Objective To investigate the histochemical characteristics of muscle fiber in patients with Becker type muscular dystrophy (BMD) and its clinical significance.Methods Muscular biopsies were performed in 3 patients with BMD. The specimens were stained by HE and nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotid-tetrazole reducase (NADH-TR) methods and observed under light microscope. Normal muscles from healthy people were saved as controls.Results The slice from BMD patients showed varied sizes of muscular fibers, remarkable hypertrophy fibers, splitting fibers, targetoid fibers, lobulated fibers, whorled fibers and ring fibers. Targetoid fibers were also found using NADH-TR staining.Conclusions The degree of fiber necrosis in BMD is mild. Degeneration and proliferation are the main pathological changes, which predict mild clinical symptoms, long course of disease and favourable prognosis.

Objective To investigate the expressions of protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) and glycogen synthase kinasc-3β in the hippocampus in mice with vascular dementia (VaD) induced by repetitive bilateral common carotid artery occlusion.Methods Forty-eight healthy adult male C57B1/6 mice were randomly allocated into 3 group:normal group,sham operation group,and model group (n =16 in each group).A mouse VaD model was induced by intermittent blocking the bilateral common carotid artery for 3 times in the model group.The sham group only separated the bilateral common carotid artery,but did not block it.The normal group did not receive any treatment.The behavioral changes of the mice were observed using the water maze and step-down tests at 4 weeks after procedure.HE staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of hippocampal tissue.The Western blotting was used to detect the expressions of Akt,p-Akt (Ser473),GSK3β and p-GSK3β (Ser9) proteins.Results In the water maze test,the time of swimming the entire distance was prolonged at the learning stage and memory stage (learning stage:F =19.389,P ＜0.05; memory stage:F =27.929,P ＜ 0.05),the number of errors increased (learning stage:F =7.228,P ＜ 0.05; memory stage:F =21.189,P＜0.05) in the model group.In the step-down test,the response time was prolonged (F=19.162,P ＜0.05) at learning stage and the number of errors increased (F =6.562,P ＜ 0.05),the latency time was shortened (F=10.634,P＜0.05) and the number of errors increased (F=12.890,P＜0.05) in the model group.At the same time,HE staining showed the reduction of neurons and the proliferation of glial cells in the hippocampal CA1 region in the model group; p-Akt (Ser473) (F=37.849,P＜0.05) and p-GSK3β (Ser9)(F =67.725,P ＜0.05) protein expressions were up-regulated significantly (F =37.849,P ＜0.05; F =67.725,P＜0.05) at 4 weeks after procedure compared to those in the sham operation group,while there were no significant differences in Akt (F =1.004,P ＞0.05) and GSK3β(F =0.329,P ＞0.05) total protein expressions among all groups.Conclusions The repetitive bilateral common carotid artery occlusion may result in learning and memory impairment and severe damage in the hippocampus in mice.The Akt and GSK3β expressions may be involved in the mechanism of VaD.

NAS preparation, a kind of Chinese herbal medicine found by the Yunnan Eco-agricultural Research Institute, has potential antiviral activity. In this paper, the inhibiting effect of NAS preparation on H9N2 subtype Avian influenza virus (AIV) was investigated in vivo. Chickens infected with H9N2 virus were treated with NAS preparation for 4 days. The virus was then detected by hemoagglutination (HA) test and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The results showed that no H9N2 virus could be detected at the 7th day when the chickens were treated with 0.2g/kg/d or 0.1g/kg/d of NAS preparation. However the virus could be detected in other chickens without NAS preparation treatment. This result suggested that NAS preparation may be a potential drug candidate to control infection of H9N2 subtype AIV in chickens.

Objective:To compare the clinical characteristics of patients with non-erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease (NERD), reflux hypersensitivity (RH) and functional heartburn (FH), in order to help the differential diagnosis and treatment of the three diseases.Methods:From October 2016 to February 2019, 64 patients with persistent heartburn who had negative endoscopy in the Department of Gastroenterology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University and with negative results of endoscopy examination were consecutively selected, which included 26 NERD patients (NERD group), 12 RH patients (RH group) and 26 FH patients (FH group). The gender, age, body mass index (BMI), presence of hiatus hernia, proton pump inhibitor (PPI) treatment effect, the score and incidence of gastroesophageal symptoms within one month before visit, and the incidence of overlapping functional dyspepsia (FD), postprandial distress syndrome (PDS) and epigastric pain syndrome (EPS) of the three groups were compared. One-way analysis of variance, least-significant difference, Kruskal-Wallis H test, Mann-Whitney U test and chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results:There were no statistically significant differences in gender, age or incidence of esophageal hiatal hernia between NERD group, RH group and FH group (all P>0.05). BMI of NERD group was higher than that of FH group ((23.74±3.10) kg/m 2 vs. (21.26±2.75) kg/m 2), and the difference was statistically significant ( t=3.066, P=0.003). The effective rate of PPI treatment in NERD group was higher than those of RH group and FH group (19, 4, and 11 cases, respectively), the differences were statistically significant ( χ2=5.428 and 5.042, P=0.020 and 0.025). The score and incidence of burning sensation in upper abdomen of NERD group were both lower than those of FH group (0, 0 to 0 vs. 0, 0 to 5; 7.7%, 2/26 vs. 38.5%, 10/26), and the differences were statistically significant ( Z=-2.756, P=0.006; χ2=6.933, P=0.008). There were no statistically significant differences in the score of heartburn symptoms, or the scores and incidence of chest pain, reflux, globular sensation of hysteria, burning sensation of throat, cough, epigastric pain, early satiety or post meal fullness, belching, nausea or vomiting between NERD group, RH group and FH group (all P>0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of overlapping FD or overlapping PDS between the NERD group, RH group and FH group (both P>0.05), but the incidence of overlapping EPS of FH group was higher than that of NERD group (46.2%, 12/26 vs. 11.5%, 3/26), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=7.589, P=0.013). Conclusions:There are certain differences in the clinical characteristics of patients with NERD, RH or FH, mainly reffected in the PPI treatment effects and whether overlapping EPS. The higher incidence of FH overlapping EPS further strengthens the hypothesis that functional gastrointestinal disorders have a common pathophysiological mechanism.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the differences in reflux patterns in 24-hour esophageal pH-impedance monitoring in patients with non-erosive reflux disease (NERD), reflux hypersensitivity (RH) and functional heartburn (FH) and explore the possible mechanism of symptoms in patients with heartburn and negative endoscopic findings. METHODS: Seventy-nine patients with heartburn as the main symptoms but negative endoscopic findings, including 35 with NERD, 16 with RH and 28 with FH, were enrolled in this study.All the patients underwent 24-h esophageal pH-impedance monitoring and esophagogastroscopy, and the results were compared among the 3 groups. RESULTS: Acid reflux episode was significantly increased and weakly alkaline reflux episode was significantly decreased in NERD group in comparison with RH group and FH group ( CONCLUSIONS Patients with NERD, RH and FH had different reflux patterns.Acid reflux is predominant in the NERD, while weakly alkaline reflux is significantly increased RH and FH.In patients with normal esophageal acid exposure but without symptoms or without recorded symptoms during esophageal pH-impedance monitoring, analysis of the total reflux episode, mixed reflux episode, proximal acid reflux episode and percentage can help in the differential diagnosis between RH and FH.
Electric Impedance ; Esophageal pH Monitoring ; Gastroesophageal Reflux/diagnosis* ; Heartburn/etiology* ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of positive lymph node ratio (LNR) in predicting the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer. METHODS: We retrieved the data of a total of 862 patients with esophageal cancer with complete clinical pathology data archived in SEER database in 2010 to 2015. The best cutoff point of LNR was selected using X-tile software. Univariate and multivariate COX proportional hazard models were used to assess the value of LNR in predicting the prognosis of patients after propensity score matching (PSM). RESULTS: The best cut-off point of LNR determined using X-tile 3.6.1 software was 0.16. The patients with LNR < 0.16 and those with LNR≥0.16 showed significant differences in the number of positive lymph nodes, pathological type, T stage and M stage. After 1:1 propensity score matching, the two groups showed no significant difference in the clinical data or pathological parameters. Matched univariate and multivariate COX regression analyses showed that LNR, primary tumor site and M staging were all independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of patients, and among them LNR had the most significant predictive value (LNR < 0.16 LNR≥0.16: HR=1.827, 95% : 1.140-2.929; =0.000). The median survival time of patients with LNR < 0.16 was 31 months (95%: 22.556-39.444 months), as compared with 16 months (95%: 12.989-19.011) in patient with LNR≥0.16 (Log Rank χ=27.392, < 0.0001). LNR had a better accuracy than N stage for assessing the patients' prognosis with an area under the ROC curve of 0.617 (95%: 0.567-0.666), as compared with 0.515 (95%: 0.463-0.565) of N stage (=3.008, =0.0026). CONCLUSIONS LNR≥0.16 is an independent risk factor affecting the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer and has better prognostic value than N stage.
Esophageal Neoplasms ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Node Ratio ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" (WHO, 2017), and mental health is defined as not only the absence of mental illness, but also the presence of psychological well-being. An expanding body of evidence highlights the relationship between nature (such as urban greenspace) and health (Li et al., 2019; Flaxman et al., 2020). However, human development and subsequent effects such as climate change and epidemic disease (COVID-19) lead to altered living environments and lifestyles. Expanding cities and urban residents have inequitable access to nature, particularly in areas of greater depriv‑ation, where both public and private greenspaces are less available (Feng et al., 2021). In addition, young people spend more than 80% of their time indoors due to constant use of electronic devices for work, study, and entertainment (Klepeis et al., 2001). Mobile phones, personal computers, and video-game devices have become the main means for them to release stress. Excessive use of these electronic devices may affect normal brain activity, increasing the risk of Internet addiction and producing a range of physical and mental problems (Tran et al., 2017). These signal the pressing need for scientific investigation of efficient and convenient ways to increase contact with nature, or alternatively, to better regulate emotions indoors.
Adolescent ; Humans ; East Asian People ; Plants, Edible ; Food Preferences