OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of manual acupuncture on endometrial blood flow parameters by three-dimensional (3D) power Doppler ultrasound in women undergoing in vitro fertilization embryo transfer (IVF-ET). METHODS: Seventy patients undergoing IVF-ET were equally randomized into traditional or sham acupuncture treatment group for totally 4 days (from the day of oocyte aspiration to the day of embryo transfer) of treatment by random envelope method at the Reproductive Medicine Center and Outpatient Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medicine College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from January 2013 to December 2015. Patients in the traditional acupuncture group accepted traditional acupuncture methods with manual acupuncture, and Zhongji (CV3), Qihai (CV 6), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Taichong (LR 3), Tianshu (ST 25), Guilai (ST 29) and Zusanli (ST 36) were chosen. Patients at the sham acupuncture group accepted shallow acupuncture methods at 4 non-meridian points at each shoulder and upper arm. Outcome measures included endometrial ultrasonic indices such as vascularization index (VI), flow index (FI) and vascularization flow index (VFI), endometrial thickness and volume, subendometrial VI (sVI), subendometrial FI (sFI), subendometrial VFI (sVFI), implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, abortion rate, live birth rate and number of live births. RESULTS: Finally, 34 patients in the traditional acupuncture group and 35 in the sham acupuncture group completed this trial. VI, FI and VFI of the traditional acupuncture group were significantly higher than those in the sham acupuncture group (P<0.05). No significant differences were found in endometrial thickness, endometrial volume, sVI, sFI, sVFI, implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, abortion rate, live birth rate and number of live births (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS Manual acupuncture performed after oocyte aspiration and before transplantation improved the endometrial blood flow parameters VI, RI and VFI in women who underwent IVF-ET, instead of sVI, sFI and sVFI. Therefore, acupuncture might be beneficial in women undergoing IVF-ET by increasing endometrial blood flow and endometrial receptivity. (Registration No. ChiCTR2100053354).
Pregnancy ; Humans ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro/methods* ; Single-Blind Method ; Embryo Transfer ; Pregnancy Rate ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Endometrium/blood supply*

Objective To investigate the attributable risk(AR)of Acinetobacter baumannii(AB)infection in criti-cally ill patients.Methods A multicenter retrospective cohort study was conducted among adult patients in inten-sive care unit(ICU).Patients with AB isolated from sterile body fluid and confirmed with AB infection in each cen-ter were selected as the infected group.According to the matching criteria that patients should be from the same pe-riod,in the same ICU,as well as with similar APACHE Ⅱ score(±5 points)and primary diagnosis,patients who did not infect with AB were selected as the non-infected group in a 1:2 ratio.The AR was calculated.Results The in-hospital mortality of patients with AB infection in sterile body fluid was 33.3％,and that of non-infected group was 23.1％,with no statistically significant difference between the two groups(P=0.069).The AR was 10.2％(95％CI:-2.3％-22.8％).There is no statistically significant difference in mortality between non-infected pa-tients and infected patients from whose blood,cerebrospinal fluid and other specimen sources AB were isolated(P＞0.05).After infected with AB,critically ill patients with the major diagnosis of pulmonary infection had the high-est AR.There was no statistically significant difference in mortality between patients in the infected and non-infec-ted groups(P＞0.05),or between other diagnostic classifications.Conclusion The prognosis of AB infection in critically ill patients is highly overestimated,but active healthcare-associated infection control for AB in the ICU should still be carried out.

Objective To observe the effect of multi-modal hand hygiene(HH)intervention on HH compliance,as well as the relationship between HH compliance and the healthcare-associated(HA)case infection incidence.Methods From 2014 to 2022,the infection control team in a tertiary first-class hospital implemented multi-modal HH intervention for health care workers(HCWs).The changing trend of HH monitoring data,the correlation be-tween HH compliance rate and HA case infection incidence were analyzed retrospectively.Results The consump-tion of HH products in the wards showed a stable upward trend;HH compliance rate increased from 64.98％in 2014 to 85.01％in 2022(P＜0.001),and HA case infection incidence decreased from 1.21％to 0.83％(P＜0.05).HH compliance rate was negatively correlated with HA case infection incidence(r=-0.369,P=0.027).HH compliance rates in different regions and job posts in each quarter were increased(P＜0.001).For 5 different HH moments in each quarter,HH compliance rate fluctuated slightly before sterile manipulation and after touching patient;presented rising trend after touching surroundings around patient,and decreased before touching patient and after touching patient's body fluid since 2020(P＜0.001).Conclusion Multi-modal HH intervention can im-prove the HH compliance of HCWs,improving their HH awareness is conducive to reducing HA case infection incidence.

Objective To investigate the renal protective effect and mechanism of sodium acetate(Ace)on hyperuricemic nephropathy(HN)in mice.Methods Uric acid nephropathy mice model was prepared by intraperitoneal injection of potassium oxonate combined with adenine gavage.Mice were divided into blank control group(0.9％NaCl+0.5％carboxymethyl cellulose sodium),Ace group(200 mmol·L-1 Ace+0.5％carboxymethyl cellulose sodium),model group(0.9％NaCl+350 mg·kg-1 potassium oxonate+70 mg·kg-1 adenine),and experimental group(based on model group with additional 200 mmol·L-1 Ace).Serum and urine uric acid(UA)and serum creatinine(SCr)levels were observed in each group.Real-time fluorescence quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)was used to detect the expression levels of kidney injury molecule-1(Kim-1)and anti-aging gene Klotho,renal fibrosis markers Collagen Ⅰ and Fibronectin,intestinal inflammation-related factors interleukin-1 β(IL-1 β),and mRNA expression levels of tight junction proteins Zo-1.Results The serum UA levels of blank control group,Ace group,model group,and experimental group mice were(259.52±24.40),(227.71±35.91),(604.06±73.55),and(496.24±30.16)μmol·L-1,respectively;SCr levels were(16.85±0.40),(16.18±0.94),(22.38±1.56),and(19.78±1.43)μmol·L-1;Kim-1 mRNA relative expression levels were 1.04±0.25,1.17±0.28,13.00±2.87,and 4.24±3.92;Klotho mRNA relative expression levels were 1.04±0.15,1.02±0.18,0.43±0.12,and 0.69±0.12;Collagen Ⅰ mRNA relative expression levels were 1.05±0.15,1.02±0.18,3.19±1.09,and 1.61±0.55;Fibronectin mRNA relative expression levels were 1.07±0.18,1.02±0.25,7.86±2.40,and 3.34±2.10;intestinal IL-1β mRNA relative expression levels were 1.00±0.01,1.01±0.03,2.55±0.63,and 1.21±0.28;intestinal Zo-1 mRNA relative expression levels were 1.00±0.07,1.07±0.09,0.54±0.20,and 0.92±0.17.The above indicators in blank control group compared with model group,and experimental group compared with model group,all showed statistically significant differences(P＜0.05,P＜0.01,P＜0.001).Conclusion Sodium acetate can effectively reduce UA levels in HN mice,significantly improve renal injury and fibrosis,and its mechanism may be related to the improvement of intestinal inflammatory response and up-regulation of intestinal Zo-1/Occuludin pathway to reduce intestinal mucosal permeability.

ObjectiveHuman Ku70 protein mainly involves the non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) repair of double-stranded DNA breaks (DSB) through its DNA-binding properties, and it is recently reported having an RNA-binding ability. This paper is to explore whether Ku70 has RNA helicase activity and affects miRNA maturation. MethodsRNAs bound to Ku protein were analyzed by RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (RIP-seq) and bioinfomatic anaylsis. The expression relationship between Ku protein and miRNAs was verified by Western blot (WB) and quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays. Binding ability of Ku protein to the RNAs was tested by biolayer interferometry (BLI) assay. RNA helicase activity of Ku protein was identified with EMSA assay. The effect of Ku70 regulated miR-124 on neuronal differentiation was performed by morphology analysis, WB and immunofluorescence assays with or without Zika virus (ZIKV) infection. ResultsWe revealed that the Ku70 protein had RNA helicase activity and affected miRNA maturation. Deficiency of Ku70 led to the up-regulation of a large number of mature miRNAs, especially neuronal specific miRNAs like miR-124. The knockdown of Ku70 promoted neuronal differentiation in human neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) and SH-SY5Y cells by boosting miR-124 maturation. Importantly, ZIKV infection reduced the expression of Ku70 whereas increased expression of miR-124 in hNPCs, and led to morphologically neuronal differentiation. ConclusionOur study revealed a novel function of Ku70 as an RNA helicase and regulating miRNA maturation. The reduced expression of Ku70 with ZIKV infection increased the expression of miR-124 and led to the premature differentiation of embryonic neural progenitor cells, which might be one of the causes of microcephaly.

This study used kidney metabolomics to investigate the underlying mechanisms of Guilingji (GLJ) on mild cognitive impairment (MCI) rats. The rats were randomly divided into 6 groups (n = 8), i.e., control group, model group, positive drug (Ginkgo biloba tablet, donepezil) group, GLJ group (low and high dose group). The MCI rat model was replicated using subcutaneous injection of D-galactose into the back of the neck along with a semi-high-fat diet for a total of 8 weeks, and drug was administered from the 5th week for 4 weeks. The kidney function and renal pathological changes of each group of rats were tested. And LC-MS based kidney metabolomics coupled with multivariate data analysis were conducted to explore the potential biomarkers, and corresponding metabolic pathways were then determined. After administration of GLJ, the level of urea nitrogen was decreased compared with those of the model group, and the abnormalities of morphology in kidney tissues were improved. The positive drugs (ginkgo biloba tablet and donepezil) had no significant modulating effect on renal function indexes. Ginkgo biloba tablet can lessen the pathological injury of kidney tissue, and donepezil had no improvement on renal histopathology. A total of 23 MCI related differential metabolites were identified in kidney, and 17 metabolites were signifcantly restored by GLJ compared with those of the model group. Additionally, we found that the cysteine and methionine metabolism, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism were significantly involved in the regulatory effect of GLJ. The results illuminate the "cong shen zhi nao" mechanism of GLJ, and also provide a research basis for the clinical use of GLJ for the treatment of MCI. The animal experiment of this study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Shanxi University (approval number: 2020DW121).

Purpose::Vibrio vulnificus ( V. Vulnificus) infection is characterized by rapid onset, aggressive progression, and challenging treatment. Bacterial resistance poses a significant challenge for clinical anti-infection treatment and is thus the subject of research. Enhancing host infection tolerance represents a novel infection prevention strategy to improve patient survival. Our team initially identified cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) as an important target owing to its negative modulation of the body's infection tolerance. This study explored the superior effects of the CYP1A1 inhibitor bergamottin compared to antibiotic combination therapy on the survival of mice infected with multidrug-resistant V. Vulnificus and the protection of their vital organs. Methods::An increasing concentration gradient method was used to induce multidrug-resistant V. Vulnificus development. We established a lethal infection model in C57BL/6J male mice and evaluated the effect of bergamottin on mouse survival. A mild infection model was established in C57BL/6J male mice, and the serum levels of creatinine, urea nitrogen, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to evaluate the effect of bergamottin on liver and kidney function. The morphological changes induced in the presence of bergamottin in mouse organs were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining of liver and kidney tissues. The bacterial growth curve and organ load determination were used to evaluate whether bergamottin has a direct antibacterial effect on multidrug-resistant V. Vulnificus. Quantification of inflammatory factors in serum by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the expression levels of inflammatory factors in liver and kidney tissues by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction were performed to evaluate the effect of bergamottin on inflammatory factor levels. Western blot analysis of IκBα, phosphorylated IκBα, p65, and phosphorylated p65 protein expression in liver and kidney tissues and in human hepatocellular carcinomas-2 and human kidney-2 cell lines was used to evaluate the effect of bergamottin on the nuclear factor kappa-B signaling pathway. One-way ANOVA and Kaplan-Meier analysis were used for statistical analysis. Results::In mice infected with multidrug-resistant V. Vulnificus, bergamottin prolonged survival ( p = 0.014), reduced the serum creatinine ( p = 0.002), urea nitrogen ( p = 0.030), aspartate aminotransferase ( p = 0.029), and alanine aminotransferase ( p = 0.003) levels, and protected the cellular morphology of liver and kidney tissues. Bergamottin inhibited interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α expression in serum (IL-1β: p = 0.010, IL-6: p = 0.029, TNF-α: p = 0.025) and inhibited the protein expression of the inflammatory factors IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α in liver (IL-1β: p = 0.010, IL-6: p = 0.011, TNF-α: p = 0.037) and kidney (IL-1β: p = 0.016, IL-6: p = 0.011, TNF-α: p = 0.008) tissues. Bergamottin did not affect the proliferation of multidrug-resistant V. Vulnificus or the bacterial load in the mouse peritoneal lavage fluid ( p = 0.225), liver ( p = 0.186), or kidney ( p = 0.637). Conclusion::Bergamottin enhances the tolerance of mice to multidrug-resistant V. Vulnificus infection. This study can serve as a reference and guide the development of novel clinical treatment strategies for V. Vulnificus.

Objective This study aimed to investigate the potential relationship between urinary metals copper (Cu), arsenic (As), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), iron (Fe), lead (Pb) and manganese (Mn) and grip strength. Methods We used linear regression models, quantile g-computation and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) to assess the relationship between metals and grip strength.Results In the multimetal linear regression, Cu (β=-2.119), As (β=-1.318), Sr (β=-2.480), Ba (β=0.781), Fe (β= 1.130) and Mn (β=-0.404) were significantly correlated with grip strength (P < 0.05). The results of the quantile g-computation showed that the risk of occurrence of grip strength reduction was -1.007 (95％ confidence interval:-1.362, -0.652; P < 0.001) when each quartile of the mixture of the seven metals was increased. Bayesian kernel function regression model analysis showed that mixtures of the seven metals had a negative overall effect on grip strength, with Cu, As and Sr being negatively associated with grip strength levels. In the total population, potential interactions were observed between As and Mn and between Cu and Mn (Pinteractions of 0.003 and 0.018, respectively).Conclusion In summary, this study suggests that combined exposure to metal mixtures is negatively associated with grip strength. Cu, Sr and As were negatively correlated with grip strength levels, and there were potential interactions between As and Mn and between Cu and Mn.

Objective To provide a longitudinal evaluation tool based on the frequency of aggressive be-havior for the aggression assessment of schizophrenia patients.Methods The Life History of Aggression was translated and revised to form the Life History of Aggression-Chinese Version(LHA-CV)based on 369 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia in the Chengdu community and compulsory medical insti-tution.The reliability of LHA-CV was analyzed by means of split-half reliability,test-retest reliability and inter-evaluator consistency.The validity was analyzed by item analysis,construct validity and crite-rion validity.Results Item analysis found that LHA-CV had good homogeneity and discriminant validity.Exploratory factor analysis found that the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin(KMO)test value was 0.80,and the Bartlett's sphericity test χ2=1203.46(P<0.05),and it revealed four factors including non-physical ag-gression,physical aggression,self-directed aggression and antisocial behavior/consequences.The factor loadings for all 11 items were greater than 0.40.Confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the factor model,Chi-square degree of freedom(χ2/df)was 3.61,root mean square error of approxima-tion(RMSEA)was 0.07,goodness-of-fit index(GFI)was 0.92,comparative fit index(CFI)was 0.90,incremental fit index(IFI)was 0.90,and the discriminant validity of each factor was good.The criterion validity test showed the total score of LHA-CV was positively correlated with the aggressive behavior level of MacArthur Community Violence Instrument,the total score of Buss-Perry Aggression Scale,and the score of Antisocial Personality Disorder Subscale of Personality Diagnostic Question-naire-4th Edition Plus(PDQ-4+_ASPD,P<0.05).The Cronbach's α coefficient of non-physical aggres-sion,physical aggression,self-directed aggression,antisocial behavior/consequences and LHA-CV total score were 0.82,0.73,0.74,0.56 and 0.79,respectively.The test-retest reliability,Spearman-Brown split-half reliability and intra-class correlation coefficient of LHA-CV total score were 0.82(P<0.05),0.66 and 0.99,respectively.Conclusion LHA-CV has good reliability and validity,and can be used as an evaluation tool for longitudinally assessing aggressive behavior in schizophrenia patients.

Objective To develop a GIS-based 3D playback system for the flight human-plane data to realize the fusion of pilots'airborne flight data and physiological data.Methods The 3D playback system was developed with the Browser/Server(B/S)architecture,micro-server model,Java language and Spring Cloud technology framework,which was composed of three functional modules for flight process reproduction,physiological situational awareness and critical event calibration analysis.Results The system developed achieved time synchronization and data fusion of airborne flight data and physiological data with a time synchronization frequency of 1 Hz and a refresh rate of not less than 120 frames/s.Conclusion The system developed with high safety,stability,reliability and accuracy facilitates pilot in-flight physiological monitoring and fusion and simultaneous display of airborne flight data and physiological data,which can be used as an important platform for decision-making support in flight training.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(10):14-19]