Objective To develop a portable collection device of human exhaled breath condensate(EBC)based on natural breathing to meet the needs for rapid screening of human respiratory tract(especially lower respiratory tract)infections.Methods The device consisted of a refrigeration unit,a heat dissipation unit and a condensation unit.The refrigeration unit adopted a TES1-7102 thermoelectric Peltier cooler semiconductor as the refrigeration element;the heat dissipation unit was composed of a high thermal conductivity aluminum heat sink and a high-speed brushless cooling fan;the condensation unit was made up of a cold guide plate and a condenser,in which the cold guide plate was made of thin sheet of aluminum alloy,and the condenser was prepared by 3D printing technology and made of hydrophobic polylactic acid,with primary and secondary 2-stage guide grooves and an ultra-thin condensing surface.The performance of the device was verified in terms of cooling,thermal conductivity,condensation and human EBC collection and content analysis.Results Performance analysis showed that after refrigeration began the temperature difference between the condenser surface and the exhaled gas met the requirements of the condenser,and no obvious thermal resistance was found on the condensing surface so that large droplets could be formed rapidly and then be collected after the gas-liquid phase change of the exhaled gas on the condensing surface.Human EBC collection and content analysis indicated the device realized home self-collection of EBCs from people of all ages,and the concentrations of interleukins,C-reactive protein and other inflammation-related indexes and the pH value of the collected EBC samples were all correlated with respiratory infections in the subjects.Conclusion The device developed with easy operation avoids the discomfort of blowing collection and the risk of saliva contamination,and is worthy promoting for rapid diagnosis and dynamic monitoring of respiratory tract infection and other related diseases.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(8):32-37]

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of Xuanfei Yipi Formula,a prescription derived from modified Jianpi Pill recorded in Yi Fang Ji Jie(A Collection of Prescriptions with Expositions),in treating senile sarcopenia with spleen-stomach weakness type,and to observe its effect on chronic low-grade inflammation of the patients.Methods Seventy cases of senile sarcopenia patients of spleen-stomach weakness type were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group,with 35 cases in each group.The control group was given exercise and nutritional guidance,while the observation group was treated with Xuanfei Yipi Formula orally on the basis of the control group,and the intervention time of both groups was eight weeks.The changes of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome scores,appendicular skeletal muscle mass index(ASMI),grip strength,6-meter walking pace,and the serum levels of C-reactive protein(CRP),interleukin 6(IL-6),tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α)in the two groups before and after treatment were observed.After treatment,the clinical efficacy and safety of the patients in the two groups were evaluated.Results(1)After eight weeks of treatment,the total effective rate in the observation group was 94.29%(33/35),and that in the control group was 77.14%(27/35),the intergroup comparison(by chi-square test)showed that the efficacy of the observation group was significantly superior to that of the control group(P＜0.05).(2)After treatment,the TCM syndrome scores in the two groups were significantly lower than those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the decrease of TCM syndrome score in the observation group was more obviously than that in the control group(P＜0.01).(3)After eight weeks of treatment,the ASMI,grip strength and 6-meter walking pace in the two groups were significantly higher than those before treatment,and the increase of ASMI and grip strength in the observation group was more obviously than that in the control group(P＜0.05).(4)After eight weeks of treatment,the levels of serum CRP,IL-6,and TNF-α in the two groups were decreased significantly compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the decrease of serum CRP level in the observation group was more obviously than that in the control group(P＜0.05).(5)During the treatment,no obvious adverse reactions occurred in both groups,and the safety indexes of liver and kidney functions of the patients were all within the normal range.Conclusion Xuanfei Yipi Formula can improve the clinical symptoms of senile sarcopenia patients,and its mechanism is probably related with the regulation of chronic low-grade inflammation.

Objective To investigate the correlation between the level of N-terminal pro-Brain natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP)and cardiorespiratory fitness following acute exposure to high altitude.Methods Forty-six subjects were recruited from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University in June 2022,including 19 males and 27 females.After completing cardiopulmonary exercise test(CPET),serological detection of myocardial cell-related markers,and multiple metabolites at a plain altitude(300 meters above sea level),all subjects flew to a high-altitude location(3900 meters above sea level).Biomarker testing and CPET were repeated on the second and third days after arrival at high altitude.Changes in serum biomarker and key CPET indicators before and after rapid ascent to high altitude were compared,and the correlation between serum levels of various myocardial cell-related markers and metabolites and high altitude cardiorespiratory fitness was analyzed.Results Compared with the plain altitude,there was a significant decrease in maximal oxygen uptake after rapid ascent to high altitude[(25.41±6.20)ml/(kg.min)vs.(30.17±5.01)ml/(kg.min),P<0.001].Serum levels of NT-proBNP,Epinephrine(E),plasma renin activity(PRA),angiotensin Ⅱ(Ang Ⅱ),angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2)and leptin(LEP)significantly increased,with all differences being statistically significant(P<0.05)after acute high altitude exposure.In contrast,no statistically significant differences were observed for creatine kinase MB(CK-MB),cardiac troponin I(cTnI),myoglobin(Myo)and norepinephrine(NE)(P>0.05).Correlation analysis showed a significant negative correlation between NT-proBNP at plain altitude(r=-0.768,P<0.001)and at high altitude(r=-0.791,P<0.001)with maximal oxygen uptake at high altitude.Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that maximal oxygen uptake at plain altitude(t=2.069,P=0.045),NT-proBNP at plain altitude(t=-2.436,P=0.020)and at high altitude(t=-3.578,P=0.001)were independent influencing factors of cardiorespiratory fitness at high altitude.Conclusion Cardiorespiratory fitness significantly decreases after rapid ascent to high altitude,and the baseline NT-proBNP level at plain altitude is closely related to cardiorespiratory fitness at high altitude,making it a potential predictor indicator for high altitude cardiorespiratory fitness.

Objective To describe the current state of research and future research hotspots through a metrological analysis of the literature in the field of forensic anthropological remains identification re-search.Methods The data retrieved and extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC),the core database of the Web of Science information service platform (hereinafter referred to as "WoS"),was used to analyze the trends and topic changes in research on forensic identification of human re-mains from 1991 to 2022.Network visualisation of publication trends,countries (regions),institutions,authors and topics related to the identification of remains in forensic anthropology was analysed using python 3.9.2 and Gephi 0.10.Results A total of 873 papers written in English in the field of forensic anthropological remains identification research were obtained.The journal with the largest number of publications was Forensic Science International (164 articles).The country (region) with the largest number of published papers was China (90 articles).Katholieke Univ Leuven (Netherlands,21 articles) was the institution with the largest number of publications.Topic analysis revealed that the focus of forensic anthropological remains identification research was sex estimation and age estimation,and the most commonly studied remains were teeth.Conclusion The volume of publications in the field of forensic anthropological remains identification research has a distinct phasing.However,the scope of both international and domestic collaborations remains limited.Traditionally,human remains identifica-tion has primarily relied on key areas such as the pelvis,skull,and teeth.Looking ahead,future re-search will likely focus on the more accurate and efficient identification of multiple skeletal remains through the use of machine learning and deep learning techniques.

Objective: To evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of the implantable ventricular assist system EVAHEART I in clinical use. Methods: Fifteen consecutive patients with end-stage heart failure who received left ventricular assist device therapy in Fuwai Hospital from January 2018 to December 2021 were enrolled in this study, their clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. Cardiac function, liver and kidney function, New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, 6-minute walk distance and quality of life were evaluated before implantation and at 1, 6, 12, 24 and 36 months after device implantation. Drive cable infection, hemolysis, cerebrovascular events, mechanical failure, abnormally high-power consumption and abnormal pump flow were recorded during follow up. Results: All 15 patients were male, mean average age was (43.0±7.5) years, including 11 cases of dilated cardiomyopathy, 2 cases of ischemic cardiomyopathy, and 2 cases of valvular heart disease. All patients were hemodynamically stable on more than one intravenous vasoactive drugs, and 3 patients were supported by preoperative intra aortic balloon pump (IABP). Compared with before device implantation, left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD) was significantly decreased ((80.93±6.69) mm vs. (63.73±6.31) mm, P<0.05), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), total bilirubin and creatinine were also significantly decreased ((3 544.85±1 723.77) ng/L vs. (770.80±406.39) ng/L; (21.28±10.51) μmol/L vs. (17.39±7.68) μmol/L; (95.82±34.88) μmol/L vs. (77.32±43.81) μmol/L; P<0.05) at 1 week after device implantation. All patients in this group were in NYHA class Ⅳ before implantation, and 9 patients could recover to NYHA class Ⅲ, 3 to class Ⅱ, and 3 to class Ⅰ at 1 month after operation. All patients recovered to class Ⅰ-Ⅱ at 6 months after operation. The 6-minute walk distance, total quality of life and visual analogue scale were significantly increased and improved at 1 month after implantation compared with those before operation (P<0.05). All patients were implanted with EVAHEART I at speeds between 1 700-1 950 rpm, flow rates between 3.2-4.5 L/min, power consumption of 3-9 W. The 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year survival rates were 100%, 87%, and 80%, respectively. Three patients died of multiple organ failure at 412, 610, and 872 d after surgery, respectively. During long-term device carrying, 3 patients developed drive cable infection on 170, 220, and 475 d after surgery, respectively, and were cured by dressing change. One patient underwent heart transplantation at 155 d after surgery due to bacteremia. Three patients developed transient ischemic attack and 1 patient developed hemorrhagic stroke events, all cured without sequelae. Conclusion: EVAHEART I implantable left heart assist system can effectively treat critically ill patients with end-stage heart failure, can be carried for long-term life and significantly improve the survival rate, with clear clinical efficacy.
Humans ; Male ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Heart Failure/complications* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; Heart-Assist Devices ; Quality of Life

Objective: This study was to investigate the main characteristics and related factors of wideband absorbance (WBA) in children with normal hearing and to obtain age-specific reference range of WBA. Methods: 384 children between 0-12 years old (615 ears) who visited the Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University from October 2019 to February 2021 were enrolled, including 230 males (376 ears) and 154 females (239 ears), with totally 306 left ears and 309 right ears. Wideband tympanometry (WBT) was performed and normative WBA data were analyzed by SPSS 24.0 statistical software. Repeated measures and multivariate analysis of variance were applied to the data from 16 points at 1/3-octave frequencies (226, 324, 408, 500, 667, 841, 1 000, 1 297, 1 682, 2 000, 2 670, 3 364, 4 000, 5 339, 6 727 and 8 000 Hz) to evaluate the effects of frequency, age, external auditory canal pressures, gender and ear on WBA. Results: According to the WBT frequency-absorbance curve, the subjects were divided into seven groups: 1-month old group, 2-month old group, 3-month old group, 4-5 month old group, 6-24 month old group,>2-6 year old group and>6-12 year old group. The WBA of normal-hearing children underwent a series of developmental changes with age at both ambient pressure and tympanometric peak pressures. WBA results for 1-month group and 2-month old group exhibited a multipeaked pattern, with the peaks occurring around 2 000 and 4 897 Hz, and a notch around 3 886 Hz. WBA results for 3-month group and 4-5 month old group exhibited a single broad-peaked pattern, with the peak occurring between 2 000-4 757 Hz. The WBA of 1-month old group to 4-5 month old group decreased gradually at low frequency (226-408 Hz) and 6 727 Hz, and increased at middle to high frequency (2 670-4 000 Hz). The WBA of 6-24 month old group were significantly lower than that of 2-month old group to 4-5 month old group at all frequencies except 3 364 and 4 000 Hz. WBA results for 6-24 month old group,>2-6 year old group and>6-12 year old group exhibited a single-peaked pattern, and the peak frequency of WBA moved to the lower frequency successively. From 6-24 month old group to>6-12 year old group, the WBA gradually increased at low to middle frequencies (667-2 670 Hz) and 8 000 Hz, and decreased at middle to high frequencies (3 364-5 339 Hz). Among the 16 frequencies of all age groups, the difference between WBA under ambient pressure and tympanometric peak pressure were -0.09-0.06, and 43.75%-81.25% frequency points had statistically significant difference, which was mainly manifested in that WBA under ambient pressure were lower than that under tympanometric peak pressure at 226-1 682 Hz. There was no significant ear effect on all of the age groups. Similarly, there was no significant gender effect except for 3-month old group and 4-5 month old group. Conclusions: The WBA of normal-hearing children measured at ambient pressure and tympanometric peak pressure varied across the frequencies with age from 1 month to 12 years old, and different frequencies followed different change patterns (increase vs. decrease) in WBA. There was also significant external auditory canal pressures effect on all of the age groups. The establishment of age-specific reference range of WBA for 0-12 years old normal-hearing children in this study would be useful for clinical practice of determining normative data regarding WBT.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Child ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant ; Child, Preschool ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Acoustic Impedance Tests/methods* ; Ear ; Reference Values ; Ear Canal

italic>Tussilago farfara L. is a perennial herb of Tussilago genus in the Compositae family. Its dried buds and leaves have good biological activities and have a long history of medicinal use in China and Europe. In this paper, we investigated the whole chloroplast genome characteristics, sequence duplication, structural variation and phylogeny of the Tussilago farfara L. After sequencing the Tussilago farfara L. chloroplast genome using Illumination technology, the complete Tussilago farfara L. chloroplast genome was further obtained by assembly and annotation, followed by a series of inverted repeat-large single copy/small single copy region contraction and expansion analysis, genome sequence variation, etc. The sequences of 13 homologous plants downloaded from NCBI were used to construct a neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree. The results showed that the total GC content of the chloroplast genome was 37.4% and the length was 150 300 bp; 125 genes were annotated, including 82 protein-coding genes, 35 tRNAs and 8 rRNAs; 148 (simple sequence repeats, SSR) loci were detected, and the relative synonymous codon usage showed that 31 codons out of 64 codons had a usage of >1. In the phylogenetic analysis, the chloroplast genomes of the seven species of Asteraceae, including the Yulin Tussilago farfara L., were highly conserved, and the sequence variation of the (large single-copy, LSC) and (small single-copy, SSC) regions was higher than that of the (inverted repeat, IR) region. This is in general agreement with the reported phylogeny of Yulin Tussilago farfara L. In this study, we obtained a high quality chloroplast genome and analyzed its genome characteristics, codon preference, SSR characteristics, SC/IR boundary, sequence variation and phylogeny, which can provide a basis for species identification, genetic diversity analysis and resource development of this medicinal plant.

Objective: To establish a method for the determination of methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) in urine samples by headspace-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Methods: Automatic headspace sampling technique was adopted to optimize the headspace conditions (headspace bottle heating temperature and equilibration time) and gas chromatographic conditions. A total of 5 ml samples were taken and added with 3.0 g ammonium sulfate into a 20 ml headspace bottle. After heated at 60 ℃ for 30 mins, gas from the upper part of headspace bottle was injected into gas chromatography with an injection volume of 100 μl. The target was separated by HP-5MS UI (30 m×0.25 mm×0.25 μm) capillary column and then detected by mass spectrometry detector. The retention time and external standard method were used for qualitative and quantitative analysis of MIBK in samples, respectively. Results: The standard curve of MIBK showed significant linearity between 20.0-1 000.0 μg/L. The standard curve was y=62.9x-652.5, and the correlation coefficient r=0.9998. The detection limit of MIBK was 5.0 μg/L and the quantification limit of MIBK was 16.0 μg/L. The average recovery rate was 95.3%~100.2% at three spiked concentrations of low (50.0 μg/L) , medium (200.0 μg/L) and high (500.0 μg/L) . The intra-day and inter-day precisions were 1.7%~3.8% (n=6) and 1.2%~4.0% (n=6) respectively. This method was stable for the determination of MIBK, and the urine could be kept 14 d at -20 ℃ without significantly loss. Conclusion: This method is proved to be simple, practical and highly sensitive. It can satisfy the request for the determination of urine samples of workers exposed to MIBK.
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Humans ; Methyl n-Butyl Ketone

Objective: To quantitatively evaluate the content differences of trace elements in workers with occupational exposure to lead. Methods: In January 2021, relevant literatures on the contents of trace elements in workers with occupational exposure to lead published from 1990 to 2020 were searched through CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, PubMed, web of science and Embase. Screened and extracted the literatures, and evaluated the quality of the included literatures with Newcastle Ottawa Scale. Meta analysis was performed with Review Manager 5.3 software, and standardized mean difference (SMD) and its 95% confidence interval were used as effect indicators. Results: A total of 20 literatures were included, and the quality scores were 5-7. The results of Meta-analysis showed that compared with the control group, the contents of blood zinc (SMD=-1.01, 95%CI: -1.53, -0.49) , hair zinc (SMD=-0.17, 95%CI: -0.33, -0.01) , hair copper (SMD=-0.50, 95%CI: -1.01, 0) , hair iron (SMD=-3.91, 95%CI: -5.80, -2.03) and hair manganese (SMD=-1.09, 95%CI: -2.02, -0.15) in occupational lead exposure group were significantly lower (P<0.05) . Compared with the control group, the content of cobalt in hair of occupational lead exposure group (SMD=1.41, 95%CI: 0.72, 2.10) was higher, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05) . There was no significant difference in the contents of blood chromium, blood copper, blood iron, blood manganese, blood selenium and hair nickel between the two groups (P>0.05) . Conclusion: Workers with occupational exposure to lead have abnormal trace elements.
Copper ; Humans ; Iron ; Lead ; Manganese ; Occupational Exposure ; Trace Elements ; Zinc

Objective: To explore the clinical effects of free transplantation of expanded thoracodorsal artery perforator flaps in reconstructing cervical cicatrix contracture deformity after burns. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted. From May 2018 to April 2021, 11 patients with cervical cicatrix contracture deformity after burns who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University, including 3 males and 8 females, aged 5 to 46 years, with a course of cervical cicatrix contracture deformity of 5 months to 8 years. The degree of cervical cicatrix contracture deformity was degree Ⅰ in one patient, degree Ⅱ in nine patients, and degree Ⅲ in one patient. In the first stage, according to the sizes of neck scars, one rectangular skin and soft tissue expander (hereinafter referred to as expander) with rated capacity of 200 to 600 mL was placed in the back. The expansion time was 4 to 12 months with the total normal saline injection volume being 3.0 to 3.5 times of the rated capacity of expander. In the second stage, free expanded thoracodorsal artery perforator flaps with areas of 10 cm×7 cm to 24 cm×13 cm were cut out to repair the wounds with areas of 9 cm×6 cm to 23 cm×12 cm which was formed after cervical cicatectomy. The main trunk of thoracodorsal artery and vein were selected for end-to-end anastomosis with facial artery and vein, and the donor sites were directly closed. The survival of flaps and healing of flap donor sites were observed on the 14^th day post surgery. The appearances and cicatrix contracture deformity of the flaps, recovery of cervical function, and scar hyperplasia of donor sites were followed up. Results: On the 14^th day post surgery, the flaps of ten patients survived, while ecchymosis and epidermal necrosis occurred in the center of flap of one patient and healed 2 weeks after dressing change. On the 14^th day post surgery, the flap donor sites of 11 patients all healed well. During the follow-up of 6-12 months post surgery, the flaps of ten patients were similar to the skin around the recipient site in texture and color, while the flap of one patient was slightly swollen. All of the 11 patients had good recovery of cervical function and no obvious scar hyperplasia nor contracture in the flaps or at the donor sites. Conclusions: Application of expanded thoracodorsal artery perforator flaps can restore the appearance and function of the neck, and cause little damage to the donor site in reconstructing the cervical cicatrix contracture deformity after burns, which is worthy of clinical reference and application.
Arteries ; Burns/surgery* ; Cicatrix/surgery* ; Contracture/surgery* ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Male ; Perforator Flap ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; Skin Transplantation ; Soft Tissue Injuries/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome