Objective To understand the species diversity of ectoparasites on Niviventer confucianus in the surrounding areas of Erhai Lake.Methods Small mammals were randomly captured in 12 investigated sites surrounding Erhai Lake with baited mouse cages.The cage-traps were examined and re-baited each morning.Trapped small mammals were brought to the laboratory for identification according to color, body length, ear length, hind foot length.All ec-toparasites on the surface of the hosts were collected and identified.The constituent ratio(C), prevalence(P) and average ectoparasite abundance(A) were used to evaluate the prevalence and density of ectoparasites.Non-parametric Mann-Whitney U-test was used to test differences in the abundance and richness of ectoparasites between female and male hosts.Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between ectoparasites and the body param-eters of hosts.Results Eighty-nine individuals of N.confucianus were captured, of which 79% were found infested with 51 species of ectoparasites, including 31 species of chigger mites, 13 species of mesostigmatid(gamasid) mites, 4 species of fleas and 3 species of sucking lice.Walchia ewingi Fuller(66.2%), Laelaps turkestanicus Lange(38.5%), Paradoxopsyllus custodies Jordan(42.9% ) and Hoplopleura pacifica(80.1% ) were the most predominant species of chigger mites, gamasid mites, fleas, and sucking lice, respectively.Non-parametric Mann-Whitney U-test showed that there was no significant difference between male and female hosts on the species richness and abundance of total ec-toparasites, chigger mites, sucking lice, fleas or gamasid mites.Spearman correlation analysis showed that the abun-dance and species of total ectoparasites, chigger mites, sucking lice, fleas or gamasid mites were not correlated with the body weight of hosts.Conclusion There is a high speices diversity of ectoparasites on N.confucianus.Sucking lice, fleas, chiggers and gamasid mites are the main ectoparasites.

Serum p-amyloid peptide(Aβ)40 and Ap42 levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)and atherosclerosis(AS)were detected by ELISA.The results showed that serum Ap40 level in T2DM group was significantly higher than that in the control group[(274.70±159.51 vs 162.63±87.58)pg/ml,P<0.05],especially in the diabetic patients accompanied with AS[(616.95±195.13)pg/m],P<0.01].Serum Ap40 level in simple AS group was also higher than that in control group[(318.52± 188.65)pg/ml,P<0.05].These results suggest that Ap40 is a risk factor of T2DM complicated with AS.However,there was no difference in serum Ap42 levels among various groups.

This study was designed to explone whether catalpol exerts a protective effects on kidney of diabetic rats and its possible mechanism.Insulin-like growth factor- I ( IGF- I ) and protein kinase B (PKB/Akt)mRNA and protein expression in kidney of diabetic rats were up-regulated as results of assessments by RT-PCR,immunohistochemistry and Western blot.Catalpol could partially reduce IGF- Ⅰ and Akt expressions in kidney of diabetic rats,and thus alleviate the damage of kidney.

To find a rapid and accurate genotyping method for specific non-syndromic hearing loss (NSHL)-causing gene mutations for disease diagnosis in different ethnic populations.Methods We performed a novel multiplex primer extension (PE) reaction in combination with denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) to simultaneously detect and genotype the 6 most common mutations in 180 patients with NSHL (GJB2-235delC,GJB2-299delAT,PDS-A2168G,PDS IVS7-2A ＞ G,mtDNA-A1555G,and mtDNA-C1494T) in Chinese population.This method involved the amplification of the target sequence,followed by a purification step,a multiplex PE reaction,and DHPLC analysis performed on the Transgenomic Wave DNA fragment analysis system under fully-denaturing conditions.Results In a blind analysis,this technique successfully and accurately genotyped 100％ of the samples simultaneously characterized by direct sequencing.Conclusion Combination of PE and DHPLC is simple,rapid,accurate,and cost-effective for genotyping common disease-causing mutations,including substitutions,insertions,and deletions in NSHL,and may be successfully used in other genetic diseases.

Leptotrombidium eothenomydis.There was a wide niche overlap between any two chigger species with all indices beyond 0.76.Slight positive association existed between each two dominant species of chigger mites by the coefficient of association(V).Conclusion The community structure of chigger mites on the 7 major species of rodent hosts is complex,reflecting a high diversity of mite species.The niche breadth of the 6 dominant chigger species is different with a wide niche overlap.

OBJECTIVE: To study the mRNA level of runt-related transcription factor 3 (RUNX3) in children with bronchiolitis and its clinical significance in bronchiolitis. METHODS: A total of 54 young children with bronchiolitis were enrolled as the bronchiolitis group, among whom 28 with atopic constitution were enrolled in the atopic bronchiolitis group and 26 with non-atopic constitution were enrolled in the non-atopic bronchiolitis group. A total of 48 healthy young children were enrolled as the healthy control group, among whom 24 with atopic constitution were enrolled in the atopic healthy control group and 24 with non-atopic constitution were enrolled in the non-atopic healthy control group. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure the mRNA level of RUNX3 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. ELISA was used to measure the serum levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon gamma (IFN-γ). RESULTS: The bronchiolitis group had a significantly lower mRNA level of RUNX3 than the healthy control group, and the atopic bronchiolitis group had a significantly lower mRNA level of RUNX3 than the non-atopic bronchiolitis, atopic healthy control, and non-atopic healthy control groups (P<0.05). The bronchiolitis group had a significantly higher serum level of IL-4 than the healthy control group, and the atopic bronchiolitis group had a significantly higher serum level of IL-4 than the non-atopic healthy control group (P<0.05). The bronchiolitis group had a significantly lower serum level of IFN-γ than the healthy control group, and the atopic bronchiolitis group had a significantly lower serum level of IFN-γ than the non-atopic bronchiolitis, atopic healthy control, and non-atopic healthy control groups (P<0.05). The correlation analysis showed that the mRNA level of RUNX3 was negatively correlated with the serum level of IL-4 and was positively correlated with the serum level of IFN-γ (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Measurement of RUNX3 gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells has a certain value in identifying children with atopic constitution at high risk of asthma among children with bronchiolitis.
Asthma ; Bronchiolitis ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Core Binding Factor Alpha 3 Subunit ; genetics ; Humans ; Interferon-gamma ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear

Objective To investigate the effects of fasting serum triglycerides (TG) levels at different baseline on the risk of new-onset acute pancreatitis (AP) in in-service and retired employees of Kailuan Group.Methods A total of 125 178 in-service and retired employees of Kailuan Group who received health check-ups from 2006 to 2009 and had no AP history but had complete TG data were prospectively enrolled.According to quantile level,the baseline serum fasting TG level of study subjects were divided into ＜1.01 mmol/L group (n=42 128),1.01 to 1.64 mmol/L group (n=41 711) and ＞ 1.64 mmol/L group (n=41 339).The incidence of new-onset AP of these three groups was analyzed.The survival curve was plotted by Kaplan-Meier method.The cumulative incidence rate was calculated and tested by log-rank method.And multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model was performed to calculate hazard ratios (HR) of baseline fasting serum TG level for AP.Results After followed up for (7.36±1.23) years,a total of 193 cases of AP occurred.The incidences of AP in ＜1.01 mmol/L group,1.01 to 1.64 mmol/L group and ＞ 1.64 mmol/L group were 1.43 events/10 000 person-years,2.37 events/10 000 person-years and 2.49 events/10 000 person-years,respectively.The cumulative incidence rates of AP in ＜1.01 mmol/L group,1.01 to 1.64 mmol/L group and ＞1.64 mmol/L group were 0.10％ (44/42 128),0.18％ (73/41 711) and 0.18％ (76/41 339),respectively,and the difference was statistically significant (x2 =9.998,P=0.007).The results of multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model analysis indicated that the risk of AP increased in 1.01 to 1.64 mmol/L group and ＞ 1.64 mmol/L group compared with that of ＜1.01 mmol/L group,HR and 95％ confidence interval (CI) were 1.56 (1.07 to 2.29) and 1.57 (1.06 to 2.32),respectively.After excluded onset AP within one year,with a control group of ＜1.01 mmol/L group,the results of multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model analysis indicated that the HR and 95％CI for AP of 1.01 to 1.64 mmol/L group and ＞ 1.64 mmol/L group were 1.70 (1.11 to 2.58) and 1.69 (1.10 to 2.60),respectively.Conclusion Baseline fasting serum TG levels over 1.01 mmol/L may increase the risk of AP.

Objective To investigate the effect of intra-articular tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor injection in patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and values of power Doppler ultrasonography in evaluating effect of intra-articular injection.Methods RA patients with arthritis in knee and/or elbow and/or ankle referred to the Department of Rheumatology in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University were enrolled to receive intra-articular injection with 50 mg or 25 mg of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-α receptor Ⅱ:IgG Fc fusion protein (TNFR:Fc) for injection after synovial fluid aspiration.Evaluation of visual analogue scale for pain of the involved joints,erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR),C reactive protein (CRP) and 28-joint disease activity score (DAS28) were performed before and after intra-articular TNFR:Fc injection.Synovial hypertrophy,power Doppler signal and joint effusion were analyzed and graded by ultrasound before and after intra-articular TNFR:Fc injection.Comparisons of continuous data between groups was made by t test.The data that were not normally distributed was analyzed by Mann-Whitney U rank sum test.Results Fifty-four patients with RA [6 men and 48 women,mean age (52±11) years,mean duration of disease (7±3) years] were included in this study.A significant decrease in visual analogue scale for pain of the involved joints (t=2.630,P=0.018;t=2.160,P=0.043),ESR (t=2.094,P=0.030;Z=-2.242,P=0.030),CRP (Z=-2.199,P=0.030;Z=-3.337,P=0.001) and DAS28 (t=3.579,P=0.002;t=5.538,P=0.000) were observed after one month of injection of 50 mg or 25 mg of TNFR:Fc.Synovial hypertrophy (t=2.175,P=0.036;t=2.280,P=0.030) power Doppler signal (t=2.500,P=0.020;Z=-2.504,P=0.013) and joint effusion (Z=-1.790,P=0.042;t=2.230,P=0.027) were reduced significantly after one month of intra-articular TNFR:Fc injection in knee.Synovial hypertrophy (t=2.180,P=0.034;t=2.480,P=0.030) and power Doppler signal (t=2.681,P=0.020;t=5.482,P=0.000) were also reduced significantly after one month of intra-articular TNFR:Fc injection in elbow and ankle.Conclusion Intra-articular TNFR:Fc injection is an effective and safe treatment in RA patients with monoarthritis.Ultrasound may be an objective and valid method in evaluating the effect of intraarticular TNF inhibitor injection in RA patients.

Objective:To investigate the safety and clinical effect of testis-sparing microsurgery(TSMS)in the treatment of benign testis tumor(BTT).Methods:We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data on 16 cases of BTT treated in the Department of Andrology of the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from October 2020 to February 2023.The median age of the patients was 23 years.All the tumors were unilateral,7 in the left and 9 in the right side,with a median diameter of 1.85 cm(1.0-3.5 cm).The patients all underwent color Doppler flow imaging(CDFI),MRI,semen analysis and examination of serum T,alpha-fetoprotein(AFP),human chorionic gonadotropin(HCG)and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH),followed by TSMS.The boundaries between the tumors and normal testis tissue were accurately identified under the microscope,and the tumors and the adjacent normal testis tissue 2 mm from their margins were excised completely.Bipolar coagulation forceps were used for wound hemostasis to maximally preserve the normal testis tissue.The resected specimens were subjected to fast frozen pathology intraoperatively,and the patients were followed up for 14-40 months by regular scrotal CDFI,MRI and examinations of serum T and semen parameters.Results:The levels of serum T,AFP,HCG and LDH and semen parameters were all within the normal range preoperatively.TSMS were successfully completed in all the cases,and all were pathologically confirmed as BTT according to the latest edition of WHO Classification of Tumors:Urinary and Male Genital Tumors.CDFI showed normal blood supply within the testis tissue at 1 month after surgery.No signs of intra-testicu-lar tumor residue,recurrence or metastasis,nor significant changes in the levels of serum T,AFP,HCG or LDH or semen parameters were observed during the follow-up as compared with the baseline.Natural conception was achieved in 2 cases at 16 and 18 months re-spectively after surgery.Conclusion:BTT can be differentially diagnosed by CDFI and MRI before surgery and confirmed by histo-pathology.TSMS can achieve complete excision of the tumor,maximal sparing of the normal testis tissue and thereby effective preserva-tion of male fertility.

Objective To investigate the effect of perioperative period D-dimer and tissue factor (TF)-1208 D/I gene polymorphism on the long-term prognosis of patients with off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG). Methods Retrospective analysis of the case data of the first OPCABG patients admitted to Tianjin Medical University General Hospital from May 2015 to May 2016 were enrolled. The general data, operation time, bypass number, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), flow rate of 24-hour pleural effusion, intraoperative heparin dosage, combined anticoagulant and antiplatelet time, and the time of postoperative ventilator were measured. The blood biochemical indexes of 1, 4, 7, 14 days and 1, 2, 3 months after operation, perioperative complications, the level of D-dimer in the patients with different TF-1208 D/I gene polymorphism, and prognosis of 1-year follow-up were recorded. The risk factors of recurrent angina 1 year after operation was analyzed by Logistic regression analysis. Results The level of plasma D-dimer was increased continuously after OPCABG, and reached a peak at 1 month after operation [1.94 (1.07, 2.70) mg/L], then decreased, and decreased to preoperative level 3 months after operation [0.20 (0.10, 0.45) mg/L]. The level of D-dimer in TF-1208 I I genotype was significantly higher than that in TF-1208 DD genotype and TF-1208 D/I genotype group at 14 days and 1 month after operation [mg/L: 4.17 (1.54, 5.09) vs. 1.91 (1.07, 2.26), 1.02 (0.91, 1.88) at 14 days; 5.12 (2.41, 6.32) vs. 1.94 (1.18, 2.70), 1.62 (0.22,1.88) at 1 month, all P < 0.05]. The results of 1-year follow-up showed that 25 patients with recurrent angina pectoris without the occurrence of myocardial infarction. The proportion of recurrent angina pectoris in TF-1208 I I genotype was significantly higher than that in TF-1208 DD genotype and TF-1208 D/I genotype group (χ2= 0.197, P = 0.004). Logistic regression analysis showed that LVEF< 0.50 [odds ratio (OR) = 6.482, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 1.365-18.763, P = 0.015] and TF-1208 I I genotype (OR = 8.864, 95%CI = 1.613-46.743, P = 0.012) were independent risk factors for recurrent angina pectoris at 1 year after OPCABG. Conclusions After OPCABG, the body was in a hypercoagulable state and lasted for a long time, and almost recovered 3 months after operation. LVEF < 0.50 and TF-1208 I I genotype were independent risk factors of angina pectoris at 1 year after surgery.