Objective:To study the correlation between iodine level in drinking water and conventional water quality indicators.Methods:From June 2017 to July 2018, a simple random sampling method was used to select administrative villages (communities) from 88 counties (cities, districts) in Guizhou Province with a sampling size greater than 5%. One drinking water sample was collected from each administrative village (community), and conventional water quality indicators (including fluorine, aluminum, mercury, selenium, sulfate, total dissolved solids and total hardness) were tested in accordance with the methods outlined in the "Standards for Drinking Water Quality" (GB 5749-2006). The cerium sulfate catalytic spectrophotometric method was employed to test drinking water iodine level. Spearman method was utilized to analyze the correlation between iodine level in drinking water and conventional water quality indicators.Results:A total of 904 drinking water samples were tested, with a median iodine level of 1.90 μg/L and a range of 0.10 - 36.70 μg/L. There were 899 administrative villages (communities) with a water iodine level of less than 10 μg/L, accounting for 99.45%. There were only 5 administrative villages (communities) with a water iodine level of greater than 10 μg/L, accounting for 0.55%. Correlation analysis revealed that in Guizhou Province, the iodine level in drinking water was positively correlated with the levels of fluorine, aluminum, sulfate, total dissolved solids, and total hardness [correlation coefficients ( r) = 0.11, 0.07, 0.07, 0.08, 0.07, P < 0.05], and was a negatively correlated with mercury and selenium levels ( r = - 0.12, - 0.12, P < 0.001). Conclusions:External environment in Guizhou Province is generally deficient in iodine. The iodine level in drinking water is positively correlated with the levels of fluorine, aluminum, sulfate, total dissolved solids, and total hardness, and negatively correlated with the levels of mercury and selenium.

Objective:To study the correlation between iodine level in drinking water and conventional water quality indicators.Methods:From June 2017 to July 2018, a simple random sampling method was used to select administrative villages (communities) from 88 counties (cities, districts) in Guizhou Province with a sampling size greater than 5%. One drinking water sample was collected from each administrative village (community), and conventional water quality indicators (including fluorine, aluminum, mercury, selenium, sulfate, total dissolved solids and total hardness) were tested in accordance with the methods outlined in the "Standards for Drinking Water Quality" (GB 5749-2006). The cerium sulfate catalytic spectrophotometric method was employed to test drinking water iodine level. Spearman method was utilized to analyze the correlation between iodine level in drinking water and conventional water quality indicators.Results:A total of 904 drinking water samples were tested, with a median iodine level of 1.90 μg/L and a range of 0.10 - 36.70 μg/L. There were 899 administrative villages (communities) with a water iodine level of less than 10 μg/L, accounting for 99.45%. There were only 5 administrative villages (communities) with a water iodine level of greater than 10 μg/L, accounting for 0.55%. Correlation analysis revealed that in Guizhou Province, the iodine level in drinking water was positively correlated with the levels of fluorine, aluminum, sulfate, total dissolved solids, and total hardness [correlation coefficients ( r) = 0.11, 0.07, 0.07, 0.08, 0.07, P < 0.05], and was a negatively correlated with mercury and selenium levels ( r = - 0.12, - 0.12, P < 0.001). Conclusions:External environment in Guizhou Province is generally deficient in iodine. The iodine level in drinking water is positively correlated with the levels of fluorine, aluminum, sulfate, total dissolved solids, and total hardness, and negatively correlated with the levels of mercury and selenium.

Objective:To explore the value of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) in the diagnosis of vulnerable plaques using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) as the gold standard.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical and imaging data of coronary artery disease patients who underwent both IVUS and CCTA examinations at Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital from December 2017 to March 2022. Based on the IVUS results, the coronary plaques were divided into vulnerable and non-vulnerable plaque groups. Finally, 43 patients with a total of 88 coronary artery plaques were included, of which 26 were vulnerable plaques. Plaque analysis were performed on the CCTA images, including qualitative parameters such as low-density plaques (LAP), "napkin-ring" sign (NRS), spotty calcification (SC) and positive remodeling (PR), and the quantitative parameters such as minimum lumen area (MLA), total plaque volume (TPV), lesion length, volume and proportion of calcified plaque and fibrous plaque. The differences of CCTA parameters between the two groups were compared using t-test, chi-square test, and rank sum test. The association between CCTA parameters and the risk of vulnerable plaque was evaluated by logistic regression. Different CCTA parameters were used to establish qualitative, quantitative, and hybrid models, and the diagnostic efficacy of different models for vulnerable plaque was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results:There were significant differences in NRS ( χ2=14.22, P<0.001), MLA ( Z=3.25, P=0.001), lesion length ( Z=-3.28, P=0.001), TPV ( Z=-2.04, P=0.041), calcified plaque volume ( Z=-2.52, P=0.012) and fibrous plaque volume ( Z=-2.10, P=0.035) between vulnerable and non-vulnerable plaque groups. The logistic regression analysis showed that NRS ( OR=9.66, 95% CI 2.36-39.54), MLA ( OR=0.76, 95% CI 0.59-0.99) and lesion length ( OR=1.03, 95% CI 1.00-1.07) were independent risk factors for vulnerable plaques. The diagnostic efficacy of the hybrid model based on CCTA parameters was superior to the qualitative model [hybrid model: area under the ROC curve (AUC)=0.82, 95% CI 0.72-0.89; qualitative model: AUC=0.68, 95% CI 0.57-0.78; Z=2.57, P=0.010]. Conclusions:CCTA parameters NRS, MLA, and lesion length are independent risk factors for coronary vulnerable plaques. The diagnostic efficacy of the hybrid model based on CCTA parameters is superior to the qualitative model for vulnerable plaques.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common chronic inflammatory disease that often coexists with atopic diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, and food allergies. In recent years, more and more studies have shown that AD is associated with various diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases, and mental disorders, which exacerbate the disease burden on patients with AD and severely affect their quality of life. This review summarizes AD-associated comorbidities reported in previous literature, analyzes their possible common pathogenesis, and explores potential treatments.

Objective To understand the changing distribution and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Proteus,Morganella and Providencia in hospitals across China from January 1,2015 to December 31,2021 in the CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program.Methods Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out following the unified CHINET protocol.The results were interpreted in accordance with the breakpoints in the 2021 Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)M100(31 st Edition).Results A total of 32 433 Enterobacterales strains were isolated during the 7-year period,including 24 160 strains of Proteus,6 704 strains of Morganella,and 1 569 strains of Providencia.The overall number of these Enterobacterales isolates increased significantly over the 7-year period.The top 3 specimen source of these strains were urine,lower respiratory tract specimens,and wound secretions.Proteus,Morganella,and Providencia isolates showed lower resistance rates to amikacin,meropenem,cefoxitin,cefepime,cefoperazone-sulbactam,and piperacillin-tazobactam.For most of the antibiotics tested,less than 10％of the Proteus and Morganella strains were resistant,while less than 20％of the Providencia strains were resistant.The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales(CRE)was 1.4％in Proteus isolates,1.9％in Morganella isolates,and 15.6％in Providencia isolates.Conclusions The overall number of clinical isolates of Proteus,Morganella and Providencia increased significantly in the 7-year period from 2015 to 2021.The prevalence of CRE strains also increased.More attention should be paid to antimicrobial resistance surveillance and rational antibiotic use so as to prevent the emergence and increase of antimicrobial resistance.

Objective:To investigate the effects of fluoride exposure on autophagy and the expression levels of adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and Unc-51-like kinase 1 (ULK1) in mouse neuroblastoma and rat glioma fusion cells (NG108-15 cells).Methods:NG108-15 cells were cultured in vitro and divided into control group (0 mg/L), low fluoride group (20 mg/L), medium fluoride group (40 mg/L) and high fluoride group (80 mg/L) according to the final concentration of sodium fluoride, and the cells were collected after 24 h of treatment for standby. NG108-15 cells autophagy was detected by immunofluorescence/immunocytochemistry (IF/ICC method, the autophagy positive control group was treated with chloroquine phosphate); the mRNA expression levels of AMPK, mTOR and ULK1 in each group were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR); the protein expression levels of autophagy related protein microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3B (LC3B), AMPK, mTOR, ULK1, phosphorylation (p)-AMPK, p-mTOR, p-ULK1 in each group were detected by Western blotting. Results:No autophagosome was detected in the control group, and autophagosomes were detected in all the fluoride groups. The protein expression level of LC3B in the low, medium and high fluoride groups (1.80 ± 0.59, 2.16 ± 0.60, 2.30 ± 0.57) was significantly higher than that in the control group (1.00 ± 0.29, P < 0.05). The results of qRT-PCR showed that compared with the control group, the mRNA expression levels of AMPK in medium and high fluoride groups were higher (2.30 ± 0.57, 4.41 ± 1.05 vs 1.00 ± 0.01, P < 0.05); the mRNA expression levels of mTOR in the low, medium and high fluoride groups were lower (0.79 ± 0.04, 0.76 ± 0.09, 0.64 ± 0.10 vs 1.00 ± 0.01, P < 0.05), and the mRNA expression levels of ULK1 were higher (1.81 ± 0.39, 1.96 ± 0.35, 4.22 ± 1.03 vs 1.00 ± 0.01, P < 0.05). The results of Western blotting showed that compared with the control group, the protein expression levels of AMPK (1.21 ± 0.05, 1.20 ± 0.04, 1.30 ± 0.07 vs 1.00 ± 0.03), p-AMPK (1.12 ± 0.05, 1.20 ± 0.06, 1.49 ± 0.07 vs 1.00 ± 0.02), ULK1 (1.16 ± 0.05, 1.26 ± 0.05, 1.15 ± 0.05 vs 1.00 ± 0.04) and p-ULK1 (1.19 ± 0.04, 1.17 ± 0.02, 1.24 ± 0.05 vs 1.00 ± 0.05) in the low, medium and high fluoride groups were higher ( P < 0.05), and the protein expression levels of mTOR were lower (0.77 ± 0.03, 0.60 ± 0.03, 0.55 ± 0.04 vs 1.00 ± 0.04, P < 0.05); the protein expression levels of p-mTOR in the medium and high fluoride groups were lower (0.93 ± 0.05, 0.48 ± 0.02 vs 1.00 ± 0.02, P < 0.05). Conclusion:Fluoride exposure can induce autophagy in NG108-15 cells, and the expression of AMPK and ULK1 are up-regulated, while the expression of mTOR is down-regulated.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the application value of CT-based radiomics features for the ascending and descending types of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS: A total of 217 NPC patients (48 ascending type and 169 descending type), who obtained CT images before radiotherapy in Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University from February 2015 to October 2017, were analyzed retrospectively. All patients were randomly divided into a training set (=153) and a test set (=64). Gross tumor volume in the nasopharynx (GTVnx) was selected as regions of interest (ROI) and was analyzed by radiomics. A total of 1 300 radiomics features were extracted via IBEX. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression was performed to choose the significant features. Support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF) classifiers were built and verified. RESULTS: Six features were selected by the LASSO from 1 300 radiomics features. Compared with SVM classifier, RF classifier showed better classification performance. The area under curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were 0.989, 0.941, 1.000, and 0.924, respectively for the training set; 0.994, 0.937, 1.000, and 0.924, respectively for the validation set. CONCLUSIONS CT-based radiomics features possess great potential in differentiating ascending and descending NPC. It provides a certain basis for accurate medical treatment of NPC, and may affect the treatment strategy of NPC in the future.
Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; ROC Curve ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Objective:To explore the clinical value of magnetic resonance (MRI) multi-b-value scatter weighted imaging (DWI) combined with spectral imaging (MRS) in the diagnosis of prostate cancer.Methods:From November 2016 to August 2018, 33 patients with prostate cancer and 62 patients with benign prostatic lesions in the People's Hospital of Yongjia County were selected.DWI and MRS scans were performed and compared with pathological findings.Results:The DWI signal intensity of prostate cancer at the b value of 600s/mm 2, 1 000s/mm 2, 2 000s/mm 2 and 3 000s/mm 2 were significantly higher than those of benign prostatic lesions (all P<0.05). With the increase of b value, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of DWI in diagnosis of prostate cancer increased, under 3 000s/mm 2, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of DWI in the diagnosis of prostate cancer were 87.88%(29/33), 82.26% (51/62) and 84.21%(80/95), respectively.The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of MRS in diagnosing prostate cancer were 69.70%(23/33), 79.03%(49/62) and 75.79%(72/95), respectively.The (choline+ creatine)/(citrate) (CC/C) value of prostate cancer (2.50±0.94) was significantly higher than that of benign prostatic lesions (0.93±0.23)( t=12.519, P<0.05). The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of DWI at b value of 3 000s/mm 2 combined with MRS in the diagnosis of prostate cancer were 96.97%(32/33), 88.71%(55/62) and 91.58%(87/95), respectively. Conclusion:DWI combined with MRS has good application value in the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate three different methods for controlling presacral massive bleeding during pelvic operations.

METHODSClinical data of 11 patients with presacral massive bleeding during pelvic operation at The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University and 157 Branch Hospital of Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command from January 2001 to January 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. Hemostasis methods for presacral massive bleeding during operation included gauze packing (whole pressure), drawing pin (local pressure) and absorbable gauze (absorbable gauze was adhered to bleeding position with medical glue after local pressure). Efficacy of these 3 methods for controlling bleeding was evaluated and compared.

RESULTSTen patients were male and 1 was female with average age of 65.2 (40 to 79) years old. Eight cases were rectal cancer, 2 were presacral malignancies and 1 was rectal benign lesion. Bleeding volume during operation was 300 to 2 500 (median 800) ml. From 2001 to 2012, 4 cases received gauze packing, of whom, 3 cases were scheduled Dixon resection before operation and then had to be referred to Hartman resection; 3 cases died of systemic failure due to postoperative chronic errhysis and infection, and 1 underwent re-operation. At the same time from 2001 to 2012, 5 cases received drawing pin, of whom, bleeding of 3 cases was successfully controlled and Dixon resection was completed. In other 2 cases with hemostasis failure, 1 case underwent re-operation following the use of gauze packing, and another 1 case received absorbable gauze hemostasis. All the 5 patients were healing. From 2013 to 2016, 2 cases completed scheduled anterior resection of rectum after successful hemostasis with absorbable gauze and were healing and discharged.

CONCLUSIONSGauze packing hemostasis is a basic method for controlling presacral massive bleeding. Drawing pin and absorbable gauze hemostasis are more precise and may avoid the change of surgical procedure. But drawing pin has the possibility of hemostasis failure. Absorbable gauze hemostasis with medical adhesive is effective, simple and fast.