OBJECTIVE:To observe the efficacy and safety of mirtazapine in the treatment of perimenopausal syndrome with sleep disorders. METHODS:100 perimenopausal patients with sleep disorders were randomly divided into study group(52 cases) and control group(48 cases). Study group was given Mirtazapine tablet with initial dose of 15 mg,once a day,taking 1-2 hours before going to bed,increased and maintained to 30 mg after 1 week. The control group was given Oryzanol tablet 10 mg after meals,3 times a day. Both groups were treated for 8 weeks. Scores of HAMD-17 and PSQI before and after treatment were ob-served,efficacy of depression and sleep were evaluated and and incidence of adverse reactions in 2 groups was observed. RE-SULTS:After treatment,HAMD-17 scores and PSQI scores in 2 groups were significantly lower than before,and study group was lower than control group,8 weeks<4 weeks<2 weeks,the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05 or P<0.01). Total ef-fective rates of depression and sleep in study group were significantly higher than control group(P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions(P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS:Mirtazapine can improve the sleep disorders of peri-menopausal syndrome with rapid onset,but the adverse reactions need futher observation.

ObjectiveTo assess the performance of dual-source CT (DSCT) for left atrial volume and function evaluation and compare this performance to that of cardiac cine MR ( CMR ),which was considered as the standard reference technique.Methods Forty-nine patients referred for CT coronary angiography were enrolled in this study.DSCT data sets and FIESTA cines of the vertical long axis covering the left atrium and the short axis covering the left ventricle were obtained on the same day without additional medicine.All images were analyzed to obtain left atrial volume at different time and its function values.All the parameters were corrected by body surface area.Inter-modality agreement was tested through linear regression and Bland-Altman analyses.Repeated measurements were performed to determine inter-observer variation.ResultsThe indexed measurements of DSCT and CMR were (47.4 ± 11.1 ) and (46.2 ± 9.7 )ml/m2 for LAVmax,( 22.2 ± 6.9) and ( 21.3 ± 5.8 ) ml/m2 for LAVmin,( 34.8 ± 8.8 ) and ( 33.6 ± 7.8 )ml/m2 for LAVp,(24.0 ±5.7)and(21.5 ±5.0) ml/m2 for LARV,(11.6 ±3.9)and(10.9 ±3.9) ml/m2 for LAPV,(12.4 ±3.9)and(10.7 ±3.6) ml/m2 for LAAV,(22.6 ±8.4)and(21.0 ±6.4) ml/m2 for LACV,(52.8 ± 7.4) ％ and ( 54.5 ± 6.3 ) ％ for LAEF,respectively.The correlation coefficients between DSCT and CMR measurements for LAVmax,LAVmin,LAVp,LARV,LAPV,LAAV,LACV and LAEF were 0.89,0.90,0.90,0.80,0.82,0.80,0.76 and 0.78,respectively.However,DSCT slightly overestimated LAVmax,LAVmin,LAVp,LARV,LAPV,LAAV and LACV,and the deviation was 1.2,0.9,1.1,0.3,0.1,0.2 and 0.4 ml/m2,respectively.Compared with CMR,DSCT slightly underestimated LAEF of about 0.6％.Interobserver variation was lower in DSCT examination than CMR for the measurements of left atrial function.ConclusionDSCT provided accurateand reproducible measurements of left atrial volume and function.

Chronic prostatitis (CP) is a very common disease in the male genitourinary system. It can result in male infertility mainly by affecting the motility or the function of spermatozoa and the physical and chemical nature of semen. At present, researches on the mechanism of male infertility resulting from CP mainly focus on ROS, immunological mechanism, lack of zinc and pathogenetic microorganism. This article briefly reviews the progress in these aspects.
Adenosine Triphosphate ; metabolism ; Antibody Formation ; Chronic Disease ; Humans ; Immunity, Cellular ; Infertility, Male ; etiology ; Male ; Prostatitis ; complications ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Zinc ; physiology

ObjectiveTo evaluate the application of multi-slice CT (MSCT) perfusion scan technique in predicting renal function recovery after unilateral hydronephrosis treatment.MethodsThirtyeight patients with unilateral obstructive hydronephrosis not shown on intravenous urography (IVU) and a normal contralateral kidney were recruited for this study.Patients were divided into detected (D) and undetected (UD) groups depending on whether the IVU detected urinary tract obstruction.All patients underwent plain abdominal X-ray,gray-scale ultrasonography,excretory urography and MSCT perfusion scan before and after the treatment.Patients were followed-up at six months or more after the treatment for a mean duration of 12.5 months (range from 6 to 22 ).ResultsOf the 38 cases,22 cases were in group D,16 cases were in group UD.On MSCT,renal cortex blood flow (BF) and blood volume ( BV ) value after treatment in group D were 561.1 ± 165.4 ml/( 100 g · min) and 35.9 ± 11.3 ml/100 g compared with before treatment rates of 361.6 ±109.7 ml/(100g· min) and24.1 ±10.2 ml/100g,t=-3.38,-2.34,P＜0.01,0.05.In the UD group,the differences of these parameters were after treatment 38.7 ± 15.4 ml/(100 g · min),10.306 ± 4.925 ml/100 g and before treatment 39.1 ± 22.5 ml/( 100 g · min) and 8.7 ± 4.4 ml/100 g,P ＞ 0.05.In the aspects of BF and BV,there were statistically significant differences between group D and group U D both before and after the treatment,t=9.09,4.15,P ＜ 0.01.ConclusionsM SCT perfusion can provide a valuable prediction technique of the renal function recovery in patients with unilateral obstructive hydronephrosis.Improvement of renal function can be expected after relief of obstructive hydronephrosis if the patients have a BF 361.6 ml/( 100 g · min) and BV 24.1 ml/100 g or greater measured by MSCT perfusion.

Objective: To explore the relationship between dietary behavior, dietary frequency and central precocious puberty (CPP) among children in Wuhan, so as to provide a scientific basis for elucidating the possible and related dietary factors leading to precocious puberty. Methods: From February to December 2023, 100 children with CPP and 100 healthy children were collected in Wuhan Children s Hospital for a case control study. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect demographic information, child lifestyle, as well as dietary behavior and dietary frequency in the past six months. Conditional Logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship of children s dietary behavior and dietary frequency with CPP. Results: No associations were found between three dietary behavior, including emotional eating, restrictive eating, and external eating, with CPP at baseline ( P >0.05). In the association analysis of dietary frequency and CPP, the risk of CPP was higher in those who consumed red meat >5 times/week ( OR =1.93, 95% CI =1.01-3.68), carbonated beverages ≥4 times/month ( OR =2.70, 95% CI =1.03-7.08), fruit juices ≥4 times/month ( OR =2.31, 95% CI =1.02-5.25), and nutritional supplementation ( OR =2.77, 95% CI =1.47- 5.22 ), whereas the risk of CPP was lower in those who consumed nuts ≥4 times/month ( OR =0.21, 95% CI =0.08-0.57) ( P < 0.05 ). Conclusion Consumption of higher amounts of red meat, high frequency of carbonated and juice based sugary drinks, and nutrient supplementation may be contributing factors to the development of CPP, whereas regular consumption of nuts is less likely to be associated with the development of CPP.

Objective To investigate correlation between the expression level of multiple cytokine levels in neonatal umbilical cord plasma and early-onset sepsis for screening out the cytokines with good diagnostic value for early-onset neonatal sepsis(EONS).Methods Full-term neonates and preterm neonates(Gestational age ≥ 32 weeks)of 310 cases between September 2021 and June 2023 were selected as study subjects.According to clinical signs,laboratory results and blood culture,these subjects were divided into 3 groups:control group without sepsis,EONS blood culture positive group and EONS blood culture negative group.Umbilical cord blood plasma of all subjects was collected within 72 hours after birth.The expression levels of cytokines IL-2,IL-4,IL-6,IL-9,IL-10,IL-21,IFN-γ and TNF-α were determined,and cytokines with high expression levels(high correlation)were screened out.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the specificity and sensitivity of the selected cytokines in the diagnosis of neonatal early-onset sepsis.Results Among the 8 cytokines mentioned above,the concentrations of IL-6,IL-9 and IL-21 in cord blood plasma of neonatal early-onset sepsis positive blood culture patients(392.6±258.7pg/ml,11.9±7.5pg/ml,29.1±16.8 pg/ml)and negative blood culture patients(353.8±244.5pg/ml,10.4±6.3pg/ml,27.7±19.2pg/ml)were higher than those of the control group(34.9±25.1pg/ml,5.9±4.5pg/ml,10.8±10.1 pg/ml),with significant differences(t=23.961,20.732;15.174,17.824;22.466,21.193,all P＜0.01),and the increase of IL-6 concentration was the most obvious.ROC curve analysis(the cut-off values of IL-6,IL-9 and IL-21:123.0 pg/ml,3.60 pg/ml,6.00 pg/ml,respectively)showed that the areas under the ROC curve for IL-6,IL-9 and IL-21 alone detection were 0.876(95％CI:0.786～0.955),0.782(95％CI:0.667～0.875)and 0.825(95％CI:0.737～0.913),respectively.The area under the ROC curve for the combined detection of IL-6,IL-9 and IL-21 was 0.930(95％CI:0.875～0.997).The combined detection of IL-6,IL-9 and IL-21 improved the specificity and sensitivity of the test than IL-6,IL-9 and IL-21 alone detection,and the differences were statistically significant(Z=2.137,2.391,2.257,all P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in cytokine expression between positive blood culture and negative blood culture neonates with early-onset sepsis(t=0.276～3.377,all P＞0.05).Conclusion The cytokines expression of IL-6,IL-9 and IL-21 in neonatal umbilical cord plasma of neonatal early-onset sepsis were increased.Combined detection of IL-6,IL-9 and IL-21 has good diagnostic value for early-onset neonatal sepsis.

Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) represents a variety of sensorineural deafness conditions characterized by abnormal inner hair cells and/or auditory nerve function, but with the preservation of outer hair cell function. ANSD represents up to 15％ of individuals with hearing impairments. Through mutation screening, bioinformatic analysis and expression studies, we have previously identified several apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) mitochondria-associated 1 (AIFM1) variants in ANSD families and in some other sporadic cases. Here, to elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms underlying each AIFM1 variant, we generated AIF-null cells using the clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) system and constructed AIF-wild type (WT) and AIF-mutant (mut) (p.T260A, p.R422W, and p.R451Q) stable transfection cell lines. We then analyzed AIF structure, coenzyme-binding affinity, apoptosis, and other aspects. Results revealed that these variants resulted in impaired dimerization, compromising AIF function. The reduction reaction of AIF variants had proceeded slower than that of AIF-WT. The average levels of AIF dimerization in AIF variant cells were only 34.5％?49.7％ of that of AIF-WT cells, resulting in caspase-independent apoptosis. The average percentage of apoptotic cells in the variants was 12.3％?17.9％, which was significantly higher than that (6.9％?7.4％) in controls. However, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) treatment promoted the reduction of apoptosis by rescuing AIF dimerization in AIF variant cells. Our findings show that the impairment of AIF dimerization by AIFM1 variants causes apoptosis contributing to ANSD, and introduce NADH as a potential drug for ANSD treatment. Our results help elucidate the mechanisms of ANSD and may lead to the provision of novel therapies.

Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) represents a variety of sensorineural deafness conditions characterized by abnormal inner hair cells and/or auditory nerve function, but with the preservation of outer hair cell function. ANSD represents up to 15% of individuals with hearing impairments. Through mutation screening, bioinformatic analysis and expression studies, we have previously identified several apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) mitochondria-associated 1 (AIFM1) variants in ANSD families and in some other sporadic cases. Here, to elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms underlying each AIFM1 variant, we generated AIF-null cells using the clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) system and constructed AIF-wild type (WT) and AIF-mutant (mut) (p.‍T260A, p.‍R422W, and p.‍R451Q) stable transfection cell lines. We then analyzed AIF structure, coenzyme-binding affinity, apoptosis, and other aspects. Results revealed that these variants resulted in impaired dimerization, compromising AIF function. The reduction reaction of AIF variants had proceeded slower than that of AIF-WT. The average levels of AIF dimerization in AIF variant cells were only 34.5%‍‒‍49.7% of that of AIF-WT cells, resulting in caspase-independent apoptosis. The average percentage of apoptotic cells in the variants was 12.3%‍‒‍17.9%, which was significantly higher than that (6.9%‍‒‍7.4%) in controls. However, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) treatment promoted the reduction of apoptosis by rescuing AIF dimerization in AIF variant cells. Our findings show that the impairment of AIF dimerization by AIFM1 variants causes apoptosis contributing to ANSD, and introduce NADH as a potential drug for ANSD treatment. Our results help elucidate the mechanisms of ANSD and may lead to the provision of novel therapies.
Humans ; Apoptosis Inducing Factor/metabolism* ; NAD/metabolism* ; Dimerization ; Apoptosis