Objective To explore the effects of biofeedback training on clinical symptom,psychological state and quality of life in patients with functional constipation (FC).Methods Forty-nine patients with FC diagnosed by Rome Ⅲ were enrolled and received biofeedback training Bowel symptom measure, Zung's self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), self-rating depression scale (SDS) and Chinese version of the MOS 36-item short form healthy survey (SF-36) were recorded to assess the effects before and aftertreatment.Results After biofeedback training, clinical symptom of patients with FC was greatly improved:there was a very significant decrease in total and subscales scores of bowel symptom including spontaneous frequency of bowel movements, straining effort, sensation of anorectal obstruction/blockage, stool consistence and bloating.Patients with FC also improved their quality of life as well as psychological status after biofeedback.All subcategories of SF-36 including general health, physical function, bodily pain, role physical, vitality, social function, role emotion and mental health showed marked increase.Compared to the scores before biofeedback training, SAS (41.0 ±8.1 vs 46.5 ± 11.9) and SDS (44.0 ±8.2 vs 51.2 ±11.5) scores decreased significantly after biofeedback training Conclusion Biofeedback training can improve clinical symptom, psychological status and quality of life in patients with FC.

Objective To explore a method for establishing the hamster model of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD)and the indicators for its evaluation.Methods Clindamycin was administered to hamsters subcutaneously (day 1),and 24 h later infected with C.difficile clinical isolates KH1 (ribotype 027,106-108 CFU/mL)or SH9 (ribotype 001 ,108-1010 CFU/mL)by gavage.Animals were observed for CDAD symptoms such as diarrhea,weight loss and death.At the end of ob-servation period (day 7 or death),the cecum was collected from each animal for histological evaluation of inflammation.Results Following a single dose of 100 mg/kg clindamycin subcutaneously,all the animals challenged with KH1 (108 CFU/mL)devel-oped diarrhea and then died within 5 days.All the hamsters challenged with SH9 (1010 CFU/mL)developed diarrhea as well but only 66.7% died at the end of observation period.Among other groups,only one or none developed diarrhea and then died. The symptoms of hamsters with diarrhea included loose stool,wet tail and weight loss.On histological examination,conges-tion,hemorrhage and neutrophil infiltration of the mucosa were observed in the hamsters died of CDAD.Conclusions We have successfully established a hamster CDAD model that allows for future investigations.

Objective To investigate the role of spo0A gene in growth and sporulation of Clostridium difficile clinical isolates. Methods ClosTron gene knock-out system was used to knock out the spo0A gene of C. difficile strain C25. Bacterial growth curve was plotted by measuring D600 with spectrophotometer in different phases of bacterial growth. Malachite green staining technique was used to count the number of vegetative cells and spores under optical microscope. The sporulation rate was calculated. Results The spo0A mutant and its C25 parental strain showed similar patterns of growth. However, after knock-out of spo0A gene, an asporogenous phenotype was built, while the parental strain could produce spores as usual.Conclusions The spo0A gene plays a key role in sporulation but not growth of C. difficile strain.

Objective:To explore the effect of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma-related long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) ESCCAL-1 on the polarization of THP-1 cells-derived macrophages.Methods:The esophageal cancer cell line KYSE450 was divided into 5 groups: KYSE450 group (normal KYSE450 cells), shRNA-ESCCAL-1 group (infected with knockout ESCCAL-1 lentivirus), shRNA-NC group (infected with interference control lentivirus), OE-ESCCAL-1 group (infected with overexpressing ESCCAL-1 lentivirus) and OE-NC group (infected with overexpressed control lentivirus). The expression of ESCCAL-1 was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). After co-culture of cells in each group with THP-1 cells-derived macrophages, flow cytometry was used to detect the expressions of THP-1 cells-derived macrophages M1 polarization markers HLA-DR, iNOS, CD86 and M2 polarization markers Arg-1, CD163, CD206, and inflammatory cytokines.Results:After THP-1 cells were stimulated with 100 ng/ml phorbol ester for 48 hours, the cells grew adherently, and the expression levels of CD11b and CD36 increased, indicating that THP-1 cells were successfully differentiated into macrophages. After THP-1 cells-derived macrophages were co-cultured with esophageal cancer KYSE450 cell line treated differently for 24 hours, there were no significant differences in the expressions of M1 polarization markers HLA-DR, iNOS and CD86 between shRNA-ESCCAL-1 group and shRNA-NC group or between OE-ESCCAL-1 group and OE-NC group (all P > 0.05). Compared with shRNA-NC group, the expressions of M2 polarization markers Arg-1, CD163 and CD206 in shRNA-ESCCAL-1 group decreased [8.54±0.29 vs. 11.83±0.69, 12.0±0.3 vs. 24.5±0.8, 2.05±0.23 vs. 14.54±1.10], and the differences were statistically significant ( t values were 7.636, 27.38 and 19.31, all P < 0.01); compared with the OE-NC group, the expressions of M2 polarization marker Arg-1, CD163 and CD206 in OE-ESCCAL-1 group increased [32.60±1.14 vs. 14.20±0.20, 43.7±1.5 vs. 25.1±1.2, 35.8±0.7 vs. 13.6±0.6], and the differences were statistically significant ( t values were -27.58, -17.24 and -43.98, all P < 0.01). Compared with shRNA-NC group, the expression level of interferon-γ in shRNA-ESCCAL-1 group decreased [(6.3±1.5) pg/ml vs. (20.0±2.6) pg/ml, t = 7.75, P = 0.001]; compared with OE-NC group, the expression level of interleukin-1RA in OE-ESCCAL-1 group increased [(3 167±306) pg/ml vs. (467±176) pg/ml, t = -13.27, P < 0.01]. Conclusions:Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma-related lncRNA ESCCAL-1 can promote the M2 polarization of macrophages.

Objective:To develop and validate a nomogram for predicting the 1-and 3-year survival rates of patients receiving peritoneal dialysis.Methods:Patients who underwent peritoneal dialysis for the first time in Zhujiang hospital from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2017 were enrolled. The patients from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2017 were enrolled in a training dataset. Baseline clinical data were collected and the primary endpoint was all-cause death. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to analyze risk factors affecting the survival rates. Nomograms were generated using the R rms package. The Harrell' concordance index (C-index), receiver operating characteristic curve and calibration curve were used to verify the performance of the model. Patients who underwent peritoneal dialysis from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2013 were then selected to validate the external predictive accuracy of the prediction models.Results:The prediction cohort enrolled 457 patients, with a median follow-up time of 27.67(18.37, 39.22) months, and 64 patients (14.00%) died during follow-up. The 1-and 3-year cumulative survival rates were 96.4% and 83.0%. Multivariate analysis showed that aging (every 1 year old increase, HR=1.07, 95% CI 1.04-1.09, P<0.001), stroke ( HR=3.63, 95% CI 1.93-6.85, P<0.001), higher cholesterol (every 1 mmol/L increase, HR=1.51, 95% CI 1.20-1.89, P<0.001), higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (every 1 increase, HR=1.12, 95% CI 1.05-1.20, P=0.001), and lower albumin ( HR=0.89, 95% CI 0.82-0.95, P=0.001) were independent risk factors affecting the survival rates of PD patients. The C-index of the prediction cohort and the validation cohort were 0.815(95% CI 0.765-0.865) and 0.804(95% CI 0.744-0.864, respectively). Both internally and externally verified calibration curves showed that the predicted results were close to the actual survival rates. Conclusion:Based on age, blood total cholesterol level, stroke history, and NLR, the prognosis prediction model of peritoneal dialysis patients established with nomogram can help predict the 1-year and 3-year survival rates of peritoneal dialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Research on the relationship between residential altitude and hypertension incidence has been inconclusive. Evidence at low altitudes (i.e., <1,500 m) is scarce, let alone in older adults, a population segment with the highest hypertension prevalence. Thus, the objective of this study is to determine whether hypertension risk may be affected by altitude in older adults living at low altitudes. METHODS: This prospective cohort study collected data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). We selected 6,548 older adults (≥65 years) without hypertension at baseline (2008) and assessed events by the follow-up surveys done in 2011, 2014, and 2018 waves. The mean altitude of 613 residential units (county or district) in which the participants resided was extracted from the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and was accurate to within 30 m. The Cox regression model with penalized splines examined the linear or nonlinear link between altitude and hypertension. A random-effects Cox regression model was used to explore the linear association between altitude and hypertension. RESULTS: The overall rate of incident hypertension was 8.6 per 100-person years. The median altitude was 130.0 m (interquartile range [IQR] = 315.5 m). We observed that the exposure-response association between altitude and hypertension incidence was not linear. The shape of the exposure-response curve showed that three change points existed. Hypertension risk increased from the lowest to the first change point (247.1 m) and slightly fluctuated until the last change point (633.9 m). The risk decreased above the last change point. According to the categories stratified by the change points, altitude was only significantly associated with hypertension risk (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.003; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.002-1.005) under the first change point (247.1 m) after adjusting for related covariates. CONCLUSION Our study found that the association between altitude and hypertension risk might not be linear. We hope the further study can be conducted to confirm the generality of our findings.
Aged ; Altitude ; Humans ; Hypertension/etiology* ; Incidence ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies

Depressive disorder ranks as a major bur-den of disease worldwide,yet the current antidepressant medications are limited by frequent non-responsiveness and significant side effects.The lateral septum(LS)is thought to control of depression,however,the cellular and circuit substrates are largely unknown.Here,we identified a subpopulation of LS GABAergic adenosine A2A receptors(A2AR)-positive neurons mediating depres-sive symptoms via direct projects to the lateral habenula(LHb)and the dorsomedial hypothalamus(DMH).Activa-tion of A2AR in the LS augmented the spiking frequency of A2AR-positive neurons leading to a decreased activation of surrounding neurons and the bi-directional manipula-tion of LS-A2AR activity demonstrated that LS-A2ARs are necessary and sufficient to trigger depressive pheno-types.Thus,the optogenetic modulation(stimulation or inhibition)of LS-A2AR-positive neuronal activity or LS-A2AR-positive neurons projection terminals to the LHb or DMH,phenocopied depressive behaviors.Moreover,A2AR are upregulated in the LS in two male mouse mod-els of repeated stress-induced depression.This identifica-tion that aberrantly increased A2AR signaling in the LS is a critical upstream regulator of repeated stress-induced depressive-like behaviors provides a neurophysiological and circuit-based justification of the antidepressant poten-tial of A2AR antagonists,prompting their clinical transla-tion.

Objective To evaluate the performance of Xpert C. difficile multiplex real-time PCR assay for diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infections in Chinese hospital settings. Methods This study was performed in Huashan Hospital, Ruijin Hospital, Beijing Hospital, Nanfang Hospital and Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital using a standard study protocol. Unique unformed stools from patients with acute hospital-acquired diarrhea were simultaneously analyzed by toxigenic anaerobic cultures and the Xpert C. difficile assay. All specimens displaying discordant results between the Xpert assay and toxigenic culture were sent for Sanger tcdB gene sequencing. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), total concordance rate, and 95％ confidence interval (CI) were calculated before and after resolution of discordant results using SAS 9.3. Results A total of 745 stool specimens were collected and 46 were excluded due to failure of C. difficile recovery. The remaining 699 specimens were included. Compared to the results of toxigenic culture, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of Xpert C. difficile assay were 94.1％ (144/153)(95％CI:89.1％-97.3％), 93.2％ (509/546)(95％CI:96.7％-99.2％), 79.6％ (144/181)(95％CI:72.9％-85.2％)and 98.3％ (509 / 518) (95％CI: 96.7％-99.2％), respectively. Both methods had a Kappa of 0.819. Xpert C. difficile assay showed sensitivity of 98.4％(62/63) (95％ CI: 90.3％-99.9％) and specificity of 93.2％(509/546) (95％ CI: 90.8％-95.2％) for toxin A-negative toxin B-positive strains. After the discordant results resolved by tcdB gene sequencing, PCR assay provided better performance with high sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value [98.8％ (171 / 173), 98.1％ (516 / 526), 94.5％ (171/181) and 99.6％ (516/518), respectively]. Conclusions Compared to the results of toxigenic culture, the sensitivity, specificity and NPV of Xpert C. difficile assay were 94.1％ (144/153) and 93.2％(509/546), respectively. With the results available within 1 h, Xpert C. difficile assay provides prompt and precise laboratory diagnosis in Chinese clinical settings.

Objective: To understand the epidemiologic characteristics of fall in the elderly in Shanghai, as well as the differences between urban and rural areas, and provide evidence for targeted fall prevention and intervention. Methods: From January to March in 2017, a questionnaire survey was conducted in the elderly aged 60 or above selected from 7 urban communities and 6 rural communities in Shanghai to understand the epidemiologic characteristics of fall in the elderly and analyze the gender and urban-rural differences. Results: In urban area, a total of 3 386 elderly people were surveyed, in whom 441 (13.0%) had fall and 261 (7.7%) were injured after fall. In rural area, a total of 2 826 elderly people were surveyed, in whom 320 (11.3%) had fall and 169 (6.0%) were injured after fall. Fall risk in women were higher than that in men in both urban and rural areas with OR of 1.62 (95%CI: 1.42-1.86) and 1.16 (95%CI: 1.38-1.98) respectively, but the differences of fall related injury were not significant. Compared with urban areas, fall risk and fall related injury risk were both lower in rural areas with OR of 0.86 (95%CI: 0.73-0.99) and 0.74 (95%CI: 0.56-0.99). Compared with urban areas, men had lower risk for fall, and women had lower risk for fall related injury with OR of 0.68 (95%CI: 0.51-0.90) and 0.66 (95%CI: 0.47-0.93) respectively. Fall mainly occurred at home. Fall in urban area more frequently occurred on stairs, and fall in rural area more frequently occurred during farming. More than 60% of the falls had environmental risk factors. Slippery ground and uneven ground were main reasons. The incidence of fracture resulted from fall was high indicated by 89 fracture cases in urban areas (28.2%) and 64 fracture cases in rural areas (36.1%). Conclusions The risk for fall in Shanghai had gender and urban-rural differences. Targeted intervention should be conducted according to the characteristics of fall in the elderly.