OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) and cognitive function. METHODS: A cross-sectional study method was conducted. People aged ≥ 60 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) databases from 1999 to 2002 and 2011 to 2014 were included as study subjects. The participants were divided into three groups based on their GNRI scores: a medium-high risk group (82 ≤ GNRI < 92), a low risk group (92 ≤ GNRI < 98), and a no-risk group (GNRI ≥ 98). Demographic characteristics (gender, age, race, education), chronic diseases [chronic bronchitis, emphysema, thyroid problems, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, stroke, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and depression score on the patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9)], lifestyle habits (history of smoking, hours of sleep), etc., were collected. Cognitive function was assessed using the consortium to establish a registry for Alzheimer's disease word learning subtest (CERAD-WL), animal fluency test (AFT), and digit symbol substitution test (DSST) for the 2011-2014 data, while only the DSST was used for the 1999-2002 data. Differences in the above information among the GNRI cohorts were compared. Factors affecting cognitive function in the population were analyzed using multifactorial Logistic regression. RESULTS: 2 653 participants from 2011 to 2014 and 2 380 participants from 1999 to 2002 were enrolled, with a total of 5 033 participants in the study. There were statistically significant differences in age, stroke, diabetes mellitus, DSST score, AFT score, CERAD score test 1 recall (Cst1), and CERAD score test 2 recall (Cst2) among the GNRI groups. Multifactorial Logistic regression analysis of data from 2011 to 2014 showed that in model 3 (DSST score, age, gender, race, marriage, education, hours of sleep, history of smoking, emphysema, thyroid problems, chronic bronchitis, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, depression score on the PHQ-9, and stroke) adjusted for all covariates, GNRI was a protective factor for DSST [odds ratio (OR) = 1.03, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 1.00 to 1.05, P = 0.03]; Logistic regression analyse for 1999 to 2002 and 2011 to 2014 showed a significant association even after adjustment for covariates (OR = 1.02, 95%CI was 1.00 to 1.03, P = 0.02). Subgroup Logistic regression analyses of the total population from 2011 to 2014 showed a significant association between GNRI and DSST scores (OR = 1.02, 95%CI was 1.01 to 1.03, P < 0.001), with significant associations in the age subgroups of 60 to 64 years old, across gender, non-Hispanic Whites and Blacks, by education, and by marital status associations were significant (all P < 0.05). Subgroup Logistic regression analyse of the total populations from 1999 to 2002 and 2011 to 2014 showed a significant association between the GNRI and DSST score (OR = 1.01, 95%CI was 1.01 to 1.02, P < 0.001), but did not show a significant year difference (interaction P = 0.503), and the newly found in the smoking population the association was also more significant (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION The GNRI correlates with the presence of cognitive functions related to processing speed, sustained attention, and executive function, and may be able to serve as an indicator for the assessment or prediction of related cognitive functions.
Humans ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Nutrition Surveys ; Cognition ; Female ; Male ; Nutritional Status ; Risk Factors ; Geriatric Assessment

ObjectiveTo observe the effect of gastrodin on the steroid regulatory element-binding protein 1c （SREBP1c） signaling pathway in high-fat high-cholesterol diet （HFHC）-induced mice and explore the mechanism of gastrodin in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD）. MethodEight-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were used in vivo and divided into the following four groups， with six mice in each group： normal group， gastrodin group （50 mg·kg^-1）， model group， and model + gastrodin group （50 mg·kg^-1）. NAFLD model was established by feeding mice with HFHC for four weeks， and the mice were euthanized and the liver tissues were collected after four weeks. In vitro experiments were performed using Huh7 cells which were divided into five groups， and induced with free fatty acids （FFA， 200 μmol·L^-1， oleic acid-palmitic acid 2∶1） to establish an NAFLD cell model. After 24 h， different concentrations of gastrodin （0， 5， 10， 20， and 40 μmol·L^-1） were added to each group and cultured for another 24 h. Oil red O staining was used to detect lipid accumulation in mouse liver and Huh7 cells. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe pathological changes in liver tissue. Levels of serum total cholesterol （TC）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， and triglycerides （TG） were measured using an automatic biochemical analyzer. Relevant assay kits were used to detect liver TC， TG， and FFA levels. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot were used to detect the expression of lipid synthesis-related proteins fatty acid synthase （FASN）， acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 （ACC1）， and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 （SCD1）. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed significantly increased serum TC， LDL-C， and TG levels （P<0.01）， liver TC， TG， and FFA levels （P<0.01）， increased lipid accumulation in Huh7 cells （P<0.01）， and significantly increased expression levels of lipid synthesis-related genes SREBP1c， FASN， ACC1， and SCD1 in mice and Huh7 cells （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， after gastrodin treatment， the serum TC， LDL-C， and TG levels in mice significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， the severity of fatty liver disease improved significantly， liver TC， TG， and FFA levels decreased significantly （P<0.05， P<0.01）， lipid accumulation in Huh7 cells decreased significantly （P<0.05， P<0.01）， the expression levels of lipid synthesis-related genes SREBP1c， FASN， ACC1， and SCD1 in mice and Huh7 cells decreased significantly （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionGastrodin can reduce hepatic lipid accumulation and blood lipid levels， improve HFHC-induced NAFLD， and its mechanism of action may be related to the regulation of the SREBP1c lipid synthesis-related signaling pathway.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of depressive symptoms among grassroots healthcare workers in Zhejiang Province, so as to provide insights into improving their mental health. Methods: Grassroots healthcare workers of community health service centers and township health centers were sampled from one county (city, district) in each of 11 cities in Zhejiang Province using a convenience sampling method from December 2022 to January 2023. Participants' gender, age, educational level and average daily sleep duration in the past week were collected through questionnaires, and depression symptoms was investigated according to Self-rating Depression Scale. Factors affecting the depressive symptoms were identified using a multivariable logistic regression model. Results: A total of 1 946 questionnaires were distributed, and 1 945 valid questionnaires were recovered, with an effective response rate of 99.95%. There were 444 boys, accounting for 22.83%, and 1 501 girls, accounting for 77.17%. The median age was was 36 (interquartile range, 44) years. There were 786 healthcare workers detected with depressive symptoms, with a prevalence rate of 40.41%, and the prevalence rates of mild, moderate and severe depressive symptoms were 26.94%, 10.49% and 2.98%, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified age (50 years and older, OR=0.572, 95%CI: 0.386-0.846), annual income (100 000 to 149 999 Yuan, OR=0.780, 95%CI: 0.635-0.958; 150 000 to 199 999 Yuan, OR=0.463, 95%CI: 0.282-0.760; 200 000 Yuan and above, OR=0.303, 95%CI: 0.098-0.937), vocation (nurse, OR=1.593, 95%CI: 1.252-2.027) and sleep duration (less than 7 hours, OR=2.164, 95%CI: 1.768-2.648) as factors affecting depressive symptoms among grassroots healthcare workers in Zhejiang Province. Conclusions The prevalence of depressive symptoms among grassroots healthcare workers in Zhejiang Province is 40.41%. Age, annual income, job and sleep duration may affect the development of depressive symptoms among grassroots healthcare workers.

OBJECTIVE To establish the quality standard of Clinopodium gracile. METHODS Ten batches of C. gracile were collected to perform appearance and property identification， microscopic identification and thin layer chromatography （TLC） identification. Moisture， total ash， acid-insoluble ash and dilute ethanol extract were detected， and the content of rosmarinic acid was determined by HPLC. RESULTS The stem of C. gracile was slender， square columnar， covered by white fluff， the surface was grayish green or greenish brown； epidermal cells， non-glandular hairs， cortical cells and so on were seen in the cross section of the stem. Non-glandular hairs， ducts， wood fibers， mesophyll cells and so on could be seen in the powder. Results of TLC identification showed that there were spots of the same color in the chromatographic position corresponding to the chromatographic position of buddlejasaponin Ⅳb control. The contents of water， total ash， acid-insoluble ash， dilute ethanol extract and rosmarinic acid in 10 batches of samples were 8.69%-12.33%， 5.96%-13.33%， 0.14%-3.29%， 18.57%-32.61%， 0.35%-0.82%， respectively. The average values were 10.10%， 9.73%， 1.06%， 23.54% and 0.56%， respectively. CONCLUSIONS The established method can be used for quality control of C. gracile. It is preliminarily proposed that the ash content in the herb should not exceed 12.0%， the total ash content should not exceed 12.0%， the acid-insoluble ash content should not exceed 1.5%， the dilute ethanol extract should not be less than 18.0%， and the rosmarinic acid content should not be less than 0.45%.

Primary aldosteronism(PA) is a common cause of secondary hypertension, with adrenal vein sampling(AVS)being the gold standard for etiological typing diagnosis. This retrospective study analyzed data from patients diagnosed with PA who underwent AVS or unilateral adrenalectomy at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital′s Endocrinology Department from July 2018 to August 2021. Using multivariate logistic regression analysis, factors associated with unilateral aldosterone hypersecretion were identified. Based on these factors, a predictive model for diagnosing unilateral primary aldosteronism(UPA)was established: age <40 years, plasma aldosterone concentration(PAC)>15 ng/dL, adrenal CT indicating an unilateral typical adenoma, and spontaneous hypokalemia. This predictive model could help 14% of PA patients avoid unnecessary AVS procedures.

Objective:To identify the clinical and pathological characteristics of adrenocortical carcinoma(ACC) with hypercortisolism and analyze the prognostic factors.Methods:Clinical data of ACC patients between January 2003 and December 2022 from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital were collected retrospectively. Clinical and pathological characteristics were compared between ACC patients with hypercortisolism and nonfunctional ACCs. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analyses and Cox regression models were performed to analyze prognostic factors for ACC patients.Results:In 61 cases of ACC patients, the average age was (49.33±16.32) years. After a median follow-up of 77 months(95% CI 47.49-106.51 months), median overall survival and progression-free survival were 50 months(95% CI 20.44-79.56 months) and 29 months(95% CI 22.87-35.13 months), respectively. Among 36 patients with complete endocrinologic evaluations, 19(52.77%) were diagnosed with hypercortisolism. Compared with nonfunctional ACC, patients with hypercortisolism had more hypokalemia(42.11% vs 6.25%, P=0.022), capsular invasion(68.42% vs 25.00%, P=0.018), and distant metastases(73.68% vs 25.00%, P=0.007). Median overall survival and progression-free survival were significantly shorter than nonfunctional ACC(overall survival: 39 months vs 67 months, P=0.009; progression-free survival: 30 months vs 51 months, P=0.040) as well. Multivariate Cox regression analyses indicated that Ki67 index( HR=1.078, P=0.024) was an independent risk factor for overall survival. Hypercortisolism( HR=71.112, P=0.006), Ki67 index( HR=1.345, P=0.003), adjuvant therapy( HR=176.652, P=0.012), and operation( HR=0.020, P=0.003), were associated with disease progression. Conclusion:ACC accompanied by hypercortisolism is more prone to invasion and distant metastasis, resulting in shorter survival. Hypercortisolism is an independent prognostic factor for ACC patients.

Objective:To explore the pathological characteristics of adrenal masses based on various tumor diameter and unenhanced computed tomography(CT) attenuation value, and evaluate the value of the two parameters in the assessment of the benign and malignant nature of adrenal masses.Methods:The data of 1 367 patients who underwent adrenalectomy in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from January 2017 to October 2022 were retrospectively collected. The adrenal masses were divided into four groups according to tumor diameter and unenhanced CT attenuation value, and the clinical and histopathological characteristics of the four groups were compared respectively. Logistic regression was used to analyze the correlation between tumor diameter, non-contrast CT attenuation value and malignant adrenal masses, and receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve was used to assess the diagnostic value of both in benign and malignant adrenal masses.Results:The proportion of adrenocortical carcinoma and other malignant tumors increased with the rise of tumor diameter or unenhanced CT attenuation value. After adjusting for age and gender, tumor diameter( OR=1.624, 95% CI 1.464-1.803, P<0.001) and unenhanced CT attenuation value( OR=1.108, 95% CI 1.079-1.138, P<0.001) were predictors of malignant adrenal masses. The tumor diameter and unenhanced CT attenuation value in diagnosing malignant adrenal masses had area under the ROC curve(AUC) of 0.838 and 0.892, respectively. With the optimal cut-off values of >3.4 cm and >30 HU, the sensitivity was 75.5% and 83.7%, and the specificity was 80.5% and 84.4%, respectively. The combination of tumor diameter >3.4 cm and unenhanced CT attenuation value >20 HU had an AUC of 0.927, with a sensitivity of 71.4% and a specificity of 90.1% in diagnosing malignant adrenal masses. Conclusions:Tumor diameter and unenhanced CT attenuation value has important significance in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant adrenal masses. A combination of tumor diameter (>3.4 cm) and unenhanced CT attenuation value (>20 HU) demonstrates best diagnostic efficiency. Clinical application of this combined index can effectively diagnose malignant adrenal masses while avoiding unnecessary investigations or surgery.

Avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) is an avian retrovirus that can induce myelocytomas. A high-frequency mutation in gene envelope endows ALV-J with the potential for cross-species transmission. We wished to ascertain if the ALV-J can spread across species under selection pressure in susceptible and resistant hosts. First, we inoculated (in turn) two susceptible host birds (specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens and turkeys). Then, we inoculated three resistant hosts (pheasants, quails and ducks) to detect the viral shedding, pathologic changes, and genetic evolution of different isolates. We found that pheasants and quails were infected under the selective pressure that accumulates stepwise in different hosts, and that ducks were not infected. Infection rates for SPF chickens and turkeys were 100% (16/16), whereas those for pheasants and quails were 37.5% (6/16) and 11.1% (3/27). Infected hosts showed immune tolerance, and inflammation and tissue damage could be seen in the liver, spleen, kidneys and cardiovascular system. Non-synonymous mutation and synonymous ratio (NS/S) analyses revealed the NS/S in hypervariable region (hr) 2 of pheasants and quails was 2.5. That finding suggested that mutation of isolates in pheasants and quails was induced by selective pressure from the resistant host, and that the hr2 region is a critical domain in cross-species transmission of ALV-J. Sequencing showed that ALV-J isolates from turkeys, pheasants and quails had moved away from the original virus, and were closer to the ALV-J prototype strain HPRS-103. However, the HPRS-103 strain cannot infect pheasants and quails, so further studies are needed.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Avian Leukosis ; transmission ; virology ; Avian Leukosis Virus ; classification ; genetics ; physiology ; Chickens ; Ducks ; virology ; Galliformes ; virology ; Host Specificity ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Poultry Diseases ; transmission ; virology ; Quail ; virology ; Sequence Alignment ; Turkeys ; virology ; Viral Envelope Proteins ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism

The distribution of receptor sites for concanavalin A (Con A) on the cellsurface of human gastric cancer cell line (MGC 80-3) and fibroblast cell cultures wasstudied with electron and light microscope after application of Con A-peroxidasemethod.The cytochemical reaction of the majority of non-prefixed MGC 80-3 cellsshows a striking tendency to be more uneven distribution than on fibroblasts.Clustering,patching and capping of Con A binding sites on the cancer cells anduniform distribution on the fibroblasts were observed.The effects of incubationtemperature,prefix treatment,different phase of cell cycles and cell growth condi-tions on the distribution of Con A receptor complexes were observed.The possiblereasons for the more irregular distribution of the cytochemical reaction product onthe MGC 80-3 cells than the fibroblasts are discussed.

A rat monoclonal antibody of the IgG1 class, McAb B5A8, specific for the cAMP-dependent protein kinase(PKA) was produced. Western blot analysis revealed specific binding of the antibody to protein of 52-56 kd.The affinity-purified McAb BSA8 was labeled with FITC. Immunofluorescent localization of PKA was examined in human fibroblasts, gastric cancer cell line (MGc 80-3)and EAC cells. The distribution of PKA on the cytoplasmic microtubule network, Golgi region and nucleoli were observed. PKA was localized in the nuclear region in G2 phase of synchronized MGc 80-3 cells, and it was only found around the nuclei of MGc 80-3 cells which were incubated with DBcAMP. The changes in the distribution of PKA in cells are discussed.