Objective:To analyze changes in nutritional status and immune function of elderly men receiving regular physical examinations, and to investigate the effects of aging on the nutritional status and immune function among elderly men.Methods:A total of 209 elderly men aged 60-101(72.9±11.5)years and receiving regular physical check-ups were enrolled.All research subjects were subjected to nutritional risk screening(NRS2002)and monitoring of nutrition and immune-related indicators, including routine blood work, blood biochemistry, immunoglobulin and T lymphocyte subsets.Results:Body weight, body mass index, hemoglobin, total protein, albumin and serum iron of elderly men decreased with age( F=21.754, 6.257, 47.528, 12.285, 18.397, 18.667, all P<0.001), with those aged 80 and above showing more significant decline and a greater proportion with malnutrition( χ2=77.134, P<0.001). The B lymphocyte counts of elderly men aged 80 and above were significantly lower( P<0.05)while serum IgA and IgG levels were significantly higher( F=3.110, 3.866, P=0.047, 0.022)than those of the 70-79 year old group.In addition, the B lymphocyte count and B lymphocyte ratio in malnourished elderly men were significantly lower( t=2.512, 2.874, P=0.013, 0.005), and IgA was significantly increased( t=2.513, P=0.017), compared with those with normal nutrition. Conclusions:The risk of malnutrition and reduced immune function among elderly men aged 80 years and above is significantly increased, and assessment and screening of the risk of malnutrition in the elderly should be stressed.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the gold standard for nucleic acid amplification in molecular diagnostics. The PCR includes multiple reaction stages (denaturation, annealing, and extension), and a complicated thermalcycler is required to repetitively provide different temperatures for different stages for 30-40 cycles within at least 1-2 hours. Due to the complicated devices and the long amplification time, it is difficult to adopt conventional PCR in point-of-care testing (POCT). Comparing to conventional PCR, isothermal amplification is able to provide a much faster and more convenient nucleic acid detection because of highly efficient amplification at a constant reaction temperature provided by a simple heating device. When isothermal amplification is combined with microfluidics, a more competent platform for POCT can be established. For example, various diagnosis devices based on isothermal amplification have been used to rapidly and conveniently detect SARS-CoV-2 viruses. This review summarized the recent development and applications of the microfluidics-based isothermal amplification. First, different typical isothermal amplification methods and related detection methods have been introduced. Subsequently, different types of microfluidic systems with isothermal amplification were discussed based on their characteristics, for example, functionality, system structure, flow control, and operation principles. Furthermore, detection of pathogens (e.g. SARS-CoV-2 viruses) based on isothermal amplification was introduced. Finally, the combination of isothermal amplification with other new technologies, e.g. CRISPR, has been introduced as well.
COVID-19/diagnosis* ; Humans ; Microfluidics ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; SARS-CoV-2/genetics*

The kidney is the body's most important organ and the protein components in urine could be detected for diagnosing certain diseases. The amount of IgG protein in urine could be used to determine the degree of kidney function damage. IgG protein in human urine was detected by vertical flow paper-based microfluidic chip, double-antibody sandwich immunoreaction, and cell phone image processing. The results showed that using an IgG antibody concentration of 500 μg/mL and a gold standard antibody concentration of 100 μg/mL, the image signal showed a good linear relationship in the range of IgG concentration of 0.2-3.2 μg/mL, with R²=0.973 3 achieved. A complete set of detection devices were designed and the detection method showed good non-specificity.
Humans ; Microfluidics ; Immunoglobulin G ; Kidney ; Microfluidic Analytical Techniques