Bone Diseases ; pathology ; therapy ; Humans ; Multiple Myeloma ; pathology ; therapy

Background and Objective Keshan disease is clinically characterized as a dilated eardiomyopathy. We analyze the prevalence trend during last decade of hypertension and Keshan-disease in Yangzhuang village which was a Keshan-disease epidemic area.Method The survey including medical history,blood pressure and ECG were carried out every two years during the follow up 13 years.Results During follow up period,the total detection rate(hypertension:13.4 % vs Keshan-disease:10.7 %,?~2=8.555,P=0.002)and the accumulative rate of hypertension were higher than those of Keshan-disease,which was on the contrary to that before 1993,when increasing rate of Keshan-disease was higher than hypertension.Furthermore,the accumulative increasing rate of hypertension was 240.0%,which was higher than the national average level during corresponding period with no significant differences between female and male.Conclusion The detection rate of hypertension in Keshan disease epidemic area was higher than the average rate nation-wide.Whether the hypertension prevalence was re- lated to Keshan-disease needs further investigation.

Acupuncture and moxibustion treatment has good therapeutic effects on the intractable eye diseases including pigmentary degeneration of retina, macular degeneration, glaucoma and optic atrophy, etc. This paper reviews acupuncture and moxibustion treatment of these diseases from selection of acupoints, treatment methods, effectiveness and mechanism studies, and raises the problems in existence and the prospect.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Eye Diseases ; therapy ; Humans ; Moxibustion ; methods

OBJECTIVETo establish fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay method of detecting proteolytic activity of non-structural protein 3-4A (NS3-4A) serine protease of hepatitis C virus (HCV) for high throughput screening inhibitors against HCV in vitro.

METHODSHCV recombinant plasmid pMAL~c2/NS3-4A was transformed into the E.coli strain K12TB1. Maltose-binding-protein (MBP) NS3-4A fusion protein expression was induced by adding isopropyl-β-D-thiogalacto-pyranoside (IPTG) and purified by affinity chromatography. The proteolytic activity of MBP-NS3-4A protease was analyzed by FRET with the special protease substrate. The reaction system in this model was optimized, and the reliability of the model was evaluated.

RESULTSHigh throughput screening model for HCV NS3-4A protease inhibitors was established, and the best concentrations of enzyme and substrate were optimized. In the model, the Km value of protease was 4.74 μmol/L, Z factor was up to 0.80, and coefficient of variation (CV) was 1.91%. BILN 2061, one of the known HCV protease inhibitors, was measured with the Ki of 0.30 nmol/L.

CONCLUSIONThe assay model using FRET method for HCV NS3 4A serine protease is stable and reliable, and the model is suitable for high throughput screening for HCV NS3 4A protease inhibitors.

Antiviral Agents ; pharmacology ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer ; Hepacivirus ; enzymology ; High-Throughput Screening Assays ; methods ; Protease Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Viral Nonstructural Proteins ; antagonists & inhibitors ; genetics

Quantitative structure-property relationships (QSPR) were developed to predict the pK(a) values of sulfa drugs via heuristic method (HM) and gene expression programming (GEP). The descriptors of 31 sulfa drugs were calculated by the software CODESSA, which can calculate constitutional, topological, geometrical, electrostatic, and quantum chemical descriptors. HM was also used for the preselection of 4 appropriate molecular descriptors. Linear and nonlinear QSPR models were developed based on the HM and GEP separately and two prediction models lead to a good correlation coefficient (R) of 0.90 and 0.95. The two QSPR models are tseful in predicting pK(a) during the discovery of new drugs and providing theory information for studying the new drugs.
Algorithms ; Gene Expression ; Models, Chemical ; Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship ; Software ; Sulfonamides ; chemistry

Objective To investigate the association between the serum creatinine/cystatin C ratio(SCr/Cys C)as a Sarcopenia index(SI)and the incidence of in-hospital adverse events in patients with acute myocardial infarction(AMI)undergoing emergency percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI).Additionally,we evaluate the predictive efficacy of the SI in predicting major adverse cardiovascular events(MACEs)during hospitalization.Methods A total of 306 patients with AMI who underwent emergency PCI in the 904th Hospital of PLA Joint Logistics Support Force from January 2020 to March 2023 were consecutively included in this retrospective analysis.Patients were divided into two groups based on the occurrence of MACEs during hospitalization:MACEs group(n=43)and non-MACEs group(n=263).Clinical characteristics and pre-PCI laboratory test results were collected.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors for MACEs.The predictive performance of SI was assessed using receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis.Results The incidence of in-hospital MACEs in AMI patients was 14.1%.The results of the independent samples t-test showed that the SI level in MACEs group was significantly lower than that in non-MACEs group,with a statistically significant difference(P<0.001).The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that new-onset atrial fibrillation,Killip class 2-4,SI,and TG were independent risk factors for in-hospital adverse events after emergency PCI.The ROC curve results showed that the predictive value of SI(AUC=0.741,95%CI 0.666-0.816)using the SCr/Cys C ratio was superior to that of single Cys C(AUC=0.658,95%CI 0.570-0.746)for predicting post-PCI MACEs,with a statistically significant difference(P<0.05),and the optimal cutoff value for SI was 78.14.After stratifying SI based on the cutoff value,the results of the independent samples t-test showed that compared to the higher SI group,the lower SI group had a higher occurrence of specific adverse events such as heart failure(P<0.001),malignant arrhythmias(P=0.009),and strokes(P=0.003),with statistically significant differences.Conclusions The results highlight SI as an independent risk factor for MACEs during hospitalization after emergency PCI in AMI patients.Furthermore,SI has proven to be an effective prognostic index for patient outcomes.

Objective:To investigate the protective effect of endogenous ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid(PUFA)against cisplatin-induced myelosuppression and the mechanism of reducing apoptosis in bone marrow nucleated cells using mfat-1 transgenic mice.Methods:The experimental animals were divided into 4 groups:wild-type mice normal control group,mfat-1 transgenic mice normal control group,wild-type mice model group and mfat-1 transgenic mice model group.The mice in the model group were injected intraperitoneally with 7.5 mg/kg cisplatin on day 0 and day 7 to construct a myelosuppression model,while the mice in the normal control group were injected intraperitoneally with an equal amount of saline,and their status was observed and their body weight was measured daily.Peripheral blood was taken after 14 day for routine blood analysis,and the content and proportion of PUFA in peripheral blood were detected using gas chromatography.Bone marrow nucleated cells in the femur of mice were counted.The histopathological changes in bone marrow were observed by histopathological staining.The apoptosis of nucleated cells and the expression level changes of apoptosis-related genes in the bone marrow of mice were detected by flow cytometry and fluorescence quantitative PCR.Results:Compared with wild-type mice,mfat-1 transgenic mice showed significantly increased levels of ω-3 PUFA in peripheral blood and greater tolerance to cisplatin.Peripheral blood analysis showed that endogenous ω-3 PUFA promoted the recovery of leukocytes,erythrocytes,platelets and haemoglobin in peripheral blood of myelosuppressed mice.The results of HE staining showed that endogenous ω-3 PUFA significantly improved the structural damage of bone marrow tissue induced by cisplatin.Flow cytometry and PCR showed that,compared with wild-type mice model group,the apoptosis rate of bone marrow nucleated cells in mfat-1 transgenic mice was significantly reduced(P＜0.001),and the expression of anti-apoptotic genes Bcl-2 mRNA was significantly increased(P＜0.01),while the expressions of pro-apoptotic genes Bax and Bak mRNA were significantly reduced(P＜0.001,P＜0.05).Conclusion:Endogenous ω-3 PUFA can reduce cisplatin-induced apoptosis in bone marrow nucleated cells,increase the number of peripheral blood cells and exert a protective effect against cisplatin-induced myelosuppression by regulating the expression of apoptosis-related genes.

BACKGROUNDNontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head (NONFH) is a debilitating disease that represents a significant financial burden for both individuals and healthcare systems. Despite its significance, however, its prevalence in the Chinese general population remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of NONFH and its associated risk factors in the Chinese population.

METHODSA nationally representative survey of 30,030 respondents was undertaken from June 2012 to August 2013. All participants underwent a questionnaire investigation, physical examination of hip, and bilateral hip joint X-ray and/or magnetic resonance imaging examination. Blood samples were taken after overnight fasting to test serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels. We then used multivariate logistic regression analysis to investigate the associations between various metabolic, demographic, and lifestyle-related variables and NONFH.

RESULTSNONFH was diagnosed in 218 subjects (0.725%) and the estimated NONFH cases were 8.12 million among Chinese people aged 15 years and over. The prevalence of NONFH was significantly higher in males than in females (1.02% vs. 0.51%, χ2 = 24.997, P < 0.001). Among NONFH patients, North residents were subjected to higher prevalence of NONFH than that of South residents (0.85% vs. 0.61%, χ 2 = 5.847, P = 0.016). Our multivariate regression analysis showed that high blood levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and non-HDL-cholesterol, male, urban residence, family history of osteonecrosis of the femoral head, heavy smoking, alcohol abuse and glucocorticoid intake, overweight, and obesity were all significantly associated with an increased risk of NONFH.

CONCLUSIONSOur findings highlight that NONFH is a significant public health challenge in China and underscore the need for policy measures on the national level. Furthermore, NONFH shares a number of risk factors with atherosclerosis.

Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Femur Head Necrosis ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Young Adult

ObjectivesBased on the changes of lung lesions in patients with COVID-19 at different stages， a nomogram model describing CT image features was established by radiomics method to explore its efficacy in predicting the progression of the disease. MethodsThis retrospective study enrolled 136 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who received at least two CTs including three cohorts （training cohort and validation cohort 1 and 2）. Patients in the training cohort were divided into three groups according to time between onset of fever symptoms and the first CT. The clinical manifestations and CT features of each group were analyzed and compared. A nomogram to predict disease progression was constructed according to the CT features of the patients， and its performance was evaluated. ResultsThe training cohort consisted of 41 patients.A nomogram was generated to predict disease progression based on three CT features： irregular strip shadow， air bronchial sign， and the proportion of lesions with irregular shape ≥50%. AUC（95%CI）=0.906（0.817，0.995）.The C index of the training cohort was 0.906， and the C index of the internal verification was 0.892. AUC（95%CI）of the validation cohort 1 （34 cases） =0.889（0.793，0.984）；AUC（95%CI）of the validation cohort 2 （61 cases）=0.876（0.706，1.000）.The calibration curves show that the predicted values of the nomogram are in good agreement with the observed values. ConclusionThe nomogram model based on CT radiomics can predict the outcome of lung lesions in patients with high sensitivity and specificity.According to the changes of CT image characteristics of patients with COVID-19， lung lesions will be improved when the proportion of irregular cable shadow， air bronchogram and irregular lesions is greater than 50%.

Objective: To compare the application effect of the colonoscopy, fecal immunochemical test (FIT) and novel risk-adapted screening approach in colorectal cancer screening in Xuzhou population. Methods: From May 2018 to April 2019, 4 280 subjects aged 50-74 were recruited from Gulou district, Yunlong district and Quanshan district of Xuzhou. They were randomly assigned to the colonoscopy group (n=863), FIT group (n=1 723) and novel risk-adapted screening approach group (n=1 694) according to the ratio of 1∶2∶2. For the novel risk-adapted screening approach group, after the risk assessment, high-risk subjects were invited to undergo colonoscopy and low-risk subjects were invited to undergo FIT examination. All FIT positive subjects were invited to undergo colonoscopy. Colonoscopy participation rate [(the number of colonoscopies completed/the number of colonoscopies invited to participate)×100%], detection rate of colorectal lesions [(the number of diagnosed patients/the number of colonoscopies completed)×100%], colonoscopy resource load (the number of colonoscopies completed/the number of diagnosed advanced tumors) and FIT resource load in each group were calculated and compared. Results: The age of all subjects was (61±6) years old, including 1 816 males (42.43%). There was no statistically significant difference in the socio-demographic characteristics of the subjects in different screening groups. The colonoscopy participation rate was 22.60% (195/863) in the colonoscopy group, 57.04% (77/135) in the FIT group, and 33.94% (149/439) in the novel risk-adapted screening approach group, respectively. The colonoscopy participation rate was higher in the FIT group than in the colonoscopy group and the novel risk-adapted screening approach group (P<0.001). The colonoscopy participation rate of novel risk-adapted screening group was significantly higher than the colonoscopy group (P<0.001). The detection rates of advanced tumors were 6.67% (13/195), 9.09% (7/77) and 8.72% (13/149), respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The colonoscopy resource load (95%CI) was 15 (13-17) in the colonoscopy group, 11 (9-14) in the FIT group and 11 (10-13) in the novel risk-adapted screening approach group, respectively. Among them, the colonoscopy resource load of high-risk individuals in the novel risk-adapted screening approach group was 12 (9-15). FIT resource loads (95%CI) were 207 (196-218) and 88 (83-94) in the FIT group and the novel risk-adapted screening approach group. Conclusion: The combined application of risk-adapted screening approach and FIT may have a good application effect in colorectal cancer screening.
Aged ; Colonoscopy ; Colorectal Neoplasms/pathology* ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Feces ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Middle Aged ; Occult Blood