Objective: To develop a prediction model for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) risk among the elderly, so as to provide a tool for MCI early screening. Methods : From July 2022 to September 2024, a multi-stage stratified random cluster sampling method was used to recruit permanent residents aged ≥65 years from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region as study participants. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, nutritional status, body composition indices, bone mineral density, and handgrip strength were collected through questionnaires and physical examinations. Sarcopenia was defined based on appendicular skeletal muscle index and handgrip strength. MCI was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination, with adjustments for educational level. Participants were randomly divided into a training set and a validation set in a 7∶3 ratio. LASSO regression and multivariable logistic regression models were employed to screen for predictors and construct an MCI risk prediction model. The predictive performance of the model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results: A total of 1 641 participants were surveyed, including 755 males (46.01%) and 886 females (53.99%). The majority of participants were aged 65-<75 years, comprising 1 154 individuals (70.32%). MCI was detected in 517 participants, corresponding to a detection rate of 31.51%. Resultsfrom LASSO regression and multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that residence (rural, OR = 2.323, 95% CI: 1.682-3.210), age (75-<85 years, OR = 1.405, 95% CI: 1.019-1.937; ≥85 years, OR = 3.655, 95% CI: 1.696-7.875), educational level (primary school, OR = 0.341, 95% CI: 0.247-0.472; junior high school, OR = 0.255, 95% CI: 0.160-0.408; high school, OR = 0.286, 95% CI: 0.154-0.531; bachelor's degree or above, OR = 0.120, 95% CI: 0.041-0.351), history of alcohol consumption (yes, OR = 3.216, 95% CI: 2.164-4.779), risk of malnutrition (yes, OR = 1.464, 95% CI: 1.064-2.014), sarcopenia (yes, OR = 3.197, 95% CI: 2.332-4.385), and waist-to-hip ratio (abnormal, OR = 1.540, 95% CI: 1.159-2.048) were identified as predictive factors for MCI among the elderly. In the training set, the area under the ROC curve, sensitivity, and specificity were 0.788, 0.719, and 0.712, respectively. In the validation set, the corresponding values were 0.784, 0.913, and 0.542, respectively. DCA demonstrated that the model provided a higher clinical net benefit for predicting MCI risk when the risk threshold probability ranged from 0.124 to 0.764. Conclusion The prediction model developed in this study demonstrates good discriminative ability and clinical utility, indicating its substantial value for predicting the MCI risk among the elderly.

Objective: To analyze the distribution characteristics of immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentration in Nanning Zhuang blood donors by measuring the concentration of plasma IgA. Methods: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to measure the absorbance of 2 000 plasma samples from Zhuang blood donors. The IgA concentration in samples was calculated using the ELISA Calc regression/fitting technology program. Results: The standard curve demonstrated that ELISA detection of plasma IgA concentration exhibited good precision. The frequency of IgA deficiency was 0/2 000. No statistically significant difference in the distribution of IgA concentration was observed between males and females (P>0.05). The distribution of IgA concentration varied significantly across age groups: younger individuals (18-39 years old) had lower plasma IgA levels (mg/dL) compared to older individuals (40-56 years old): 5-89.99 mg/dL group, 8.80% (176/2 000) vs 17.20% (344/2 000); 90-450 mg/dL group,20.65% (413/2 000) vs 51.20% (1 024/2 000); >450 mg/dL group, 0.45%, (9/2 000) vs 1.70% (34/2 000), P<0.05. No significant difference in IgA concentration was found among different ABO blood types in Zhuang blood donors (P>0.05). Spearman correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between age and IgA concentration (R =0.114, P<0.05). Conclusion: No individuals with IgA deficiency were screened out among the Zhuang blood donors in Nanning area, and plasma IgA levels progressively increase with age.

Objective: To understand the current status of tuberculosis prevention and control knowledge and perceived stress among college and middle school students with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in Yantai City, and to analyze the related factors, so as to provide a basis for the school to carry out health education and psychological counseling. Methods: A matched case control study was conducted, with 100 PTB student patients in junior high school and above who were diagnosed at designated medical institutions from October 2020 to October 2024. Four healthy control students of the same gender, same dormitory, or same class were selected for each case. Therefore, 100 cases and 400 controls were investigated by questionnaire. The following information was collected: personal basic information; tuberculosis prevention and control awareness; and scores of the Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS). Conditional Logistic regression model and mixed linear models were used to compare the PTB prevention and control awareness rate, as well as the perceived stress between the case and control groups. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the factors that may affect the perceived stress of students with PTB. Results: The awareness rates of four tuberculosis knowledge items (symptoms of PTB, main causes of onset after infection, consequences of PTB patients not receiving standardized and complete treatment, the most important method to prevent PTB) were higher in the case group (40.00%, 72.00% , 38.00%, 49.00%) than the control group (21.50%, 57.50%, 22.25%, 31.25%) and the differences were statistically significant ( Wald χ 2=18.44, 8.78, 13.20, 16.89, all P <0.01). The tension score (10.49±4.20), loss of control score ( 11.21± 4.58), and total score (21.70±6.88) in the case group were higher than the control group (9.35±4.73, 9.75±5.60, 19.09±8.36) and the differences were statistically significant ( t =2.21, 2.42, 2.88, all P <0.05). The results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that age ≥ 18 years and family history of tuberculosis were the related factors affecting the overall perceived stress and tension of college and middle school students with PTB ( B total scores =4.50, 5.91; B tension score =2.39, 3.23, all P <0.05). Conclusions The tuberculosis prevention and control awareness rate, and the perceived stress of college and middle school students with PTB in Yantai are both higher than students without tuberculosis. Moreover, the perceived stress of students with PTB who are aged ≥18 years or have a family history of tuberculosis is even higher.

Objective : To investigate the effects of branched-chain amino acid(BCAA) on the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and its potential mechanism. Methods : 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were divided into the Control, differentiation medium(DM), low-concentration BCAA, and high-concentration BCAA groups. A CCK-8 assay was utilized to evaluate pre-adipocyte survival under various BCAA concentrations. Oil-red O staining was used to observe the formation of lipid droplets in adipocytes. Intracellular triglyceride(TG) and total cholesterol(TC) were detected by enzymatic method. RT-qPCR and Western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of Stat3 and adipocyte differentiation-related genes. Results : CCK-8 results showed that the viability of 3T3-L1 cells was not affected when the BCAA concentration was ≤ 10 mmol/L. Compared with the DM group, the low-concentration BCAA groups(0.5 and 1.0 mmol/L) had significantly larger intracellular lipid droplets, increased number of lipid droplets, and elevated levels of the intracellular TC(0.88vs0.68 mmol/g; 0.83vs0.68 mmol/g,P<0.01) and TG(0.77vs0.40 mmol/g; 0.62vs0.40 mmol/g,P<0.01). Nevertheless, the cell differentiation in the high-concentration group(5.0 and 10.0 mmol/L) significantly decreased compared with that in the DM group. Further, levels of PPARγ, C/EBPα, Adiponectin, and FABP4 mRNA and protein expression significantly increased in the low-concentration group, but significantly decreased in the high-concentration group than that in the DM group(P<0.01). In addition, low concentrations of BCAA promoted stat3 phosphorylation, while high concentrations inhibited its phosphorylation(P<0.01). Conclusion BCAA have a dual role in regulating the differentiation of preadipocytes through Stat3, i.e. low concentrations of BCAA induce cell differentiation by promoting Stat3 phosphorylation; whereas high concentrations of BCAA inhibit Stat3 phosphorylation and cell differentiation.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical value of digital PCR (dPCR) for the prenatal diagnosis of common fetal aneuploidies. METHODS: A dPCR-based assay was developed for detecting trisomies 21, 18, and 13. A retrospective analysis was carried out on 173 amniotic fluid samples collected by the Prenatal Diagnosis Center of Taizhou Hospital between January 2017 and December 2023. By using chromosomal karyotyping as the gold standard, the diagnostic performance of the multiplex dPCR system was evaluated in a double-blind manner. This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Taizhou Hospital (Ethics No. K20250339). RESULTS: Chromosomal karyotyping has identified 59 cases of trisomy 21, 5 cases of trisomy 18, 2 cases of trisomy 13, 6 cases with chromosomal structural abnormalities or mosaicisms, and 101 cases with a normal karyotype. The dPCR results (Z-score cutoff = 4.0, CI = 99.997%) showed full concordance with karyotyping (sensitivity = 100%, specificity = 100%, Kappa = 1). Among the 6 structurally abnormal or mosaicism samples, dPCR has accurately detected 4 cases, but mis-classified 2 cases of trisomy 21 with very low-level mosaicisms (3.3%, 6.9%, respectively) as normal. CONCLUSION The established multiplex dPCR system demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy for common chromosomal aneuploidies, with results available within 24 hours. It can serve as an efficient supplementary tool to conventional chromosomal karyotyping, providing reliable support for time-sensitive clinical decision-making in prenatal diagnosis.
Humans ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Aneuploidy ; Prenatal Diagnosis/methods* ; Karyotyping ; Retrospective Studies ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods* ; Chromosome Disorders/genetics* ; Adult ; Trisomy 13 Syndrome/diagnosis* ; Trisomy 18 Syndrome/genetics* ; Down Syndrome/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical value of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for identifying maternal malignant tumors. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was carried out on pregnant women undergoing Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) at Taizhou Hospital in Zhejiang Province from January 2018 to December 2022. The criteria included maternal copy number variations for at least two chromosomes. Clinical follow-up data were obtained for the high-risk population of maternal malignant tumors through telephone follow-up and review of electronic medical records. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Hospital (Ethics No.: K20250339). RESULTS: Among 45 141 NIPT samples, 6 (0.013%) were suggested to have maternal malignant tumors. Follow-up information was available for 5 patients (83.3%). Two cases were diagnosed with maternal malignant tumors, including 1 myelodysplastic syndrome and 1 pelvic malignant tumor. Two cases were found to have multiple uterine fibroids and 1 was lost during follow-up. CONCLUSION The abnormal copy number indicated by NIPT may serve as an early signal for maternal malignant tumors. To establish a systematic follow-up protocol and multidisciplinary collaboration are conducive to achieving early diagnosis of tumors and improving the prognosis of patients. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that for pregnant women with unexplained copy number variations and suspected maternal tumors by NIPT, targeted tumor screening program should be implemented to optimize their clinical management.
Humans ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Adult ; Retrospective Studies ; DNA Copy Number Variations/genetics* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; Noninvasive Prenatal Testing/methods* ; Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic/diagnosis* ; Prenatal Diagnosis/methods*

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of procalcitonin to platelet ratio (PPR) and C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR) in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and the value of SAP and concomitant acute liver injury (ALI).Methods:Total of 195 patients with AP from June 2021 to December 2022 from 374 patients were screened for inclusion in the study and were divided into non-severe acute pancreatitis (NSAP) and SAP groups. The ALI group was divided into non-acute liver injury (NALI) and ALI groups according to ALI criteria, and then into hepatocellular ALI subgroup, cholangiocellular ALI subgroup and mixed ALI subgroup. Laboratory tests for procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin and platelet (PLT) were completed within 48 h. Risk factors for SAP, ALI and each subgroup of ALI were analysed by binary logistic regression. Subject work characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted and the optimal thresholds for PPR and CAR were calculated. The predictive value of PPR, CAR and their combination for SAP, ALI and each type of ALI was determined.Results:The AUCs for predicting SAP by plotting ROC curves and calculating the bedside index score of acute pancreatitis severity (BISAP score), PPR, CAR, PPR combined with CAR, PPR combined with BISAP score, CAR combined with BISAP score and combined PPR, CAR and BISAP score were 0.82, 0.85, 0.79 and 0.86. The areas under the ROC curves for PPR, CAR and combined prediction of ALI were 0.81, 0.85 and 0.88, respectively; the areas under the ROC curves for PPR, CAR and combined prediction of hepatocellular ALI were 0.93, 0.77 and 0.92, respectively; and the areas under the ROC curves for PPR, CAR and combined prediction of cholangiocellular ALI were 0.76, 0.76 and 0.77, respectively. The area under the ROC curves for PPR, CAR and combined prediction of mixed ALI were 0.83, 0.76 and 0.82Conclusions:Elevated PPR and CAR are risk factors for SAP and for the development of ALI in AP. PPR has better predictive value than CAR for hepatocellular and mixed ALI, and CAR has better predictive value than PPR for cholangiocellular ALI.

Objective:To investigate the value of fibrinogen to albumin ratio (FAR), creatinine to albumin ratio (CAR) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in predicting the poor prognosis of hyperlipidemic acute pancreatitis (HLAP).Methods:Clinical data of HLAP patients admitted to the hospital from January 2021 to January and December 2023 were retrospectively collected. According to the prognosis, the patients were divided into two groups: good prognosis group and poor prognosis group.The independent risk factors of HLAP in different prognostic groups were obtained by multivariate Logistic regression analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to evaluate the prognostic value of FAR, CAR and PLR alone and in combination.Results:A total of 118 patients with HLAP were included, including 69 patients with good prognosis and 49 patients with poor prognosis.The difference of heart rate, lymphocyte, triglyceride, albumin, creatinine, urea nitrogen, blood calcium, blood glucose, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, fibrinogen, FAR, CAR, PLR, Bedside indicator of acute pancreatitis Severity score, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health status score, hospitalization time assessment between the two groups was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that FAR (odds ratio ( OR) = 25.949, 95% confidence interval (95% CI):3.190 ~ 211.080, P = 0.002), CAR ( OR = 1.453, 95% CI:1.095 ~ 1.928, P = 0.010) and PLR ( OR = 1.005, 95% CI: 1.001 ~ 1.009, P = 0.020) were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in HLAP patients. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of FAR, CAR and PLR to predict poor prognosis of HLAP patients were 0.823, 0.781 and 0.652, respectively.The AUC of FAR combined with CAR, FAR combined with PLR and CAR combined with PLR were 0.840, 0.845 and 0.849, respectively.The combined ability of FAR, CAR and PLR to predict poor prognosis in HLAP patients was (AUC=0.875,95% CI:0.814 ~ 0.937). When the cut-off value was 0.387, the sensitivity was 83.7%, and the specificity was 79.7%. Conclusions:The prognostic value of FAR, CAR and PLR in HLAP patients is better than that of single or pairwise combination.

Objective:To evaluate the value of CEA, CYFRA21-1 and CA125 tests in opportunistic screening of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) based on meta-analysis.Methods:The original research literatures on the diagnostic value of CEA, CYFRA21-1 and CA125 in Chinese NSCLC patients were searched from databases of PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP, Database and Wanfang database from establishment to June 2023. The literature screening, data extraction and quality evaluation were carried out independently by two researchers. The quality evaluation tool of diagnostic accuracy studies was used to evaluate the quality of the literature. A summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve was used to assess the overall effectiveness of the tests. The outcome stability and publication bias were detected by using sensitivity analysis and Deeks′ test.Results:A total of 23 studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that the overall sensitivity of CEA, CYFRA21-1 and CA125 alone in the diagnosis of NSCLC was relatively low, it was 0.49(95% CI: 0.43-0.55), 0.56(95% CI: 0.49-0.63) and 0.41(95% CI: 0.33-0.49), respectively. The overall sensitivity of the combined detection of the three markers for the diagnosis of NSCLC increased to 0.83(95% CI: 0.69-0.91), but the overall specificity decreased to 0.76(95% CI: 0.69-0.83). Conclusions:The single detection of CEA, CYFRA21-1 and CA125 is not recommended for screening NSCLC in population receiving physical examination. Although the sensitivity of the combined detection of CEA, CYFRA21-1 and CA125 for screening NSCLC is improved, but the specificity is decreased, the misdiagnosis rate is increased, so the screening effect is limited.

Objective To observe the correlations of chest CT quantitative parameters in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(AECOPD)with blood eosinophil(EOS)level.Methods Chest CT data of 162 AECOPD patients with elevated eosinophils were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into low EOS group(n=105)and high EOS group(n=57)according to the absolute counting of blood EOS.The quantitative CT parameters,including the number of whole lung bronchi and the volume of blood vessels,low-attenuation area percentage(LAA％)of whole lung,of left/right lung and each lobe of lung,as well as the luminal diameter(LD),wall thickness(WT),wall area(WA)and WA percentage of total bronchial cross-section(WA％)of grade 3 to 8 bronchi were compared between groups.Spearman correlations were performed to analyze the correlations of quantitative CT parameters with blood EOS level.Results LAA％of the whole lung,of the left/right lung and each lobe of lung,as well as of the upper lobe of right lung LDgrade4,middle lobe of right lung WTgrade5,upper lobe of right lung WAgrade4,middle lobe of right lung WAgrade5 and lower lobe of left lung WAgrade3 in low EOS group were all higher than those in high EOS group(all P＜0.05).Except for the upper lobe of right lung LDgrade4,the above quantitative CT indexes being significant different between groups were all weakly and negatively correlated with blood EOS level(r=-0.335 to-0.164,all P＜0.05).Conclusion Chest CT quantitative parameters of AECOPD patients were correlated with blood EOS level,among which LAA％,a part of WT and WA were all weakly negatively correlated with blood EOS level.