OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) in promoting recovery of the facial function with the involvement of autophagy, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. METHODS: Seventy-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated into the control, sham-operated, facial nerve injury (FNI), EA, EA+3-methyladenine (3-MA), and EA+GDNF antagonist groups using a random number table, with 12 rats in each group. An FNI rat model was established with facial nerve crushing method. EA intervention was conducted at Dicang (ST 4), Jiache (ST 6), Yifeng (SJ 17), and Hegu (LI 4) acupoints for 2 weeks. The Simone's 10-Point Scale was utilized to monitor the recovery of facial function. The histopathological evaluation of facial nerves was performed using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The levels of Beclin-1, light chain 3 (LC3), and P62 were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Additionally, IHC was also used to detect the levels of GDNF, Rai, PI3K, and mTOR. RESULTS: The facial functional scores were significantly increased in the EA group than the FNI group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). HE staining showed nerve axons and myelin sheaths, which were destroyed immediately after the injury, were recovered with EA treatment. The expressions of Beclin-1 and LC3 were significantly elevated and the expression of P62 was markedly reduced in FNI rats (P<0.01); however, EA treatment reversed these abnormal changes (P<0.01). Meanwhile, EA stimulation significantly increased the levels of GDNF, Rai, PI3K, and mTOR (P<0.01). After exogenous administration with autophagy inhibitor 3-MA or GDNF antagonist, the repair effect of EA on facial function was attenuated (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS EA could promote the recovery of facial function and repair the facial nerve damages in a rat model of FNI. EA may exert this neuroreparative effect through mediating the release of GDNF, activating the PI3K/mTOR signaling pathway, and further regulating the autophagy of facial nerves.
Rats ; Male ; Animals ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Electroacupuncture ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/metabolism* ; Facial Nerve Injuries/therapy* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; Beclin-1 ; Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; Signal Transduction ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism* ; Autophagy ; Mammals/metabolism*

Objective To establish a weightlessness simulation animal model using miniature pigs, leveraging the characteristic of multiple systems’ tissue structures and functions similar to those of humans, and to observe pathophysiological changes, providing a new method for aerospace research. Methods Nine standard-grade miniature pigs were selected and randomly divided into an experimental group (n=7) and a control group (n=2). The experimental group was fixed using customized metal cages, with canvas slings suspending their hind limbs off the ground, and the body positioned at a -20° angle relative to the ground to simulate unloading for 30 days (24 hours a day). Data on body weight, blood volume, and blood biochemistry indicators were collected at different time points for statistical analysis of basic physiological changes. After the experiment, the miniature pigs were euthanized and tissue samples were collected for histopathological observation of the cardiovascular, skeletal and muscle systems HE and Masson staining. Statistical analysis was also conducted on the thickness of arterial vessels and the diameter of skeletal muscle fibers. Additionally, western blotting was employed to detect the expression levels of skeletal muscle atrophy-related proteins, including muscle-specific RING finger protein 1 (MuRf-1) and muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx, as known as Atrogin-1), while immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), an indicator of astrocyte activation in the brain, reflecting the pathophysiological functional changes across systems. Results After hindlimb unloading, the experimental group showed significant decreases in body weight (P<0.001) and blood volume (P<0.01). During the experiment, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and red blood cell count levels significantly decreased (P<0.05) but gradually recovered. The expression levels of alanine aminotransferase and γ-glutamyltransferase initially decreased (P<0.05) before rebounding, while albumin significantly decreased (P<0.001) and globulin significantly increased (P<0.01). Creatinine significantly decreased (P<0.05). The average diameter of gastrocnemius muscle fibers in the experimental group significantly shortened (P<0.05), with a leftward shift in the distribution of muscle fiber diameters and an increase in small-diameter muscle fibers. Simultaneously, Atrogin-1 expression in the gastrocnemius and paravertebral muscles significantly increased (P<0.05). These changes are generally consistent with the effects of weightlessness on humans and animals in space. Furthermore, degenerative changes were observed in some neurons of the cortical parietal lobe, frontal lobe, and hippocampal regions of the experimental group, with a slight reduction in the number of Purkinje cells in the cerebellar region, and a significant enhancement of GFAP-positive signals in the hippocampal area (P<0.05). Conclusion Miniature pigs subjected to a -20° angle hind limb unloading for 30 days maybe serve as a new animal model for simulating weightlessness, applicable to related aerospace research.

Objective:To evaluate the practical value of ultrasound, ultrasound new technologies (ultrasound elastography, contrast enhanced ultrasound) and computed tomography (CT) examination alone or the combination of both of the four in the clinical diagnosis of lymph node metastasis of thyroid cancer by meta-analysis system.Methods:This study screened relevant literature on ultrasound, new ultrasound technologies, and CT in the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis of thyroid cancer by searching Chinese and English databases from January 2006 to August 2023. Two scholars independently assessed the quality of the literatures and scored them using the QUADAS scale. Then, the diagnostic ratio of single and combined examinations was analyzed by Meta-Disc software, and the heterogeneity test and meta-analysis were performed to calculate the sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic ratio, accuracy, and area under curve (AUC). Finally, the diagnostic efficacies of different diagnostic techniques and their combination in identifying lymph node metastasis of thyroid cancer were assessed by calculating OR and P values by two-by-two comparisons. Results:Sixty-nine diagnostic studies totaling 30, 666 lesions were finally included. The meta-analysis study showed that contrast enhanced ultrasound had the highest sensitivity[0.83(0.77-0.87)], ultrasound specificity was the highest [0.84(0.79-0.88)], the highest AUC was for contrast enhanced ultrasound (0.90), and contrast enhanced ultrasound and ultrasound elastography had high accuracies (0.81, 0.80, respectively) both of them were higher than those of ultrasound (0.77) and CT (0.69). Contrast enhanced ultrasound and ultrasound elastography were both more sensitive than CT, with statistically significant differences between them ( P<0.01); contrast enhanced ultrasound + ultrasound elastography had the highest accuracy, while ultrasound + contrast enhanced ultrasound and contrast enhanced ultrasound + ultrasound elastography were both more sensitive, with no statistically significant differences between them ( P>0.05), but the latter had the highest specificity [0.90(0.88-0.92)], which were statistically significantly different from each other ( P<0.05), ultrasound+ contrast enhanced ultrasound and contrast enhanced ultrasound+ ultrasound elastography had higher sensitivities than ultrasound+ CT, which were statistically different from each other ( P<0.05), and ultrasound+ CT had the lowest specificity [0.76(0.70-0.81)]. Conclusions:The diagnostic efficacy of thyroid cancer lymph node metastasis is highest with contrast enhanced ultrasound. The new ultrasound technique for diagnosing thyroid cancer lymph node metastasis has a higher diagnostic value than CT, and it can be used as a complementary examination to conventional ultrasound.When the two techniques are used in combination, contrast enhanced ultrasound + ultrasound elastography has the highest accuracy, contrast enhanced ultrasound + ultrasound elastography and ultrasound + contrast enhanced ultrasound both have high sensitivity and specificity, and the diagnostic performance of both is higher than that of ultrasound + ultrasound elastography and ultrasound + CT, and in actual clinical practice when ultrasound elastography combined with contrast enhanced ultrasound is limited in the examination, ultrasound combined with contrast enhanced ultrasound can effectively serve as an alternative means to provide a good diagnostic support.

Objective:To investigate the clinical manifestations of population following COVID-19 by using questionnaires.Methods:COVID-19 among anesthesia workers and the surrounding population was investigated between 11 November 2022 and 31 December 2022 in China.The Tencent electronic questionnaire(ID.11492813) was sent to different WeChat groups of the Association of Anesthesiologists or Society of Anesthesiologists via the WeChat platform of the medical personnel in China. The survey was conducted between January 7 and January 15, 2023. Results:A total of 17 000 questionnaires were issued for this survey, 11 060 valid questionnaires from 31 provinces and autonomous regions were collected all over the country, with a recovery rate of 65.059%.There were 10068 (91.037%) participants diagnosed as having COVID-19, and among of them, 47.606% were male and 52.394% were female. The main post-COVID-19 clinical manifestations included fever (85.777%), cough (83.731%), fatigue (75.338%), parasomnia (64.352%), limb soreness (58.890%), dizziness, headache, tinnitus (38.617%), loss or abnormality of taste (37.763%), and loss or abnormality of smell (30.960%); peripheral neuralgia was usually found within 3 days after positive nucleic acid test or positive antigen test; there were 2 963 cases accompanied with sweating, and among of them, 47.25% were male and 52.75% were female, and 37.80% of these participants continued to sweat after the nucleic acid test or antigen test became negative. There were 1 151 cases with premature heart beats among the study population, and the symptoms aggravated following COVID-19 were found in 34.32% of these patients.Conclusions:In addition to the respiratory system, the central and peripheral nerves of patients are also affected following COVID-19, and the peripheral and central nerve disorders last until several days after negative nucleic acid test or antigen test, suggesting that anesthesiologists should pay more attention to monitoring of various nerve function and impact of surgery and anesthetic drugs on the stress response of the body in such patients.

BackgroundThe mental health level of the prison police is relatively low， so finding innovative ways to improve the mental health of them is of great significance for the safety of prison supervision and the implementation of peaceful China initiative. ObjectiveTo explore the relationship between perceived social support， perceived stress and psychological resilience with mental health of prison police， and to provide references for improving their mental health. MethodsIn March 2022， 424 policemen working in a male prison in a western province were selected by cluster sampling method， and investigated with the Perceived Social Support Scale （PSSS）， Chinese Perceived Stress Scale （CPSS）， Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale （CD-RISC） and General Health Questionnaire 20 （GHQ-20）， then Process 4.2 was used employed to verify the mediating role of perceived stress as well as the moderating role of psychological resilience in the relationship between perceived social support and mental health. Results①Male subjects scored higher on GHQ-20 than female subjects （t=2.095， P<0.05）. ②CPSS score was negatively correlated with PSSS and GHQ-20 scores （r=-0.670， -0.703， P<0.01）， and GHQ-20 score showed a positive correlation with PSSS and CD-RISC scores （r=0.580， 0.693， P<0.01）. ③Perceived social support positively predict mental health （β=0.154， 95% CI： 0.133~0.175， P<0.01）. ④Perceived stress played a mediating role in the relationship between perceived social support and mental health， and the mediation effect size was 0.087， accounting for 88.78% of the total effect （95% CI： 0.064~0.112， P<0.01）. ⑤Psychological resilience played a moderating role in the second half （perceived stress→mental health） of the mediating path of "perceived social support→perceived stress→mental health"（β=0.074， 95% CI： 0.046~0.102， P<0.01）. ⑥Psychological resilience also regulated the mediation effect of perceived stress on the relationship between perceived social support and mental health ［three regression coefficients tested in turn are significant： a=-0.537 （95% CI： -0.594~-0.480， P<0.01）， b1=-0.162 （95% CI： -0.197~-0.127， P<0.01）， b3=0.074 （95% CI： 0.046~0.102， P<0.01）］. ConclusionPerceived social support of prison police has an impact on their mental health both directly and indirectly through perceived stress. In addition， perceived social support of prison police has a moderated mediation effect on mental health， and it is partially moderated by psychological resilience.［ Funded by General Project of Sichuan Prison Administrative Bureau in 2022］

ObjectiveTo analyze the prevalence rate of non-suicidal self-injury （NSSI） behavior in Chinese adolescents with depression， so as to provide references for the intervention of NSSI behavior in adolescents with depression. MethodsThe literature databases such as CNKI， VIP， Wanfang， China Biology Medicine Disc， PubMed， Web of Science， Cochrane Library and Embase were searched via computer for the cross-sectional studies related to the prevalence of NSSI behavior in adolescents with depression published from inception to February， 2020. Then the eligibility assessment， data extraction and assessment of methodological quality were performed independently by two reviewers， and the Meta-analysis was performed by using RevMan 5.4. ResultsA total of 2 238 adolescents in 10 studies were included. Meta-analysis yielded that the prevalence rate of NSSI behavior in Chinese adolescents with depression was 51% （95% CI： 43%~59%）. Subgroup analysis of NSSI behavior in adolescents with depression implied that the prevalence rate was 36% （95% CI： 22%~50%） in female adolescents， which was higher than 18% （95% CI： 12%~24%） in male adolescents. The prevalence rate of NSSI behavior was 57% （95% CI： 38%~77%） in depression adolescents with suicidal ideation， which was higher than 4% （95% CI： 0~8%） in those without suicidal ideation. The prevalence rate of NSSI behavior was 54% （95% CI： 41%~67%） in depression adolescents diagnosed with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders， fifth edition （DSM-5）， which was higher than 46% （95% CI： 40%~51%） in those diagnosed with the International Classification of Diseases， tenth edition （ICD-10）. The prevalence rate of NSSI behavior was 52% （95% CI： 41%~63%） in depression adolescents in the literatures with quality score of 7， which was close to 50% （95% CI： 44%~55%） in depression adolescents in the literatures with quality score of 6. The comparison of above subgroups all had statistical differences （P<0.05 or 0.01）. ConclusionChinese adolescents with depression suffer a high prevalence rate of NSSI behavior， with higher prevalence in females than in males， and in those with suicidal ideation than in those without suicidal ideation.

OBJECTIVE： To establish a method for simultaneous determination of 10 isoflavones in Belamcanda chinensis， and to evaluate the differences of active ingredient content of B. chinensis from different areas. METHODS： UPLC method was adopted. The determination was performed on Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column with mobile phase consisted of 0.5 ％ methyl-β-cyclodextrin and 0.1％ phosphate as water phase， acetonitrile as organic phase （gradient elution） at the flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. The column temperature was set at 35 ℃， and the detection wavelength was set at 265 nm. The sample size was 2 μL， and analysis time was 20 min. The contents of 10 isoflavones in 26 samples from 8 provinces， including tectoridin， iristectorin A， iristectorin B， iridin， tectorigenin， iristectorigenin B， iristectorigenin A， irigenin， irisflorentin， dichotomitin， were determined. RESULTS： The linear ranges of tectoridin， iristectorin A， iristectorin B， iridin， tectorigenin， iristectorigenin B， iristectorigenin A， irigenin， irisflorentin， dichotomitin were 8.569 5-342.78， 0.643-25.72， 1.119 8-44.79， 2.187 8-87.51， 0.770 3-30.81， 0.421 3- 16.85， 0.288 5-11.54， 1.795 3-71.81， 0.560 8-22.43， 0.086-3.44 μg/mL（all r≥0.999 6）. The limits of quantitation were 0.015， 0.102， 0.096， 0.013， 0.036， 0.088， 0.102， 0.019， 0.067， 0.092 μg/mL. RSDs of precision， stability（24 h）and reproducibility tests were lower than 2.00％ （n＝6）. The recoveries ranged 95.30％-103.30％ （all RSD≤2.33％， n＝6）. Among 26 samples of B. chinensis， the content of tectoridin was the highest （3.66％-57.79％）， and the content of dichotomitin was the lowest （0.09％- 0.59％）， the contents of irisflorentin were 0.29-2.80 mg/g. The contents of isoflavones in B. chinensis from different areas were different greatly.  CONCLUSIONS： The established method is sensitive， with short analysis time and good repeatability， and can be used to determine the content of 10 isoflavones and evaluate the content difference of each component.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of using artificial tears and eye exercise for intervention of dry eye disease in aircrew members. METHODS: A accidental sampling method was used and 86 patients diagnosed with dry eye disease were selected as study subjects. Artificial tears or artificial tears plus eye exercise were used in patients. Symptoms of dry eye disease were investigated. RESULTS: of break up time( BUT) and schirmer I test( SIT) were recorded.RESULTS: The main symptoms of these 86 aviators diagnosed with dry eye disease were visual fatigue( 82. 6%),dry feeling( 60. 5%),and itchy eyes( 29. 1%). Among them,28 patients( 32. 6%) were treated with artificial tears only( artificial tears group) and 58 patients( 67. 4%) were treated with artificial tears plus eye exercise( combined treatment group). The duration of treatment of less than 4 weeks,4-weeks,and 6-9 weeks were 25,36 and 25 cases,respectively.After treatment,the symptoms improved in 71 patients( 82. 6%). All patients of these two groups showed improved SIT and BUT compared with the same group before treatment( P < 0. 01). There was no significant difference in the change of SIT and BUT between the artificial tears group and the combined treatment group after treatment( P > 0. 05). There was statistical significance in the change of SIT in the main effect of treatment time( P < 0. 01),but no significant difference in the main effect of treatment measures and the interaction effect( P > 0. 05). There was no statistical significance in the change of BUT in the main effect of treatment measures,treatment time and the interaction effect( P > 0. 05).CONCLUSION: The intervention using artificial tears or artificial tears combined with eye exercise improved the subjective symptoms of dry eye disease in aircrew members. The SIT and BUT also improved after intervention.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of the new investigational drug pegylated interferon α-2b (Peg-IFN-α-2b) (Y shape, 40 kD) injection (180 µg/week) combined with ribavirin in the treatment of patients with genotype 1/6 chronic hepatitis C (CHC), with standard-dose Peg-IFN-α-2a combined with ribavirin as a positive control. Methods: A multicenter, randomized, open-label, and positive-controlled phase III clinical trial was performed. Eligible patients with genotype 1/6 CHC were screened out and randomly divided into Peg-IFN-α-2b(Y shape, 40kD) group and Peg-IFN-α-2a group at a ratio of 2:1. The patients in both groups were given oral ribavirin for 48 weeks in addition and then followed up for 24 weeks after drug withdrawal. Abbott Real Time HCV Genotype II was used to determine HCV genotype, and Cobas TaqMan quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure HCV RNA level at 0, 4, 12, 24, 48, and 72 weeks. Adverse events were recorded in detail. The primary efficacy endpoint was sustained virological response (SVR), and a non-inferiority test was also performed. Results: A total of 561 patients with genotype 1/6 CHC were enrolled, among whom 529 received treatment; 90.9% of these patients had genotype 1 CHC. The data of the full analysis set showed that SVR rate was 69.80% (95% CI 65.00%-74.60%) in the trial group and 74.16% (95% CI 67.73%-80.59%) in the control group (P = 0.297 0). The data of the per protocol set (PPS) showed that SVR rate was 80.63% (95% CI 76.04%-85.23%) in the trial group and 81.33% (95% CI 75.10%-87.57%) in the control group (P = 0.849 8), and the 95% CI of rate difference conformed to the non-inferiority standard. The analysis of the PPS population showed that of all subjects, 47.9% achieved rapid virologic response, with a positive predictive value of 93.8%. The incidence rate of adverse events was 96.30% in the trial group and 94.94% in the control group, and the incidence rate of serious adverse events was 5.13% in the trail group and 5.06% in the control group. Conclusion In the regimen of Peg-IFN-α combined with ribavirin for the treatment of genotype 1/6 CHC, the new investigational drug Peg-IFN-α-2b(Y shape, 40 kD) has comparable clinical effect and safety to the control drug Peg-IFN-α-2a.

Objective: To investigate the clinical effect and safety of long-acting pegylated interferon-α-2b (Peg-IFN-α-2b) (Y shape, 40 kD) injection (180 μg/week) in the treatment of HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, with standard-dose Peg-IFN-α-2a as positive control. Methods: This study was a multicenter, randomized, open-label, and positive-controlled phase III clinical trial. Eligible HBeAg-positive CHB patients were screened out and randomized to Peg-IFN-α-2b (Y shape, 40 kD) trial group and Peg-IFN-α-2a control group at a ratio of 2:1. The course of treatment was 48 weeks and the patients were followed up for 24 weeks after drug withdrawal. Plasma samples were collected at screening, baseline, and 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, and 72 weeks for centralized detection. COBAS® Ampliprep/COBAS® TaqMan® HBV Test was used to measure HBV DNA level by quantitative real-time PCR. Electrochemiluminescence immunoassay with Elecsys kit was used to measure HBV markers (HBsAg, anti-HBs, HBeAg, anti-HBe). Adverse events were recorded in detail. The primary outcome measure was HBeAg seroconversion rate after the 24-week follow-up, and non-inferiority was also tested. The difference in HBeAg seroconversion rate after treatment between the trial group and the control group and two-sided confidence interval (CI) were calculated, and non-inferiority was demonstrated if the lower limit of 95% CI was > -10%. The t-test, chi-square test, or rank sum test was used according to the types and features of data. Results: A total of 855 HBeAg-positive CHB patients were enrolled and 820 of them received treatment (538 in the trial group and 282 in the control group). The data of the full analysis set showed that HBeAg seroconversion rate at week 72 was 27.32% in the trial group and 22.70% in the control group with a rate difference of 4.63% (95% CI -1.54% to 10.80%, P = 0.1493). The data of the per-protocol set showed that HBeAg seroconversion rate at week 72 was 30.75% in the trial group and 27.14% in the control group with a rate difference of 3.61% (95% CI -3.87% to 11.09%, P = 0.3436). 95% CI met the non-inferiority criteria, and the trial group was non-inferior to the control group. The two groups had similar incidence rates of adverse events, serious adverse events, and common adverse events. Conclusion In Peg-IFN-α regimen for HBeAg-positive CHB patients, the new drug Peg-IFN-α-2b (Y shape, 40 kD) has comparable effect and safety to the control drug Peg-IFN-α-2a.