Objective To investigate the level and influencing factors of caregivers′burden among primary caregivers of elderly stroke patients. Methods Totally 298 caregivers of elderly stroke patients were investigated with Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire(SCSQ). The patients were investigated with Modified Barthel Index (MBI). Results The caregivers′burden was in the mild level with a total score of 35.21±11.45. The influencing factors were the number of days of care, daily caring hours, hospital anxiety and depression score, the coping style and the ability of patients to perform ADL. Conclusions The primary caregivers of stroke patients have mild burden. The nurses should be synchronized to assess the health of patients and primary caregivers at the same time, understand the caregivers′burden, and provide specific care advice, in order to reduce the burden of their carer, so as to improve the quality of patients′life.

PurposeTo evaluate the feasibility of a low-dose contrast medium protocol for 64-slice spiral CT angiography (CTA) of cerebral and carotid using a low-tube-voltage setting, and to compare the display effect of cerebral and carotid arteries by low-tube-voltage low-dose contrast medium and routine-tube-voltage routine-dose contrast medium scanning, and to assess the effect on radiation dose.Materials and MethodsEighty consecutive patients were prospectively selected to perform cerebral and carotid CTA inspection. The patients were randomly divided into control group and low dose group with 40 people in each group. The voltage in control group was 120 kV and the contrast agent was 80 ml; those in low dose group were 80 kV and 50 ml, respectively. The artery image quality was evaluated and venous interference was scored. The CT value, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and radiation dose in both groups were statistically analyzed.Results The consistency of uniform in artery image quality score and venous interference score was rather high according to the assessment of two physicians (Kappa=0.782 and 0.867). There was no statistical difference in artery image quality score, venous interference score, SNR and CNR between the two groups (Z=-0.864--0.032,P>0.05). The CT value in low dose group was higher than that in control group (differences with statistical significance,t=-8.789-1.715,P<0.05). The CT dose index of volume, dose-length product and effective dose in low dose group were all signiifcantly lower than those in control group (Z=-8.888,t=78.092 and 78.350, respectively,P<0.05).Conclusion The use of low tube voltage and low contrast dose in cerebral and carotid CTA examination can result in high quality images which meets the diagnostic needs and obviously reduce radiation dosage.

Objective To discuss the value of digital tomosynthesis for detection of pulmonary nodules. Methods Thirty patients suspected of having pulmonary nodules underwent chest radiography, digital tomosynthesis and CT examination. Above image data were transferred to postprocessing work station and were reviewed by 2 radiologists with 3 years of chest-radiology diagnosis experience in a double-blind method. The number, location and size of nodules were recorded. Then, 2 radiologists reviewed the all images once more, and discuss in consensus. The sensitivities of chest radiography and digital tomosynthesis for detection of pulmonary nodules were respectively calculated according to the CT results. Chi-square test was used for radiography, digital tomosynthesis and CT examination. Results Of 30 patients, 21 were detected having pulmonary nodules by X-ray radiography and 9 were negative, the total number of 40 nodules was detected, while 89 nodules in 26 patients were detected by digital tomosynthesis, and only 4 patients were negative. CT demonstrated 102 nodules in 27 patients, and 3 patients were negative. Taking CT as "gold standard", the sensitivities of X-ray radiography and digital tomosynthesis were 27.4%(28/102)and 87.2%(89/102), X~2=4.35, P<0.05, respectively. Conclusion Digital tomosynthesis has a high sensitivity for detection of pulmonary nodules compared with X-ray radiography, and could be an excellent and necessary supplementary technique of X-ray radiography.

Objective To explore the long-term outcomes and complications of patients with hematological malignancies (HM) after haploidentical donor transplantation (HDT) or siblingidentical donor transplantation (SDT).Methods From June,2011 to July,2016,89 patients with HM receiving allo-HSCT were retrospectively analyzed,including 57 patients undergoing HDT and 32 cases undergoing SDT.Results The median time to achieve neutrophil engraftment was 2 days shorter after HDT than SDT,whereas that of platelet engraftment was 3 days longer after HDT than SDT.The cumulative incidence for 3 to 4 grade acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was not obviously different between HDT and SDT (8.77％ versus 12.5％ respectively;x2 =0.313,P =0.576).The cumulative incidence for chronic GVHD was not significantly different between HDT and SDT (45.6％ versus 37.5％;~ =0.551,P =0.458).Cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivity was significantly higher in patients after HDT (77.19％) than those after SDT (21.88％) (x2 =25.633,P＜0.001).The occurrence of hemorrhagic cystitis was also obviously higher in patients after HDT (26.32％)than those after SDT (3.85％) (x2 =5.340,P =0.021).The 1-,2-,and 3-year relapse-free survival rate of patients receiving HDT and SDT was 63.9％,55.4％,44.3％ and 71.2％,58.3％,51.8％,respectively (P =0.541).The 1-,2-,and 3-year overall survival rate of patients receiving HDT and SDT was 75.3％,65.3％,52.3％ and 76.9％,62.9％,62.9％,respectively (P =0.777).Conclusion Considering similar incidence of severe GVHD and long-term outcomes,haploidentical donors should be recommended as a potential alternative donor source when an identical donor is lacking for patients with HM.

Objective: To investigate clinical and histopathological features of subcutaneous sarcoidosis. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed. Clinical and pathological data were collected from 8 patients diagnosed with subcutaneous sarcoidosis in Hospital for Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College between 2012 and 2018, and analyzed retrospectively. Results: Out of the 8 patients, 1 was male and 7 were female, with an average onset age of 50.5 years. The main skin manifestations were multiple painless skin-colored subcutaneous nodules, with no history of trauma or ulceration. Other skin lesions included erythema in 1 case and dark-purple plaques in 1 case. Lung involvement was detected in 6 cases, and no other systems were involved. Histopathological findings were mainly non-caseating granulomas in the subcutaneous tissue with negative acid-fast staining. Of the 8 patients, 7 received short-term oral glucocorticoid treatment and achieved remission or subsidence of lesions, 1 patient was lost to follow-up. Conclusions Subcutaneous sarcoidosis initially manifests as painless skin-colored subcutaneous nodules, which can be complicated by erythema, plaques and so on. Histopathological findings are characterized by non-caseating granulomas. Chronic and mild systemic involvement, especially lung involvement, is common in patients with subcutaneous sarcoidosis, and the prognosis is quite favorable.

Objective To study the mechanism of ferulic acid(FA)on hepatic fibrosis(HF)based on network pharmacology,and establish an in vitro model of rat hepatic stellate Cell-T6(HSC-T6)according to the results.Methods The potential targets of FA were screened through PubChem,swisstargetprediction and pharmmapper,and overlapped with the FA targets screened in disgenet,genecards and OMIM.Then,protein protein interaction(PPI)was analyzed by using string platform.Gene ontology(go)and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis were carried out for key targets by using R64 4.0.3,and the"component target disease"network diagram was constructed by Cytoscape 3.7.2 software.Based on this,the proliferation of HSC-T6 was detected by cell counting kit-8(CCK-8)method,and the grouping was determined:blank group and low-dose group(100 μg·mL-1 FA),medium dose group(200 μg·mL-1 FA),high dose group(400 μg·mL-1 FA)and positive control group(200 μg·mL-1 colchicine),the migration ability of HSC-T6 was detected by scratch test,and the content of HSC-T6 was detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)α-Alpha smooth muscle actin,α-Flow cytometry was used to detect the changes of HSC-T6 cycle,quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)was used to detect the relative expression of JAK2 and STAT3 mRNA,and Western Blot was used to detect the molecular expression of JAK2 and STAT3 protein.Results 254 intersection targets of FA and HF were obtained.The core targets were signal transducer and activvator of Transcription(STAT3),albumin(ALB),protein kinase B(AKT1),tumor suppressor protein p53(TP53),epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)and caspase-3(CASP3).KEGG analysis showed that the action pathway of FA on HF mainly involved phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase protein kinase B(PI3K-Akt),vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF),Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription(JAK/STAT)Tumor necrosis factor(TNF)and other pathways.The experimental results showed that in CCK-8 experiment,scratch experiment and ELISA experiment,compared with the blank group,the cell proliferation rate,migration ability and the expression of α-SMA protein decreased significantly(P<0.05).Compared with the blank group,the cycle arrest rate of low,medium and high dose groups and positive control group increased significantly(P<0.05).Compared with the blank group,the molecular weight and mRNA expression of JAK2 and STAT3 protein in low,medium and high dose groups and positive control group decreased gradually(P<0.05).Conclusion FA has the characteristics of multi-channel and multi-target.FA may inhibit the apoptosis of hepatic stellate cell(HSC)by down regulating JAK2 and STAT3 targets.

Objective:To investigate clinical and histopathological features of mucinous nevi.Methods:Clinical and pathological data were collected from 10 patients with clinically and histopathologically confirmed mucinous nevi in Hospital of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2014 to December 2019, and retrospectively analyzed.Results:All cases developed mucinous nevi in childhood, with an average age of onset being 6.5 years. Of the 10 patients, 7 had lesions on the trunk, among whom 4 had lesions on the back; the remaining 2 had lesions on the limbs, and 1 had generalized lesions on the trunk and limbs. The skin lesions were locally arranged in lines, bands or clusters, and skin-colored, reddish or yellow in color, with the texture varying from soft to hard. Histopathological examination showed that 10 patients presented with disordered arrangement of collagen fiber bundles in the dermis and mucin deposition at varying locations and to different degrees among them, 6 with thickened and red-stained collagen fibers in the deposition area, and the remaining 4 with sparse and decreased collagen; focal liquefaction degeneration of the basal layer was observed in 2 cases, and different amounts of mature adipose tissue in the dermis were seen in 3 cases.Conclusions:Mucinous nevus pathologically manifests as mucin deposition of varying degrees among disorderedly arrangd collagen fiber bundles in the dermis, which is similar to some other diseases, and is easily misdiagnosed. Close combination of clinical and pathological features facilitates confirmed diagnosis.

Connective tissue nevi (CTN) , a kind of benign skin hamartomas, can be classified into 3 types according to the excessive components predominating in skin lesions, including collagen type, elastin type and proteoglycan type, and each type of CTN includes various inherited and acquired diseases. Therefore, genetic, clinical, and histopathological features should be considered for the confirmation of diagnosis of CTN and its subtypes. According to the latest Chinese and international literature, this review elaborates clinical classification and histopathological characteristics of CTN, aiming to further strengthen the understanding of this disease.

Objective To investigate the association between the plasma levels of 20 amino acids and the risk of diabetes in middle-aged and elderly population.Methods This study was a part of the Chinese multi-provincial cohort study conducted in communities of Shougang.In 2007 and 2012,the population was investigated for diabetes and other risk factors.Blood samples collected from 475 people were tested for various amino acid levels by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between plasma amino acid levels and diabetes risk.Results The age of the selected population at baseline was (58.7±6.3) years,and the blood glucose level at baseline was (5.68 ± 1.34) mmol/L.Among them,56 (11.79％) subjects were diabetes.Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that after adjusting for age,gender,body mass index,systolic blood pressure and dyslipidemia,individuals with plasma branched-chain amino acid (valine,leucine and isoleucine) and cysteine in the highest tertile levels were at high risk of diabetes with the ORs of 3.61 (95％ CI 1.48-8.80),3.27 (95％ CI 1.34-7.99),2.46 (95％ CI 1.04-5.84) and 2.09 (95％ CI 1.02-4.27),respectively.After 5 years' followed up,5.73％ (24/419) subjects developed diabetes.Compared with those in the lowest tertile,individuals with plasma branched-chain amino acid (total concentration),phenylalanine,and tyrosine levels at baseline in the highest tertile had 3.69 times,3.61 times and 4.14 times higher risk to develop new diabetes,respectively.In contrast,individuals with plasma glycine level in the highest tertile had only 76％ (OR 0.24,95％ CI 0.06-0.91) risk for the development of diabetes compared with those with plasma glycine level in the lowest tertile.Conclusions The increase in plasma branched-chain amino acid and cysteine levels is significantly associated with an increase in incident diabetes.Subjects with higher levels of branched-chain amino acids and aromatic amino acids (phenylalanine,tyrosine) had a significantly higher risk of developing new-onset diabetes,while those with higher glycine levels had a significantly lower risk of developing diabetes in 5 years.

Objective:To assess the predictive performance of the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) derived from the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB-CVD) model, prediction for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk in China (China-PAR) model, and the risk of fatal and nonfatal ischemic cardiovascular diseases derived from the USA-People′s Republic of China Collaborative Study (USA-PRC) model in Chinese Multi-provincial Cohort Study (CMCS).Methods:In this prospective cohort study, a total of 21 948 individuals aged ≥35 years without CVD were selected from 8 provinces and cities in China during the CMCS survey from 1992 to 2005 for 10-year follow-up. The occurrence of CVD or ASCVD events during the follow-up period was used as the gold standard. The CKB-CVD and China-PAR models were used to calculate the predicted risk of CVD events, while the USA-PRC model was used to calculate the predicted risk of ASCVD events. The discrimination of the models was evaluated using the C-statistic, and the calibration was assessed using the Hosmer-Lemeshow χ2 test and decile plot. Results:During the 10-year follow-up, a total of 955 (4.4%) CVD events, including 791 (3.6%) ASCVD events, were recorded among the study participants. The C-index for the CKB-CVD, China-PAR, and USA-PRC models were 0.775 (95% CI: 0.757-0.793), 0.781 (95% CI: 0.763-0.798), and 0.769 (95% CI: 0.750-0.789) for men, and 0.762 (95% CI: 0.737-0.788), 0.769 (95% CI: 0.745-0.794), and 0.767 (95% CI: 0.741-0.794) for women, respectively. China-PAR model showed good calibration for men ( χ2=2.20), however, both CKB-CVD and USA-PRC models demonstrated poor calibration in both men and women ( χ2>20). The results indicated that the CKB-CVD model overestimated the risk of CVD events in both males and females, while the China-PAR model underestimated the risk in females. Furthermore, the USA-PRC model underestimated the risk of ASCVD in both males and females in most decile groups, but overestimated the risk in the highest decile group. Conclusion:The CKB-CVD, China-PAR, and USA-PRC risk assessment models show some degree of deviation from the actual risk of events in the CMCS cohort, but all exhibit good discrimination.