OBJECTIVEFindings from the previous studies have suggested a relationship between ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1 (ENPP-1) or plasma cell membrane glycoprotein 1 (PC-1) gene single nucleotide polymorphism (K121Q, rs1044498) and genetic susceptibility to obesity. However, such relationship is not reproduced by some currently available studies. In this context, the present study is aimed to quantitatively analyze the association of K121Q variant with obesity in all published case-control studies in European adult populations.

METHODSPublished literature from PubMed, EMBASE, and ISI web of science databases were retrieved. The studies evaluating the association of ENPP1/PC1 gene K121Q polymorphism with obesity were included, in which sufficient data were presented to calculate the odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTSTen case-control studies meeting the inclusion criteria identified a total of 24,324 subjects including 11,372 obese and 12,952 control subjects. The meta-analysis results showed a statistically significant association of K121Q with obesity [OR (95%CI): 1.25 (1.04-1.52) P=0.021] under a recessive model of inheritance (QQ vs. KK+KQ) without heterogeneity or publication bias.

CONCLUSIONSThe results from the present study have indicated that ENPP1/PC1 Q121 variant may increase the risk of obesity and that more well-designed studies based on a larger population will be required to further evaluate the role of ENPP1/PC1 gene K121Q polymorphism in obesity and other related metabolic syndromes.

Europe ; epidemiology ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Humans ; Obesity ; epidemiology ; genetics ; Odds Ratio ; Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Pyrophosphatases ; genetics ; Risk Factors

Accompanied by the rapid improvement of clinical diagnosis and treatment technology and the needs of scientific research, the training of higher professional talents represented by breast surgery postgraduates is facing many challenges. Based on the above background, this study puts forward the new teaching mode combining online and offline, involving evidence-based medicine guidelines, strengthening the aesthetic concept and humanistic teaching quality into the breast surgery teaching system to improve the teaching concept and teaching mode. Through the intuitive information teaching means and clinical case analysis, the students' independent learning and thinking ability can be cultivated. Finally, we look forward to improving the scientific research level and the cultivation of breast surgeons with outstanding comprehensive ability and medical humanistic quality from the optimization of teaching modes.

Uranium is an important radioactive actinide in nature and an important nuclear material in nuclear industry. After uranium is accidentally released into the environment, it enters the body through the respiratory tract, the digestive tract, and other ways, then enters the circulation system through blood, and is finally mainly deposited in the kidney and bone, causing a certain degree of toxicity. Therefore, efficient low-toxicity chelators are an important way to reduce radionuclide pollution, radiation damage, and chemical toxicity. This article reviews uranium deposition and harm, the detoxification mechanism of uranium chelators, and the research advances in uranium chelators and points out the development trend of uranium chelators.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of heating physiotherapy goggles in the treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).Methods:A randomized controlled study was performed.Forty-four MGD patients were recruited in Wenzhou Medical University Eye Hospital from July 2021 to January 2022.Two patients were lost to follow-up.The patients were randomly divided into experimental group treated with heating physiotherapy goggles and control group treated with hot towels according to the random envelope method, with 21 patients (21 eyes) in each group.Throughout the study, the examiner was blinded.The data of the worse eye were analyzed.At baseline, 2 weeks and 4 weeks after treatment, the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), tear meniscus height (TMH), fluorescein breakup time (FBUT), corneal fluorescein staining score (CFS), lid margin hyperemia score and meibomian gland function scores were measured to evaluate the efficacy; visual acuity, intraocular pressure and slit lamp microscopy were examined to assess the safety.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Wenzhou Medical University Eye Hospital (No.2021-177-K-153-01).Results:There were significant differences in OSDI scores between before and after treatment ( Ftime=16.528, P<0.001). No significant difference was found in OSDI scores between 30.46±17.31 at 2 weeks after treatment and 35.43±18.22 before treatment in control group ( P=0.405). The OSDI score at 2 weeks after treatment was 26.27±16.47, which was significantly lower than 39.24±17.96 before treatment in experimental group ( P=0.001). The eyelid margin hyperemia score was 0.0(1.0, 2.0) at 4 weeks after treatment in experimental group, which was significantly lower than 2.0(1.0, 3.0) in control group (Wald χ2=11.444, P=0.001). The morphologic scores of meibomian gland orifices at 2 and 4 weeks after treatment were both 1.0(0.0, 1.0) in experimental group, which were significantly lower than 2.0(1.0, 3.0) and 2.0(1.0, 2.5) in control group (Wald χ2=15.082, 23.172; both at P<0.001). The scores of meibum quality at 2 and 4 weeks after treatment were 1.0(0.5, 2.0) and 1.0(0.0, 1.5) in experimental group, which were significantly lower than 2.0(1.0, 2.0) and 2.0(1.0, 2.5) in control group (Wald χ2=4.638, 9.395; both at P<0.05). The scores of upper meibomian gland expressibility at 2 and 4 weeks after treatment were both 2.0(1.0, 2.0) in experimental group, which were significantly lower than 3.0(2.0, 3.0) and 2.0(2.0, 2.5) in control group (Wald χ2=6.489, 11.562; both at P<0.05). The score of lower meibomian gland expressibility at 4 weeks after treatment in experimental group was 1.0(0.5, 2.0), which was significantly lower than 2.0(2.0, 3.0) in control group (Wald χ2=24.085, P<0.001). The FBUT at 2 and 4 weeks after treatment were 3.00(1.75, 3.50) and 3.00(2.00, 4.00) seconds in experimental group, which were significantly longer than 1.00(0.75, 2.00) and 2.00(1.00, 3.00) seconds in control group (Wald χ2=8.576, 8.539; both at P<0.05). There were significant differences in TMH among different time points ( Ftime=8.874, P<0.001). In control group, the TMH at 4 weeks after treatment was (0.24±0.09) mm, which was significantly higher than (0.18±0.05) mm before treatment ( P<0.05). In experimental group, the TMH at 4 weeks after treatment was (0.23±0.09) mm, which was significantly higher than (0.17±0.05) mm before treatment ( P<0.05). Significant differences were found in CFS score among different time points (Wald χ2time=10.116, P=0.006). There was no statistically significant differences in CFS score between before and after treatment in control group (Wald χ2=1.781, P=0.410). In experimental group, the CFS scores at 2 and 4 weeks after treatment were 0.0(0.0, 1.5) and 0.0(0.0, 0.0), which were significantly decreased in comparison with 0.00(0.00, 4.00) before treatment (both at P<0.05). In experimental group, the visual acuity converted to the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution at 2 and 4 weeks after treatment were 0.10(0.00, 0.22) and 0.10(0.00, 0.22), which was significantly better than 0.10(0.00, 0.40) before treatment (both at P<0.05). There was no significant change in intraocular pressure at different time points between the two groups ( Fgroup=0.432, P=0.515; Ftime=0.329, P=0.721). No serious adverse effects occurred in both groups during the follow-up period. Conclusions:Compared with hot towel therapy, the use of heating physiotherapy goggles can relieve ocular discomfort of MGD patients more rapidly and improve the function and status of the meibomian gland more significantly.Heating physiotherapy goggles can treat MGD safely and effectively.

According to the theory of qi channels， we explored the relationship of the method of invigorating blood and regulating tumour immunity， to provide ideas and methods for traditional Chinese medicine for regulating tumour immunity and anti-tumour metastasis. It is believed that qi channels are closely related to tumour immunity， and qi channels are equivalent to immune networks such as immune cells and immune factors with anti-tumour immunity in the tumour immune micro-environment. Combined with the physiological function and pathological characteristics of qi channels， it is proposed that the pathogenesis of qi channels-related disease due to qi channels failing to govern， blood stasis obstructing， and qi channels deficiency and stagnation as the basis for the occurrence of tumour immunosuppression and metastasis， and that qi channels constraint and stagnation as the condition for the occurrence of tumour immunosuppression and metastasis. In view of the pathomechanism of tumour immune escape caused by qi channels failing to govern， it is proposed that the therapeutic principle of regulating qi and channels to regulate tumour immunity by invigorating blood circulation method could be "performing functions when there is free flow， reaching the expectation when balanced"， and the key of treatment is to regulate qi and channels， unblock the collaterals to dispel stasis.

ObjectiveTo observe the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome types in advanced pancreatic cancer patients， and explore the association between median survival time and different TCM syndromes and different intervention times of Chinese herbal medicine （CHM）. MethodsThe clinical data of 136 advanced pancreatic cancer patients who have received CHM for more than 3 months were collected retrospectively， including gender， age， family history， smoking history， drinking history， location of disease， lymph node metastasis， multiple distant metastasis， western medicine treatment methods， TCM diagnosis and treatment information， and survival time. The Kaplan-Meier （KM） estimator was used， and the median survival time of patients was calculated. The TCM syndrome type of each patient was judged， and the main single syndrome types and compound syndrome types were summarized. The median survival time was compared among different compound syndrome types. The patients were further divided into the group of those having received CHM ≥6 months and those having received CHM ＜6 months. Whether receiving CHM ≥6 months was taken as the grouping variable， while the matching variables were age， gender， family history， smoking history， drinking history， location of disease， lymph node metastasis， multiple distant metastasis， surgery， chemotherapy， and radiotherapy when propensity score matching was performed， and the difference in median survival time between the two groups of patients before and after matching was compared. ResultsFor 136 cases of advanced pancreatic cancer， the top five single syndromes were spleen qi deficiency， liver blood stasis， liver qi stagnation， spleen dampness， and liver heat. The main compound types were liver constraint， spleen deficiency and blood stasis syndrome， liver-gallbladder damp-heat and blood stasis syndrome， liver constraint， qi stagnation and spleen deficiency syndrome， spleen-stomach yang deficiency and blood stasis syndrome， and spleen deficiency and dampness-heat internal accumulation syndrome. The overall median survival time before and after matching was 12.47 （7.70，17.10） months and 13.77 （8.83，17.20） months， respectively， and was significantly higher in the group treated with CHM ≥ 6 months than that treated with CHM ＜6 months （P＜0.05）. Among the 136 patients before matching， the median survival time of patients with spleen deficiency and dampness-heat internal accumulation syndrome was longest ［16.23 （14.17，19.40） months］， while that of patients with spleen-stomach yang deficiency and blood stasis syndrome was the shortest ［7.33 （5.80，12.83） months］. For patients with liver constraint， spleen deficiency and blood stasis syndrome， liver-gallbladder damp-heat and blood stasis syndrome， and spleen-stomach yang deficiency and blood stasis syndrome， those having received CHM ≥ 6 months have much longer median survival time than those having received CHM ＜6 months （P＜0.05）. Among the 108 patients after matching， the median survival time of those with spleen deficiency and dampness-heat internal accumulation syndrome was the longest ［15.23 （7.67，18.27） months］， while that of spleen-stomach yang deficiency and blood stasis syndrome was the shortest ［8.80 （6.90，16.17） months］. For patients with liver-gallbladder dampness-heat and blood stasis syndrome and spleen-stomach yang deficiency and blood stasis syndrome， the median survival time was higher in the group treated with CHM ≥ 6 months treated with CHM ＜6 months （P＜0.05）. ConclusionAfter treatment with CHM， advanced pancreatic cancer patients with spleen deficiency and damp-heat internal accumulation had a better prognosis， while those with spleen-stomach yang deficiency and blood stasis had a worse prognosis. Treatment with CHM ≥ 6 months could extend the median survival of advanced pancreatic cancer patients with liver-gallbladder damp-heat and blood stasis syndrome and spleen-stomach yang deficiency and blood stasis syndrome.