Background Manganese is an essential trace element for the human body and maintains normal development of many organs including the brain. However, long-term exposure to a high manganese environment or excessive manganese intake will lead to manganese poisoning and result in neurological diseases, and currently no effective treatment plan is available. Objective To develop an animal model for subchronic manganese exposure and assess the impact of Dendrobium nobile Lindl. alkaloids (DNLA) on manganese associated behavioral and hippocampal effects in rats. Methods Fifty male SPF SD rats were randomly allocated into a control group (0.9% normal saline by intraperitoneal injection), two experimental groups [7.5 mg·kg⁻¹ (low) or 15 mg·kg⁻¹ (high) of MnCl₂·4H₂O by intraperitoneal injection], and two DNLA antagonistic groups [15 mg·kg⁻¹ MnCl₂·4H₂O by intraperitoneal injection then either 20 mg·kg⁻¹ (low) or 40 mg·kg⁻¹ (high) DNLA by oral administration]. All groups of rats were adminaistered 5 d per wek, once a day, for consecutive 13 weeks. Following modeling, neurobehavioral assessments were conducted using open field, Morris water maze, and Y maze. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was utilized to measure manganese levels in the blood and brain tissues of the rats, and hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was employed to examine neuronal morphological changes in the hippocampal tissues of the rats. Results The neurobehavioral tests revealed that the manganese-exposed rats exhibited decreased total movement distance, prolonged central zone dwelling time, and reduced motor activity in the open field test, indicating tendencies toward depression and anxiety (P<0.05). In the Y-maze test, the mean exploration distance in the novel arm, the number of entries into the novel arm, and the time spent in the novel arm of the managanses-exposed rats were all reduced, while the latency period increased, suggesting impaired spatial exploration and learning-memory functions (P<0.05). In the Morris water maze navigation test, the escape latency was significantly longer in the manganese-exposed rats compared to the control group, and the number of platform crossings decreased in the spatial probe test, indicating a significant decline in spatial learning and memory (P<0.05). The ICP-MS analysis showed elevated manganese concentrations in the blood and hippocampus of the exposed rats (P<0.05), and the histopathological observation revealed hippocampal damage. Following the DNLA intervention, the manganese-exposed rats showed increased total movement distance and reduced central zone dwelling time in the open field test (P<0.05). In the Y-maze test, the mean exploration distance in the novel arm, the number of entries into the novel arm, and the time spent in the novel arm increased, while the latency period decreased, suggesting alleviation of anxiety and improved exploratory behavior (P<0.05). In the Morris water maze test, the escape latency gradually shortened, and both the number of platform crossings and the percentage of time spent in the target quadrant increased, indicating improved spatial learning and memory (P<0.05). Additionally, the manganese levels in the blood and hippocampus decreased (P<0.05), and the hippocampal pathological changes were partially restored. Conclusion DNLA demonstrates the ability to counteract multiple neurotoxic effects following the elevation of manganese levels in the blood and hippocampal tissues of rats induced by subchronic manganese exposure. Specifically, DNLA is shown to ameliorate the behavioral alterations observed in rats after manganese exposure, and mitigate the hippocampal damage in manganese-exposed rats.

BACKGROUND: Bile acids (BAs) facilitate the progression of gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM). Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) dysregulation was observed along with the initiation of gastric cancer. However, how lncRNAs function in GIM remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the role and mechanism of lncRNA PVT1 in GIM, and provide a potential therapeutic target for GIM treatment. METHODS: We employed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to screen dysregulated lncRNAs in gastric epithelial cells after BA treatment. Bioinformatics analysis was conducted to reveal the regulatory mechanism. PVT1 expression was detected in 21 paired biopsies obtained under endoscopy. Overexpressed and knockdown cell models were established to explore gene functions in GIM. Molecular interactions were validated by dual-luciferase reporter assay, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and chromatin immunoprecipitation (Ch-IP). The levels of relative molecular expression were detected in GIM tissues. RESULTS: We confirmed that lncRNA PVT1 was upregulated in BA-induced GIM model. PVT1 promoted the expression of intestinal markers such as CDX2 , KLF4 , and HNF4α . Bioinformatics analysis revealed that miR-34b-5p was a putative target of PVT1 . miR-34b-5p mimics increased CDX2 , KLF4 , and HNF4α levels. Restoration of miR-34b-5p decreased the pro-metaplastic effect of PVT1 . The interactions between PVT1 , miR-34b-5p, and the downstream target HNF4α were validated. Moreover, HNF4α could transcriptionally activated PVT1 , sustaining the GIM phenotype. Finally, the activation of the PVT1 /miR-34b-5p/ HNF4α loop was detected in GIM tissues. CONCLUSIONS BAs facilitate GIM partially via a PVT1/miR-34b-5p/HNF4α positive feedback loop. PVT1 may become a novel target for blocking the continuous development of GIM and preventing the initiation of gastric cancer in patients with bile reflux.
Humans ; RNA, Long Noncoding/metabolism* ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4/genetics* ; Bile Acids and Salts ; Kruppel-Like Factor 4 ; Metaplasia/metabolism*

[Objective] To explore the clinical efficacy and feasibility of blue laser transurethral incision of prostate (BLTUIP) in the treatment of small volume (≤30 mL) benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). [Methods] The clinical data of 34 BPH patients treated with BLTUIP in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University during Mar.and Oct.2023 were retrospectively analyzed.The operation time, 450 nm blue laser light emission time, 980 nm red laser light emission time, postoperative bladder irrigation time, international prostate symptom score (IPSS), quality of life score (QoL), maximum flow rate (Qmax), post-void residual (PVR), international index of erectile function-5 (IIEF-5), ejaculation and incidence of postoperative complications were analyzed. [Results] All operations were successful, without conversion to open or transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). The operation time was 12.7 (10.8, 14.3) min, the 450 nm blue laser light emission time was 11.7 (9.6, 13.3) min, the 980 nm red laser light emission time was 1.0 (1.0, 2.0) min, the postoperative bladder irrigation time was 5.0 (2.8, 8.0) h, the total hospital stay was 6.0 (4.0, 7.0) d, the postoperative hospital stay was 2.0 (2.0, 3.0) d, and the postoperative catheter retention time was 2.0 (0, 2.0) d. After 3 or 6 months of follow-up, the IPSS, QoL and PVR were significantly lower than those before operation, while the Qmax was significantly higher, with significant differences (P<0.001); but there was no significant difference in the IIEF-5 score (P>0.05). During the 3-month follow-up, 4 patients (11.8%) had fever; during the 3-6 month follow-up, 1 patient (2.9%) had external urethral stricture; of the 8 patients with sexual life before operation, 1 (12.5%) had retrograde ejaculation after operation.No hematuria occurred. [Conclusion] BLTUIP is a new, safe and efficient surgical treatment for BPH with a volume ≤30 mL, which can shorten the operation time, reduce postoperative complications, and improve the quality of life.

Objective:To investigate the current status of endoscopic treatment for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension in China, and to provide supporting data and reference for the development of endoscopic treatment.Methods:In this study, initiated by the Liver Health Consortium in China (CHESS), a questionnaire was designed and distributed online to investigate the basic condition of endoscopic treatment for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension in 2022 in China. Questions included annual number and indication of endoscopic procedures, adherence to guideline for preventing esophagogastric variceal bleeding (EGVB), management and timing of emergent EGVB, management of gastric and isolated varices, and improvement of endoscopic treatment. Proportions of hospitals concerning therapeutic choices to all participant hospitals were calculated. Guideline adherence between secondary and tertiary hospitals were compared by using Chi-square test.Results:A total of 836 hospitals from 31 provinces (anotomous regions and municipalities) participated in the survey. According to the survey, the control of acute EGVB (49.3%, 412/836) and the prevention of recurrent bleeding (38.3%, 320/836) were major indications of endoscopic treatment. For primary [non-selective β-blocker (NSBB) or endoscopic therapies] and secondary prophylaxis (NSBB and endoscopic therapies) of EGVB, adherence to domestic guideline was 72.5% (606/836) and 39.2% (328/836), respectively. There were significant differences in the adherence between secondary and tertiary hospitals in primary prophylaxis of EGVB [71.0% (495/697) VS 79.9% (111/139), χ2=4.11, P=0.033] and secondary prophylaxis of EGVB [41.6% (290/697) VS 27.3% (38/139), χ2=9.31, P=0.002]. A total of 78.2% (654/836) hospitals preferred endoscopic therapies treating acute EGVB, and endoscopic therapy was more likely to be the first choice for treating acute EGVB in tertiary hospitals (82.6%, 576/697) than secondary hospitals [56.1% (78/139), χ2=46.33, P<0.001]. The optimal timing was usually within 12 hours (48.5%, 317/654) and 12-24 hours (36.9%, 241/654) after the bleeding. Regarding the management of gastroesophageal varices type 2 and isolated gastric varices type 1, most hospitals used cyanoacrylate injection in combination with sclerotherapy [48.2% (403/836) and 29.9% (250/836), respectively], but substantial proportions of hospitals preferred clip-assisted therapies [12.4% (104/836) and 26.4% (221/836), respectively]. Improving the skills of endoscopic doctors (84.2%, 704/836), and enhancing the precision of pre-procedure evaluation and quality of multidisciplinary team (78.9%, 660/836) were considered urgent needs in the development of endoscopic treatment. Conclusion:A variety of endoscopic treatments for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension are implemented nationwide. Participant hospitals are active to perform emergent endoscopy for acute EGVB, but are inadequate in following recommendations regarding primary and secondary prophylaxis of EGVB. Moreover, the selection of endoscopic procedures for gastric varices differs greatly among hospitals.

Acute suppurative thyroiditis(AST) is a rare thyroid disease, mostly caused by infections such as Staphylococcus aureus, and it is difficult to distinguish from subacute thyroiditis(SAT) at the beginning of the disease. Here we report the clinical data of a young male patient who was initially misdiagnosed as SAT, but was clinically diagnosed as AST with DNSIs accompanied by LS. The clinical features and treatment, combined with related literature, aim to enhance clinicians' understanding of this disease.

Background The high-quality development of manufacturing in China has spurred industrial transformation and upgrading, placing higher demands on the skills of employees in the electronic manufacturing industry. This situation may induce psychological health problems such as job burnout and depressive symptoms in the employees, and also lead to insomnia, which has become a public health problem that urgently needs attention and solution. Objective To investigate the relationship between job burnout, depressive symptoms, and insomnia among employees in the electronic manufacturing industry. Methods A total of 3034 employees from four electronic manufacturing companies in Beijing City, Shanghai City, and Guangdong Province were selected using judgment sampling from September to November 2019. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and Self-Administered Sleep Questionnaire were used to collect data. The correlation between job burnout, depressive symptoms, and insomnia was evaluated by hierarchical regression. Results A total of 3034 survey questionnaires were distributed, and 2614 valid questionnaires were collected, with a response effectiveness rate of 86.2%. The reporting rates of job burnout, depressive symptoms, and insomnia among employees in the electronic manufacturing industry were 47.2%, 19.5%, and 29.1%, respectively. The reporting rates of insomnia of employees in the job burnout group and depressive symptoms group were higher than those in the non-job burnout group and non-depressive symptoms group (35.3% vs. 23.6%, 47.2% vs. 24.7%, P＜0.001). The results of hierarchical regression showed that job burnout explained 2.8% of the variation of insomnia (P<0.001), and the inclusion of depressive symptoms explained 1.2% of the variation of insomnia (P<0.001). Conclusion Job burnout and depressive symptoms could both affect insomnia of employees in the electronic manufacturing industry.

Humans ; Nephrotic Syndrome ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Tissue Donors ; Transplantation Conditioning ; Graft vs Host Disease

Objective To study the clinical and electrophysiological characteristics about ictal facial dystonia of medial temporal lobe epilepsy.Method Data was collected from patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy originating from unilateral temporal lobe structures through preoperative evaluation at the Functional Neurology Department of the Second People's Hospital of Shenzhen between July 1,2019 and September 1,2023.All patients did not have seizures for at least 1 year after operation.The ictal symptoms of each patient were analyzed and the patients with ictal facial dystonia were selected and the clinical and electrophysiological characteristics of ictal facial dystonia were summarized.Results Nineteen of 47 patients diagnosed as mesial temporal lobe epilepsy had ictal facial dystonia,of which the electroencephalogram starting at the right side in 11 cases and at the left side in 8 cases.Fifteen patients had the symptom in the first 1/3 period of seizure.Fifteen patients had bilateral symmetrical muscle contraction.Thirteen patients showed with negative expression,5 with neutral expression,and 1 with negative or positive expression in different seizures.None of the patient had the drop of the corners of the mouth.Five patients underwent stereotactic-electroencephalogram(SEEG),including 3 patients with bilateral implantation and 2 patients with unilateral implantation.SEEG showed that the medial temporal structure,insula and orbital lobes were all involved in the onset of ictal facial dystonia.Conclusion The medial temporal lobe epilepsy often present ictal facial dystonia in the first 1/3 period of seizure,with bilaterally symmetrically facial contraction,often accompanied by negative expression,but without drop of the corners of the mouth.The lateralization value of ictal facial dystonia is limited and this symptom involves a wide brain network structure.

Objective:To evaluate the disinfection effect of high-energy pulse ultraviolet disinfection equipment in medical institution settings.Methods:The disinfection effect was evaluated through field tests and laboratory tests. Among them, 135 high-frequency contact points were selected from nine departments in the field test. Samples were collected before and after disinfection, and the disinfection effects of 75% alcohol wipes wiping disinfection, high-energy pulse ultraviolet disinfection robot disinfection and high-energy pulse ultraviolet handheld disinfection instrument were compared. In the laboratory test, 30 infected areas of the simulated test table were exposed to vertical ultraviolet irradiation and the bacterial-killing rate before and after disinfection was calculated.Results:In the field test, the bacteria-killing rates of 75% alcohol wipes, high-energy pulse ultraviolet disinfection robot and high-energy pulse ultraviolet handheld disinfection instrument were 94.99%, 91.53% and 95.94%, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant. The disinfection effect of the high-energy pulse ultraviolet handheld disinfection instrument was better than that of the high-energy pulse ultraviolet disinfection robot ( P values <0.05). In the laboratory test, the killing log value of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli on the carrier were both greater than 3.00. In the simulated field test, the killing log value of Staphylococcus aureus on the surface samples were 4.99. Conclusion:Both the high-energy pulse ultraviolet handheld disinfection instrument and the high-energy pulse ultraviolet disinfection robot have good disinfection effects, which are similar to the disinfection effects of conventional 75% alcohol wipes.

Objective:To compare the postoperative recurrence rates between Thulium laser en bloc resection of bladder tumor (ERBT) and traditional transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) in treating patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 1 439 patients with NMIBC who underwent either Thulium laser ERBT or TURBT in Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, between January 2010 and March 2024. Among them, 201 patients received Thulium laser ERBT, while 1 238 patients underwent TURBT. Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed in a 1∶1 ratio to eliminate selection bias due to non-random assignment, ensuring the comparability of clinical baseline data such as gender, age, pathological diagnosis, T stage, tumor grade, tumor size, and tumor number between the two groups. Kaplan-Meier method was used to generate recurrence-free survival curves for the matched groups, and the log-rank test was conducted to compare differences between the groups. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors affecting postoperative recurrence.Results:After PSM matching, 193 patients were included in each group. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of gender ( P=0.317), age ( P=0.207), pathological type ( P=0.756), T stage ( P=0.402), tumor grade ( P=0.965), tumor size ( P=0.821), or number of tumors ( P=0.421). The median follow-up time was 16.2(8.0, 33.9) months. Excluding patients with non-urothelial tumors such as adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, there were 180 cases in the Thulium laser ERBT group and 184 cases in the TURBT group. Survival analysis showed that the postoperative recurrence rate of urothelial carcinoma patients in the Thulium laser ERBT group was lower than that in the TURBT group [20.0%(36/180) vs. 38.6%(71/184), P<0.001]. Stratified survival analysis indicated that in patients with tumor diameters ≤30 mm [22.3%(29/130) vs. 33.6%(45/134), P=0.017] or >30 mm [14.0%(7/50) vs. 52.0%(26/50), P=0.002], the Thulium laser ERBT group had lower postoperative recurrence rate compared to the TURBT group.Among patients with single tumor, the recurrence rate in the Thulium laser ERBT group was lower than in the TURBT group[10.5%(11/105) vs. 31.5%(35/111), P<0.001]. However, among patients with multiple tumors, there was no statistically significant difference in recurrence rates between the Thulium laser ERBT group and the TURBT group [35.7%(25/70) vs. 47.9%(34/71), P=0.061]. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses indicated that Thulium laser ERBT treatment was an independent protective factor against postoperative recurrence in NMIBC patients ( HR=0.44, 95% CI 0.30-0.66, P<0.001). Patients with adenocarcinoma ( HR=5.85, 95% CI 2.07-16.51, P<0.001), squamous cell carcinoma ( HR=2.98, 95% CI 1.04-8.55, P=0.042), or other types of tumors ( HR=2.98, 95% CI 1.14-7.75, P=0.026) had higher risks of recurrence. High-grade tumor patients faced increased risks of postoperative recurrence ( HR=1.84, 95% CI 1.21-2.79, P=0.004). Additionally, tumors >30 mm had increased risks of postoperative recurrence compared to those ≤30 mm ( HR=2.00, 95% CI1.31-3.05, P=0.001). Patients with single tumor had significantly reduced risks of postoperative recurrence compared to those with multiple tumors ( HR=0.50, 95% CI 0.34-0.73, P<0.001). Conclusions:Regardless of tumor diameter (≤30 mm or >30 mm), Thulium laser ERBT significantly reduces the postoperative recurrence rate in patients with urothelial carcinoma compared to TURBT, with the advantage being more pronounced in patients with single bladder tumor. Additionally, patients with high-grade tumors, tumor diameters >30 mm, or multiple bladder tumors have higher risk of postoperative recurrence.