflake-like lung consolidations: the first LUS on admission showed typical snowflake-like lung consolidation involving areas ranging from 1-2 intercostal spaces to 12 lung divisions in 204 cases.Thirty-eight infants among them the lung consolidation only had involvement of 1-2 intercostal spaces at the time of admission; Fifteen of them received invasive respiratory support and recovered within 4-12 hours.Twelve patients received noninvasive respiratory support; Seven of them recovered, while five cases developed severe lung illness.The remaining 11 patients who were not given any form of ventilator support developed severe conditions within 1-4 hours.Thirty of them showed snowflake signs involving 12 lung regions at admission.The remaining 136 patients had lung consolidation degree between the two degree above condition.(3)Snowflake-like sign with complications: Twenty-one patients had severe complications such as pneumothorax, pulmonary hemorrhage or/and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn or large area atelectasis, etc, although snowflake lung consolidation did not involve all lung regions.Conclusion:(1) LUS is reliable and accurate for diagnosing RDS.RDS has the same characteristics on ultrasound for both preterm and full-term infants, both primary and secondary RDS.(2) To facilitate the management of RDS, it is necessary to classify RDS according to the ultrasound findings and the presence of severe complications.(3) Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that RDS can be divided into mild, moderate and severe degrees.The exact standards for grading are as follows: Mild RDS: the early stage of RDS, in which lung consolidation shows as a ground-glass opacity sign on ultrasound; Moderate RDS: lung consolidation shows a snowflake sign on ultrasound, not all of the lung fields are involved; Severe RDS meets one or more of the following criteria: lung consolidation shows as a snowflake sign on ultrasound and all lung regions are involved, or regardless of its degree and extent, lung consolidation has caused serious complications, such as pulmonary hemorrhage, pneumothorax, persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, or/and a large area of pulmonary atelectasis.

It is believed that the pathogenesis of oculomotor nerve palsy is insufficient marrow sea （髓海）， withered yang qi， poor contraction of eyelids and periocular meridians， and inability to open and close the eyes. The eye system is connected to the marrow sea， as well as the the foot taiyang （太阳） channel， foot yangming （阳明） channel， foot jueyin （厥阴） channel， yinqiao mai （阴跷脉） and yangqiao mai （阳跷脉）， and is nourished by the liver， spleen and kidney. Treatment should take into account both the branch and the root cause. It is suggested to treat the root by regulating the marrow sea， and treat the branch by unblocking the meridians and dredging the collaterals， thereby balancing the mild and the urgency of the yinqiao mai and yangqiao mai. Using the "Gen （根）-Liu（溜）-Zhu （注）-Ru （入）"acupoints to bypass the various meridians and taking the gallbladder meridian according to twelve major meridians that run on both sides of the body， both of which can provide ideas for improving symptoms such as ptosis and limited eye movement caused by oculomotor nerve palsy.