Objective: This cross-sectional investigation aimed to determine the incidence, clinical characteristics, prognosis, and related risk factors of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain in mainland China. Methods: Data of patients with SARS-CoV-2 from December 28, 2022, to February 21, 2023, were collected through online and offline questionnaires from 45 tertiary hospitals and one center for disease control and prevention in mainland China. The questionnaire included demographic information, previous health history, smoking and alcohol drinking, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, olfactory and gustatory function before and after infection, other symptoms after infection, as well as the duration and improvement of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction. The self-reported olfactory and gustatory functions of patients were evaluated using the Olfactory VAS scale and Gustatory VAS scale. Results: A total of 35 566 valid questionnaires were obtained, revealing a high incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain (67.75%). Females(χ2=367.013, P<0.001) and young people(χ2=120.210, P<0.001) were more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Gender(OR=1.564, 95%CI: 1.487-1.645), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), oral health status (OR=0.881, 95%CI: 0.839-0.926), smoking history (OR=1.152, 95%CI=1.080-1.229), and drinking history (OR=0.854, 95%CI: 0.785-0.928) were correlated with the occurrence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2(above P<0.001). 44.62% (4 391/9 840) of the patients who had not recovered their sense of smell and taste also suffered from nasal congestion, runny nose, and 32.62% (3 210/9 840) suffered from dry mouth and sore throat. The improvement of olfactory and taste functions was correlated with the persistence of accompanying symptoms(χ2=10.873, P=0.001). The average score of olfactory and taste VAS scale was 8.41 and 8.51 respectively before SARS-CoV-2 infection, but decreased to3.69 and 4.29 respectively after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and recovered to 5.83and 6.55 respectively at the time of the survey. The median duration of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions was 15 days and 12 days, respectively, with 0.5% (121/24 096) of patients experiencing these dysfunctions for more than 28 days. The overall self-reported improvement rate of smell and taste dysfunctions was 59.16% (14 256/24 096). Gender(OR=0.893, 95%CI: 0.839-0.951), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), history of head and facial trauma(OR=1.180, 95%CI: 1.036-1.344, P=0.013), nose (OR=1.104, 95%CI: 1.042-1.171, P=0.001) and oral (OR=1.162, 95%CI: 1.096-1.233) health status, smoking history(OR=0.765, 95%CI: 0.709-0.825), and the persistence of accompanying symptoms (OR=0.359, 95%CI: 0.332-0.388) were correlated with the recovery of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2 (above P<0.001 except for the indicated values). Conclusion: The incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain is high in mainland China, with females and young people more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Active and effective intervention measures may be required for cases that persist for a long time. The recovery of olfactory and taste functions is influenced by several factors, including gender, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status, history of head and facial trauma, nasal and oral health status, smoking history, and persistence of accompanying symptoms.
Female ; Humans ; Adolescent ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Smell ; COVID-19/complications* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; Incidence ; Olfaction Disorders/etiology* ; Taste Disorders/etiology* ; Prognosis

Objective: To study the efficacy and patient comfort of absorbable hemostatic powder after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). Methods: A total of 21 (17 males, 4 females) patients with an average age of 42(ranging from 18 to 65) underwent bilateral ESS for chronic rhinosinusitis(CRS) in Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University between October 2015 and July 2019 were enrolled to compare the effect of absorbable hemostasis powder with Nasopore using an intrapatient control design. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in the left and right nasal cavities of the same patient. If hemostatic powder was applied in the experiment nasal cavity, the Nasopore was applied in the control nasal cavity. The mean preoperative sinus computed tomography (CT) score was 6.25. All patients competed for symptom diaries using a visual analog scale (VAS, score out of 10) at baseline, through 1, 7, 14 and 30 days. Outcomes including bleeding, facial pain, nasal obstruction, nasal discharges using VAS were recorded separately for both sides. Postoperative endoscopic scores were also investigated. SPSS 22 and Graphpad prism 8.0 statistical softwares were used for the analysis. Paired t-test or nonparametric test was used between the test side and the control side. The difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Results: The bleeding score and total nasal symptom VAS scores at postoperative days (POD) 1, 7, 14 and 30 were not significantly different(t=1.341, 0.552, 0.631, 0.158, all P>0.05;t=0.944, 1.471, 1.612, 2.251, all P>0.05). There was no significant difference between absorbable hemostasis powder and Nasopore side on POD 1, 7, 14 and 30 in terms of each nasal symptom VAS scores(all P>0.05). On POD 1, 7 and 14, the packing material degeneration scores of the absorbable hemostasis powder side were significantly lower than those of the Nasopore side [(1.33±0.21)vs(2.00±0.00),(0.38±0.18) vs (1.95±0.22), 0 vs (1.80±0.13), all P<0.01]. There were significant differences between absorbable hemostasis powder and Nasopore side on POD 1, 7, 14 and 30 in terms of endoscopic scores (edema, crusting, discharges, scar, polyps and material degeneration, t=3.07, 7.00, 6.41, 2.69, all P<0.05). Conclusions: The absorbable hemostasis powder and Nasopore has similar postoperative hemostasis effect. The absorbable hemostasis powder is rapidly cleared and without negative effects on mucosal wound healing 14 days postoperatively.

Objective: To compare the effects of 3 treatment strategies (emergent surgery, self-expanding metallic stents, self-expanding metallic stents plus neoadjuvant chemotherapy) on postoperative anal function and quality of life in patients with complete obstructive left hemicolon cancer. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Clinical data of patients with complete obstructive left hemicolon cancer admitted to General Surgery Department of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital between January 2017 and October 2019 were retrospectively collected. Patient inclusion criteria: (1) complete obstructive left hemicolon cancer was confirmed through clinical manifestation and abdominal computed tomography; (2) adenocarcinoma was confirmed by postoperative pathology; (3) emergent radical resection of primary tumor was performed with temporary stoma, or radical resection of primary tumor and primary anastomosis was performed without stoma, 7 to 14 days after completion of insertion of self-expanding metallic stents. Patients who did not receive stoma reversion after emergent operation were excluded. According to different therapies, patients were divided into three groups: emergent surgery (ES) group, self-expanding metallic stents (SEMS) group and self-expanding metallic stents plus neoadjuvant chemotherapy (SEMS+NAC) group. Wexner score for incotinence (higher score indicates the worse anal function), Vaizey score (>10 indicates fecal incontinence) and low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) scale (higher score indicates the worse anal function) were applied to evaluate anal function of patients among groups at postoperative 1-, 6- and 12-month. EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life. Risk factors of decreased anal function were identified by logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 72 patients were enrolled, including 27 (37.5%) patients in ES group, 23 (31.9%) in SEMS group and 22 (30.6%) in SEME+NAC group. The baseline characteristics including age, gender, tumor location, comorbidities, total blood loss, operation time and postoperative complications, were comparable among groups, except that the proportion of laparoscopic surgery was significantly lower in ES group (4/27, 14.9%) than that in SEMS (15/23, 65.2%) and SEMS+NAC group (16/22, 72.7%) with significant difference (P<0.001). The follow-up ended up to October 2020, and the overall follow-up rate was 79.2% (57/72). No significant differences existed in the Wexner score of patients among groups at postoperative 1-, 6- and 12-month (all P>0.05). The Vaizey scores at postoperative 1-month in ES, SEMS and SEMS+NAC group were 7 (0-17), 3 (0-7) and 4 (0-8) respectively with significant difference (H=18.415, P=0.001), and the scores in SEMS and SEMS+NAC groups were significantly lower than that in ES group (both P<0.05), while no significant difference existed between SEMS and SEMS+NAC group (P>0.05). Vaizey scores at postoperative 6- and 12-month among 3 groups were not significantly different (both P>0.05). The LARS scores at postoperative 1-month in ES, SEMS and SEMS+NAC groups were 20 (0-37), 15 (0-24) and 16 (0-28) respectively with significant difference (H=3.660, P=0.036), and the scores in SEMS and SEMS+NAC groups were significantly lower than that in ES group (both P<0.05), while no significant difference existed between SEMS and SEMS+NAC groups (P>0.05). LARS scores at postoperative 6- and 12-month among 3 groups were not significantly different (both P>0.05). The QLQ-C30 score revealed that the social function of patients in SEMS group and SEMS+NAC group was significantly better than that in ES group (both P<0.05), while no significant difference existed between SEMS and SEMS+NAC group (P>0.05). The logistic regression analysis revealed that only ES was an independent risk factor of decreased anal function (OR=2.264, 95% CI: 1.098-4.667, P=0.027). Conclusion: Compared to ES, SEMS may improve quality of life and short-term anal function of patients with complete obstructive left hemicolon cancer.
Humans ; Intestinal Obstruction ; Postoperative Complications ; Quality of Life ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Retrospective Studies ; Syndrome ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the oral hygiene status of edentulous patients with locator attachments implant overdentures (IOD) and to analyze the relationship among daily hygiene behavior, oral hygiene status and peri-implant diseases. METHODS: Edentulous patients who received IOD treatment with locator attachments from January 2012 to May 2016 were recruited. Clinical and radiographic examinations were conducted to assess the peri-implant tissue status. Modified plaque index (mPLI), sulcus bleeding index (SBI), gingival index (GI), and probing depth (PD) were recorded and peri-implant marginal bone loss (MBL) was measured using paralleling projection technique. Patients' peri-implant oral hygiene maintainence habits were investigated. The correlation between peri-implant diseases and oral hygiene status and behaviors was analyzed. RESULTS: Fifty patients (125 implants) with an average follow-up time of 22 months (6-54 months) were enrolled. The mean values of mPLI, SBI, and GI were 1.4±1.2, 0.8±0.7, and 0.7± 0.6, respectively. Average PD was (2.2±0.7) mm. Mesial and distal maginal bone resorptions were (1.1±1.1) mm and (0.9±0.9) mm, respectively. The prevalance of mucositis and peri-implantitis of the implants were 49.6% and 0. The prevelance of mucositis in the patients with poor oral hygiene (mPLI≥2) was 11.9 times as much as that of those with adequate oral hygiene (mPLI<1). The patients who performed oral hygiene procedure on attachments at least twice a day achieved much lower mPLI scores than those who cleaned less than twice a day. CONCLUSION Oral hygiene condition in the group of patients with implant overdentures was poor, and it contributed to increased risk of peri-implant mucositis. The prevelance of musositis of the paitients with poor oral hygiene was 11.9 times as much as that of those with proper oral hygiene. Patients wearing IOD should pay more attention to the hygiene of the attachments.
Dental Implants ; Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported ; Denture, Overlay ; Humans ; Longitudinal Studies ; Mandible ; Oral Hygiene

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the deviation of digital implant surgical guides during fabrication process in the Organical Dental Implant (ODI) system. METHODS: This study included two parts. The first part was the in vitro study. A resin block with a diagnostic template was used for the planning. After cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scanning, a surgical guide with eight implants was virtually designed using the ODI system. The guide was milled by a 5-axial numerical controlled milling machine, and an optical scanning was taken to digitalize the guide to a standard tessellation language (STL) form. The STL data were then imported into an ODI software and registered with the original design. The deviation of the sleeves between the design and the STL was measured in the ODI software and set as the golden standard. Then the ODI examination table was used to measure the deviation of the guide during fabrication. Examiners A and B measured 10 times separately. The reliability and the validity of the examination table was calculated. The second part was the in vivo study: The deviation during fabrication of 12 guides designed and fabricated by the ODI system were measured using the examination table. RESULTS: The standard deviation of the deviation measured using the examination table by examiners A and B were all below 0.40 mm (for the shell reference points) and 0.71 degree (for the angles). No significant difference was found between the two examiners for any implant sites. The result of the examination table was larger than that of the software for the shell reference point (t-test, P<0.05), but no significant difference was found for the angle deviation (t-test, P>0.05). The 45 implants positions in the 12 guides for the in vivo study were examined using the examination table. The deviations at the shell reference points were (1.06±0.29) mm (0.42-1.75 mm), and at the implant tip were (1.12±0.48) mm (0.41-2.44 mm). The angle deviations were (1.42±0.70) degree (0.29-2.96 degree). CONCLUSION Deviation is unavoidable during the fabrication process of the guides. The examination table of the ODI system is a reliable and valid tool to measure the deviation during fabrication of the ODI guides. More studies should be designed to research the relationship between the fabrication deviation and the implant insertion deviation.
Computer-Aided Design ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Dental Implantation, Endosseous ; Dental Implants ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Reproducibility of Results ; Surgery, Computer-Assisted

To study the effects of different variable temperature drying modes on active components of roots of Salvia miltiorrhiza f. alba, and provide basis for its industrialized drying process. In order to ensure the content of active components, variable temperature drying modes were designed: low temperature at 30 ℃ and high temperature at 60 ℃, low temperature at 30 ℃ and high temperature at 70 ℃, low temperature at 30 ℃ and high temperature at 80 ℃, low temperature at 40 ℃ and high temperature at 60 ℃, low temperature at 40 ℃ and high temperature at 70 ℃, low temperature at 40 ℃ and high temperature at 80 ℃ and air dry oven was used for variable temperature drying process. Then HPLC method was used to determine the changes of active components in roots of S. miltiorrhiza f. alba under different temperature modes; and SPSS 17.0 was used to analyze the data. The results showed that the samples, which were first dried at 40 ℃ for six hours and then dried at 80 ℃ for three hours, had the highest contents in dihydrotanshinone, cryptotanshinone, tanshinone Ⅰ and tanshinone ⅡA as compared with other kinds of drying methods, and the contents were 0.35, 2.76, 0.78, 4.47 mg•g⁻¹, respectively. Additionally, as compared with samples dried in the shade, the contents of dihydrotanshinone, cryptotanshinone and tanshinone Ⅰ were increased 2.9% (P>0.05), 45.3% (P<0.05) and 34.5% (P<0.05), respectively; however, the content of tanshinone ⅡA was decreased by 44.1% (P<0.05). The water-soluble active components (rosmarinic acid and salvianolic acid B) of roots of S. miltiorrhiza f. alba, had the highest contents when the samples were first dried at 30 ℃ for six hours and then 70 ℃ for three hours, and the contents were 3.83,55.44 mg•g⁻¹, increased by 62.3% (P<0.05) and 109.1% (P<0.05) respectively as compared with the samples dried in the shade. Variable temperature drying can significantly affect the contents of active components in roots of S. miltiorrhiza f. alba. As compared with the traditional process of shade-drying process, low temperature drying can significantly increase the content of water-soluble active components and also with significant promotion effect on the liposoluble components such as tanshinone ⅡA, cryptotanshinone and tanshinone Ⅰ. The variable temperature drying mode, can effectively shorten the process of drying and provide theoretical basis for industrial processing of roots of S. miltiorrhiza f. alba.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the association between rs9722 polymorphisms in the S100B gene and hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) caused by enterovirus 71.

METHODSA total of 124 HFMD children with enterovirus 71 infection were enrolled as subjects, and 56 healthy children were enrolled as control group. The rs9722 polymorphisms in the S100B gene were detected for both groups, and the serum level of S100B protein was measured for 74 HFMD children.

RESULTSThe rs9722 locus of the S100B gene had three genotypes, CC, CT, and TT, and the genotype frequencies were in accordance with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Compared with the control group, the HFMD group had significant increases in the frequencies of TT genotype and T allele (P<0.01). Children with severe HFMD caused by enterovirus 71 infection had significantly higher frequencies of TT genotype and T allele than those with moderate or mild HFMD (P<0.05). Compared with the cured patients, the patients with poor prognosis had significant increases in the frequencies of TT genotype and T allele in the rs9722 locus of the S100B gene (P<0.05). Among the 74 children with HFMD, the children with TT genotype had the highest serum level of S100B protein, and those with CC genotype had the lowest level (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONST allele in the rs9722 locus of the S100B gene might be a risk factor for severe HFMD caused by enterovirus 71 infection.

Child, Preschool ; Enterovirus A, Human ; Enterovirus Infections ; complications ; Female ; Genotype ; Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease ; etiology ; genetics ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit ; genetics

BACKGROUNDAdenoid hypertrophy (AH) is associated with pediatric chronic rhinosinusitis (pCRS), but its role in the inflammatory process of pCRS is unclear. It is thought that innate immunity gene expression is disrupted in the epithelium of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), including antimicrobial peptides and pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). The aim of this preliminary study was to detect the expression of innate immunity genes in epithelial cells of hypertrophic adenoids with and without pCRS to better understand their role in pCRS.

METHODSNine pCRS patients and nine simple AH patients undergoing adenoidectomy were recruited for the study. Adenoidal epithelium was isolated, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was employed to measure relative expression levels of the following messenger RNAs in hypertrophic adenoid epithelial cells of pediatric patients with and without CRS: Human β-defensin (HBD) 2 and 3, surfactant protein (SP)-A and D, toll-like receptors 1-10, nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptors NOD 1, NOD 2, and NACHT, LRR and PYD domains-containing protein 3, retinoic acid-induced gene 1, melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5, and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). RT-qPCR data from two groups were analyzed by independent sample t-tests and Mann-Whitney U-tests.

RESULTSThe relative expression of SP-D in adenoidal epithelium of pCRS group was significantly lower than that in AH group (pCRS 0.73 ± 0.10 vs. AH 1.21 ± 0.15; P = 0.0173, t = 2.654). The relative expression levels of all tested PRRs and NF-κB, as well as HBD-2, HBD-3, and SP-A, showed no statistically significant differences in isolated adenoidal epithelium between pCRS group and AH group.

CONCLUSIONSDown-regulated SP-D levels in adenoidal epithelium may contribute to the development of pCRS. PRRs, however, are unlikely to play a significant role in the inflammatory process of pCRS.

Adenoids ; cytology ; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides ; metabolism ; Child ; Epithelial Cells ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Immunity, Innate ; genetics ; physiology ; Male ; Receptors, Pattern Recognition ; metabolism ; Sinusitis ; metabolism ; Toll-Like Receptors ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the mechanism of liraglutide-mediated protection against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) using aApoE knockout (KO) mouse with high-fat diet (HFD) and Acrp30 knockdown.

METHODSFifty-six male ApoE KO mice were divided into the following six modeling and experimental groups:regular chow fed (ApoE KO, n=10), HFD fed (HF, n=10), HFD+Adenovirus (Ad)-small hairpin (sh) Acrp30 (Ad-shAcrp30, n=10), HFD+Ad-shGreen Fluorescent Protein (GFP) (Ad-shGFP, n=6), HFD+Ad-shAcrp30+liraglutide (liraglutide, n=10), and HFD+Ad-shAcrp30+saline (saline, n=10). Weight-matched C57BL/6 mice on the regular chow diet were used as the control group (WT control, n=10).All mice were fed their assigned diet for 16 weeks.The Ad-shGFP or Ad-shAcrp30 was injected by tail vein at the end of 14 and 15 weeks.Mice in the liraglutide group received 1 mg/kg of the drug, twice daily, intraperitoneally for a total of 8 weeks (from the 9th to 16th week).Fasting blood samples were collected for testing levels of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), triglycerides (TGs), total cholesterol (TC), free fatty acid (FFA), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Acrp30 and insulin.Liver tissue was procured for histological examination.Expression of mRNA was detected by real-time RT-PC and of protein was detected by western blot analysis.

RESULTSThe Ad-shAcrp30 treated mice had reduced expression of Acrp30 at both the mRNA and protein levels in adipose tissues and plasma, as compared with the AdshGFP treated mice (all P < 0.01).Compared to the WT and ApoE KO groups, the HF group showed higher levels of FPG, FFA, TGs and TC (all P < 0.01); furthermore, the Ad-shAcrp30 treatment compounded these changes.The Ad-shAcrp30 treated group had markedly higher hepatic TC and TGs than the HF group (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05).Oil Red O staining showed that there was more lipid droplets in the liver tissue of the Ad-shAcrp30 treated group than in that of the HF group (P < 0.01), and hematoxylin-eosin staining confirmed these results.Liraglutide treatment prevented the increase in body weight, FPG, FFA, TGs, TC and ALT levels, as compared to the saline controls (all P < 0.01), but the plasma Acrp30 levels and the Acrp30 mRNA and protein expression in adipose tissues were elevated (all P < 0.01).Oil-Red O staining indicated that the liraglutide group had a significantly lower hepatic lipid content than the saline group, and total hepatic TG and TC were reduced in the former group (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05).The liraglutide treatment significantly attenuated the mRNA expression of ACC and FAS (both P < 0.01) but increased AMPK phosphorylation (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONAdministration of liraglutide prevented the development of HFD-and hypoadiponectinemia-induced metabolic disturbance and accumulation of hepatic lipids in this mouse model system of NAFLD.

AMP-Activated Protein Kinases ; metabolism ; Adiponectin ; deficiency ; metabolism ; Adipose Tissue ; Alanine Transaminase ; Animals ; Apolipoproteins E ; deficiency ; metabolism ; Cholesterol ; Diet, High-Fat ; Disease Models, Animal ; Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 ; analogs & derivatives ; Insulin ; Liraglutide ; Male ; Metabolism, Inborn Errors ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Knockout ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; metabolism ; Protective Agents ; RNA, Messenger ; Triglycerides