OBJECTIVE: This study reports the first imported case of Lassa fever (LF) in China. Laboratory detection and molecular epidemiological analysis of the Lassa virus (LASV) from this case offer valuable insights for the prevention and control of LF. METHODS: Samples of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), blood, urine, saliva, and environmental materials were collected from the patient and their close contacts for LASV nucleotide detection. Whole-genome sequencing was performed on positive samples to analyze the genetic characteristics of the virus. RESULTS: LASV was detected in the patient's CSF, blood, and urine, while all samples from close contacts and the environment tested negative. The virus belongs to the lineage IV strain and shares the highest homology with strains from Sierra Leone. The variability in the glycoprotein complex (GPC) among different strains ranged from 3.9% to 15.1%, higher than previously reported for the seven known lineages. Amino acid mutation analysis revealed multiple mutations within the GPC immunogenic epitopes, increasing strain diversity and potentially impacting immune response. CONCLUSION The case was confirmed through nucleotide detection, with no evidence of secondary transmission or viral spread. The LASV strain identified belongs to lineage IV, with broader GPC variability than previously reported. Mutations in the immune-related sites of GPC may affect immune responses, necessitating heightened vigilance regarding the virus.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Genome, Viral ; Lassa Fever/virology* ; Lassa virus/classification* ; Molecular Epidemiology ; Phylogeny

Background::The Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria were published to build a global consensus on nutritional diagnosis. Reduced muscle mass is a phenotypic criterion with strong evidence to support its inclusion in the GLIM consensus criteria. However, there is no consensus regarding how to accurately measure and define reduced muscle mass in clinical settings. This study aimed to investigate the optimal reference values of skeletal muscle mass index for diagnosing sarcopenia and GLIM-defined malnutrition, as well as the prevalence of GLIM-defined malnutrition in hospitalized cirrhotic patients.Methods::This retrospective study was conducted on 1002 adult patients with liver cirrhosis between January 1, 2018, and February 28, 2022, at Beijing You-An Hospital, Capital Medical University. Adult patients with a clinical diagnosis of liver cirrhosis and who underwent an abdominal computed tomography (CT) examination during hospitalization were included in the study. These patients were randomly divided into a modeling group (cohort 1, 667 patients) and a validation group (cohort 2, 335 patients). In cohort 1, optimal cut-off values of skeletal muscle index at the third lumbar skeletal muscle index (L3-SMI) were determined using receiver operating characteristic analyses against in-hospital mortality in different gender groups. Next, patients in cohort 2 were screened for nutritional risk using the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002), and malnutrition was diagnosed by GLIM criteria. Additionally, the reference values of reduced muscle mass in GLIM criteria were derived from the L3-SMI values from cohort 1. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between GLIM-defined malnutrition and clinical outcomes.Results::The optimal cut-off values of L3-SMI were 39.50 cm 2/m 2 for male patients and 33.06 cm 2/m 2 for female patients. Based on the cut-off values, 31.63% (68/215) of the male patients and 23.3% (28/120) of the female patients had CT-determined sarcopenia in cohort 2. The prevalence of GLIM-defined malnutrition in cirrhotic patients was 34.3% (115/335) and GLIM-defined malnutrition was an independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis ( Wald = 6.347, P = 0.012). Conclusions::This study provided reference values for skeletal muscle mass index and the prevalence of GLIM-defined malnutrition in hospitalized patients with liver cirrhosis. These reference values will contribute to applying the GLIM criteria in cirrhotic patients.

Objective To study the ability of radial basis function neural network(RBFNN)with different implementations for electrical impedance tomography(EIT)under real brain shapes,to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches,and to provide a reference for the selection of practical imaging methods.Methods COMSOL Multiphysics was used to establish a multilayer 2D model with real structure based on brain CT and an EIT simulation dataset.The effects of the exact RBFNN,the orthogonal least squares-based RBFNN(OLS RBFNN)and the K-Means-based BRFNN(K-Means RBFNN)on the image reconstruction result were explored with the dataset constructed.The root mean square error(RMSE)and image correlation coefficient(ICC)were adopted to evaluate the imaging results.Results EIT could be completed with all the three RBFNNs without noise,and the exact RBFNN had the best results with average ICC and RMSE of 0.784 and 0.467,respectively,in the test set.The OLS RBFNN had the best imaging results at a hidden node of 50,with an average ICC and RMSE of 0.788 and 0.462,respectively.The K-Means RBFNN achieved the best imaging results at noise levels of 30,40,50,60,70 and 80 dB with stable ICC and RMSE and high robustness.Conclusion All the three RBFNNs can be used for brain EIT image reconstruction with their own advantages and disadvantages,and the RBFNN has to be selected for EIT reconstruc-tion based on considerations on actual conditions.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(10):1-6]

This study investigated the mechanism of Gegen Qinlian Decoction(GQD) in improving glucose metabolism in vitro and in vivo by alleviating endoplasmic reticulum stress(ERS). Molecular docking was used to predict the binding affinity between the main effective plasma components of GQD and ERS-related targets. Liver tissue samples were obtained from normal rats, high-fat-induced diabetic rats, rats treated with metformin, and rats treated with GQD. RNA and protein were extracted. qPCR was used to measure the mRNA expression of ERS marker glucose-regulated protein 78(GRP78), and unfolded protein response(UPR) genes inositol requiring enzyme 1(Ire1), activating transcription factor 6(Atf6), Atf4, C/EBP-homologous protein(Chop), and caspase-12. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of GRP78, IRE1, protein kinase R-like ER kinase(PERK), ATF6, X-box binding protein 1(XBP1), ATF4, CHOP, caspase-12, caspase-9, and caspase-3. The calcium ion content in liver tissues was determined by the colorimetric assay. The ERS-HepG2 cell model was established in vitro by inducing with tunicamycin for 6 hours, and 2.5%, 5%, and 10% GQD-containing serum were administered for 9 hours. The glucose oxidase method was used to measure extracellular glucose levels, flow cytometry to detect cell apoptosis, glycogen staining to measure cellular glycogen content, and immunofluorescence to detect the expression of GRP78. The intracellular calcium ion content was measured by the colorimetric assay. Whereas Western blot was used to detect GRP78 and ERS-induced IRE1, PERK, ATF6, and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α(eIF2α) phosphorylation. Additionally, the phosphorylation levels of insulin receptor substrate 1(IRS1), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit p85(PI3Kp85), and protein kinase B(Akt), which were involved in the insulin signaling pathway, were also measured. In addition, the phosphorylation levels of c-Jun N-terminal kinases(JNKs), which were involved in both the ERS and insulin signaling pathways, were measured by Western blot. Molecular docking results showed that GRP78, IRE1, PERK, ATF4, and various compounds such as baicalein, berberine, daidzein, jateorhizine, liquiritin, palmatine, puerarin and wogonoside had strong binding affinities, indicating that GQD might interfere with ERS-induced UPR. In vivo results showed that GQD down-regulated the mRNA transcription of Ire1, Atf6, Atf4, Grp78, caspase-12, and Chop in diabetic rats, and down-regulated GRP78, IRE1, PERK, as well as ERS-induced apoptotic factors ATF4 and CHOP, caspase-12, caspase-9, and caspase-3, while up-regulating XBP1 to enhance adaptive UPR. In addition, GQD increased the calcium ion content in liver tissues, which facilitated correct protein folding. In vitro results showed that GQD increased glucose consumption in ERS-induced HepG2 cells without significantly affecting cell viability, increased liver glycogen synthesis, down-regulated ATF6 and p-eIF2α(Ser51), and down-regulated IRE1, PERK, and GRP78, as well as p-IRS1(Ser312) and p-JNKs(Thr183/Tyr185), while up-regulating p-PI3Kp85(Tyr607) and p-Akt(Ser473). These findings suggested that GQD alleviates excessive ERS in the liver, reduces insulin resistance, and improves hepatic glucose metabolism in vivo and in vitro.
Rats ; Animals ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP ; Caspase 3 ; Caspase 9 ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; Caspase 12 ; Calcium/pharmacology* ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress ; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics* ; Liver ; Apoptosis ; Insulin ; Glucose ; Glycogen/pharmacology* ; RNA, Messenger

Coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke are the most well-known cardiovascular diseases, which share many common pathological basis. Yindan Xinnaotong soft capsule (YDXNT) is a commonly used Chinese patent medicine in the treatment of stroke and CHD. However, its action of mechanism of co-treatment for stroke and CHD is still unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the common mechanism of YDXNT in co-treatment of CHD and stroke using network pharmacology, experimental verification and molecular docking. An integrated literature mining and databases of IPA, ETCM, HERB, Swiss Target Prediction, OMIM and GeneCards were used to screen and predict active ingredients and potential targets of YDXNT in co-treatment of CHD and stroke. The protein-protein interaction network, GO analysis and pathway analysis were analyzed by IPA software. The effect of YDXNT on core targets was verified by immunofluorescence. UPLC-QTOF/MS and molecular docking were used to screen and predict the main active constituents of YDXNT and their interactions with core targets. A total of 151 potential targets are predicted for YDXNT in co-treatment of CHD and stroke. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF1α)-matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9)-mediated HIF1α signaling pathway serves as one of the common mechanisms. YDXNT could reduce the increase of mitochondrial fluorescence intensity and the protein expression of HIF1α and MMP9 in HL-1 and HA induced by oxygen and glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) in a dose-dependent manner. Baicalin may be the material basis for treating stroke and CHD with YDXNT. In conclusion, the HIF1α signaling pathway is one of the common key mechanisms of YDXNT in the co-treatment of stroke and CHD. The study provides support and basis for the in-depth scientific connotation of the traditional Chinese medicine theory of "same treatment to different diseases".

Objective: To describe the distribution characteristics of hypertension among adult twins in the Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR) and to provide clues for exploring the role of genetic and environmental factors on hypertension. Methods: A total of 69 220 (34 610 pairs) of twins aged 18 and above with hypertension information were selected from CNTR registered from 2010 to 2018. Random effect models were used to describe the population and regional distribution of hypertension in twins. To estimate the heritability, the concordance rates of hypertension were calculated and compared between monozygotic twins (MZ) and dizygotic twins (DZ). Results: The age of all participants was (34.1±12.4) years. The overall self-reported prevalence of hypertension was 3.8%(2 610/69 220). Twin pairs who were older, living in urban areas, married, overweight or obese, current smokers or ex-smokers, and current drinkers or abstainers had a higher self-reported prevalence of hypertension (P<0.05). Analysis within the same-sex twin pairs found that the concordance rate of hypertension was 43.2% in MZ and 27.0% in DZ, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The heritability of hypertension was 22.1% (95%CI: 16.3%- 28.0%). Stratified by gender, age, and region, the concordance rate of hypertension in MZ was still higher than that in DZ. The heritability of hypertension was higher in female participants. Conclusions: There were differences in the distribution of hypertension among twins with different demographic and regional characteristics. It is indicated that genetic factors play a crucial role in hypertension in different genders, ages, and regions, while the magnitude of genetic effects may vary.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Alcohol Drinking ; Diseases in Twins/genetics* ; Hypertension/genetics* ; Twins, Dizygotic/genetics* ; Twins, Monozygotic/genetics*

Objective: To describe the distribution characteristics of hyperlipidemia in adult twins in the Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR) and explore the effect of genetic and environmental factors on hyperlipidemia. Methods: Twins recruited from the CNTR in 11 project areas across China were included in the study. A total of 69 130 (34 565 pairs) of adult twins with complete information on hyperlipidemia were selected for analysis. The random effect model was used to characterize the population and regional distribution of hyperlipidemia among twins. The concordance rates of hyperlipidemia were calculated in monozygotic twins (MZ) and dizygotic twins (DZ), respectively, to estimate the heritability. Results: The age of all participants was (34.2±12.4) years. This study's prevalence of hyperlipidemia was 1.3% (895/69 130). Twin pairs who were men, older, living in urban areas, married,had junior college degree or above, overweight, obese, insufficient physical activity, current smokers, ex-smokers, current drinkers, and ex-drinkers had a higher prevalence of hyperlipidemia (P<0.05). In within-pair analysis, the concordance rate of hyperlipidemia was 29.1% (118/405) in MZ and 18.1% (57/315) in DZ, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Stratified by gender, age, and region, the concordance rate of hyperlipidemia in MZ was still higher than that in DZ. Further, in within-same-sex twin pair analyses, the heritability of hyperlipidemia was 13.04% (95%CI: 2.61%-23.47%) in the northern group and 18.59% (95%CI: 4.43%-32.74%) in the female group, respectively. Conclusions: Adult twins were included in this study and were found to have a lower prevalence of hyperlipidemia than in the general population study, with population and regional differences. Genetic factors influence hyperlipidemia, but the genetic effect may vary with gender and area.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; China/epidemiology* ; Diseases in Twins/genetics* ; Hyperlipidemias/genetics* ; Metabolic Diseases ; Twins, Dizygotic ; Twins, Monozygotic/genetics*

Humans ; Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes/therapy* ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Transplantation Conditioning

Objective: To describe the distribution characteristics of type 2 diabetes in twins in Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR), provide clues and evidence for revealing the influence of genetic and environmental factors for type 2 diabetes. Methods: Of all twins registered in the CNTR during 2010-2018, a total 18 855 twin pairs aged ≥30 years with complete registration information were included in the analysis. The random effect model was used to describe the population and area distribution characteristics and concordance of type 2 diabetes in twin pairs. Results: The mean age of the subjects was (42.8±10.2) years, the study subjects included 10 339 monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs and 8 516 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs. The self-reported prevalence rate of type 2 diabetes was 2.2% in total population and there was no sighificant difference between MZ and DZ. Intra-twin pairs analysis showed that the concordance rate of type 2 diabetes was 38.2% in MZ twin pairs, and 16.0% in DZ twin pairs, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The concordance rate of type 2 diabetes in MZ twin parts was higher than that in DZ twin pairs in both men and women, in different age groups and in different areas (P<0.05). Further stratified analysis showed that in northern China, only MZ twin pairs less than 60 years old were found to have a higher concordance rate of type 2 diabetes compared with DZ twin pairs (P<0.05). In southern China, the co-prevalence rate in male MZ twin pairs aged ≥60 years was still higher than that in DZ twin pairs (P<0.05). Conclusion: The twin pairs in this study had a lower self-reported prevalence of type 2 diabetes than the general population. The study results suggested that genetic factors play a role in type 2 diabetes prevalence in both men and women, in different age groups and in different areas, however, the effect might vary.
Adult ; China/epidemiology* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/genetics* ; Diseases in Twins/genetics* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Registries ; Twins, Dizygotic ; Twins, Monozygotic/genetics*

Objective: To describe the distribution characteristics of coronary heart disease in adult twins recruited from Chinese Twin Registry (CNTR), and provide clues and evidence for the effect of genetic and environmental influences on coronary heart disease. Methods: By using the data of CNTR during 2010-2018, a total of 34 583 twin pairs aged ≥18 years who completed questionnaire survey and had related information were included in the current study to analyze the population and area distribution characteristics of coronary heart disease. Random effect models were used to compare the differences between groups. The concordane rate of coronary heart disease were calculated respectively in monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs and dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs to estimate the heritability. Results: The twin pairs included in this analysis were aged (34.2±12.4) years. The overall prevalence rate of coronary heart disease in twin pairs was 0.7%. Twin pairs who were women, older, obese and lived in northern China had higher prevalence of coronary heart disease (P<0.05). Intra-pair analysis in the same-sex twin pairs found that the concordane rate of coronary heart disease was higher in MZ twin pairs (25.3%) than in DZ twins (7.4%), and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The overall heritability of coronary heart disease was 19.3% (95%CI: 11.8%-26.8%). Stratified by gender, age and area, the concordane rate was still higher in MZ twin pairs than in DZ pairs. Participants who were women, aged 18-30 years or ≥60 years and lived in northern China had a higher heritability of coronary heart disease. Conclusion: The distribution of coronary heart disease in twin pairs differed in populations and areas. The prevalence of coronary heart disease was affected by genetic factors, but the effect varied with age, gender and area.
Adolescent ; Adult ; China/epidemiology* ; Coronary Disease/genetics* ; Diseases in Twins/genetics* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Twins, Dizygotic ; Twins, Monozygotic/genetics*