Objective To explore the indication, surgical technique, and clinical efficacy of the cross bar based on the Nuss procedure in pectus excavatum. Methods The clinical data of patients who underwent cross bar based on the Nuss procedure from August 2023 to August 2024 in Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Results A total of 88 patients including 85 males and 3 females with a mean age of (17.56±5.20) years were enrolled. All operations were performed successfully without intraoperative cardiac injury, pericardial injury or diaphragmatic injury. The mean operation time was (147.65±47.75) min. The mean blood loss was (13.30±9.06) mL. The mean postoperative hospitalization stay was (4.81±1.55) days, without perioperative death. Six (6.82%) patients developed early postoperative complications, including 3 patients of pleural effusion, 1 patient of subcutaneous hematoma, 1 patient of suffocation and 1 patient of bar rotation. The postoperative outcomes were excellent in 71 (80.68%) patients, good in 16 (18.18%) patients and moderate in 1 (1.13%) patient. The excellent and good rate was 98.86%. Conclusion The cross bar technique is safe and convenient, with satisfactory results. It is worth promoting in clinical application.

Objective: To investigate the species composition, seasonal variation, and virus-carrying status of mosquitoes in the Honghe Wetland of Tengzhou City to better control local mosquito vectors. Methods: Seven surveillance sites were established in different scenic spots of the wetland, and ecological monitoring was carried out monthly from April to November each year using the light-trapping method. From June to September 2023, a total of 3 000 Mansonia uniformis mosquitoes were tested for flaviviruses using the nested PCR method. Results: From 2022 to 2024, a total of 153 mosquito trap lamp·nights were deployed in the Honghe Wetland, and 20 336 female mosquitoes were captured, with an average density of 132.92 mosquitoes/lamp·night. The mosquitoes were identified as belonging to 19 species across 6 genera. Among them, Lutzia chiangmaiensis was identified for the first time in mainland China, and similarly for Anopheles pullu, Culex inatomii, and Aedes togoi in southern Shandong Province. The dominant species was Ma. uniformis (15 345, 75.46%), followed by Culex tritaeniorhynchus (1824, 8.97%), Coquillettidia ochracea (1408, 6.92%), and Anopheles sinensis (1 026, 5.05%). The peak period of adult mosquito activity was from June to September. The seasonal variations in the density of the different mosquito species differed, with the peak periods of Cq. ochracea, An. sinensis, Ma. uniformis, and Cx. tritaeniorhynchus being in June, June, July, and August, respectively. The density of Cx. pipiens pallens was consistently low, showing an upward trend in October only. The 3 000 Ma. uniformis mosquitoes were negative for the three viruses tested. Conclusions The mosquitoes in the Honghe Wetland of Tengzhou City are rich in species composition and high in density. Because of a possible risk of transmission of Japanese encephalitis and malaria in the period between May and September, comprehensive mosquito control measures need to be strengthened in the Honghe Wetland of Tengzhou City.

Schisandra chinensis, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, is rich in chemical constituents, including lignans, triterpenes, polysaccharides, and volatile oils. Clinically, it is commonly used to treat cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, liver, gastrointestinal, and respiratory diseases. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that S. chinensis extract and monomers have multiple pharmacological activities in lowering liver fat, alleviating insulin resistance, and resisting oxidative stress, and have good application prospects in alleviating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD). Therefore, this study reviewed the research progress on chemical constituents of S. chinensis and its effect on NAFLD in recent years to provide references for the research on S. chinensis in the treatment of NAFLD.
Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; Schisandra ; Insulin Resistance ; Lignans

OBJECTIVE: Huangqi Decoction (HQD), a classical traditional Chinese medicine formula, has been used as a valid treatment for alleviating liver fibrosis; however, the underlying molecular mechanism is still unknown. Although our previous studies showed that microRNA-663a (miR-663a) suppresses the proliferation and activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and the transforming growth factor-β/small mothers against decapentaplegic (TGF-β/Smad) pathway, whether long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in HSC activation via the miR-663a/TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway has not yet reported. The present study aimed to investigate the roles of lncRNA lnc-C18orf26-1 in the activation of HSCs and the mechanism by which HQD inhibits hepatic fibrosis. METHODS: The expression levels of lnc-C18orf26-1, miR-663a and related genes were measured by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. HSCs were transfected with the miR-663a mimic or inhibitor and lnc-C18orf26-1 small interfering RNAs. The water-soluble tetrazolium salt-1 assay was used to assess the proliferation rate of HSCs. Changes in lncRNA expression were evaluated in miR-663a-overexpressing HSCs by using microarray to identify miR-663a-regulated lncRNAs. RNA hybrid was used to predict the potential miR-663a binding sites on lncRNAs. Luciferase reporter assays further confirmed the interaction between miR-663a and the lncRNA. The expression levels of collagen α-2(I) chain (COL1A2), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway-related proteins were determined using Western blotting. RESULTS: Lnc-C18orf26-1 was upregulated in TGF-β1-activated HSCs and competitively bound to miR-663a. Knockdown of lnc-C18orf26-1 inhibited HSC proliferation and activation, downregulated TGF-β1-stimulated α-SMA and COL1A2 expression, and inhibited the TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway. HQD suppressed the proliferation and activation of HSCs. HQD increased miR-663a expression and decreased lnc-C18orf26-1 expression in HSCs. Further studies showed that HQD inhibited the expression of COL1A2, α-SMA, TGF-β1, TGF-β type I receptor (TGF-βRI) and phosphorylated Smad2 (p-Smad2) in HSCs, and these effects were reversed by miR-663a inhibitor treatment. CONCLUSION Our study identified lnc-C18orf26-1 and miR-663a as promising therapeutic targets for hepatic fibrosis. HQD inhibits HSC proliferation and activation at least partially by regulating the lnc-C18orf26-1/miR-663a/TGF-β1/TGF-βRI/p-Smad2 axis.
Humans ; Transforming Growth Factor beta/pharmacology* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/metabolism* ; RNA, Long Noncoding/pharmacology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; Hepatic Stellate Cells/pathology* ; Liver Cirrhosis/metabolism* ; Cell Proliferation ; Transforming Growth Factors/pharmacology*

ObjectiveTo understand the physical development level of 3-7 years old children in Zhag′yab， and to provide reference for local health decision-making. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2021 and July 2021， with a sample of 1 247 Tibetan children aged 3-7 years from kindergartens in 13 districts of Zhag′yab. Their height and weight were measured and the hemoglobin was detected by a unified method. Standard statistical method was adopted （Z-score method）. Z-scores of length /height-for-age （HAZ）， Z-scores of weight-for-age （WAZ）， Z-scores of body mass index （BMI）-for-age （BAZ） and Z-scores of weight-for-height （WHZ） were calculated by WHO Anthro v3.2.2 and WHO Anthro Plus. The nutritional status of children was evaluated according to WHO diagnostic criteria for malnutrition and anemia. ResultsThe average WAZ and HAZ of children aged 3 to 7 in Zhag′yab were lower than the WHO standards，except for the WAZ of 4-year old， the differences were statistically significant （P<0.05）. The overall detection rate of malnutrition was 25.7%， stunting， underweight， wasting， overweight， obesity and anemia were 11.6%， 11.8%， 10.8%， 3.3%， 1.8% and 29.3%， respectively. The detection rates of all indicators in boys were higher than those in girls， and the differences were not statistically significant （P>0.05）. The overweight rate and obesity rate of rural children were lower than those of urban children， and the other detection rates were higher than those of urban children. The differences of underweight rate， obesity rate and anemia rate were statistically significant between urban and rural children （P<0.05）. Among the detection rates of all indicators in different age groups， there were statistically significant differences in the overweight rate and the anemia rate （P<0.05）. The overweight rate of children aged 4 and the anemia rate of children aged 5 were the highest. ConclusionsThe physical development of children aged 3 to 7 in Zhag′yab is poor， and the prevalence of malnutrition and anemia is high. Underweight and anemia are more serious in rural children， and the overweight and obesity problem of urban children is emerging. More attention should be paid to promote their nutritional status. The prevention and intervention of children’s malnutrition should be strengthened in Zhag′yab.

Objective:To investigate the relationship and intrinsic mechanism between disease uncertainty, coping style, social support and caregiver burden of primary caregivers of stroke, in order to provide a theoretical basis for reducing the burden of care and improving the quality of care for stroke caregivers.Methods:In this study, the main caregivers of 314 stroke patients hospitalized in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region People's Hospital from December 2021 to May 2022 were selected by convenience sampling method, and cross-sectional surveys were conducted using the general data questionnaire, the Family Scale of Disease Uncertainty, the Simple Coping Style Questionnaire, the Social Support Rating Scale, and the Caregiver Burden Scale. Model 4 in Hayes′ SPSS-Process program was used to test the mediation effect, and Model 15 was used to test the mediation effect of social support.Results:The positive predictive effect of disease uncertainty in the primary caregiver of stroke patients on the burden of caregivers was significant ( β=0.665, P<0.01). Active coping played a partial mediating role between disease uncertainty and caregiver burden, with a mediating effect of 0.306 and a mediating effect of 31.8%. The interaction between disease uncertainty and social support had a significant predictive effect on caregiver burden ( β=-0.033, P<0.05), and the interaction item between active response and social support had a significant predictive effect on caregiver burden ( β=-0.019, P<0.05). Conclusions:Positive coping is an important psychological mechanism between disease uncertainty and caregiver burden, and social support can alleviate the influence of disease uncertainty on caregiver′s burden, and can also strengthen the weakening effect of positive coping on caregiver′s burden.

italic>Tussilago farfara L. is a perennial herb of Tussilago genus in the Compositae family. Its dried buds and leaves have good biological activities and have a long history of medicinal use in China and Europe. In this paper, we investigated the whole chloroplast genome characteristics, sequence duplication, structural variation and phylogeny of the Tussilago farfara L. After sequencing the Tussilago farfara L. chloroplast genome using Illumination technology, the complete Tussilago farfara L. chloroplast genome was further obtained by assembly and annotation, followed by a series of inverted repeat-large single copy/small single copy region contraction and expansion analysis, genome sequence variation, etc. The sequences of 13 homologous plants downloaded from NCBI were used to construct a neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree. The results showed that the total GC content of the chloroplast genome was 37.4% and the length was 150 300 bp; 125 genes were annotated, including 82 protein-coding genes, 35 tRNAs and 8 rRNAs; 148 (simple sequence repeats, SSR) loci were detected, and the relative synonymous codon usage showed that 31 codons out of 64 codons had a usage of >1. In the phylogenetic analysis, the chloroplast genomes of the seven species of Asteraceae, including the Yulin Tussilago farfara L., were highly conserved, and the sequence variation of the (large single-copy, LSC) and (small single-copy, SSC) regions was higher than that of the (inverted repeat, IR) region. This is in general agreement with the reported phylogeny of Yulin Tussilago farfara L. In this study, we obtained a high quality chloroplast genome and analyzed its genome characteristics, codon preference, SSR characteristics, SC/IR boundary, sequence variation and phylogeny, which can provide a basis for species identification, genetic diversity analysis and resource development of this medicinal plant.

Objective:To analyze the effects of microvascular invasion (MVI) and anatomical hepatectomy on early recurrence and survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:The data of 246 patients with HCC admitted to 215 Hospital of Shaanxi Nuclear Industry, Chinese PLA General Hospital and Beijing Tsinghua Chang Gung Hospital from July 2008 to June 2019 were retrospectively analyzed, including 208 males and 38 females, aged (53.8±9.6) years. According to the occurrence of MVI, 246 patients were divided into the MVI group ( n=83) and control group ( n=163, without MVI). Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, preoperative alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), maximum tumor diameter, intraoperative blood loss were compared between the two groups. The recurrence-free survival and cumulative survival were compared between the two groups before and after the inverse probability weighted correction for propensity score. Results:The propensity score was calculated by logistic regression model. After inverse probability weighted correction, the virtual sample size was 247 cases (82 cases in MVI group and 165 cases in control group). The proportion of HBV infection, with a serum level of AFP > 200 μg/L, the maximum diameter of tumor and the intraoperative blood loss were higher in MVI group (all P<0.05). The risk of early recurrence in patients undergoing anatomical hepatectomy ( n=107) was lower than that in patients undergoing non-anatomical hepatectomy ( n=139) (univariate Cox regression analysis of HR=1.60, 95% CI: 1.06 to 2.42, P=0.020), but the overall survival was comparable (univariate Cox regression analysis of HR=1.66, 95% CI: 0.80 to 3.42, P=0.200). The recurrence-free survival (RFS) of MVI group was lower than that of the control group, and the postoperative cumulative survival rate was also lower before the inverse probability weighted correction of the tendency score. The RFS in MVI group was lower than that in control group after the tendency score was adjusted by inverse probability weighting ( HR=2.62, 95% CI: 1.61 to 4.27, P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the cumulative survival between the MVI and control group ( HR=2.09, 95% CI: 0.89 to 4.93, P=0.050). Conclusion:MVI is associated with early postoperative recurrence in patients with HCC, and the early recurrence rate after anatomical hepatectomy is lower than that after non-anatomical hepatectomy.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical treatment outcomes and the changes of the outcomes over time in extremely preterm twins in Guangdong Province, China. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for 269 pairs of extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks who were admitted to the department of neonatology in 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province from January 2008 to December 2017. According to the admission time, they were divided into two groups: 2008-2012 and 2013-2017. Besides, each pair of twins was divided into the heavier infant and the lighter infant subgroups according to birth weight. The perinatal data of mothers and hospitalization data of neonates were collected. The survival rate of twins and the incidence rate of complications were compared between the 2008-2012 and 2013-2017 groups. RESULTS: Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of severe asphyxia and smaller head circumference at birth (P<0.05). The mortality rates of both of the twins, the heavier infant of the twins, and the lighter infant of the twins were lower in the 2013-2017 group compared with the 2008-2012 group (P<0.05). Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of pulmonary hemorrhage, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage (P-IVH), and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) and a higher incidence rate of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS There is a significant increase in the survival rate over time in extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks in the 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province. The incidences of severe asphyxia, pulmonary hemorrhage, PDA, P-IVH, and NRDS decrease in both the heavier and lighter infants of the twins, but the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia increases. With the improvement of diagnosis and treatment, the multidisciplinary collaboration between different fields of fetal medicine including prenatal diagnosis, obstetrics, and neonatology is needed in the future to jointly develop management strategies for twin pregnancy.
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/epidemiology* ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Extremely Premature ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

Objective: To investigate the clinical effects of en bloc resection and debridement combined with gluteus maximus muscle flap in the treatment of ischial tubercle pressure ulcer complicated with chronic osteomyelitis. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted. From May 2018 to February 2020, 8 patients with pressure ulcers on the ischial tuberosity combined with chronic osteomyelitis who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to Fuyang Minsheng Hospital, including 5 males and 3 females, aged 38-69 years, with unilateral lesions in 6 patients and bilateral lesions in 2 patients. According to the anatomical classification of Cierny-Mader osteomyelitis, there were 6 patients (7 sides) with focal type, and 2 patients (3 sides) with diffuse type. The wound areas were 3 cm×2 cm to 12 cm×9 cm on admission. The pressure ulcer and chronic osteomyelitis lesions were completely removed by en bloc resection and debridement. The chronic infectious lesions were transformed into sterile incisions like fresh wounds by one surgical procedure, and the gluteus maximus muscle flaps with areas of 10 cm×6 cm to 15 cm×9 cm were excised to transfer and fill the ineffective cavity. The wounds of 5 patients were sutured directly, and the wounds of 3 patients were closed by local flap transfer. The intraoperative blood loss volume and blood transfusion, and length of hospital stay of patients were recorded. The incision healing and flap survival of patients were observed after operation. The recurrence of pressure ulcer and osteomyelitis, the appearance of the affected area, and the secondary dysfunction and deformity of the muscle flap donor site of patients were observed during followed up. Results: The intraoperative blood loss volume of the 8 patients was 220 to 900 (430±150) mL; 5 patients received intraoperative blood transfusion, of which 2 patients received 3 U suspended red blood cells and 3 patients received 2 U suspended red blood cells. The length of hospital stay was 18 to 29 (23.5±2.0) d for the 8 patients. In this group of patients, the incisions of 7 patients healed, while in one case, the incision suture was torn off during turning over and healed after secondary suture. The flaps survived well in 3 patients who underwent local flap transfer. During the follow-up period of 6-20 months, no recurrence of pressure ulcer or osteomyelitis occurred in 8 patients, the affected part had skin with good texture, mild pigmentation, and no sinus tract formation, and no secondary dysfunction or deformity occurred in the donor site. Conclusions: The en bloc resection and debridement combined with gluteus maximus muscle flap has good clinical effects on ischial tubercle pressure ulcer complicated with chronic osteomyelitis. Neither pressure ulcer nor osteomyelitis recurs post operation. The skin texture and appearance of the affected area are good, and the donor site has no secondary dysfunction or deformity.
Blood Loss, Surgical ; Debridement ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Muscles/surgery* ; Osteomyelitis/surgery* ; Perforator Flap ; Pressure Ulcer/surgery* ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; Skin Transplantation ; Soft Tissue Injuries/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome