Atomic force microscopy has become an important tool for studying biological samples based on its high spatial resolution, high force resolution and the capability of working at physiological conditions. This article reviewed the application of AFM imaging and force measurement in biology and medicine.

The results of different interventions administered in 118 cases with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) for 3 years were investigated. The rates of transformation of IFG to diabetes mellitus in metformin treatment groups and rosiglitazone treatment groups were significantly lower than that in life style intervention group. This study suggested that metformin or rosiglitazone treatment could effectively reduce transformation of IFG to diabetes as compared with life style intervention.

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate whether PRDM16 gene polymorphisms were associated with dyslipidemia. Methods The polymorphisms of rs2651899, rs2236518, rs870171, and rs2282198 in PRDM16 gene in 528 participants were genotyped by the method of snapshot or ligase detection reaction. The genotype differences and the allele differences between the case group and the control group were analyzed. Linkage disequilibrium analysis was performed with SHE-sis online software. The interaction between rs2651899, rs2236518, rs870171, rs2282198 and gender, age, BMI were analyzed by MDR software. Results The frequency of allele A in rs2651899 locus was significantly higher in low HDL-C group compared with that in control group[OR(95%CI)=1.32(1.02-1.71), P=0.033]. The frequency of A/C genotype in rs870171 was significantly different between LDL-C abnormal group and control group[OR(95% CI)=1.97(1.01-3.86), P=0.037]. There may be interaction between rs2236518 and sex, which is a risk factor for low HDL-C[Model Ⅱ: OR(95% CI)=1.958(1.366-2.809), P<0.01]. There may be interactions among rs2651899, rs2236518, rs870171, and rs2282198, which seemed to be risk factors for lower HDL-C[Model Ⅳ: OR(95% CI)=3.991(2.707-5.884), P<0.01]. rs870171, rs2282198 may have interaction with age, which is a risk factor for high LDL-C [Model Ⅶ: OR(95%CI)=3.991(2.707-5.884), P<0.01]. Conclusion Allele A of rs2651899 may be a risk factor to low HDL-C. Under the codominant inheritance patterns, genotype A/C of rs870171 may be a risk factor to high LDL-C. In addition, there may be interaction between SNPs with gender and age.

Objective To evaluate and compare the clinical efficacy and safety of intense pulsed light (IPL) versus 595-nm pulsed dye laser (PDL) for the treatment of post-acne erythema.Methods A randomized split-face clinical trial was conducted.A total of 20 patients with post-acne erythema were enrolled,and randomized to receive treatment with IPL on one half of the face and 595-nm PDL on the other facial side once every 4 weeks for 3 sessions.Digital photographs were taken using the VISIA,and erythema index was recorded before each treatment and one month after the last treatment.The severity of bilateral facial erythema was evaluated based on a 4-point grading scale before the first treatment and after the last treatment.Pain scores and adverse reactions were recorded using a visual analogue scale (VAS) after each treatment,and a patient satisfaction survey was conducted by questionnaire at the last follow-up.Results The mean erythema index on the IPL side before and after treatment was 472.25 ± 86.02 and 357.15 ±82.71 respectively,and that on the PDL side before and after treatment was 476.40 ± 74.25 and 360.05 ± 64.83 respectively.Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the erythema indices on both treated sides significantly decreased over time (F =197.666,P ＜ 0.001),and the efficacy of IPL was better than that of PDL (F =1 173.909,P ＜ 0.001).Erythema severity grades on the IPL side as well as on the PDL side significantly differed between before and after treatment (Z =28.735,31.450,respectively,both P ＜ 0.001).As VAS showed,the pain score on the PDL side was significantly lower than that on the IPL side (t =2.468,P ＜ 0.05).Among the 20 patients,17 and 15 assessed their improvement as good or excellent after PDL and IPL treatment respectively,but there was no significant difference between the two groups (Z =2.696,P ＞ 0.05).The adverse reactions included erythema,burning sensation,tense sensation,blistering and hyperpigmentation on IPL-treated side,and erythema and purpuric reactions on the PDL-treated side,which all disappeared in a few hours to several days.Conclusions Both IPL and 595-nm PDL are effective and safe for the treatment of post-acne erythema,and are worthy of clinical promotion and application.IPL shows superiority in the efficacy,but elicits higher pain sensation compared with PDL.

Objective:To explore the mechanisms of regulation of miR-575 on the proliferation and invasion properties of non-small cell lung cancer cell (NSCLC).Methods:Real-time PCR was selected to detect the expression of miR-575 and BLID in differ ent NSCLC cell lines.CCK-8 assay was processed to measure the alternations of A549 cell proliferation at different time points after transfection of miR-575 mimic and miR-575 inhibitor.The invasion ability of A549 cells was evaluated by transwell.The targeting of BLID by miR-575 was predicted by Targetcan software and verified by dual-Luciferase assay.BLID protein expression level was detected by western blot.Results:miR-575 highly expressed in NSCLC cell lines,including A549,SPC-A1,H1299,H1650 (P＜0.001),miR-575 mimic could efficiently elevated the expression ofmiR-575 in A549 cells (P＜0.001),and strengthened the proliferation and invasion ability of NSCLC cells (P＜0.05),while,transfection of miR-575 inhibitor could down-regulate the expression ofmiR-575,and also inhibit the proliferation and invasion ability of NSCLC cells (P＜0.01).Targetscan software predicted that BLID might be the target gene of miR-575,and dual-luciferase assay revealed that miR-575 could obviously decrease the luciferase reaction of wild type BLID 3'UTR (P＜0.01),besides,miR-575 could down-regulate the protein expression ofBLID (P＜0.01).Real-time PCR results showed that NSCLC cell lines had lower level of BLID mRNA expression compared with 16HBE control cells (P＜0.001),and restore of BLID could markedly inhibited cell proliferation and invasion ability (P＜0.05),which could be reversed by miR-575 co-tranfection (P＜0.01).Conclusion:In NSCLC cells,the expression ofmiR-575 could promote cell proliferation and invasion ability by directly regulating downstream target tumor-suppressor gene BLID expression.

Objective To investigate the relationship between serum thyrotrophin(TSH)and dyslipidemia in subclinical hypothyroid and euthyroid subjects. Methods An epidemiological study on diabetes and thyroid diseases was performed in Dadong community, Shenyang city, in 2007. 110 subjects with subclinical hypothyroidism(SCH)and 1 240 euthyroid subjects were enrolled in the study. Neither history of thyroid diseases nor administration of thyroid-related and lipid-regulating medicines were reported in these subjects. The levels of serum thyroid hormones, lipids, fasting plasma glucose(FPG), and insulin were determined. Results (1)Patients with SCH had significantly lower HDL-C levels than those who were euthyroid.(2)According to the guideline of treatment of adult dyslipidemia in China, the lipid profiles were each categorized. Mean TSH levels were higher in subjects in the dyslipidemia subclass than subjects in the normal subclass. The differences were significant in high LDL-C subclass in overweight individuals. In euthyroid overweight women, mean TSH levels were significantly higher in high LDL-C subclass. In the euthyroid population, TSH was positively associated with total cholesterol in overweight population. The association was not modified by the homestasis model assessment for insulin resistance(HOMA-IR)values.(3)TSH was associated positively with serum triglycerides and negatively with serum HDL-C in women. TSH was positively associated with total cholesterol in overweight population and positively associated with total cholesterol and LDL-C in overweight women after adjustment for age, sex, and body mass index. Conclusion Raised serum TSH seems to be a risk factor of dyslipidemia in subclinical hypothyroid and euthyroid subjects, which is independent of insulin sensitivity.

Objective To explore the relationship between serum thyrotropin and the components of metabolic syndrome.Methods A total of 1534 adult inhabitants in Dadong district of Shenyang were asked to fulfill the questionnaires and have physical examination and oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT).The vein blood was drawn to measure thyrotropin(TSH),fasting plasma glucose(FPG),OGTT 2hPG,fasting insulin,triglyceride(TG) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C).Results Serum TSH in the MS group was higher than in the Non-MS group(2.54 vs 2.22 mU/L,P

Objective:To investigate the effects of self-help mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) training on illness uncertainty andsleep quality in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) after radiofrequency ablation. To provide the basis for improving the quality of life of these patients.Methods:This was a randam controlled Test. A convenient sampling method was used to select 90 patients with atrial fibrillation who underwent radiofrequency ablation in the First Peoples Hospital of Changzhou from January 2021 to December 2021. According to the random number table method. They were divided into the experimental group and the control group, with 45 cases in each group. The control group received routine nursing, and the observation group received home-based self-help MBSR training based on the routine nursing. Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Scale (PSQI) were used to evaluate the scores of each scale before intervention, 8 weeks and 3 months after intervention.Results:A total of 42 cases were completed in the experimental group and 41 cases in the control group. Repeated measurement analysis of variance showed that there were interaction effect ( F interaction = 90.98, 46.27, 39.61, all P<0.01), time effect ( F time = 298.67, 179.06, 76.32, all P<0.01) and inter-group effect ( F intergroup = 19.88, 4.07, 18.70, all P<0.05) on mindfulness score, disease uncertainty score, total score of sleep quality and scores of all dimensionsin between the two groups. Simple effect analysis showed that scores of all scales in experimental groups were significantly better than those in control group after the intervention ( F values were 11.75 to 66.49, all P<0.01). Conclusion:Self-help MBSR training can improve the level of mindfulness, reduce the feeling of uncertainty and improve the quality of sleep in patients with atrial fibrillation after radiofrequency ablation.

Objective To explore the effect of head acupuncturing therapy combined with massaging key head acupoints on language and cognitive function in children with autism.Methods 60 children with autism who visited the Department of Pediatric Rehabilitation of our hospital from January 2021 to June 2022 were selected as subjects,who were then randomly divided into the conventional group treated with the conventional rehabilitation training and the combination group treated with head acupuncturing therapy combined with massaging the key acu-points,apart from conventional rehabilitation training 30 cases in each group.The cognitive function,developmental status,and parental quality of life before and after the treatment were compared between the two groups,and so were the language function and safety.Results There were no significant differences in the scores by Autism Behavior Checklist(ABC)and Childhood Autism Rating Scale(CARS),adaptability scores,language scores,and individual-social interaction scores between the conventional group and the combination group before the treatment(P>0.05).After the treatment,the scores by ABC and CARS were significantly decreased in both groups,and the scores of the combination group were significantly lower than those in the conventional group(P<0.05);The adaptability scores,language,individual-social interaction scores were significantly increased in both groups,and the scores of the combined group were significantly higher than those of the conventional group(P<0.05).The abnormal rates of symbolic expression,language comprehension,action-oriented subjects,and language development delay in the combined group were all significantly lower than those in the conventional group(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the scores by the QL-Index between the conventional group and the combined group before the treatment(P>0.05),but after the treatment,the QL-Index scores of the conventional group and the combination group were increased,and the score of the combination group was significantly higher than that of the conventional group(P<0.05).The results of blood routine,urine routine,stool routine,liver function,and kidney function in both groups were not significantly abnormal.There was one case of mild swelling and pain at the acupunctured site in the combination group,which was improved without intervention.Conclusion Head acupuncturing therapy combined with massaging the key head acupoints can improve language function,cognitive function,and development of autis-tic children.In addition,it can enhance parental quality of life and have a high level of safety.

This study investigated the relationship between serum thyrotrophin levels and dyslipidemia in subclinical hypothyroid and euthyroid subjects. A total of 110 subjects with subclinical hypothyroidism and 1,240 euthyroid subjects enrolled in this study. Patients with subclinical hypothyroidism had significantly lower high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels than those who were euthyroid. The lipid profiles were each categorized and mean thyrotrophin levels were higher in subjects in the dyslipidemia subclasses than subjects in the normal subclasses. Thyrotrophin was positively associated with serum triglyceride and negatively associated with serum HDL-C in women. Thyrotrophin was also positively associated with total cholesterol (TC) in the overweight population along with TC and LDL-C in overweight women. In the euthyroid population, thyrotrophin was positively associated with TC in the overweight population. In conclusion, serum thyrotrophin was correlated with dyslipidemia in subclinical hypothyroid and euthyroid subjects; the correlation was independent of insulin sensitivity.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cholesterol/blood ; Cholesterol, HDL/blood ; Dyslipidemias/*blood ; Female ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance ; Lipids/blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Thyrotropin/*blood ; Triglycerides/blood ; Young Adult