Objective To evaluate the association between maternal serum levels of vitamin B12 and folate and neural tube defects (NTD) in Shanxi Province which with the extremely high prevalence of NTD in China. Methods A case-control study was conducted in five counties of Shanxi Province, China. Maternal concentrations of vitamin B12 and folate [expressed as G (P5-P95)]in NTD-affected pregnancies were dichotomized at a cut-off of 10th percentile of the mean values of control women to calculate the risk of NTD for the lower level group. Results The mean levels of serum vitamin B12 and folate in the NTD pregnancies were significantly lower than in the control [vitamin B12 83. 8 pmol/L(30. 5-209. 1) pmol/L vs 102. 6 pmol/L(51. 9-269. 7) pmol/L, P<0. 05; folate:10. 5 pmol/L(4. 4-24. 5) nmol/L vs 12. 9 pmol/L(6. 3-32. 7) nmol/L, P<0. 01]. In cases complicated with spina bifida, lower maternal serum vitamin B12 and folate levels were detected compared with the control group. While, in those complicated with anencephaly, only lower levels of maternal folate were shown. There was no statistical significance in maternal serum concentrations of vitamin B12 and folate between those cases with encephalocele and controls. Higher risk of NTDs were found in pregnant women with lower level of vitamin B12 and folate (AOR = 2. 58, 95% CI: 1. 20-5. 51; AOR= 2. 76, 95%CI: 1. 30-5. 87). Conclusions Deficiency or insufficiency of folate or vitamin B12 is associated with the increased risk of NTD, especially in high risk population.

Objective To investigate the effect of extract ofTangshen-HuazhuoRecipe(TSHZR) on the serum concentrations of transforming growth factorβ1(TGF-β1) and platelet derived growth factor(PDGF) in patients withⅣ stage of diabetic nephropathy(DN).Methods From June 2012 to December 2012, 98 patients ofⅣstage DN in our hospital outpatient were enrolled and randomly divided into treatment group(n=48) and control group(n=50) using random number table. All patients received conventional therapies of controlling blood sugar, lipid, blood pressure and anticoagulant therapy. On such basis, the control group was treated by irbesartan, 150 mg/d, and the treated group treated by TSHZR combined with irbesartan,150 mg/d, for 6 months. Serum TGF-β1 and PDGF were determined with ELISA before and after treatment,and urinary albumin excretion rate,HbA1c,serum creatinine,blood urea nitrogen and lipid profiles were examined as well. ResultsIn the treated group, the TGF-β1 was(172.5±31.3), (123.6±21.2)pg/ml, the PDGF was(860.9± 131.2), (500.6±130.2)pg/ml before the treatment and after the treatment, respectively. The TGF-β1 and PDGF after the treatment were significantly decreased than those before the treatment(P<0.01). After the treatment, TGF-β1 and PDGF in the treated group were statistically significant compared to the control group[TGF-β1 is(157.4±39.6)pg/ml, PDGF is(765.7±161.8)]pg/ml,P<0.01). After the treatment, the treatment group was superior to the control group in TG(1.72±0.25)mmol/L,(2.09±0.27)mmol/L,(P<0.01), TC(4.56± 0.64)mmol/L,(6.11±0.93)mmol/L, (P<0.01), HDL-C(1.56±0.50)mmol/L,(1.36±0.44)mmol/L, (P<0.01), LDL-C(2.46±1.08)mmol/L(3.32±0.87)mmol/L,(P<0.05)and UAER(100.73±204.24)μg/min, (226.24±396.38)μg/min, (P<0.01).Conclusion TSHZR can inhibit the progressive of IV stage of diabetic nephropathy by suppressing TGF-β1 and PDGF expression level.

Objective To measure the macular thickness of natural population in Changping district of Beijing by optical coherence tomography (OCT), and to analyze whether there is an increased thickness in diabetic patients.Methods In a cross-sectional population-based study, OCT was performed on 521 subjects (233 with normal glucose homeostasis, 174 with pre-diabetes and 114 with type 2 diabetes (T2D) according to 2011 Health Examination Survey of Changping.The subjects also received physical examination and laboratory measurements including fasting plasma glucose (FPG), oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)-2 h plasma glucose and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c).Results The results showed that central subfield thickness (CST) of the retina of men ((246±22) μm) was significantly greater than that of women ((235±26) μm) (P＜0.001).Meanwhile, no significant difference was found in the CST in subjects of different age, HbAlc and body mass index (BMI) (P＞0.05).Difference in thickness of different glucose groups was not seen in central subfield, inner subfields and outer subfields(P＞0.05).Conclusions Retina CST of men was significantly greater than that of women.No significant difference was found in the CST in subjects of different age, HbA1c and BMI.

Objective To investigate the relationship between subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in elderly type 2 diabetic patients.Methods 1170 hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were enrolled in our study.After identified by systematic sampling,all the elderly patients received examinations of thyroid function,biochemical indexes,steamed bread meal test and C-peptide releasing test.The serious degree of DR was observed through digital fundus photography and ophthalmofundoscope.The relationship between SCH and DR was analyzed.Results All the subjects were divided into two subgroups:euthyroid group(TSH≤4mU/L)and subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) group (mild SCH group,TSH ＞4～10 mU/L; serious SCH group,TSH＞10 mU/L).Free thyroxine (FT4) was significantly lower in SCH group than in euthyroid group[(13.91±2.17) pmol/L vs.(16.55±2.81)pmol/L,P＜0.001].The levels of basal (CP0) and post glucose-challenge (CP1-3) C-peptide were significantly higher in SCH group than in euthyroid group (P0-3 value:0.001,0.012,0.004,0.001).There were significant differences in the progress of diabetic retinopathy between SCH and euthyroid groups (retinopathy-L,P=0.018; retinopathy-R P=0.013).Conclusions Elderly type 2 diabetic patients with SCH have a higher incidence of diabetic retinopathy (DR).The elevated FT4 level and decreased basal C-peptide level are probably the main reasons.

Objective: To explore the relationship between junior high school students lifestyles and 20 m shuttle run test (20 m SRT) performance, so as to provide a theoretical basis for promoting a healthy lifestyle among junior high school students. Methods: From April to June 2021, a total of 2 397 junior high school students aged 12-17 years in Yushan, Wuyuan, Hengfeng and Yugan counties of Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province were selected by random cluster stratified sampling. A questionnaire survey and 20 m SRT test were conducted. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the association between lifestyles and 20 m SRT scores. Results: The passing rate of 20 m SRT for middle school students was 83.3%. Chi square test results showed that there were statistically significant differences between gender, grade, household registration, type of schooling, father s education and the 20 m SRT scores of junior high school students ( χ 2=25.26, 25.04, 6.99, 7.96, 16.22, P <0.05). Significant differences were found in 20 m SRT scores between vigorous and moderate physical activity and breakfast behavior in the last seven days ( χ 2=6.78, 6.29, 9.13, P < 0.05). The results of Logistic regression analysis showed that after controlling for confounding factors, "no vigorous physical activity in the last seven days" was positively correlated with the lower performance of 20 m SRT ( OR =1.31, 95% CI =1.03- 1.67 , P < 0.05). "Breakfast skipping" was positively correlated with 20 m SRT lower performance (frequent eating, OR =1.37, 95% CI = 1.09 -1.73, P <0.01). Conclusion Vigorous physical activity and regular breakfast consumption behavior are associated with higher performance 20 m SRT of junior high school students. Schools should encourage students to develop a habit of actively exercising and consuming breakfast regularly in order to ensure the healthy development of cardiopulmonary endurance levels.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the mediating effects of sleep quality in the association between beverages consumption and depressive symptoms in Chinese university students, and to provide a theoretical reference for preventing and reducing depression symptoms. Methods: This school-based cross-sectional survey was carried out among 4 624 university students from 2 universities in Anhui and Jiangxi provinces of China. The patient health questionnaire-9 items (PHQ-9) was used to assess depressive symptoms. The Pittsburgh sleep quality index（PSQI） was used to assess sleep quality, and a self-reported dietary frequency questionnaire was used to measure beverages consumption. The quantile regression model was used to association analysis, and the latent variable mediation model was used to analyze the mediation effect. Results: The positive rates of mild, moderate, moderate to severe and severe depression in 4 624 university students were 31.4%, 7.5%, 4.1% and 2.0%, respectively. There was a significant association between the beverages consumption score, the PSQI score, and the PHQ-9 score( P <0.01). The higher the quantile of the beverage consumption and PSQI score, the greater the regression coefficient ( β ), and a significant dose-response relationship was observed( P <0.01). In the latent variable mediation model of beverages consumption associated with depressive symptoms in Chinese university students, the mediating effect value of sleep quality was 0.12, and the ratio of mediating effect to total effect was 71.3%. Conclusion Our study demonstrates that poor sleep quality partially mediates the association between beverages consumption and depressive symptoms in Chinese university students.

OBJECTIVE：To investigate the effect of increasing efficacy and decreasing toxicity of Limax extract （LE）on cyclophosphamide（CTX）in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS ：The mice were randomly divided into normal group，model group ，CTX group （0.02 g/kg），LE low-dose ，medium-dose and high-dose groups （LEL，LEM，LEH group ，0.6，1.2，2.4 g/kg），CTX+LE low-dose ，medium-dose and high-dose combination groups （CTX+LEL，CTX+LEM，CTX+ LEH group ，the same dose as single drug group ），with 10 huangrenbin518@163.com mice in each group. Except for normal group ，other groups were inoculated with hepatoma cells H 22 in the left ar mpit to establish tumor bearing models. After 24 h of inoculation ，normal group and model group were intragastrically given normal saline ， and administration groups were intragastrically given corresponding drugs ，once a day ，for 10 days. On the second day after the last administration ，the general conditions of mice in each group were observed ；the body mass ，thymus index （LI），spleen index （SI）were measured ；the tumor inhibition rate was detected. The effect （q）of combination therapy was evaluated by King ’s formula . The counts of WBC ，RBC and PLT ，serum contents of ALT ，ALT，Scr and BUN were detected in model group ，CTX group and combination groups ，and the contents of MDA，SOD and GSH ，the levels of VEGF ，TNF-α and IL-6 in the tumor tissue were detected by colorimetry and ELISA in above groups. The protein expression of oncogenes （p53，Bcl-2 and Bax ）were detected by immunohistochemical method in model group，CTX group and CTX+LEM group. RESULTS ：The mice in the model group were in poor spirit and had symptoms of excessive drinking and eating ；although the body weight ，TI and SI were not significantly abnormal compared with normal group （P＞0.05），WBC count and AST content were significantly increased ，ALT and BUN contents were significantly decreased （P＜ 0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with model group ，above symptoms of mice were all improved in administration groups. The tumor weight of administration groups ，TI and SI of CTX group and TI of combination groups were decreased significantly ，but tumor weight of LEL group and LEH group ，TI and SI of LE single groups and combination groups were significantly higher than CTX group；tumor weight of combination groups were significantly lower than CTX group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. The tumor inhibition rates of administration groups were 29.58％-72.08％. The q values of CTX+LEL group ，CTX+LEM group and CTX+LEH group were 1.03，0.97 and 0.86，respectively. Compared with model group ，WBC count ，AST and BUN contents of CTX group ，MDA contents of combination groups ，VEGF，TNF-α and IL-6 levels of administration groups ，the protein expression of Bcl- 2 in CTX group and CTX+LEM group were decreased significantly ；the activities of SOD and GSH of administration groups ，the protein expression of p 53 in CTX+LEM group and Bax in CTX group ，CTX+LEM group were increased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜ 0.01）；WBC counts and AST contents of administration groups ，ALT content of CTX+LEM group ，SOD activity of CTX+LEH group and GSH activity of CTX+LEM group were all significantly higher than those of CTX group ；MDA content of CTX+LEH group，VEGF and TNF-α levels of CTX+LEM group and CTX+LEH group，IL-6 levels of administration groups were all significantly lower than CTX group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS ：LE combined with CTX can increase the anti-tumor effect，and LE can reduce the toxicity of CTX induced immunosuppression and bone marrow suppression in mice ，with effect of increasing efficacy and decreasing toxicity. The effect may be related to antioxidant stress ，inhibition of angiogenesis and secretion of inflammatory factors ，and regulation of apoptosis protein expression.