Objective : To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and spatial clustering of brucellosis in Shanxi Province from 2019 to 2023, so as to provide a reference for formulating prevention and control measures of brucellosis. Methods: The case data of brucellosis in Shanxi Province from 2019 to 2023 were collected through the Infectious Disease Surveillance System of the Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System. The seasonal distribution, population distribution, and region distribution of brucellosis cases were described. Spatial autocorrelation analysis was applied to explore the spatial clustering characteristics of brucellosis. Results: A total of 21 241 human brucellosis cases were reported in Shanxi Province from 2019 to 2023, with an average annual reported incidence of 11.87/100 000, showing an upward trend (P<0.05). The peak incidence period was from March to August, with 14 163 cases reported cumulatively, accounting for 66.68% of the total. There were 16 336 male cases and 4 905 female cases, with a male-to-female ratio of 3.33:1. The high-incidence age group was 40-<70 years, with 15 675 cases accounting for 73.80%. The majority of patients were farmers, with 17 926 cases accounting for 84.39%. Spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that there was spatial clustering in the incidence of brucellosis from 2019 to 2023 (all Moran's I>0, P<0.05). The high-high clustering areas were mainly Datong City, and Shuozhou City in northern Shanxi, and Linfen City in the southern Shanxi. The low-low clustering areas were mainly Taiyuan City and Yangquan City in central Shanxi, and Changzhi City and Jincheng City in southeastern Shanxi. Conclusions From 2019 to 2023, the reported incidence of brucellosis in Shanxi Province showed an upward trend. The incidence peaked from March to August, and males, middle-aged and elderly people and farmers were the high-risk groups. There was spatial clustering and the high-high clustering areas gradually expanded from northern Shanxi to southern Shanxi.

Objective : To analyze the differential expression profile of miRNAs in amniotic fluid exosomes of fetu- ses with Down syndrome (DS) and provide insights for identifying novel biomarkers for the prenatal diagnosis of DS . Methods : Amniotic fluid samples were collected from fetuses with DS and chromosomally normal fetuses . Exo- somes were isolated from the amniotic fluid and subjected to high-throughput sequencing. Differentially expressed miRNAs were identified , and target genes were predicted using TargetScan and miRanda. Target genes located on chromosome 21 were selected , and their biological functions and associated diseases were analyzed using Gene- Cards , HGNC , NCBI Gene , UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot , Ensembl , and OMIM databases . GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed to investigate the biological functions of the enriched genes . Results : A total of 59 differ- entially expressed miRNAs were identified , including 31 upregulated and 28 downregulated miRNAs . Based on a fold change > 2 and P < 0. 05 , 10 upregulated and 9 downregulated miRNAs with the highest expression levels were selected . Key miRNAs included hsa-let-7b-5p , hsa-let-7c-5p , hsa-let-7b-3p _ 1ss22CT , and hsa-miR-199b-5p , with BACH1 and IFNAR1 identified as their shared target genes . GO analysis revealed that the enriched target genes were primarily involved in protein binding , metal ion binding , transferase activity , DNA binding , transcriptional regulation by RNA polymerase Ⅱ , and nucleotide binding. KEGG pathway analysis indicated that the target genes were mainly associated with metabolic pathways , cancer-related pathways , the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway , and the Rap1 signaling pathway . Conclusion Differential expression of miRNAs in amniotic fluid exosomes was ob- served between DS fetuses and those with normal karyotypes . Combined analysis with placental miRNAs revealed hsa-miR-199b-5p as a common differentially expressed miRNA in both DS amniotic fluid and placenta. It is hypoth- esized that BACH1 and IFNAR1 , shared target genes of hsa-miR-199b-5p , hsa-let-7b-5p , hsa-let-7c-5p , and hsa- let-7b-3p_1ss22CT , may play a role in the pathogenesis of DS .

Objective:To explore the effects of curcumin on the biological characteristics and expressions of NF-κB pathway-related proteins in glucocorticoid-resistant acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cell line Jurkat.Methods:The drug-resistant ALL cell line Jurkat was selected, and 1 μmol/L dexamethasone was used as the optimal concentration for drug resistance of Jurkat cells, and the cells were passaged and cultured. The cells were divided into 10, 25 and 50 μmol/L curcumin groups, as well as 50 μmol/L pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (PDTC) group, and control group (equal volume of culture medium without drug was added). The cells in each group were cultured for 72 h, and the cell morphology was observed under an inverted microscope. The CCK-8 method was used to detect the proliferation ability of Jurkat cells, flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptosis ability and cell cycle of Jurkat cells, real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the relative expressions of NF-κB p65, NF-κB p50, IκBα, and A20 mRNA, and Western blotting was used to detect the expressions of NF-κB p65, NF-κB p50, IκBα, caspase-8, caspase-3, bcl-2, and A20 proteins.Results:Jurkat cells were treated with 10, 25, 50 μmol/L curcumin and 50 μmol/L PDTC for 72 h. In the control group, the cell membranes were basically intact, the size was uniform, the cell was round and transparent, and the cell nucleus had uniform fluorescence; a large number of deformed cells and cell fragments were observed in curcumin groups with different concentrations and 50 μmol/L PDTC group, with concentrated and fragmented nuclei and obvious apoptosis. After treating Jurkat cells with different concentrations of curcumin and 50 μmol/L PDTC for 24, 48 and 72 h, respectively, the cell proliferation inhibition rates in curcumin groups with different concentrations and PDTC group were higher than those in the control group (all P < 0.01). The apoptosis rates at 72 h in the control group, 10 μmol/L curcumin group, 25 μmol/L curcumin group, 50 μmol/L curcumin group, and 50 μmol/L PDTC group were (4.9±0.1)%, (99.2±0.1)%, (99.9±0)%, (100.0±0)%, and (100.0±0)%, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( F = 2 876 604.40, P < 0.001); compared with the control group, the apoptosis rates in curcumin groups with different concentrations and 50 μmol/L PDTC group were higher, and the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.01). Compared with the control group, the proportions of S-phase and G 2-phase cells were lower and the proportion of G 1-phase cells was higher in curcumin groups with different concentrations and 50 μmol/L PDTC group at 72 h, and the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.01). Compared with the control group, the protein and mRNA expressions of NF-κB p65 and NF-κB p50 in curcumin groups with different concentrations and 50 μmol/L PDTC group were lower (all P < 0.01), while the protein expressions of IκBα, caspase-8 and caspase-3 were higher (all P < 0.01), the protein expression of bcl-2 was lower ( P < 0.01), and the protein and mRNA expressions of A20 were higher (both P < 0.01). Conclusions:Curcumin can effectively reverse glucocorticoid resistance and promote apoptosis in Jurkat cells, which may be related to the influence of curcumin on NF-κB pathway-related proteins.

Background::Genetic variants of dopaminergic transcription factor-encoding genes are suggested to be Parkinson’s disease (PD) risk factors; however, no comprehensive analyses of these genes in patients with PD have been undertaken. Therefore, we aimed to genetically analyze 16 dopaminergic transcription factor genes in Chinese patients with PD.Methods::Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed using a Chinese cohort comprising 1917 unrelated patients with familial or sporadic early-onset PD and 1652 controls. Additionally, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed using another Chinese cohort comprising 1962 unrelated patients with sporadic late-onset PD and 1279 controls.Results::We detected 308 rare and 208 rare protein-altering variants in the WES and WGS cohorts, respectively. Gene-based association analyses of rare variants suggested that MSX1 is enriched in sporadic late-onset PD. However, the significance did not pass the Bonferroni correction. Meanwhile, 72 and 1730 common variants were found in the WES and WGS cohorts, respectively. Unfortunately, single-variant logistic association analyses did not identify significant associations between common variants and PD. Conclusions::Variants of 16 typical dopaminergic transcription factors might not be major genetic risk factors for PD in Chinese patients. However, we highlight the complexity of PD and the need for extensive research elucidating its etiology.

Objective:To explore the job responsibilities, core competencies, and training certification of information nurses in China.Methods:This study is qualitative research. From January to March 2022, purposive sampling was used to select five information nurses and 9 nursing informatics experts from Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Henan, Fujian, and Taiwan in China for semi-structured in-depth interviews. The Colaizzi analysis method was used to analyze data.Results:After interviews, five themes were identified, namely the job responsibilities of information nurses, the need for information nurses to possess multiple core competencies, the need for unified qualification admission for information nurses, the need for systematic and standardized training methods for information nurses, and the need for qualification certification for information nurses.Conclusions:Nursing managers should focus on cultivating the core competencies of information nurses, including professional knowledge and skills, critical thinking, communication and collaboration abilities, specialized expansion abilities, and nursing management abilities, aiming to improve the professional level of information nurses, which is of great significance for the development of nursing informatics.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) combined with rehabilitation robot on upper limb and hand dysfunction in patients with subacute stroke. MethodsFrom December, 2019 to December, 2021, 50 inpatients with subacute stroke in Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital were randomly divided into control group (n = 25) and experimental group (n = 25). Both groups received routine rehabilitation therapy, while the control group added sham HD-tDCS combined with rehabilitation robot, and the experimental group added HD-tDCS combined with rehabilitation robot, for four weeks. The upper limb and hand function was assessed with Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremities (FMA-UE) and Motor Assessment Scale (MAS) before and after treatment. ResultsAfter treatment, the scores of ARAT, FMA-UE and MAS increased in the two groups (∣Z∣ > 3.320, t > 6.379, P < 0.01), while the scores of FMA-UE and MAS were higher in the experimental group than in the control group (Z = -2.379, t = 3.181, P < 0.05), as well as the scores of grasping and gross motor of ARAT (∣Z∣ > 2.033, P < 0.05). ConclusionThe combination of HD-tDCS and rehabilitation robot can be more effective on upper limb and hand function in patients with subacute stroke than rehabilitation robot alone.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of vitamin D drops combined with insulin aspart in the treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and the effect of vitamin D drops on the serum levels of 1, 25 dihydroxyvitamin D 3 [1, 25(OH) 2D 3] and retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4). Methods:A total of 94 GDM patients admitted to the Baoding Second Central Hospital from March 2019 to March 2021 were selected and randomly divided into an observation group and a control group with 47 cases each using a random number table method. The control group received subcutaneous injection of insulin aspartate for treatment, while the observation group received oral vitamin D drops for treatment. After 4 weeks of continuous treatment, the blood glucose control effect and adverse reactions were observed in both groups. The glucose metabolism indicators of the two groups were compared before and after treatment, including fasting blood glucose (FPG), 2-hour postprandial blood glucose (2-hour PG), insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), and pancreatic islets β Cell Function Index (HOMA-β) and serum levels of 1, 25(OH) 2D 3, RBP4, lipoprotein related phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1). All patients were followed up until the end of pregnancy, and Statistical analysis was conducted on the adverse outcomes of two groups of mothers and infants. Results:The time to reach the standard for FPG and 2-hour PG in the observation group, as well as the time for both to reach the standard were significantly shorter than those in the control group (all P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of dawn phenomenon and hypoglycemia between the observation group and the control group (all P>0.05). After treatment, FPG and 2-hour PG in both groups were significantly reduced compared to those before treatment (all P<0.05); However, after treatment, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups (all P>0.05). Compared with before treatment, HOMA-IR in both groups significantly decreased (all P<0.05), All HOMA- β significantly increased (all P<0.05); And the improvement was more significant in the observation group (all P<0.05). After treatment, the serum levels of 1, 25(OH) 2D 3 in the observation group significantly increased compared to that before treatment ( P<0.05), but there was no significant change in the control group before and after treatment ( P>0.05). After treatment, the levels of serum RBP4, Lp-PLA2, and VCAM-1 in both groups significantly decreased compared to those before treatment (all P<0.05); After treatment, the serum levels of RBP4, Lp-PLA2, and VCAM-1 in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (all P<0.05). The incidence of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in the observation group was 14.9%(7/47) and 10.6%(5/47), respectively, which were lower than those in the control group [34.0%(16/47) and 27.7%(13/47)] (all P<0.05). There were 8 cases of hypoglycemia in 94 patients (3 in the observation group and 5 in the control group), and no other adverse events occurred. Conclusions:The combination of vitamin D drops and insulin aspartate in the treatment of GDM can safely, effectively, quickly, and steadily control patients′ blood sugar, improve IR and pancreatic islets β The effect of cell function on reducing the incidence of adverse maternal and fetal outcomes may be related to increasing serum 1, 25(OH) 2D 3 levels and down-regulating the expression levels of serum RBP4, Lp-PLA2, and VCAM-1.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of using flat-sided culture tubes for preparing chromosomes through chorionic villi (CV) and amniotic fluid (AF) cell cultures during prenatal diagnosis. METHODS: From February to March 2020, 157 CV samples and 147 AF samples subjected to prenatal diagnosis at the Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region were selected as the study subjects. For each sample, one flat-sided tube and one flask culture were set up by following the standard protocols. The methods were evaluated by comparing the cell growth, experimental process, quality of chromosome preparation and costs. RESULTS: The success rates for the culturing of CV and AF samples by the flat-sided culture tube method were 97.45% (153/157) and 97.96% (144/147), respectively. By contrast, the success rates for the conventional flask method were 98.72% (155/157) for CV and 98.64% (145/147) for AF samples. No significant difference was found between the two methods (P > 0.05). The average harvest time required by the flat-sided culture tube method was 8.45 days for CV and 9.43 days for AF cultures, whilst the average harvest time for conventional flask method was 9.05 days and 9.54 days, respectively. The flat-sided culture tube method for CV had required significantly shorter average harvest time than the conventional method (P < 0.001). No statistical significant difference was found in the average harvest time for AF by the two methods (P > 0.05). The conventional culturing method had required three containers with two sample transfers. By contrast, the flat-sided culture tube method was carried out in one tube without any sample transfer. The average total amount of medium used was 3.91 mL for each flat-sided culture tube and 6.26 mL for each conventional flask. CONCLUSION The flat-sided culture tube method can provide a simple, cost-effective and error-reducing procedure for the CV and AF samples culture during prenatal diagnosis.
Child ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Humans ; China ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Chorionic Villi Sampling ; Amniotic Fluid ; Cell Proliferation

Objective:To investigate the effect of continuous hemoperfusion (HP) on the levels of soluble CD14 isoform (sCD14-st) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) on patients with diquat (DQ) poisoning and its significance.Methods:A total of 86 patients with acute DQ poisoning admitted to the department of emergency medicine, Harrison International Peace Hospital Affiliated to Hebei Medical University from May 2018 to August 2021 were enrolled and divided into the intermittent HP group (40 cases) and the continuous HP group (46 cases) according to the random number table method. All patients received basic treatment and continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) within 24 hours after admission. On this basis, the intermittent HP group received HP treatment within 2 hours, lasting 2 hours each time for every 8 hours, 3 times in all; the continuous HP group received continued HP treatment until there was no DQ component in urine samples. Serum NGAL levels were detected in all patients before treatment and at 3 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 2 days, 3 days, 5 days, and 7 days after treatment. At the same time, serum sCD14-st, blood lactate (Lac), arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO 2), serum creatinine (SCr), MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase (CK-MB) and interleukin-18 (IL-18) levels were detected before treatment and at 24 hours, 3 days, and 7 days after treatment. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was drawn to analyze the 28-day survival of patients. Results:Before treatment, there was no significant difference in serum NGAL, sCD14-st, Lac, PaO 2, SCr, CK-MB and IL-18 levels between the two groups. With the prolongation of treatment, the serum levels of NGAL, sCD14-st, Lac, SCr, CK-MB and IL-18 in the intermittent HP group increased at first and then decreased. Serum levels of NGAL, sCD14-st, CK-MB and IL-18 reached their peaks at 24 hours after treatment, and the Lac and SCr levels reached their peaks at 3 days after treatment. In addition, the levels of the above indexes at each time point in the continuous HP group were all significantly lower than those in the intermittent HP group [after 24 hours of treatment: NGAL (μg/L) was 345.90±30.75 vs. 404.24±38.79, sCD14-st (ng/L) was 1 941.88±298.02 vs. 2 656.35±347.93, CK-MB (U/L) was 30.67±9.11 vs. 43.28±8.06, IL-18 (ng/L) was 139.49±16.29 vs. 177.98±27.85; 3 days of treatment: Lac (mmol/L) was 2.98±0.26 vs. 3.72±0.49, SCr (μmol/L) was 125.01±24.24 vs. 156.74±28.88; all P < 0.05]. However, there was no significant difference in PaO 2 levels between the two groups at each time point after treatment. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that the 28-day mortality of patients in the continuous HP group was significantly lower than that in the intermittent HP group [26.09% (12/46) vs. 52.50% (21/40); Log-Rank test: χ2 = 7.288, P = 0.007]. Conclusion:Continuous HP could effectively reduce serum sCD14-st, NGAL levels and 28-day mortality in patients with DQ poisoning, with good curative effect.

Objective:To explore the key factors affecting the formulation of treatment and prognosis of medullary thyroid carcinoma.Methods:Patient data, clinical characteristics and the results of follow-up of typical cases of 23 patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma admitted to Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital Breast and Thyroid Surgery from Apr. 2007 to Mar. 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The therapeutic schedule and prognosis of medullary thyroid carcinoma were discussed in combination with ATA guidelines and others.Results:Of the 23 patients with MTC, 22 (95.65%) had elevated serum calcitonin, 15 (65.22%) had elevated carcinoembryonic antigen, 3 (13.04%) had suspected abnormal lymph nodes, and 2 (8.70%) had capsule invasion. Thyroid lobectomy, thyroid lobectomy with lateral lymph node dissection in level VI, total thyroidectomy, total thyroidectomy with lateral lymph node dissection in level VI, total thyroidectomy with bilateral lymph node dissection in level VI, total thyroidectomy with bilateral lymph node dissection in level VI with lymph node dissection in level I, II, III, IV, V or VII were performed in 1, 2, 3, 1, 13, 3 cases respectively. 8 cases had postoperative recurrence (34.78%) , of which 7 cases were caused by the first operation. The level of Ctn increased significantly in 2 cases before operation, who underwent total thyroidectomy with bilateral lymph node dissection in level VI, and no recurrence was found after operation.Conclusions:The key to the biological cure of medullary thyroid carcinoma is standardized surgical treatment. The surgery method cannot be determined simply by calcitonin. The modern treatment of medullary thyroid carcinoma needs to follow the principle of standardization and individualization at the same time.