OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the potential mediating role of plasma phosphorylated tau217 (p-tau217) in the association between periodontitis and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS: In this case-control study, patients diagnosed with MCI in the Neurology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong Second Medical University from November 2023 to May 2024 were selected as the case group (MCI group). Cognitively normal (CN) volunteers, matched for age and education level and recruited from the physical examination center during the same period, served as the control group (CN group). The general demographic data of the study participants were collected. The Beijing versions of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), clinical dementia rating (CDR), and activities of daily living scale (ADL) were used to assess neuropsychological functions. Clinical periodontal examinations were conducted, the periodontal inflamed surface area (PISA) was calculated, and the periodontitis stage was determined in accordance with the 2018 classification. Fasting elbow venous blood samples were collected in the morning, and blood biochemical indicators were measured. Plasma p-tau217 levels were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Statistical analyses were performed using t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, partial correlation analysis, multivariate Logistic regression analysis, multiple linear regression analysis, restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression analysis, and mediation effect analysis. RESULTS: Among the 192 participants, 96 belong to the MCI group and 96 to the CN group. The prevalence of periodontitis was 63.5% in the MCI group and 43.8% in the CN group, with a statistically significant difference (χ²=7.561, P=0.006). The plasma p-tau217 levels in the MCI group were significantly higher than those in the CN group [7.00 (4.27-9.65) ng/mL versus 2.02 (0.80-3.81) ng/mL, Z=-8.108, P<0.001]. Partial correlation analysis revealed that plasma p-tau217 levels were positively correlated with all the clinical periodontal indices (all P<0.001). After adjustments for baseline covariates, multivariate Logistic regression indicated that periodontitis was an independent risk factor for MCI. Patients with periodontitis had a 1.977-fold higher MCI risk than those without periodontitis (OR=1.977, 95%CI: 1.088-3.594, P=0.025). Moreover, the MCI risk for stage Ⅰ/Ⅱ periodontitis and stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ periodontitis was 1.878 times (OR=1.878, 95%CI: 1.029-3.425, P=0.040) and 2.625 times (OR=2.625, 95%CI: 1.073-6.246, P=0.035) higher than that for patients without periodontitis, respectively. Trend test showed that the MCI risk increased with periodontitis severity (P_trend=0.016). After adjustments for baseline covariates, multiple linear regression analysis showed that periodontitis was an independent risk factor for increased plasma p-tau217 levels (β=3.309, 95%CI: 2.363-4.254, P<0.001). Compared with patients without periodontitis, those with stage Ⅰ/Ⅱ periodontitis (β=1.838, 95%CI: 0.869-2.806, P<0.001) and stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ periodontitis (β=5.539, 95%CI: 4.442-6.636, P<0.001) had significantly higher plasma p-tau217 levels. In addition, trend test indicated that plasma p-tau217 levels increased with periodontitis severity (P_trend<0.001). After adjustments for baseline covariates, RCS regression analysis further revealed that PISA had a positive linear dose-response relationship with MCI risk (P_overall=0.002, P_nonlinear=0.344) and plasma p-tau217 levels (P_overall<0.001, P_nonlinear=0.140). After adjustments for baseline covariates, mediation analysis showed that plasma p-tau217 mediated the association between periodontitis and MCI, with a mediation proportion of 13.99% (95% Bootstrap CI: 0.38%-49.39%, P=0.038). CONCLUSIONS Periodontitis was independently positively associated with MCI risk, and plasma p-tau217 plays a mediating role in this association.
Humans ; Cognitive Dysfunction/complications* ; tau Proteins/blood* ; Periodontitis/complications* ; Case-Control Studies ; Male ; Female ; Phosphorylation ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Activities of Daily Living

Objective:To evaluate the predictive value of gait kinematic combined with total MRI burden for the risk of falls in patients with gait disorder in cerebral small vessel disease(CSVD)using logistic regression analysis and ROC curve. Method:Forty-three patients diagnosed with CSVD and presenting primarily with gait disorder at Rehabilitation Department of Gansu Province Hospital from March 1,2019 to March 30,2020 were selected.The statistical clinical data were collected,and according to the TUG test time,all patients were divided into a group with high risk of fall(high risk of falling,HRF,TUG≥15s)and a group of low risk of falls(low risk of falling,LRF,TUG＜15s).Logistic regression analysis and ROC curve were used to assess the predictive value of gait kinematic characteristic combined with total MRI burden for the risk of falls in CSVD patients. Result:A total of 43 patients were included with average age(71.07±8.17)years.Among them,there were 26 female(60.4％)and 30 hypertension patients(69.8％),After adjusting for age and TUG,the logistic regres-sion analysis showed that the step length(OR 0.821,95％CI 0.702-0.959,P=0.013)was an independent protec-tive factor against the risk of falls in CSVD patients,while the total MRI burden(OR 4.217,95％CI 1.444-12.317,P=0.009)was an independent risk factor for the falls in CSVD.The ROC curve analysis showed that the combination of step length and total MRI burden had a high predictive value for the risk of fall in CSVD patients with gait disorder(AUC=0.904),with a sensitivity of 82.6％and a specificity of 90％. Conclusion:Step length combined with total MRI burden has a high predictive value for the risk of falls in CSVD patients with gait disorder.

ObjectiveTo explore the characteristics of circadian rhythm of blood pressure in patients with masked hypertension （MH） and its relationship with twelve two-hour peirods， providing a basis for early detection and intervention of MH. MethodsPatients who underwent 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure examination in the ambulatory blood pressure room of Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine from January to December 2022 were enrolled， and according to their outpatient blood pressure measurements， 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and follow-up survey results， the MH， essential hypertension （EH） and normal blood pressure groups were classified， with 50 cases in each group. The general data， office blood pressure and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring data were collected. The circadian rhythm of blood pressure including 24-hour average systolic blood pressure （24h SBP）， daytime average systolic blood pressure （d SBP）， nighttime average systolic blood pressure （n SBP）， 24-hour average diastolic blood pressure （24h DBP）， daytime average diastolic blood pressure （d DBP）， and nighttime average diastolic blood pressure （n DBP） were compared among the groups， and the nighttime blood pressure dipping percentage was calculated. The type of circadian rhythm was determined based on the nighttime blood pressure dipping percentage. The variability of blood pressure including 24h SBP standard deviation （24h SBP-SD）， d SBP standard deviation （dSBP-SD）， n SBP standard deviation （nSBP-SD）， 24h DBP standard deviation （24h DBP-SD）， d DBP standard deviation （dDBP-SD）， and n DBP standard deviation （nDBP-SD） were compared among groups， and the corresponding coefficient of variation （CV）， that is， 24h SBP-CV， d SBP-CV， n SBP-CV， 24h DBP-CV， d DBP-CV and n DBP-CV， were calculated. Based on the 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring results， the twelve two-hour average SBP and DBP in each group were calculated and compared. Simultaneously， patients with EH were divided into grades 1， 2， and 3 for further stratified analysis. ResultsThe age of the MH group was significantly higher than that of the EH group and the normal blood pressure group （P＜0.01）. The body mass index （BMI） and the proportion of smoking and alcohol consumption in the MH group and the EH group were significantly higher than those in the normal blood pressure group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. In the normal blood pressure group， there were 49 dipper patterns （98.0%） and one non-dipper pattern （2.0%）； in the MH group， there were two dipper patterns （4.0%）， 29 non-dipper patterns （58.0%） and 19 reverse-dipper patterns （38.0%）； in the EH group， there were 20 dipper patterns （40.0%）， 23 non-dipper patterns （46.0%） and seven reverse-dipper patterns （14.0%）. Compared to the normal blood pressure group， the groups of MH and EH had significantly decreased proportion of dipper pattern and increased proportion of non-dipper and reverse-dipper pattern （P＜0.01）； the proportion of dipper pattern in the MH group was lower than that in the EH group， while the proportion of reverse-dipper pattern was higher （P＜0.01）. Compared to those in the normal blood pressure group， n SBP and n DBP in the MH group， as well as the the average SBP and average DBP at Zi hour （子时， 23：00-1：00）， Chou hour （丑时， 1：00-3：00）， Yin hour （寅时， 3：00-5：00）， Mao hour （卯时， 5：00-7：00） and average SBP at Hai hour （亥时， 21：00-23：00） in the MH group increased，while the average DBP at Si hour （巳时， 9：00-11：00） decreased （P＜0.01）； 24h SBP， 24h DBP， d SBP， d DBP， n SBP， and n DBP，d SBP-SD， n SBP-SD，n DBP-SD increased， as well as the average SBP and average DBP at twelve two-hour periods increased in the EH group，while the 24h SBP-CV， 24h DBP-CV，and d DBP-CV in the EH group decreased（P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. The EH group had higher 24h SBP， 24h DBP， d SBP， d DBP， n SBP， n DBP， 24h DBP-SD and n DBP-SD ， as well as higher average SBP and DBP at all twelve two-hour periods， and lower d DBP-CV than the MH group（P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. The EH group had 18 cases of grade 1 （36.0％）， 19 cases of grade 2 （38.0％） and 13 cases of grade 3 （26.0％）， with no significant differences among groups （P＞0.05）. ConclusionThe circadian rhythm of blood pressure in MH patients are mostly non-dipper and reverse-dipper patterns， and the abnormal elevation of blood pressure is obvious at Zi hour， Chou hour， Yin hour and Mao hour （23：00-7：00）.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the impact of the methionine synthase reductase （MTRR） rs10380 C＞T gene polymorphism on methotrexate （MTX） plasma concentration， adverse drug reaction， and prognosis in children with intracranial tumors. METHODS Peripheral blood was collected from children with intracranial tumors， and genomic DNA was extracted. The MTRR rs10380 C＞T genotype was analyzed using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry. The association of the MTRR rs10380 C＞T gene polymorphism with the ratio of MTX plasma concentration to dose （C/D ratio）， adverse drug reaction， tumor recurrence， and metastasis was analyzed. Bioinformatics analysis was used to explore the association of the rs10380 genotype and MTRR gene expression and its possible mechanisms. RESULTS A total of 75 children were included in the study. The distribution frequencies of the wild-type CC genotype and C allele of rs10380 were 62.67% and 81.33%， respectively， while the distribution frequencies of the variant CT genotype and T allele were 37.33% and 18.67%， respectively， which were in accordance with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium（P＞0.05）. The incidence of electrolyte disorders （51.06%） and tumor metastasis rate （57.45%） in children with the CC genotype were significantly higher than those with the CT genotype （P＜0.05）. No significant differences were observed in the 24-hour and 42-hour C/D ratios and recurrence rates between the two genotypes of children （P＞0.05）. Bioinformatics analysis showed that MTRR protein mainly works in conjunction with 10 proteins， including MMAA， and was involved in various biological processes such as sulfur amino acid biosynthesis. CONCLUSIONS The MTRR rs10380 CC genotype may be a risk factor for electrolyte disorders and tumor metastasis in children with intracranial tumors after MTX chemotherapy.

Objective We aimed to investigate the feasibility and method of constructing a traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)curative effect prediction model based on the data of Kechuanting acupoint plastering therapy in the treatment of bronchial asthma(asthma).Methods Data from the Chronic Disease Management Research Platform of 303 patients with asthma who were treated with Kechuanting acupoint plastering therapy for 6 weeks in the Department of Acupuncture and Rehabilitation of Jiangsu Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from June to August 2018 to 2021 were selected.We used Phyton 3.10 for statistical analysis.After data preprocessing,the influencing factors were used to build models by Logistic regression,support vector machine,K-means clustering algorithm,Bayes algorithm,random forest method and Light gradient boosting machine(LightGBM)respectively,with the improvement of asthma control test score(ACT),forced expiratory volume in one second(FEV1)and exhaled nitric oxide(FeNO)as the outcome indicators.Then,the models were compared and analyzed.Subsequently,the superior model was used to establish the efficacy prediction model and verify its stability to obtain the accuracy rate and eliminate the relatively important factors.Results The accuracy rate of the Kechuanting acupoint plastering therapy curative effect prediction model established by the LightGBM model was more than 70%.Five important factors were selected,including allergic history,tabacco and alcohol abuse,plastering duration,ACT before treatment,and FeNO before treatment.According to the classification analysis and the relationship between the important factors and the outcome indicators,Kechuanting acupoint plastering therapy significantly improved the ACT of patients with no history of allergy,no tabacco and alcohol abuse,and poor ACT:5-15 points(P<0.05).Furthermore,Kechuanting acupoint plastering therapy improved FeNO more significantly in patients with more than 3 years of treatment than those with no more than 3 years(P<0.05).However,Kechuanting acupoint plastering therapy only improved FeNO in a few patients with poor asthma control levels(P<0.05)and severe airway inflammation(FeNO>50×10-9)(P>0.05).Conclusion Acupoint plastering application has a significant effect on improving the control level of asthma,but its effect on improving airway inflammation is limited.It is feasible to use data from the chronic disease management research platform to construct the prediction model.After optimization and testing,the predictive model established based on the data of this study may provide an effective evaluation tool for targeted clinical treatment.

0n December 31,2021,the Chinese Nursing Association released the group standard"nursing care of patients with infusion of vasoactive agents(T/CNAS 22-2021)",which outlines the fundamental requirements for intravenous infusion of vasoactive drugs and standardizes the evaluation,administration,and monitoring.This article provides an interpretation of the key parts and sections of the standard to ensure nursing safety during the administration of vasoactive drugs,aiming to reduce complications.Additionally,it serves as a crucial reference for nurses during the administration of the medication.

Objective To investigate the predictive value of color Doppler ultrasound parameters for fetal growth restriction (FGR) induced by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in high-altitude regions. Methods Pregnant women with gestational hypertension who were treated between July 2020 and June 2022 at the Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai University (with altitude of 2, 300 meters, were divided into group A1 with 19 cases and group A2 with 51 cases according to occurrence of FGR), Yushu People's Hospital (with altitude of 3, 700 meters, were divided into group B1 with 25 cases and group B2 with 47 cases according to occurrence of FGR), and Civil Aviation Clinical Medical College of Peking University (plain region, control group with 71 cases) were enrolled in this study. All pregnant women in each group underwent fetal color Doppler ultrasound examination of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and umbilical artery (UA) blood flow parameters, including pulsatility index (PI), resistance index (RI), systolic/diastolic ratio (S/D), peak systolicvelocity (PSV), and cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) at 28 weeks of gestation were detected. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors for FGR in pregnant women with gestational hypertension. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to analyze the predictive value of color Doppler parametersfor FGR. Results The UA blood flow parameters (PI, RI, S/D, PSV) of the fetuses in groups A1, A2, B1, and B2 were significantly higher than those in the control group, while the MCA blood flow parameters (PI, RI, S/D, PSV) and CPR were significantly lower (P < 0.05). Among the five groups, group B1 had the highest UA blood flow parameters (PI, RI, S/D, PSV) and the lowest MCA blood flow parameters (PI, RI, S/D, PSV) and CPR (P < 0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that high altitude of residence and umbilical cord abnormalities were independent risk factors for FGR in pregnant women with gestational hypertension (P < 0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that the areas under the curves for the combined prediction of FGR in pregnant women with gestational hypertension at altitudes of 2, 300 meters and 3, 700 meters using color Doppler multi-parameters were 0.906 and 0.917, respectively, indicating a significantly higher predictive performance compared to individual parameter (P < 0.05). Conclusion Color Doppler ultrasound parameters of UA and MCA bloodflow during the second trimester of pregnancy demonstrate good predictive value for FGR induced by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in high-altitude regions at different altitudes, and the predictive performance is even higher when multiple parameters are combined.

Objective To explore the diagnostic value of color Doppler ultrasound for fetal intrauterine distress(FIUD)in high-risk puerperae in plateau areas.Methods A total of 130 puerperae in plateau areas and 130 puerperae in plain areas were enrolled.According to presence or absence of FIUD in different areas,they were divided into the plateau distress group(47 cases),the plateau normal group(83 cases),the plain distress group(31 cases)and the plain normal group(99 cases).All cases underwent blood flow detection of middle cerebral artery(MCA)and umbilical artery(UA)before delivery,and cerebral-placental ratio(CPR)was calculated.The incidence of FIUD was compared between high-risk puerperae in plateau area and in plain area.Gestational age,birth weight,cesarean section rate and blood spectrum parameters of MCA and UA were compared between the four groups.The predictive value of color Doppler ultrasound parameters for FIUD was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves.Results The incidence rates of FIUD and severe FIUD were higher in patients of plateau areas than those in plain areas(36.15%,13.85%vs.23.85%,4.62%,P＜0.05).Compared with the plateau distress group,gestational age and birth weight were increased in the plateau normal group and the plain distress group(P＜0.05).Compared with the plateau distress group,PI,RI,S/D and CPR of MCA were increased,while PI,RI and S/D of UA were decreased in the plateau normal group and the plain distress group(P＜0.05).Results of ROC curve analysis showed that overall performance advantage of S/D of UA was the most obvious in the diagnosis of FIUD in high-risk puerperae in plateau areas.The diagnostic sensitivity of RI of MCA was the highest,and the diagnostic specificity of CPR was the highest(P＜0.05).Conclusion Color Doppler ultrasound has good diagnostic value for FIUD in high-risk puerperae in plateau areas,which can be applied as an effective clinical screening means for FIUD.

Objective:To develop the Care Needs Scale for Young and Middle-aged Terminally Ill Patients and test its reliability and validity, so as to provide an effective tool for evaluating the care needs of young and middle-aged terminally ill patients for medical and nursing staff.Methods:This study is a cross-sectional study. Guided by the theory of supportive care needs, an initial scale was formed through literature review, qualitative interviews, Delphi expert consultation, and pre-survey. From July to September 2022, convenience sampling was used to select 570 young and middle-aged terminally ill patients hospitalized in the Oncology Department and Hospice Care Ward of six Class Ⅲ hospitals in Tianjin as the research subject, and a questionnaire survey was conducted on the patients. The items in the scale were selected using item analysis method. The structural validity of the scale was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The content validity of the scale was evaluated using the scale-level content validity index and the item-level content validity index. The reliability of the scale was evaluated using internal consistency coefficient and half reliability coefficient. A total of 570 questionnaires were distributed, and 565 valid questionnaires were collected, with an effective response rate of 99.12% (565/570) .Results:A total of 18 experts completed two rounds of consultation, with an expert authority coefficient of 0.890, the Kendall's W values of 0.309 and 0.417, respectively ( P<0.05). The Care Needs Scale for Young and Middle-aged Terminally Ill Patients included 6 dimensions and a total of 39 items. Exploratory factor analysis extracted 6 common factors, with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 71.515%. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the overall model fitted well. The content validity index at the scale level was 0.942, and the content validity index at the item level was 0.833 to 1.000. The total Cronbach's α coefficient of the scale was 0.975, and the half reliability coefficient was 0.911. Conclusions:The reliability and validity of the Care Needs Scale for Young and Middle-aged Terminally Ill Patients are good, and it can be used as an evaluation tool for the care needs of young and middle-aged terminally ill patients.

Objective:To investigate the radiosensitization effect of low-dose sulfasalazine (SAS) on colorectal cancer (CRC) cells.Methods:Proliferation inhibition effect of SAS on CRC cells was detected by CCK-8 assay, and the concentration of SAS in vitro assays was based on its IC10 value. CRC cells were treated with SAS alone or combined with inhibitors of apoptosis, autophagy, ferroptosis and necroptosis, then cell viability was detected by CCK-8 assay. Trypan blue staining, clone formation assay and cell growth curves were used to verify the radiosensitization effect of SAS on CRC cells in vitro. CRC cells were treated with SAS and radiotherapy, then the intracellular contents of lipid peroxidation and the protein levels of GPX4, PTGS2, cleaved PARP and active caspase 3 were evaluated, respectively. Subcutaneous xenograft tumor mouse model was established to further verify the radiosensitization effect of SAS in vivo. Results:High dose (lethal dose) of SAS could induce apoptosis and ferroptosis in CRC cells. Low dose (non-lethal dose) of SAS enhanced the radiosensitivity of CRC cells in vitro, and the radiosensitivity effect of SAS could only be abolished by ferroptosis inhibitor (Fer-1). Low dose of SAS combined with radiotherapy significantly down-regulated the expression of GPX4, whereas increased the intracellular lipid peroxidation levels and the expression of PTGS2. SAS also showed significant radiosensitization effect in subcutaneous xenograft tumor model. Conclusion:Our findings suggest that low-dose SAS could increase the radiosensitivity of CRC cells by promoting ferroptosis.