Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Drug Users ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sex Factors ; Substance-Related Disorders ; epidemiology

To investigate the bioelectrochemical enhanced anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox) nitrogen removal process, a bioelectrochemical system with coupled anammox cathode was constructed using a dual-chamber microbial electrolysis cell (MEC). Specifically, a dark incubation batch experiment was conducted at 30 ℃ with different influent total nitrogen concentrations under an applied voltage of 0.2 V, and the enhanced denitrification mechanism was investigated by combining various characterization methods such as cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and high-throughput sequencing methods. The results showed that the total nitrogen removal rates of 96.9%±0.3%, 97.3%±0.4% and 99.0%±0.3% were obtained when the initial total nitrogen concentration was 200, 300 and 400 mg/L, respectively. In addition, the cathode electrode biofilm showed good electrochemical activity. High-throughput sequencing results showed that the applied voltage enriched other denitrifying functional groups, including Denitratisoma, Limnobacter, and ammonia oxidizing bacteria SM1A02 and Anaerolineaceae, Nitrosomonas europaea and Nitrospira, besides the anammox bacteria. These electrochemically active microorganisms comprised of ammonium oxidizing exoelectrogens (AOE) and denitrifying electrotrophs (DNE). Together with anammox bacteria Candidatus Brocadia, they constituted the microbial community structure of denitrification system. Enhanced direct interspecies electron transfer between AOE and DNE was the fundamental reason for the further improvement of the total nitrogen removal rate of the system.
Denitrification ; Wastewater ; Anaerobic Ammonia Oxidation ; Nitrogen ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Bioreactors/microbiology* ; Ammonium Compounds ; Bacteria/genetics* ; Microbiota ; Sewage

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between the cancer related fatigue and social support in breast cancer patients after chemotherapy. METHODS: According to the uniform inclusive and exclusive criteria, 396 breast cancer patients after chemotherapy were sampled randomly from 4 hospitals in Changsha and investigated on the spot by cancer fatigue scale and social support scale. RESULTS: The levels of social support, subjective support, Objective support, and utilization of support of the breast cancer patients after chemotherapy were 36.63±7.80, 21.05±4.67, 8.45±3.06, and 7.13±2.10, respectively, which were lower than the normal level, with significant difference(P<0.001). There was a negative correlation between each fatigue dimension and social support, subjective support, Objective support, and utilization of support (P<0.05 or P<0.001). CONCLUSION The social support system in patients with breast cancer after chemotherapy is poor. There is a negative correlation between the social support system and cancer related fatigue.
Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Breast Neoplasms ; complications ; drug therapy ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast ; drug therapy ; psychology ; China ; Fatigue ; etiology ; psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Social Support

Brucellosis is far more frequent in a pasturing area in the northern part of our country and it has many clinical manifestations. It may cause multiple organ damage and its features lack specificity. It is rare in the south, so it is extremely easy to be misdiagnosed or overlooked. The retrospective analysis of a case with Brucellosis misdiagnosed as osteoarthrosis provides a guide for clinical doctors to understand Brucellosis, so that early diagnosis would be accessible, and prognosis could be improved.
Brucellosis ; diagnosis ; Diagnostic Errors ; Humans ; Osteoarthritis ; Retrospective Studies

Bone metastasis-caused pain （BMP） is a common complication of cancer， and the incidence has been on the rise with the increase in the overall prevalence of cancer， threatening the survival and quality of life of patients. BMP is a kind of special pain with the characteristics of inflammatory pain and neuropathic pain， but is different from the two. Therefore， its pathogenesis is very complicated， and it is of great significance to understand the pathogenesis. The currently available studies mainly focused on osteoclast activation， changes in the bone microenvironment， glial cell activation， spinal cord neuron activation， and miRNA dysregulation. Modern therapies include the three-step analgesics， bisphosphonates， palliative radiotherapy， and interventional therapy for bone metastases， which show definite efficacy in short term. However， the long-term effect is unsatisfactory due to the adverse reactions， addiction， and drug resistance. Studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has definite curative effect on BMP， which is safe， enhances efficacy， reduces toxicity， and boosts immunity. Moreover， it exerts the effect through multiple components， multiple targets， and multiple pathways. As a result， it has unique advantages in the prevention and treatment of BMP and has become a research focus. This paper summarizes the research on the pathogenesis of BMP， the intervention of TCM （compound Chinese medicine prescriptions， Chinese medicinals， and monomers from Chinese medicinals）， and the mechanisms of TCM， such as inhibiting osteoclast activation， glial cell activation， and spinal cord neuron activation， regulating pain mediators and abnormal expression of microRNA， and anti-tumor， which is expected to further clarify the pathogenesis of BMP and provide ideas and methods for the effective prevention and treatment of BMP with TCM.

ObjectiveTo explore the differences in the protective effects of five formulas for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis on the aortic endothelial cells of New Zealand rabbits with heart blood stasis syndrome. MethodEighty New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into a normal group （n=10） and an experimental group （n=70）. The heart blood stasis syndrome model was induced by starvation combined with a high-fat diet and adrenaline in the rabbits of the experimental group. Subsequently， the model rabbits were randomly divided into a model group， a Xuefu Zhuyutang group （3.55 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， a Taohong Siwutang group （2.66 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， a Danshenyin group （1.962 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， a Huoluo Xiaolingdan group （2.80 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， a Shixiaosan group （0.56 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， and a c-Jun N-terminal kinase （JNK） inhibitor （SP600125， 5 μg·kg^-1）group. The normal group and the model group received the same amount of distilled water. The rabbits in five Chinese medicine groups were treated correspondingly by gavage， and those in the SP600125 group were injected with 0.5 mL of SP600125-dimethyl sulfoxide diluent. After the treatment， the aorta was collected， and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling （TUNEL） assay was used to detect the apoptosis of aortic endothelial cells. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interleukin-6 （IL-6）. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of JNK， phosphorylated JNK （p-JNK）， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）， cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-9 （Caspase-9）， and cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-3 （Caspase-3） in aortic tissues. Real-time fluorescence-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA levels of JNK， Bcl-2， Bax， Caspase-9， and Caspase-3 in aortic tissues. ResultFive formulas could improve the apoptosis of aortic endothelial cells to varying degrees. To be specific， Xuefu Zhuyutang and Taohong Siwutang were optimal in efficacy， followed by Huoluo Xiaolingdan， Shixiaosan， and Danshenyin， and SP600125 was the worst （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Five formulas could reduce the content of TNF-α and IL-6 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， down-regulate the protein expression levels of JNK， p-JNK， Bax， Caspase-9， and Caspase-3 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， decrease the mRNA expression levels of JNK， Bax， Caspase-9， and Caspase-3 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and up-regulate the protein and mRNA expression levels of Bcl-2 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionFive formulas can all reduce the apoptosis of aortic endothelial cells in New Zealand rabbits with heart blood stasis syndrome with different efficacies. It may be related to the different effects of five formulas on the JNK signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of five Huoxue Huayu prescriptions on blood lipid metabolism， liver tissue and adenosine triphosphate binding cassette transporter A1 （ABCA1） and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ（PPARγ） expression in New Zealand rabbits with blood stasis syndrome， and to compare their differences in order to provide laboratory evidence for clinical selection of prescriptions and drugs. MethodSeventy New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into normal group （n=10） and model group （n=60）. The blood stasis syndrome was modeled by the method of starvation+high-fat feed+adrenaline. After the models were successfully established， they were randomly divided into Xuefu Zhuyutang（3.55 g·kg^-1·d^-1） group， Danshenyin（1.962 g·kg^-1·d^-1） group， Shixiaosan（0.56 g·kg^-1·d^-1） group， Huoluo Xiaolingdan（2.80 g·kg^-1·d^-1） group， and Taohong Siwutang（2.66 g·kg^-1·d^-1） group， and were given corresponding compound prescriptions by gavage. The normal group and model group were given the same dose of distilled water. After the treatment of 30 consecutive days， blood was taken from the abdominal aorta to detect the content of total cholesterol （TC）， triglycerides （TG）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol（LDL-C） and apolipoprotein A1 （ApoA1）. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was used to observe the changes in liver tissue. Real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of ABCA1 and PPARγ in liver tissue， respectively. ResultCompared with the conditions in the normal group， increased mRNA and protein levels of HDL-C， LDL-C， TG， TC， and PPARγ （P<0.01）， decreased ApoA1 level （P<0.05） and decreased mRNA and protein levels of ABCA1 （P<0.01） were found in the model group. Compared with the conditions in the model group， the HDL-C level in the five Huoxue Huayu prescriptions was lowered （P<0.05）， and lowered TG level in Xuefu Zhuyutang group and Shixiaosan group （P<0.05）， decreased LDL-C and TC levels in Shixiaosan group （P<0.05）， and increased ApoA1 level in the Huoluo Xiaolingdan group （P<0.01） and Taohong Siwutang group （P<0.05） were observed. Furthermore， the mRNA and protein levels of ABCA1 in Xuefu Zhuyutang group， Shixiaosan group， Huoluo Xiaolingdan group and Taohong Siwutang group were elevated （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the elevated levels were higher than that of Danshenyin group （P<0.05）. The mRNA level of PPARγ in the five Huoxue Huayu prescriptions was reduced （P<0.01）， and its protein level was also decreased in Xuefu Zhuyutang group， Shixiaosan group， Huoluo Xiaolingdan group and Taohong Siwutang group （P<0.01）. ConclusionThe five Huoxue Huayu prescriptions had a certain therapeutic effect on dyslipidemia，which might be achieved by up-regulating the expression of ApoA1 and ABCA1 to promote the production of HDL-C and strengthen the excretion of dysfunctional HDL-C. And Xuefu Zhuyutang had the optimal effect in lowering lipid.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on intestinal flora in the rats with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) based on 16S rDNA technique. METHODS: Ten rats were randomized from 58 SPF-grade male SD rats to be the blank group. The remained 48 rats were prepared to be IBS-D models by the modified method of acetic acid enema combined with binding tail-clip stress. Forty successfully-modeled rats were randomly divided into a model group, an acupuncture group, a moxibustion group and a western medication group, with 10 rats in each one. In the acupuncture group, the needle was inserted at bilateral "Zusanli" (ST 36) and remained for 15 min in each rat. In the moxibustion group, the suspending moxibustion was delivered at bilateral "Zusanli" (ST 36) for 15 min. The rats in the western medication group were given pinaverium bromide suspension (10 mL/kg) by intragastric administration. The above interventions were performed once daily for consecutive 14 days. The body mass and the score of fecal trait were compared before and after modeling, as well as after intervention in each group. Fecal water content, diarrhea index and colon transit time (CTT) were measured after modeling and intervention in the rats of each group separately. After intervention, the colonic morphology of rats in each group was observed, and using 16S rDNA technique, the intestinal flora was detected. RESULTS: After modeling, compared with the blank group, the body mass and CTT were reduced (P<0.01); fecal trait scores, fecal water contents and diarrhea index increased (P<0.01) in the other 4 groups. After intervention, the body mass and CTT of the rats decreased (P<0.01), and fecal trait score, fecal water content and diarrhea index increased (P<0.01) in the model group compared with those in the blank group. In the acupuncture group, the moxibustion group and the western medication group, when compared with the model group, the body mass and CTT were elevated (P<0.01), while fecal trait scores, fecal water contents and diarrhea index declined (P<0.01). Compared with the western medication group, fecal water content decreased in the acupuncture group and the moxibustion group (P<0.05), while CTT increased in the acupuncture group (P<0.01), the body mass increased and fecal trait score was dropped in the moxibustion group (P<0.05). The colonic mucosa structure was clear and complete, and there was no obvious inflammatory cell infiltration in the blank group. The mild interstitial edema of intestinal mucosa was presented with the infiltration of few inflammatory cells in the model group. There was the infiltration of few inflammatory cells in the mucosa of the acupuncture group, the moxibustion group and the western medication group. Compared with the blank group, the indexes of Richness, Chao1, ACE and Shannon decreased in the model group (P<0.05). Indexes of Richness, Chao1 and ACE increased in the acupuncture group and the moxibustion group (P<0.05), and the Richness index in the western medication group increased (P<0.05) when compared with those in the model group. The relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Prevotella increased (P<0.05), and that of Firmicutes and Muribaculaceae decreased (P<0.05) in the model group compared with those in the blank group. When compared with the model group, the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Prevotella was reduced (P<0.05), while that of Firmicutes and Muribaculaceae increased (P<0.05) in the acupuncture group, the moxibustion group and the western medication group; and that of Actinobacteria and Bifidobacterium increased in the acupuncture group and the moxibustion group (P<0.05). Compared with the blank group, the relative abundance of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis was elevated (P<0.05), and that of folate biosynthesis, lipoic acid metabolism, zeatin biosynthesis, ubiquinone and other terpenoid quinone biosynthesis decreased (P<0.05) in the model group. The relative abundance of LPS biosynthesis was dropped (P<0.05), and that of folate biosynthesis, lipoic acid metabolism, zeatin biosynthesis, ubiquinone and other terpenoid quinone biosynthesis increased (P<0.05) in the acupuncture group, the moxibustion group and the western medication group compared with those of the model group. CONCLUSIONS Either acupuncture or moxibustion can relieve the symptoms of IBS-D and protect intestinal mucosa, which may be associated with regulating the structure of intestinal flora and promoting nutrient metabolism and biosynthesis.
Rats ; Male ; Animals ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome/therapy* ; Moxibustion/methods* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Thioctic Acid ; Ubiquinone ; Zeatin ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Diarrhea/therapy* ; Terpenes ; Water ; Folic Acid ; Acupuncture Points

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of dust exposure, type of work, age, length of service and duration of dust exposure on pulmonary function in coal miners by pulmonary function tests.
 METHODS: A total of 1 953 coal miners, who received occupational healthy examination and pulmonary function tests during June, 2013 and August, 2014 in Hunan Prevention and Treatment Institute, were enrolled for this study.
 RESULTS: A total of 1 302 miners (66.7%) displayed pulmonary dysfunction, including 1 139 with mild dysfunction (58.3%) and 163 with moderate or more serious dysfunction (8.3%). The risk factors for pulmonary dysfunction were age (OR=1.329, 95% CI: 1.196-1.620), dust exposure duration (OR=1.267, 95% CI: 1.136-1.413) and type of works (mining workers OR=1.156, 95% CI: 1.033-1.293; all P<0.05).
 CONCLUSION The incidence rate of pulmonary dysfunction in coal miners is relatively high in Hunan Province. Most of them are mild dysfunction. The incidence rate of pulmonary dysfunction in mining works is statistically higher than that in other work types. Older workers and long duration-exposed workers are more likely to have pulmonary dysfunction.
China ; Coal Mining ; Dust ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lung ; physiopathology ; Lung Diseases ; epidemiology ; Occupational Exposure ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of underground work on cardiovascular system health in coal miners.
 METHODS: Male coal miners, who received electrocardiographic examinations between June, 2013 and August, 2014 in Hunan Prevention and Treatment Institute for Occupational Diseases to exclude pneumoconiosis, were enrolled for this study (n=3 134). Miners with 2 years or more underground work experience were selected as the exposed group (n=2 370), while miners without underground work experience were selected as the control group (n=764). The prevalence of electrocardiographic abnormalities and the influential factors were compared between the 2 groups.
 RESULTS: The prevalences of electrocardiographic abnormalities, hypertension, heart rate abnormalities and cardiovascular system abnormalities in the exposed group vs the control group were 37.6% vs 25.4%, 20.5% vs 13.4%, 5.7% vs 6.0%, 49.8% vs 35.2%, respectively. The cardiovascular system abnormalities were correlated with the underground work (OR=3.128, 95% CI: 1.969-4.970), the underground work experience (OR=1.205, 95% CI: 1.070-1.358) and the type of works (mining worker OR=1.820, 95% CI: 1.527-2.169; auxiliary worker OR=1.937, 95% CI: 1.511-2.482; other worker OR=3.291, 95%CI: 2.120-5.109).
 CONCLUSION Underground work may increase the prevalence of cardiovascular system abnormalities for coal miners. The longer the coal miners work in underground, the higher the risk of the cardiovascular system abnormalities they are.
Cardiovascular System ; physiopathology ; Case-Control Studies ; Coal Mining ; Electrocardiography ; Humans ; Male ; Miners ; Occupational Diseases ; epidemiology ; Pneumoconiosis ; Prevalence