OBJECTIVE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major health concern in northwest China; however, the impact of particulate matter (PM) exposure during sand-dust storms (SDS) remains poorly understood. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between PM exposure on SDS days and COPD hospitalization risk in arid regions. METHODS: Data on daily COPD hospitalizations were collected from 323 hospitals from 2018 to 2022, along with the corresponding air pollutant and meteorological data for each city in Gansu Province. Employing a space-time-stratified case-crossover design and conditional Poisson regression, we analyzed 265,379 COPD hospitalizations. RESULTS: PM exposure during SDS days significantly increased COPD hospitalization risk [relative risk ( RR) for PM _2.5, lag 3:1.028, 95% confidence interval ( CI): 1.021-1.034], particularly among men and the elderly, and during the cold season. The burden of PM exposure on COPD hospitalization was substantially high in Northwest China, especially in the arid and semi-arid regions. CONCLUSION Our findings revealed a positive correlation between PM exposure during SDS episodes and elevated hospitalization rates for COPD in arid and semi-arid zones in China. This highlights the urgency of developing region-specific public health strategies to address adverse respiratory outcomes associated with SDS-related air quality deterioration.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/chemically induced* ; Particulate Matter/analysis* ; Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects* ; Spatio-Temporal Analysis ; Adult ; Sand ; Air Pollution

Objective To evaluate the characteristics of different antigen-specific T cell immune responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)after inoculation with 2 doses of SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccine for 12 months.Methods Fifteen healthy adults were enrolled in this study and blood samples collected at 12 months after receiving two doses of SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccine.The level and phenotypic characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 antigen-specific T lymphocytes were detected by activation-induced markers(AIM)based on polychromatic flow cytometry.Results After 12 months of inoculation with 2 doses of SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccine,more than 90%of adults had detectable Spike and Non-spike antigen-specific CD4+ T cells immune responses(Spike:14/15,P=0.0001;Non-spike:15/15,P<0.0001).80%of adults had detectable Spike and Non-spike antigen-specific CD8+ T cells immune responses(Spike:12/15,P=0.0463;Non-spike:12/15,P=0.0806).Antigen-specific CD4+ T cells induced by SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccination after 12 months were composed of predominantly central memory(CM)and effector memory 1(EM1)cells.On the other hand,in terms of helper subsets,antigen-specific CD4+ T cells mainly showed T helper 1/17(Th1/17)and T helper 2(Th2)phenotypes.Conclusions SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccination generates durable and extensive antigen-specific CD4+ T cell memory responses,which may be the key factor for the low proportion of severe coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)infection in China.

Objective: This cross-sectional investigation aimed to determine the incidence, clinical characteristics, prognosis, and related risk factors of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain in mainland China. Methods: Data of patients with SARS-CoV-2 from December 28, 2022, to February 21, 2023, were collected through online and offline questionnaires from 45 tertiary hospitals and one center for disease control and prevention in mainland China. The questionnaire included demographic information, previous health history, smoking and alcohol drinking, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, olfactory and gustatory function before and after infection, other symptoms after infection, as well as the duration and improvement of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction. The self-reported olfactory and gustatory functions of patients were evaluated using the Olfactory VAS scale and Gustatory VAS scale. Results: A total of 35 566 valid questionnaires were obtained, revealing a high incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain (67.75%). Females(χ2=367.013, P<0.001) and young people(χ2=120.210, P<0.001) were more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Gender(OR=1.564, 95%CI: 1.487-1.645), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), oral health status (OR=0.881, 95%CI: 0.839-0.926), smoking history (OR=1.152, 95%CI=1.080-1.229), and drinking history (OR=0.854, 95%CI: 0.785-0.928) were correlated with the occurrence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2(above P<0.001). 44.62% (4 391/9 840) of the patients who had not recovered their sense of smell and taste also suffered from nasal congestion, runny nose, and 32.62% (3 210/9 840) suffered from dry mouth and sore throat. The improvement of olfactory and taste functions was correlated with the persistence of accompanying symptoms(χ2=10.873, P=0.001). The average score of olfactory and taste VAS scale was 8.41 and 8.51 respectively before SARS-CoV-2 infection, but decreased to3.69 and 4.29 respectively after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and recovered to 5.83and 6.55 respectively at the time of the survey. The median duration of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions was 15 days and 12 days, respectively, with 0.5% (121/24 096) of patients experiencing these dysfunctions for more than 28 days. The overall self-reported improvement rate of smell and taste dysfunctions was 59.16% (14 256/24 096). Gender(OR=0.893, 95%CI: 0.839-0.951), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), history of head and facial trauma(OR=1.180, 95%CI: 1.036-1.344, P=0.013), nose (OR=1.104, 95%CI: 1.042-1.171, P=0.001) and oral (OR=1.162, 95%CI: 1.096-1.233) health status, smoking history(OR=0.765, 95%CI: 0.709-0.825), and the persistence of accompanying symptoms (OR=0.359, 95%CI: 0.332-0.388) were correlated with the recovery of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2 (above P<0.001 except for the indicated values). Conclusion: The incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain is high in mainland China, with females and young people more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Active and effective intervention measures may be required for cases that persist for a long time. The recovery of olfactory and taste functions is influenced by several factors, including gender, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status, history of head and facial trauma, nasal and oral health status, smoking history, and persistence of accompanying symptoms.
Female ; Humans ; Adolescent ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Smell ; COVID-19/complications* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; Incidence ; Olfaction Disorders/etiology* ; Taste Disorders/etiology* ; Prognosis

In this study, the growth index including plant height, compound leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf water content, number of branches, and leaf biomass per plant and the icariin flavonoids such as epimedin A, epimedin B, epimedin C and icariin of Epimedium pseudowushanense were determined on 30 d and 60 d under light intensity(18.2±2.5) μmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1)(L1) and(90.9 ±2.5) μmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1)(L2), and white light as control, red light, blue light and yellow light were used as three light quality treatments, to study the effect of light quality on the growth and flavonoids accumulation of E. pseudowushanense. The E. pseudowushanense was sui-table for growth under L1 light intensity, the blue light treatment significantly reduced the leaf area, but had little effect on the stem height, the red light treatment and the yellow light treatment had no obvious effect on the stem height and leaf area, but the yellow light treatment significantly increased the germination of new branches, and had a sustained promoting effect, and the biomass was significantly higher than the white light treatment at 60 d. The content of icariin flavonoids in red light, blue light and yellow light treatment was higher than that in white light treatment at 30 d and 60 d under L1 light intensity, while yellow light treatment promoted the synthesis of icariin flavonoids to the largest extent, which was 1.8 and 1.9 times of white light treatment(30 d and 60 d).Under L2 light intensity, the effect of strong light on promoting stem germination became the main factor, while the yellow light treatment showed no significant effect on promoting stem germination, and the red light treatment exhibited a significant effect on reducing leaf area. Icariin flavonoids under red light, blue light and yellow light treatment were all lower than that under white light treatment, that is, the effect of white light treatment on the synthesis of icariin flavonoids is better than red light, blue light and yellow light treatment. When the time of strong light treatment was longer, the degradation range of icariin flavonoids in other light treatment appeared, while red light treatment promotes the synthesis of icariin flavonoids. Therefore, the influence of light quality on E. pseudowushanense is quite different under different light intensity, no matter from growth index or flavonoid content index. The results support that the biomass and icariin flavonoid content can be increased by providing appropriate red and yellow light.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Epimedium ; Flavonoids ; Plant Leaves

AIM:To study the effect of ClC-3 gene over-expression on thyroid structure and function in mice. METHODS:Three-months-old FVB mice were used to study the difference of thyroid structure and function between wild-type(WT)mouse and ClC-3 transgene mice.The expression and distribution of ClC-3 in the thyroid of mice were deter-mined by the methods of qPCR,Western blot and immunofluorescence.Behavioral monitoring was performed on the daily activities of mice.Serum concentrations of total triiodothyronine(TT3), total thyroxine(TT4)and thyrotropin(TSH) were measured by ELISA.RESULTS:Compared with the WT group,the expression of ClC-3 in the thyroid of ClC-3 trans-gene group was significantly increased(P<0.05).The thyroid gland showed obvious hyperplasia and the folliculi glandu-lae thyreoideae was significantly bigger in ClC-3 transgene mice(P<0.05).The weight loss was increased in ClC-3 trans-gene mice(P<0.05).The expression of TT3 and TT4 were significantly higher than that of WT group(P<0.05),but the change of TSH was not obvious.CONCLUSION:ClC-3 over-expression results in thyroid hyperplasia and thyroid hor-mone secretion.This study suggests that ClC-3 is likely to be involved in the synthesis of thyroid hormones.

OBJECTIVES: To select a Y-STR marker system with strong haplotype identification ability, appropriate mutation rate and high compatibility and to assess its forensic application. METHODS: The 24 Y-STR loci were tested by self-built fluorescent multiplex system, and the forensic assessment was conducted by 139 pairs of father-son samples collected in Jinan, Shandong province. RESULTS: Totally 176 alleles were identified among the 24 Y-STR loci in the sample of 139 unrelated individuals labeled with father, and the gene diversity （GD） distributed between 0.083 7 （DYS645）-0.966 9 （DYS385a/b）. According to the 24 Y-STR loci, 139 different haplotypes were detected from 139 unrelated male individuals labeled with father in Han population of Shandong province and with no shared haplotype observed. The overall haplotype diversity （HD） was 1 and the discrimination capacity （DC） was 1. A total of 5 one-step mutations events were observed among the 24 Y-STR loci in 139 pairs of father-son. The average mutation rate was 0.001 5 [95% CI （0.000 5, 0.003 5）]. CONCLUSIONS The system of 24 Y-STR loci shows a strong individual recognition ability and low mutation rate in the population in Jinan, Shandong province, and it has good application value in forensic science.
Alleles ; China ; Chromosomes, Human, Y ; Forensic Genetics ; Forensic Sciences ; Genetic Variation ; Genetics, Population ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Male ; Mutation Rate ; Population Groups

OBJECTIVES: To establish a rapid determination method with LC-MS/MS for cocaine and its metabolite benzoylecgonine in hair. METHODS: Deuterated internal standards （cocaine-D₃ and benzoylecgonine-D₈） were added to the decontaminated hair. After the extraction by ultrasonication with methanol, the compounds were separated by the Restek Allure PFP propyl column, and cocaine and benzoylecgonine were simultaneously analysed in multiple reaction monitoring mode. RESULTS: The cocaine and benzoylecgonine in hair showed a good linearity in the range of mass fraction between 0.02 and 10.00 ng/mg with the limits of detection of 0.01 ng/mg. CONCLUSIONS The developed method is simple and rapid with a good selectivity, which is suitable for the determination of cocaine and its metabolite benzoylecgonine in hair.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Chromatography, Liquid/methods* ; Cocaine/metabolism* ; Hair/metabolism* ; Humans ; Reference Standards ; Reproducibility of Results ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods*

OBJECTIVETo determine whether additional Chinese medicine (CM) could prolong survival and improve the quality of life (QOL) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared with Western medicine (WM) alone.

METHODSThis was a multicenter, prospective cohort study. A total of 474 hospitalized patients with stage III-IV NSCLC were recruited and divided into 2 groups. Patients in the WM group received radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and optimal supportive therapy according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines. In the integrative medicine (IM) group, individualized CM (Chinese patent medicines and injections) and WM were administered. The primary end point was overall survival, and the secondary end points were time to disease progression, adverse events, and QOL. Follow-up clinical examinations and chest radiography were performed every 2 months.

RESULTSThe median survival was 16.60 months in the IM group and 13.13 months in the WM group (P<0.01). The incidences of loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting in the IM group were significantly lower than those in the WM group (P<0.05). The QOL based on Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung in the IM group was markedly higher than that in the WM group at the fourth course (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSAdditional CM may prolong survival and improve the QOL patients with NSCLC. The adverse effects of radio- and chemotherapy may be attenuated as CM is used in combination with conventional treatments.

BACKGROUNDTalaromyces (Penicillium) marneffei (TM) is an emerging dimorphic human pathogenic fungus that is endemic to Southeast Asia. TM mostly occurs as an opportunistic infection in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The objective of this study was to compare the clinical and laboratory parameters of patients with TM infections who were HIV-positive and HIV-negative and to assess therapies and outcomes.

METHODSThis was a retrospective analysis of 26 patients diagnosed with disseminated TM infection from September 2005 to April 2014 at Fujian Provincial Hospital, China.

RESULTSPatients with TM infection tend to present with fever, weight loss, and anemia. The time from symptom onset to confirmed diagnosis was greater for HIV-negative patients (n = 7; median: 60 days, range: 14-365 days) than for HIV-positive patients (n = 19; median: 30 days, range: 3-90 days, Mann-Whitney U = 31.50, P= 0.041). HIV-negative patients were more likely to have dyspnea (57.1% vs. 5.3%, χ2 = 8.86, P= 0.010), low neutrophil count (Mann-Whitney U = 27.00, P= 0.029), high CD4 count (Mann-Whitney U = 0.00, P= 0.009), and high lymphocyte count (Mann-Whitney U = 21.00, P= 0.009). There were no significant differences in other demographic, clinical, or biochemical characteristics. Among all the patients, 12 HIV-positive patient and 1 HIV-negative patient received amphotericin and fluconazole treatment, 9 of whom improved, 1 died, 2 had kidney damage, 1 had hypokalemia due to exceeded doses.

CONCLUSIONSHIV-negative patients with TM infections tend to have a longer diagnostic interval, a higher percentage of dyspnea, higher levels of CD4 and lymphocytes, and lower neutrophil counts than TM infection in HIV-positive patients. Treatment programs with amphotericin and fluconazole are mostly effective.

Adult ; Aged ; CD4 Lymphocyte Count ; Female ; HIV Infections ; complications ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mycoses ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Retrospective Studies ; Talaromyces ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of naringin of Drynaria Rhizome, a Chinese medical component of Zhuanggu Jianxi Recipe (ZJR) containing serum on caveolin-p38MAPK signal factors (such as caveolin-1, p-p38, p-ATF-2, IL-1β, and TNF-α) in IL-1β induced rabbit degenerated chondrocytes, and further to explore its mechanism for protecting articular cartilages.

METHODSNaringin of Drynaria Rhizome was obtained and analyzed by HPLC-TOF/MS. Four weeks old New Zealand rabbits were killed and their bilateral knee joints were isolated aseptically. CDs were isolated and then cultured in vitro. The second generation of CDs were used for later experiment. The effect of naringin on CDs proliferation was detected by MTT assay. The effect of naringin on the expression of IL-1β-induced collagen II in CDs was detected by immunohistochemical method. The effect of naringin on caveolin-1, p-p38, and p-ATF-2 protein in IL-1β-induced CDs was detected by Western blot. The effect of naringin on mRNA expression of IL-1β and TNF-α in IL-1β-induced CDs was detected by RT-PCR.

RESULTSThe appearance time of naringin in flow graphs of naringin standard solution and ZJR containing serum was 23.5 min, and the molecular weight ranged between 581.0 and 581.5 m/z. Naringin could promote the proliferation of CDs, and inhibit the effect of IL-1β on collagen II in CDs. Compared with the model group, naringin could reduce the expression of caveolin-1, p-p38, p-ATF-2, IL-1β, and TNF-α in IL-1β induced CDs (P < 0.05), which was approximate to the level of the normal group.

CONCLUSIONSNaringin could not only promote the proliferation of CDs, but also protect IL-1β-induced CDs. Its mechanism might be associated with decreasing the expression of caveolin-1, p-p38, and p-ATF-2 proteins, inhibiting caveolin-p38MAPK signal pathway, and further reducing mRNA expression of IL-1β and TNF-α in the downstream of caveolin-p38MAPK signal pathway.

Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Cartilage, Articular ; Caveolins ; Chondrocytes ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Flavanones ; pharmacology ; Interleukin-1beta ; metabolism ; Polypodiaceae ; Rabbits ; Rhizome ; Signal Transduction ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; metabolism