Objective To explore the effect of the knockdown of transmembrane 9 superfamily protein member 2 (TM9SF2) on the replication of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), and investigate its role in the mechanism of antiviral innate immunity. Methods Small interfering RNA (siRNA) was used to knock down the TM9SF2 gene in human non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells. The CCK-8 method was used to assess cell proliferation. A VSV-green fluorescent protein (VSV-GFP) infected cell model was established. The plaque assay was used to measure the viral titer in the supernatant. RT-qPCR and Western blotting were employed to quantify the mRNA and protein levels of VSV genome replication in A549 cells following VSV infection, as well as the expression of interferon β (IFN-β) mRNA and interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) protein phosphorylation following polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)) stimulation. Results Compared to the negative control, the knockdown of TM9SF2 exhibited a significant effect, with no observed impact on A549 cell proliferation. The VSV-GFP infected A549 cell model was successfully established. After viral stimulation, fluorescence intensity was reduced following TM9SF2 knockdown, and the mRNA and protein levels of VSV were significantly downregulated. The viral titer of VSV was decreased. After poly(I:C) stimulation, TM9SF2 knockdown significantly upregulated the mRNA level of IFN-β and the phosphorylation level of IRF3 protein. Conclusion The knockdown of TM9SF2 inhibits the replication of vesicular stomatitis virus, and positively regulates the type I interferon signaling pathway, thus enhancing the host's antiviral innate immune response.
Humans ; Virus Replication/genetics* ; Signal Transduction ; Membrane Proteins/metabolism* ; A549 Cells ; Vesiculovirus/physiology* ; Interferon-beta/metabolism* ; Interferon Regulatory Factor-3/genetics* ; Interferon Type I/metabolism* ; Vesicular Stomatitis/immunology* ; Gene Knockdown Techniques ; Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus/physiology* ; RNA, Small Interfering/genetics*

This study was to survey the relationship between semen values and demographics, comorbidities, and recreational substance use in a large cohort of adult men at the University of Chicago Medical Center Department of Urology (Chicago, IL, USA). We performed an analysis from January 2013 to December 2023 of semen samples obtained from adult patients at our institution and collected their demographics, comorbid medical conditions, and recreational substance use information. Patients were divided into categories of normozoospermia, oligozoospermia, and azoospermia on the basis of the 5 th version of the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Data were analyzed by univariate linear and logistic regression models, after which statistically significant variables were placed into multivariable models. Azoospermia and oligozoospermia were both associated with Caucasian or Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) race (both P < 0.001), increasing age ( P = 0.005 and P < 0.001, respectively), anemia ( P < 0.001 and P = 0.02, respectively), lifetime tobacco use (both P < 0.001), lifetime alcohol use ( P = 0.02 and P < 0.001, respectively), and lifetime use of at least two recreational substances ( P < 0.001 and P = 0.003, respectively) in multivariable models. Oligospermia was additionally associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH; P = 0.003) in multivariable models. This study suggests that at-risk populations may benefit from additional early screening and workup for infertility.
Humans ; Male ; Adult ; Longitudinal Studies ; Middle Aged ; Semen Analysis ; Life Style ; Oligospermia/epidemiology* ; Azoospermia/epidemiology* ; Comorbidity ; Midwestern United States/epidemiology* ; Young Adult

With 12 representative states such as Ohio and Illinois as examples, the disciplinary system for acupuncturists in the United States is introduced. The disciplinary system mainly covers several aspects such as the subject of the implementation, the types of illegal acts, the form of disciplinary responsibility, and the hearing procedure. The acupuncture industry association has the responsibility of disciplinary action in most states. Corresponding disciplinary measures will be taken depending on the illegal activities of acupuncturists according to the types of illegal practice specified by each state. The hearing procedure provides procedural guarantee for the subsequent rights protection activities of acupuncturists.
Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Ohio ; United States

Segmentation of fundamental heart sounds–S1 and S2 is important for automated monitoring of cardiac activity including diagnosis of the heart diseases. This pa-per proposes a novel hybrid method for S1 and S2 heart sound segmentation using group sparsity denoising and variation mode decomposition (VMD) technique. In the proposed method, the measured phonocardiogram (PCG) signals are denoised using group sparsity algorithm by exploiting the group sparse (GS) property of PCG signals. The denoised GS-PCG signals are then decomposed into subsequent modes with specific spectral characteristics using VMD algorithm. The appropriate mode for further processing is selected based on mode central frequencies and mode energy. It is then followed by the extraction of Hilbert envelope (HEnv) and a thresholding on the selected mode to segment S1 and S2 heart sounds. The performance advantage of the proposed method is verified using PCG signals from benchmark databases namely eGeneralMedical, Littmann, Washington, and Michigan. The proposed hybrid algorithm has achieved a sensitivity of 100%, positive predictivity of 98%, accuracy of 98% and detection error rate of 1.5%. The promising results obtained suggest that proposed approach can be considered for automated heart sound segmentation.
Benchmarking ; Diagnosis ; Heart Diseases ; Heart Sounds ; Heart ; Methods ; Michigan ; Washington

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the trends in demographics and outcomes of patients presenting with traumatic brain injury by performing a retrospective database review of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Trauma Registry.METHODS: We utilized the IDPH Trauma Registry to retrieve data on patients treated for traumatic brain injuries at our large, tertiary care hospital from 2004 to 2012, inclusive. From this data, logistic regression models were used to analyze and compare basic demographics such as age, sex, and clinical outcome.RESULTS: Three thousand and thirty-nine patients were analyzed with a mean age of 43 (standard deviation, 24) and a median age of 41 (interquartile range, 23 to 60). Over the study period, patients’ age increased steadily from 32 to 49 years. The percentage of female patients increased, from 16.4% to 27.5% over the last 4 years. Overall mortality was greater for males than females (22.1% vs. 17.3%; odds ratio [OR], 1.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10 to 1.68). Mortality decreased over the period (OR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.85 to 0.91), with a greater decrease in females (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.78 to 0.90) than in males (OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.86 to 0.94).CONCLUSION: Although the age of patients presenting with traumatic brain injury is increasing substantially, the data suggests that overall mortality appears to be decreasing, and this decrease appears to be greater in females than in males. These changes in trends found in the IDPH Trauma Registry supports the importance for further analysis of other reliable public datasets to identify areas of future study.
Brain Injuries ; Dataset ; Demography ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Female ; Humans ; Illinois ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Mortality ; Odds Ratio ; Patient Outcome Assessment ; Public Health ; Retrospective Studies ; Tertiary Healthcare

BACKGROUND: This prospective study aimed to determine whether the bispectral index (BIS) is a valid objective tool for differentiating adequate from inadequate deep sedation in spontaneously breathing children with cerebral palsy (CP).METHODS: Propofol was titrated to increase the level of sedation with a continuous infusion of remifentanil at a rate of 0.05 μg/kg/min while maintaining spontaneous ventilation in 22 children with spastic CP, aged 3–18 years. The depth of sedation was assessed using the University of Michigan Sedation Scale (UMSS) and the Modified Observer’s Assessment of Alertness and Sedation (MOAAS) scale. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to determine the cutoff BIS values for deep sedation, defined as a UMSS score of 3–4 and a MOAAS score of 0–1.RESULTS: The BIS values significantly changed with the increase in the level of sedation across both the UMSS and MOAAS scores (P < 0.001). The BIS values correlated with the UMSS (r = −0.795, P < 0.001) and MOAAS (r = 0.815, P < 0.001) scores. The cutoff BIS value to detect adequate deep sedation in children with CP was 61.5 (UMSS score: sensitivity 0.860, specificity 0.814; MOAAS score: sensitivity 0.794, specificity 0.811).CONCLUSIONS: The BIS value strongly correlates with the clinical sedation scales, such as the UMSS and MOAAS, during deep sedation in children with CP. Therefore, BIS monitoring can be used as a valid tool for assessing the level of propofol sedation in spontaneously breathing children with CP undergoing a botulinum toxin injection.
Botulinum Toxins ; Cerebral Palsy ; Child ; Consciousness Monitors ; Deep Sedation ; Humans ; Michigan ; Muscle Spasticity ; Propofol ; Prospective Studies ; Respiration ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ventilation ; Weights and Measures

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies of cognitive decline in patients with neurocognitive disorder due to traumatic brain injury (NCD-TBI) have often failed to control for baseline factors such as premorbid intelligence. The purpose of the current study was to estimate and compare cognitive function among three groups (controls, complicated mild/moderate TBI, and severe TBI) after controlling for premorbid intelligence.METHODS: Severity of TBI was classified as complicated mild/moderate or severe based on duration of loss of consciousness and brain neuroimaging results. Premorbid intelligence quotients (IQs) were estimated with the Oklahoma Premorbid Intelligence Estimate. There were no differences in premorbid intelligence between the groups, which were also matched for age and education. Current cognitive function was evaluated with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition.RESULTS: Comparison of current cognitive function among the three groups indicated significant group differences for all indexes and subtest scores. Processing speed showed the highest effect size. However, only working memory differed significantly between the two NCD-TBI groups.CONCLUSION: The present findings suggest that mental memory manipulation processes seem to be more sensitive to TBI severity than are perceptual-motor processes. Specifically, both auditory rehearsal/discrimination and mental alertness/manipulation will be most strongly influenced by TBI severity.
Adult ; Brain ; Brain Injuries ; Cognition ; Education ; Humans ; Intelligence ; Memory ; Memory, Short-Term ; Neurocognitive Disorders ; Neuroimaging ; Oklahoma ; Unconsciousness

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare aripiprazole versus bupropion augmentation therapy in older adult patients with major depressive disorder unresponsive to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors(SSRIs).METHODS: This is a post-hoc analysis of a 6-week, randomized prospective open-label multi-center study in thirty older adult patients with major depressive disorder. Participants were randomized to receive aripiprazole(N=16, 2.5–10mg/day) or bupropion(N=14, 150–300mg/day) for 6 weeks. Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating scale(HAM-D17), Iowa Fatigue Scale, Drug-Induced Extrapyramidal Symptoms Scale, Psychotropic-Related Sexual Dysfunction Questionnaire scores, and Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) were obtained at baseline and after one, two, four, and six weeks. Changes on individual items of HAM-D17 were assessed as well as on composite scales(anxiety, insomnia and drive), and on four core subscales that capture core depression symptoms.RESULTS: There was a significantly greater decrease in MADRS scores in aripiprazole group compared to bupropion group at 4(p<0.05) and 6(p<0.05) weeks. There were significantly higher response rate at week 4(p<0.05) and 6(p<0.05) and remission rate at week 6 in aripiprazole group compared to bupropion group. Individual HAM-D17 items showing significantly greater change with adjunctive aripiprazole than bupropion: insomnia, late(ES=0.81 vs. −0.24, p=0.043), psychomotor retardation(ES=1.30 vs. 0.66, p=0.024), general somatic symptoms(ES=1.24 vs. 0.00, p=0.01). On three composite scales, adjunctive aripiprazole was significantly more effective than bupropion with respect to mean change for drive(p=0.005).CONCLUSION: Results of this study suggested that aripiprazole augmentation have superior efficacy in treating general and core symptoms of depression in older adult patients. Aripiprazole augmentation is associated with greater improvement in specific symptoms of depression such as psychomotor retardation, general somatic symptoms and drive.
Adult ; Aripiprazole ; Bupropion ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Fatigue ; Humans ; Iowa ; Prospective Studies ; Serotonin ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Weights and Measures

OBJECTIVE: To compare balance performance and lower limb muscle strength between older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), with and without sensory impairments and non-DM groups. Influence of a number of sensory impairments, and muscle strength on balance performance were explored. METHODS: Ninety-two older adults with and without type 2 DM, were examined relative to visual function with the Snellen chart, Melbourne Edge test, and Howard-Dolman test, vestibular function with the modified Romberg test, proprioception of the big toe, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy with the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument. Balance performances were evaluated with the Romberg test, Functional Reach Test (FRT), and Timed Up and Go test (TUG). Strength of knee and ankle muscles was measured. RESULTS: FRT of type 2 DM groups with at least two sensory impairments, was lower than the non-DM group (p<0.05). TUG of all DM groups, was worse than the non-DM group (p<0.01). Lower limb muscle strength of type 2 DM groups with two and three sensory impairments, was weaker than non-DM group (p<0.05). Regression analysis showed that type 2 DM with three sensory impairments, ankle dorsiflexors strength, and age were influential predictors of TUG. CONCLUSION: There were significant differences, of muscle strength and balance performance among groups. Poorer balance and reduced lower limb strength were marked in older adults with type 2 DM, even ones without sensory impairment. Muscle weakness seemed to progress, from the distal part of lower limbs. A greater number of sensory impairments, weaker dorsiflexors, and advanced age influenced balance performance.
Adult ; Aged ; Ankle ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Hallux ; Humans ; Knee ; Lower Extremity ; Mass Screening ; Michigan ; Muscle Strength ; Muscle Weakness ; Muscles ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases ; Proprioception ; Vestibular Function Tests

Although dysphagia is an important health problem and one of the determinants of quality of life in patients with dementia, the neurophysiologic changes of dysphagia in dementia have not been fully uncovered, yet. we investigated the changes of strength of tongue lip and pharyngeal muscles in patients with dementia. This study included 30 subjects with dementia. In all subjects, clinical assessments consisted of the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI) for tongue and lip, surface electromyography (sEMG) with Vital stim plus on suprahyoid muscles, the Mini-Mental State Examination, and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scales. All subjects were classified into 3 groups according to severity; CDR 1, 2, and 3. There was no difference between IOPI and sEMG among all 3 groups. The values of tongue and lip IOPI from all 3 dementia groups were significantly lower than values of control. The comparisons for values of tongue and lip IOPI among 3 dementia group were not different from each other. The sEMG of suprahyoid muscles were not different between all 3 dementia groups and control. These findings are supportive of dysphagia therapy for oral phase would be beneficial for the restoration of swallowing function in patients with dementia and dysphagia.
Deglutition ; Deglutition Disorders ; Dementia ; Electromyography ; Humans ; Iowa ; Lip ; Muscles ; Pharyngeal Muscles ; Quality of Life ; Tongue ; Weights and Measures