[Objective]To explore the relationship between peripheral arterial disease(PAD)and diabetic retinopathy(DR)in type 2 diabetes patients.[Methods]A total of 99 patients diagnosed with PAD were classified into grade 1-3 by their total scores of peripheral arterial stenosis assessed by color doppler ultrasound examinations,where the degree of stenosis 30% ~ 49% scored 0, 50%~99%scored 1,lumen occlusion(i.e. degree of stenosis 100%)scored 2,and therefore the total score 0-2 was categorized into Grade 1 ,3~4 into Grade 2 ,5~12 into Grade 3. The bilateral anterior tibial artery ,posterior tibial artery and dorsalis pedis artery of these patients were analyzed. The presence of diabetic retinopathy(DR)was graded from retinal photographs using a standard protocol.[Results]Among 99 cases of type 2 diabetic patients with peripheral arterial disease ,58.6%of them were male with average age of 67.3 ± 7.9 years old. Patients of Grade 1,Grade2,Grade 3 lesion accounted for 45.4%,30.3%,24.2%,respectively. Age, gender,smoking history,SBP,DBP,BMI,FBG,TC,TG,LDL-C,HDL-C,HbA1C among 3 groups were not statistically signifi-cant. The associations of DM duration and HbA1C value were significantly larger in DR than in PAD. The proportion of DR patients increased with the severity degree of PAD(p for trend=0.004). Degree of stenosis Grade 2 and Grade 3 could be predictive for DR.[Conclusions]DR is associated with the severity degree of PAD in type 2 diabetes patients as evaluated by duplex ultrasonography.Degree of stenosis Grade 2 and 3 could be used for screening or finding DR. Strategies for optimum treatment and early prevention are needed.

Objective: To explore the influence of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) course based on International Technical Guidance onthe sexual psychological health of middle school students during puberty, and to provide a reference for mental health promotion. Methods: This study used Adolescent Sexual Psychological Health Questionnaire as measuring tool and self-made textbook on sexuality education entitled Love and Life: Junior High School Students’ Sexual Health Education Textbook as intervention. Measurements were set before and after the first semester together with the end of the second semester, respectively were pretest, intermediate test and posttest. Results: The sexual psychological health of middle school students was in the medium level, and girls(3.51±0.40) were generally better than boys(3.44±0.37)(t=3.62, P<0.05). According to one-way analysis of variance, the main effect of three dimensions of sexual health-sexual cognition(3.31±0.81, 3.68±0.80, 4.37±0.61), sexual values(3.43±0.51, 3.55±0.54, 3.85±0.58) and sexual adaptation(3.63±0.41, 3.85±0.49, 4.09±0.58) and the total score(3.51±0.39, 3.74±0.46, 4.10±0.47) before, during and after the acceptance of comprehensive sexuality education was significant(F=252.18, 281.68, 113.54, 114.60, P<0.05). Conclusion Comprehensive sexuality education course has a significant effect on improving sexual psychological health among junior high school students.

Objective To establish female and male bovine collagen-induced arthritis(CIA)models and compare the effects of gender differences on joint and extra-articular manifestations of the CIA model.Methods The CIA model was induced by injection of bovine type Ⅱ collagen and Freund's complete adjuvant into female and male SD rats.The general condition,arthritis index,foot swelling,serum proinflammatory factors and plasminogen activator inhibitor levels,spleen index,knee and ankle joint pathologies,right rear paw bone destruction,and pulmonary interstitial lesions were evaluated.Results The arthritis index of female CIA rats was significantly higher than that of male CIA rats on day 21 after initial immunization(P＜0.05),but no significant difference was found in the degree of foot swelling between the two groups at any time point(P＞0.05).Serum tumor necrosis factor α,interleukin-1β,and the spleen index of female CIA rats were significantly higher than those of male CIA rats(P＜0.05,P＜0.001).No significant difference was found in plasminogen activator inhibitor levels(P＞0.05).The scores of inflammatory cell infiltration and synovial hyperplasia in the knee and ankle pathologies of female CIA rats were significantly higher than those of male CIA rats(P＜0.05),and cartilage damage of the knee joint and bone damage of the right rear paw of female CIA rats were significantly higher than that of male rats(P＜0.05).Both male and female CIA rats showed pulmonary interstitial inflammatory cell infiltration and mild fibrosis,but the pulmonary interstitial lesions in females were more severe than those in males.Conclusions Female and male CIA models established in SD rats have arthritis and pulmonary interstitial lesions,but the lesion degree in female CIA rats is more serious.When using CIA models for RA-related research,attention should be focused on the effect of gender differences.

Objective To study the effect of simulated microgravity on activity of the store-operated calcium (SOC) channels in osteocytes and its possible mechanism, so as to elucidate the potential mechanism of weightlessness bone loss. Methods Osteocytes (MLO-Y4) as the experimental subjects were divided into simulated microgravity (SM) group and normal gravity group (CON). After rotating for 24 h and 48 h, confocal microscope was used to detect the intracellular calcium ion concentration level to reflect activity of the SOC channels after thapsigargin (TG)-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) depletion. Immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the distribution of ER membrane protein IP3R and spectrin membrane skeleton, in order to preliminarily explore the possible mechanism of functional changes of SOC channels. Results During the period of calcium release from ER, ［Ca2+］i had no significant difference between SM group and CON group for 24 h and 48 h; while during the period of extracellular calcium influx by SOC channels, ［Ca2+］i of SM group had significant differences in the first 4 minutes for 24 h, as well as in the whole time for 48 h. Compared with CON group, the spectrin membrane skeleton of SM group was gathered at the rim of membrane, while ER membrane protein IP3R of SM group was gathered at the nuclear envelope of ER. These two tendencies were more obvious for 48 h. Conclusions The stimulated microgravity could inhibit activity of SOC channels in osteocytes. Changes in the distribution of the spectrin membrane skeleton and ER membrane protein IP3R under the simulated microgravity might reduce the activity of SOC channels by affecting the conformation coupling process between the membrane and ER.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of galvanic vestibular stimulation on stroke patients with lateropulsion. MethodsFrom February to October, 2023, 30 stroke patients with lateropulsion in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were divided into control group (n = 15) and experimental group (n = 15) randomly. The control group received routine rehabilitation and sham galvanic vestibular stimulation, and the experimental group received routine rehabilitation and true galvanic vestibular stimulation, for two weeks. They were assessed with Scale for Contraversive Pushing (SCP), subjective visual vertical (SVV), Line Cancellation Test (LCT), Star Cancellation Test (SCT), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Holden Functional Ambulation Category (FAC) and Barthel Index (BI) before and after treatment. ResultsAll the indexes improved in both groups after intervention (|t| > 2.461, Z > 3.000, P < 0.05), except the SVV orientation, SVV certainty and SCT in the control group; while the SCP, SVV certainty, LCT and FAC were better in the experimental group than in the control group (|t| > 2.189, Z = -2.862, P < 0.05), and the differences before and after intervention were better in the experimental group than in the control group (|t| > 2.382, P < 0.05), except LCT. SCP was correlated with SVV orientation, SVV certainty, SCT, BBS, BI and FAC (|r| > 0.381, P < 0.05). ConclusionGalvanic vestibular stimulation can improve the lateropulsion, balance, walking function and activities of daily living in stroke patients, which may be related to improvement for spatial cognitive function, especially vertical perception.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of intervention with oral probiotic METHODS: This study were conducted among 155 women in the third trimester of pregnancy with positive results of GBS culture in the Outpatient Department of Zhujiang Hospital from March to November, 2019. After excluding 32 patients who received lactobacillus intervention for less than 2 weeks or underwent postpartum GBS retesting, the women were divided into oral probiotics intervention group (60 cases) and non-intervention group (63 cases). According to the results of GBS retesting, the 60 women in the intervention group were divided into GBS-negative group (18 cases) and persistent GBS-positive group (42 cases). At the end of the intervention, the rates of negative GBS culture result were calculated and the pregnancy outcomes were compared. From 5 women randomly selected from the intervention group, samples of vaginal secretions were collected before and after the intervention for amplicon sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. RESULTS: At the end of the intervention, the GBS-negative rate in the intervention group was 30% (18/60), as compared with 23% (3/13) in the non-intervention group. Probiotic intervention significantly reduced the incidence of premature rupture of membranes ( CONCLUSIONS Intervention with oral probiotics can reduce vaginal GBS colonization in late pregnancy and improve the pregnancy outcome.
Female ; Humans ; Lactobacillus reuteri ; Lactobacillus rhamnosus ; Microbiota ; Pregnancy ; Probiotics/therapeutic use* ; Streptococcus agalactiae ; Vagina