Aim To investigate the role of metabolites of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in promoting the transdifferentiation of pancreatic α cells to β cells. Methods Male C57BL/6J mice were injected intraperitoneally with 60 mg/kg streptozocin (STZ) for five consecutive days to establish a type 1 diabetes (T1DM) mouse model. After two weeks, they were randomly divided into model groups and 97% EPA diet intervention group, 75% fish oil (50% EPA +25% DHA) diet intervention group, and random blood glucose was detected every week; after the model expired, the regeneration of pancreatic β cells in mouse pancreas was observed by immunofluorescence staining. The islets of mice (obtained by crossing GCG

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is an increasingly common liver disease worldwide. MAFLD is diagnosed based on the presence of steatosis on images, histological findings, or serum marker levels as well as the presence of at least one of the three metabolic features: overweight/obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and metabolic risk factors. MAFLD is not only a liver disease but also a factor contributing to or related to cardiovascular diseases (CVD), which is the major etiology responsible for morbidity and mortality in patients with MAFLD. Hence, understanding the association between MAFLD and CVD, surveillance and risk stratification of MAFLD in patients with CVD, and assessment of the current status of MAFLD management are urgent requirements for both hepatologists and cardiologists. This Taiwan position statement reviews the literature and provides suggestions regarding the epidemiology, etiology, risk factors, risk stratification, nonpharmacological interventions, and potential drug treatments of MAFLD, focusing on its association with CVD.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the occurrence of CSF3R mutation in patients with t(8;21) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and its correlation with some clinical parameters. METHODS: The clinical and laboratory data of 167 newly diagnosed AML patients with t(8;21) translocation were analyzed retrospectively. High-throughput DNA sequencing technology combined with Sanger sequencing method was used to detect 112 gene mutations. The occurrence of CSF3R gene mutation and its influence on the remission rate after chemotherapy were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 167 patients with t(8;21) AML, 15 patients (9.0%) carried CSF3R mutations, including 6 cases of membrane proximal region mutations and 9 cases of truncation mutations in the cytoplasmic tail. The most common coexisting mutations of CSF3R were KIT (40.0%), TET2 (33.3%), DNMT3A (26.7%), FLT3 (20.0%), CBL (20.0%), IDH1 (13.3%), etc. Compared with the wild type, the CSF3R mutant group had a higher mutation rate of DNA methylation-related genes（P <0.001）. The median peripheral white blood cell (WBC) count of patients with CSF3R gene mutation was 5.80 (3.20-8.56)×10⁹/L at initial diagnosis, which was significantly lower than 8.80 (5.26-19.92)×10⁹/L of the CSF3R wild-type patients (P =0.017). There was no significant difference between the two groups in sex, median age, FAB classification, hemoglobin level, platelet count, etc. (P >0.05). The CR rate of the CSF3R gene mutation group (100%) was significantly higher than that of the wild-type group (86.8%), but the difference was not statistically significant (P >0.05). The CSF3R gene mutation group had a significantly higher CD19 positive rate and a higher -X rate than the wild group (86.7% vs 47.4%, P =0.004; 33.3% vs 13.2%, P =0.037). CONCLUSION There is a high incidence of CSF3R mutation in t (8;21) AML patients. The clinical characteristics and coexisting mutation genes of CSF3R mutation-positive patients are different from those of wild-type patients.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Prognosis ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics* ; Mutation ; Signal Transduction ; Receptors, Colony-Stimulating Factor/genetics*

Objective To investigate the morphological characteristics of Dermatophagoides farinae at different developmental stages. Methods The cultured D. farinae was isolated, and the external morphological features of mites at various developmental stages were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), including egg, larva, nymph and adult stages. Results The D. farinae egg appeared a long oval shape, and the larval mites had three pairs of legs. The nymph had four pairs of legs and underdeveloped genital pores containing genital setae and anal setae, and adult mites appeared long and oval in shape, with decorative patterns on epidermis, and had four pairs of legs. In male adult mites, remarkable thickening of the leg I and thicker and longer leg III than the leg IV were seen, and ventral genital regions were found between the basal segments of legs III and IV; the anus was surrounded by a circular peri-anal ring, with a pair of anal suckers and anal setae within the ring. In the female adult mites, slender legs III and IV with an equal length were seen, and a “λ-shape” genital hole was observed on the ventral surface, with a crescent-like genital plate in the anterior part, and the anus appeared a longitudinal slit. Conclusions An SEM observation of the external morphology of D. farinae provides understandings of the morphological characteristics of D. farinae, which is of great significance for the classification and identification.

OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical efficacy of ultrasound-guided endoscopic retrograde appendicitis therapy in children with appendix-related chronic abdominal pain. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 30 children with the chief complaint of chronic abdominal pain who were admitted from August 2019 to May 2021. All the children were found to have inflammation of the appendix or intracavitary stool and fecalith by ultrasound and underwent ultrasound-guided endoscopic retrograde appendicitis therapy. The medical data for analysis included clinical manifestations, endoscopic findings, white blood cell count, neutrophil percentage, length of hospital stay, and cure rate. RESULTS: Among the 30 children with chronic abdominal pain, there were 13 boys (43%) and 17 girls (57%), with a mean age of (9±3) years (range 3-15 years) at diagnosis. The median duration of the disease was 12 months, and the median length of hospital stay was 3 days. The children had a median white blood cell count of 6.7×10⁹/L and a neutrophil percentage of 50%±13%. Fecalith and a large amount of feces were flushed out of the appendix cavity for 21 children (70%) during surgery. The follow-up rate was 97% (29/30), and the median follow-up time was 11 months (range 5-26 months). Of the 29 children, abdominal pain completely disappeared in 27 children (93%). CONCLUSIONS Ultrasound-guided endoscopic retrograde appendicitis therapy is effective in children with chronic abdominal pain caused by feces or fecalith in the appendix cavity.
Abdominal Pain/etiology* ; Adolescent ; Appendicitis/surgery* ; Appendix/surgery* ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Fecal Impaction ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Ultrasonography, Interventional

In ancient times, the original plants of Citri Exocarpium Rubrum and Citri Grandis Exocarpium had experienced succession and change, including tangerine(Citrus reticulata), pomelo(C. grandis), and Huazhou pomelo(C. grandis 'Tomentosa'), a specific cultivar of C. grandis produced in Huazhou, Guangdong. Before the Qing Dynasty, tangerine was the main original plant, while Huazhou pomelo came to the fore in the Qing Dynasty. In the 1950 s and 1960 s, the producing area of Huazhou pomelo was destroyed, and thus it had to be supplemented with pomelo. From then on, C. grandis 'Tomentosa' and C. grandis were both listed as the original plants of Citri Grandis Exocarpium in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. This paper reviewed the historical evolution of the collection, processing, and efficacy of Citri Exocarpium Rubrum and Citri Grandis Exocarpium. The research showed that:(1)The harvest time of the original plants of Citri Grandis Exocarpium and Citri Grandis Exocarpium had changed from maturity to immaturity. The collection and processing of Citri Exocarpium Rubrum was first recorded in the Illustrated Classics of Materia Medica in the Song Dynasty. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the mesocarp of Citri Exocarpium Rubrum needed to be removed completely, and Citri Grandis Exocarpium from C. grandis 'Tomentosa' was processed into different specifications such as seven-piece, five-piece, and single piece. Furthermore, processed young fruits of Huazhou pomelo appeared.(2)Citri Exocarpium Rubrum and Citri Grandis Exocarpium were processed with carp skin for the first time in the Master Lei's Discourse on Medicinal Processing. It was suggested that carp skin might be helpful for eliminating bones stuck in throat. During the Song, Jin, and Yuan Dynasties, some other processing methods such as ba-king, stir-frying, and salt-processing appeared. Honey, soil, ginger juice, and alum were firstly used as adjuvants for the processing in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Citri Exocarpium Rubrum was mainly prepared with salt in order to improve the effect of lowering Qi, while it was unnecessary for Citri Grandis Exocarpium from C. grandis 'Tomentosa' because of its obvious effect of lowering Qi and eliminating phlegm. The stir-frying and honey-frying methods helped reduce the strong effect of Citri Grandis Exocarpium from C. grandis 'Tomentosa'.(3)According to the application of Citri Exocarpium Rubrum and Citri Grandis Exocarpium in history, their medicinal use began in Han and Tang Dynasties, developed in Song, Jin, and Yuan Dynasties, and matured in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Citri Grandis Exocarpium from C. grandis 'Tomentosa' was originally applied in Ming and Qing Dynasties, and it still plays an important in role treating COVID-19 nowadays. Moreover, Citri Grandis Exocarpium from C. grandis had cold medicinal property, while Citri Grandis Exocarpium from C. grandis 'Tomentosa' had warm medicinal property, and thus they should not be treated the same. At present, Huazhou pomelo has a certain production scale. Therefore, it is recommended that in the next edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia, only C. grandis 'Tomentosa' should be included as the original plant of Citri Grandis Exocarpium, and C. grandis should be deleted. The results are conducive to the further development and utilization of Citri Exocarpium Rubrum and Citri Grandis Exocarpium, and support the rational use of Citri Grandis Exocarpium and its processed products.
COVID-19 ; Citrus ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Humans ; Materia Medica ; SARS-CoV-2

Objective To observe the morphological changes of the live Aleuroglyphus ovatus and the ultrastructure under scanning electron microscope (SEM) at different developmental stages. Methods The mites were cleaned with distilled water, then fixed with 2.5% glutaraldehyde solution and washed again by alcohol. At last the mites were dried by critical-point drying. The disposed mites were settled on the conductive double sided tape and scaned under SEM. Results The larvae had three pairs of legs and the genital area was under-developed. The male was similar with the female. There was a Grandjean’s organ in the front of basipodite of foot Ⅰ. Foot Ⅳ existed a tarsus sucker. Penis was like straight tube and the end of it was fork. There is a pair of suckers on both sides of anus. Three pairs of postanal seta almost aligned in the same line. The female adult mite slightly larger and had two pairs of postanal setae. Conclusion The description of the morphology and ultrastructure of A. ovatus mites provide important information for the taxonomy and further study of its life history.

Objective To investigate the Blomia tropicalis breeding status in the ground dust rice collected in Haikou City. Methods Totally 17 samples of ground dust rice were collected from 10 sampling sites in Haikou City. Then 10 g of dust rice was taken from each individual sample for isolation of the mites that were made of slide specimen, and the mites were identified and classified under a microscope. Results B. tropicalis mites were found in all the 17 samples with the detection rate of 100%. A total of 1 176 heads of B. tropicalis were isolated, with an average breeding density of 6.91 heads/g. Conclusion B. tropicalis breeding status is severe in Haikou City. The effective measures should be taken to prevent and control the harm associated with B. tropicalis contamination.

Objective To observe the morphological characteristics of live Carpoglyphus lactis at different stages of life cycle and its ultrastructure. Methods The live C. lactis specimens were isolated from longan pulp, and firstly rinsed with double distilled water under a light microscope to make slide preparation by the conventional manner, and then were made into scanning electron microscope (SEM) specimens. The specimens were observed under SEM for the ultrastructure characteristics at different developmental stages including egg, larva, nymph and adult (male and female) . Results The SEM photographs showed that the egg was oval and milky. The larva had three pairs of legs, without genital setae, preanal seta and coxal rod, and there was no trace of genital growth. The nymph had four pairs of legs, genital seta and preanal seta, whereas the genital area was looked still under-developed. The male adult had a conical gnathosoma and a pair of external verticals which were longest setae at the dorsal idiosoma, whereas the other dorsal setae were all short rhabdoid. At the ventral idiosoma, there was an aedoeagus which was like a bent cube, and the top was straight forward. The external sacral setae and post anal were longest setae. The female adult’s genital plates were a composite of plastron and cutex inner root, covering the genital tract, and a hole of anus and a pair of anal setae were located at posterior of idiosoma. Conclusion The morphological characteristics and ultra-structure of C. lactis at different stages of life cycle can be vividly observed under SEM, which provides the morphological bases for further study of the relation between parasitism and disease.