Objective To establish a quick,economical and reproducible method for high-quality RNA extraction from pancreas.Methods We utilized TRIzol Reagent and liquid nitrogen to isolate total RNA from the rat pancreas.The RNA quality was determined by detection of its content and optic density(A) at 260/280nm,and electrophoresis in 1% non-denatured agarose gel.Then reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) was performed to detect expression of the pancreas-specific genes.Results The content of the total RNA extracted from the rat pancreas reached 3-6?g/mg pancreatic tissues,and A260/280 ratio was 1.75-1.89.Electrophoresis of the total RNA showed 28S and 18S rRNA bands with clear smear between them.The RT-PCR products of pancreas-specific genes including insulin 1,glucagon,?-amylase and housekeeping gene ?-actin all exhibited clear bands on 1% agarose gel,which were located in the expected positions,respectively.Conclusion These results suggest that we have successfully isolated the high-quality and intact RNA from the rat pancreas with TRIzol Reagent and liquid nitrogen.The extracted total RNA can be used in RT-PCR for pancreatic gene expression.

OBJECTIVESTo investigate the incidence of syphilis infection and to determine the risk factors related to syphilis infection among young men who had sex with men (YMSM), which were documented for developing effective intervention to prevent sexually transmitted diseases among YMSM.

METHODSA cohort study was conducted in 8 cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming,Guiyang, Chongqing, Chengdu, Urumqi and Nanning) from May to December, 2009. A total of 1 037 syphilis-negative YMSM aged 18-25 were enrolled in the cohort and the two follow-up surveys were carried out every six months. The contents of study included sociodemographic characteristics, HIV-related knowledge, sexual behavior and condom use in the 6 months prior to survey. All participants were tested for syphilis with whole blood specimens. Chi-square test was used to compare demographic characteristics of participants in baseline with those of two follow-up, and Cox regression analysis was used to identify risk factors associated with syphilis infection.

RESULTSThe rates of participants in 6, 12 months follow-up surveys was 79.85% (828/1 037) and 82.16% (852/1 037) respectively.39 syphilis seroconversions were found in the 12 months follow-up survey. Cumulative observed person-years during follow-up time was 1 106.67. The syphilis incidence rate was 3.5%. The Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the education of senior high school (senior high school vs some college or higher, RR = 2.19, 95% CI:1.21-3.98), bisexual orientation (bisexual orientation vs homosexual orientation, RR = 2.19, 95% CI:1.21-3.97), score of HIV/AIDS knowledge <8 (score of HIV/AIDS knowledge <8 vs knowledge = 8, RR = 2.39, 95%CI:1.35-4.21), had two and more sexual partners and inconsistent condom use in the past 6 months (inconsistent condom use vs consistent condom use, RR = 3.10, 95% CI:1.39-6.91) were significantly associated with syphilis seroconversion in the 12-month period.

CONCLUSIONSThe syphilis incidence was high and risk behaviors were common among YMSM of China.

Adolescent ; Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Cohort Studies ; Homosexuality, Male ; Humans ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Risk-Taking ; Syphilis ; epidemiology ; Young Adult

Objective: To investigate the effects of continuous goal-directed analgesia on fluid resuscitation during shock stage in patients with massive burns, providing a basis for rational optimization of analgesia protocols in patients with burn shock. Methods: A retrospective case series study was conducted. One hundred and thirty-six patients with massive burns who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to Zhengzhou First People's Hospital from January 2015 to December 2020, and the patients were divided into continuous analgesia (CA) group (68 cases,with average age of 44 years old) and intermittent analgesia (IA) group (68 cases,with average age of 45 years old) according to whether sufentanil injection was continuously used for intravenous analgesia during the shock stage. The patients in the 2 groups were predominantly male. Before and at 72 h of treatment, the severity of disease and trauma pain of patients in the 2 groups were scored by the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ) and the visual analogue scale (VAS). Hematocrit, heart rate, mean arterial pressure (MAP), central venous pressure (CVP), oxygen saturation in central venous blood (ScvO₂), rehydration coefficient, blood lactate value, hourly urine output, and the adverse reactions such as hypotension, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, skeletal muscle tonicity, respiratory depression, bradycardia, pruritus, and drug addiction of patients in the 2 groups during the treatment were recorded at the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd 24 h post-injury. Data were statistically analyzed with analysis of variance for repeated measurement, paired or independent sample t test, Bonferroni correction,chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Before treatment, APACHE Ⅱ and VAS scores of patients in the 2 groups were close (with t values of -0.67 and 0.32, respectively, P>0.05); At 72 h of treatment, APACHE Ⅱ and VAS scores of patients in CA group were 8.5±2.2 and 2.5±1.6, both of which were significantly lower than (15.2±3.0) and (7.9±2.0) of patients in IA group, respectively (with t values of -14.94 and -17.46, respectively, P<0.01). Compared with the pre-treatment period, the APACHE Ⅱ and VAS scores of patients in IA group decreased significantly at 72 h of treatment (with t values of 11.35 and 30.59, respectively, P<0.01); the changes in APACHE Ⅱ and VAS scores of patients at 72 h of treatment in comparison with those of patients before treatment in CA group were all similar to those of patients in IA group (with t values of 4.00 and 4.82, respectively, P<0.01). Compared with those of patients in IA group, there were no significant changes in CVP, hematocrit, heart rate, ScvO₂, and MAP of patients in CA group at all three 24 h post-injury (with t values of <0.01, 0.12, 2.10, 1.55, 0.03; 0.13, 0.22, <0.01, 0.17, 0.49; 0.63, 0.06, 0.04, 2.79, and 2.33, respectively, P>0.05). Compared with those of patients in IA group at the 1^st 24 h post-injury, CVP, ScvO₂ and MAP of patients were significantly higher at the 2^nd and 3^rd 24 h post-injury (with t values of -10.10, -9.31, -8.89; -10.81, -4.65, and -9.43, respectively, P<0.01), and the heart rate of patients was significantly lower at the 2^nd and 3^rd 24 h post-injury (with t values of 7.53 and 7.78, respectively, P<0.01), and the hematocrit of patients decreased significantly only at the 3^rd 24 h post-injury (t=15.55, P<0.01); the changes of CVP, ScvO₂, MAP and heart rate of patients at the 2^nd and the 3^rd 24 h post-injury, and HCT of patients at the 3^rd 24 h post-injury, in comparison with those of patients at the 1^st 24 h post-injury in CA group were similar to those of patients in IA group (with t values of -12.25, -10.24, -8.99, 9.42, -8.83, -7.53, -11.57, 10.44, and 12.91, respectively, P<0.01). Compared with those of patients in IA group, the rehydration coefficient of patients in CA group was significantly higher only at the 3^rd 24 h post-injury (t=5.60, P<0.05), blood lactate value of patients in CA group was significantly lower at the 1^st and 2^nd 24 h post-injury (with t values of 4.32 and 14.52, respectively, P<0.05 or P<0.01), the hourly urine output of patients in CA group increased significantly at the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd 24 h post-injury (with t values of 24.65, 13.12, and 5.63, respectively, P<0.05 or P<0.01). Compared with the those of patients at the 1^st 24 h post-injury, the rehydration coefficient of patients in IA group decreased significantly at the 2^nd and the 3^rd 24 h post-injury (with t values of 33.98 and 36.91, respectively, P<0.01), the blood lactate values of patients in IA group decreased significantly at the 2^nd and the 3^rd 24 h post-injury (with t values of 8.20 and 11.68, respectively, P<0.01), and the hourly urine output of patients in IA group was significantly increased at the 2^nd and the 3^rd 24 h post-injury (with t values of -3.52 and -5.92, respectively, P<0.01); the changes of rehydration coefficients and blood lactate values of patients at the 2^nd and the 3^rd 24 h post-injury in comparison with those of patients at the 1^st 24 h post-injury in CA group were similar to those of patients in IA group (with t values of 35.64, 33.64, 9.86, and 12.56, respectively, P<0.01), but hourly urine output of patients in CA group increased significantly only at the 3^rd 24 h compared with that of patients at the 1^st 24 h post-injury (t=-3.07, P<0.01). Adverse reactions such as hypotension, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, bradycardia, and pruritus occurred rarely in patients of the 2 groups, and none of the patients had skeletal muscle tonicity, respiratory depression, or drug addiction. The incidence of adverse reactions of patients in CA group was similar to that in IA group (χ²=0.08, P>0.05). Conclusions: Continuous goal-directed analgesia can effectively relieve pain and improve vital signs of patients with large burns. Meanwhile it has little impact on volume load, which can assist in correcting ischemia and hypoxia during the shock period and help patients get through the shock period smoothly.
Adult ; Analgesia ; Burns/therapy* ; Fluid Therapy ; Goals ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pain ; Resuscitation ; Retrospective Studies ; Shock/therapy*

Objective: To explore the value of cerebral hypoxic-ischemic injury markers in the early diagnosis of sepsis associated encephalopathy (SAE) in burn patients with sepsis. Methods: A retrospective case series study was conducted. From October 2018 to May 2021, 41 burn patients with sepsis who were admitted to Zhengzhou First People's Hospital met the inclusion criteria, including 23 males and 18 females, aged 18-65 (35±3) years. According to whether SAE occurred during hospitalization, the patients were divided into SAE group (21 cases) and non-SAE group (20 cases). The gender, age, deep partial-thickness burn area, full-thickness burn area, and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ) scores of patients were compared between the two groups. The serum levels of central nervous system specific protein S100β and neuron specific enolase (NSE) at 12, 24, and 48 h after sepsis diagnosis (hereinafter referred to as after diagnosis), the serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-10, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), Tau protein, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and cortisol at 12, 24, 48, 72, 120, and 168 h after diagnosis, and the mean blood flow velocity of middle cerebral artery (VmMCA), pulsatility index, and cerebral blood flow index (CBFi) on 1, 3, and 7 d after diagnosis of patients in the two groups were counted. Data were statistically analyzed with chi-square test, analysis of variance for repeated measurement, independent sample t test, and Bonferroni correction. The independent variables to predict the occurrence of SAE was screened by multi-factor logistic regression analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn for predicting the occurrence of SAE in burn patients with sepsis, and the area under the curve (AUC), the best threshold, and the sensitivity and specificity under the best threshold were calculated. Results: The gender, age, deep partial-thickness burn area, full-thickness burn area, and APACHE Ⅱ score of patients in the two groups were all similar (χ²=0.02, with t values of 0.71, 1.59, 0.91, and 1.07, respectively, P>0.05). At 12, 24, and 48 h after diagnosis, the serum levels of S100β and NSE of patients in SAE group were all significantly higher than those in non-SAE group (with t values of 37.74, 77.84, 44.16, 22.51, 38.76, and 29.31, respectively, P<0.01). At 12, 24, 48, 72, 120, and 168 h after diagnosis, the serum levels of IL-10, Tau protein, and ACTH of patients in SAE group were all significantly higher than those in non-SAE group (with t values of 10.68, 13.50, 10.59, 8.09, 7.17, 4.71, 5.51, 3.20, 3.61, 3.58, 3.28, 4.21, 5.91, 5.66, 4.98, 4.69, 4.78, and 2.97, respectively, P<0.01). At 12, 24, 48, 72, and 120 h after diagnosis, the serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α of patients in SAE group were all significantly higher than those in non-SAE group (with t values of 8.56, 7.32, 2.08, 2.53, 3.37, 4.44, 5.36, 5.35, 6.85, and 5.15, respectively, P<0.05 or P<0.01). At 12, 24, and 48 h after diagnosis, the serum level of cortisol of patients in SAE group was significantly higher than that in non-SAE group (with t values of 5.44, 5.46, and 3.55, respectively, P<0.01). On 1 d after diagnosis, the VmMCA and CBFi of patients in SAE group were significantly lower than those in non-SAE group (with t values of 2.94 and 2.67, respectively, P<0.05). On 1, 3, and 7 d after diagnosis, the pulsatile index of patients in SAE group was significantly higher than that in non-SAE group (with t values of 2.56, 3.20, and 3.12, respectively, P<0.05 or P<0.01). Serum IL-6 at 12 h after diagnosis, serum Tau protein at 24 h after diagnosis, serum ACTH at 24 h after diagnosis, and serum cortisol at 24 h after diagnosis were the independent risk factors for SAE complicated in burn patients with sepsis (with odds ratios of 2.42, 1.38, 4.29, and 4.19, 95% confidence interval of 1.76-3.82, 1.06-2.45, 1.37-6.68, and 3.32-8.79, respectively, P<0.01). For 41 burn patients with sepsis, the AUC of ROC of serum IL-6 at 12 h after diagnosis for predicting SAE was 0.92 (95% confidence interval was 0.84-1.00), the best threshold was 157 pg/mL, the sensitivity was 81%, and the specificity was 89%. The AUC of ROC of serum Tau protein at 24 h after diagnosis for predicting SAE was 0.92 (95% confidence interval was 0.82-1.00), the best threshold was 6.4 pg/mL, the sensitivity was 97%, and the specificity was 99%. The AUC of ROC of serum ACTH at 24 h after diagnosis for predicting SAE was 0.96 (95% confidence interval was 0.89-1.00), the best threshold was 14.7 pg/mL, the sensitivity was 90%, and the specificity was 94%. The AUC of ROC of serum cortisol at 24 h after diagnosis for predicting SAE was 0.93 (95% confidence interval was 0.86-1.00), the best threshold was 89 nmol/L, the sensitivity was 94%, and the specificity was 97%. Conclusions: Serum Tau protein, ACTH, and cortisol have high clinical diagnostic value for SAE complicated in burn patients with sepsis.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Burns/complications* ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; ROC Curve ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis/diagnosis* ; Sepsis-Associated Encephalopathy ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDData on the epidemiology of hypertension in Chinese non-dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients are limited. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in the non-dialysis CKD patients through a nationwide, multicenter study in China.

METHODSThe survey was performed in 61 tertiary hospitals in 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China (except Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan). Trained physicians collected demographic and clinical data and measured blood pressure (BP) using a standardized protocol. Hypertension was defined as systolic BP ≥ 140 mmHg and/or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg, and/or use of antihypertensive medications. BP < 140/90 mmHg and < 130/80 mmHg were used as the 2 thresholds of hypertension control. In multivariate logistic regression with adjustment for sex and age, we analyzed the association between CKD stages and uncontrolled hypertension in non-dialysis CKD patients.

RESULTSThe analysis included 8927 non-dialysis CKD patients. The prevalence, awareness, and treatment of hypertension in non-dialysis CKD patients were 67.3%, 85.8%, and 81.0%, respectively. Of hypertensive CKD patients, 33.1% and 14.1% had controlled BP to < 140/90 mmHg and < 130/80 mmHg, respectively. With successive CKD stages, the prevalence of hypertension in non-dialysis CKD patients increased, but the control of hypertension decreased (P < 0.001). When the threshold of BP < 130/80 mmHg was considered, the risk of uncontrolled hypertension in CKD 2, 3a, 3b, 4, and 5 stages increased 1.3, 1.4, 1.4, 2.5, and 4.0 times compared with CKD 1 stage, respectively (P < 0.05). Using the threshold of < 140/90 mmHg, the risk of uncontrolled hypertension increased in advanced stages (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe prevalence of hypertension Chinese non-dialysis CKD patients was high, and the hypertension control was suboptimal. With successive CKD stages, the risk of uncontrolled hypertension increased.

Adult ; Aged ; Awareness ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; complications ; epidemiology ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; complications

Objective To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of intestinal protozoan infections among rural children in Henan Province. Methods A total of 104 survey sites were sampled from 35 counties (cities) in Henan Province using the stratified cluster sampling method to investigate the prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections among rural children from 2014 to 2015. The trophozoites and cysts of intestinal protozoa were identified using the iodine staining method and the physiological saline direct smear method (one detection for one stool sample). The prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections was compared among rural children with different characteristics, and the factors affecting intestinal protozoan infections among rural children were identified. Results The overall prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections was 0.60% (40/6 771) among rural children in Henan Province from 2014 to 2015. There were 7 species of intestinal protozoa identified, and there was no species-specific prevalence (χ² = 37.732, P = 0.000). No significant differences were found in prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections among rural children in terms of gender (χ² = 1.793, P = 0.181), age (χ² = 1.443, P = 0.486), occupation (χ² = 0.219, P = 0.896) or ecological region (χ² = 1.700, P = 0.637). In addition, terrain (χ² = 2.311, P = 0.510), economic level (χ² = 4.322, P = 0.229), source of drinking water (χ² = 0.731, P = 0.393), eating raw vegetables (χ² = 1.134, P = 0.287) and deworming (χ² = 1.089, P = 0.297) had no remarkable effects on the prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections among rural children in Henan Province; however, the prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections varied significantly among rural children living in regions with different coverage of non-harmless toilets (χ² = 10.050, P = 0.018). Conclusion The prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections is low among rural children in Henan Province.