ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effect of Astragali Radix-mediated changes in gut microbiota on treating type 2 diabetes （T2DM）. MethodsA 12-week randomized， placebo-controlled clinical trial enrolled eighty patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and poor glycemic control in the Qi deficiency type. All patients received insulin therapy. The observation group （40 cases） was administered with Astragali Radix Granules， while the control group （40 cases） received a placebo. Both treamtents were taken orally twice daily. Changes in gut microbiota were assessed by 16s rDNA sequencing. Serum glucagon-like peptide-1 （GLP-1） levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Glucose metabolism indicators including fasting blood glucose （FPG）， 2-hour postprandial blood glucose （2 h PG），glycated albumin（GA）， and glycated hemoglobin （HbA1c） were evaluated. Pancreatic function was evaluated using fasting C-peptide （FCP）， 2-hour postprandial C-peptide （2 h CP）， and C-peptide area under the curve （AUC_cp）. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores， clinical efficacy， and safety indicators were also observed. ResultsIn terms of glucose metabolism indicators， compared with the baseline， both groups exhibited significantly lower FPG， 2 h PG， GA and HbA1C （P<0.01），while FCP， 2 h CP and AUC_cp were significantly higher （P<0.01）. Compared with the control group after the treatment， the observation group showed significantly lower FPG， 2 h PG， GA and HbA1C（P<0.05， P<0.01），and significantly higher FCP， 2 h CP and AUC_cp （P<0.05， P<0.01）， indicating that Astragali Radix can improve glucose metabolism. In terms of the diversity of gut microbiota， no significant differences were detected in the Chao1， Shannon and Simpson indexes of the two groups compared with their respective baselines. However， compared with the post-treatment control group， the observation group demonstrated significant increases in the Chao1， Shannon and Simpson indexes （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The β-diversity analysis showed significant separation in gut microbiota composition before and after treatment in both groups， indicating that Astragali Radix can significantly alter the structure and improve the diversity of gut microbiota. At the phylum level， compared with the baseline， both groups showed a significant increase in the relative abundance of Bacteroidota（P<0.01）. The relative abundance of the potentially harmful phylum Proteobacteria was significantly lower in the observation Group after treatment （P<0.01）. Compared with the post-treatment control group， the observation group had a significantly higher relative abundance of Bacteroidota（P<0.01）. No significant difference was found in Firmicutes/Bacteroidota （F/B） ratio between the two groups after treatment， and other phyla showed no significant differences. At the genus level， compared with the baseline， the observation group exhibited a significant increase in Bacteroides （P<0.01） and a significant decrease in Escherichia-Shigella （P<0.01）， whereas no significant difference was seen in the control group . Compared with the control group after treatment， the observation group after treatment had a significantly higher relative abundance of Bacteroides （P<0.01）. No significant differences were seen in other genera. Linear discriminant analysis （LDA） identified potential characteristics taxa： in the observation group， Bacteroidota at the phylum level and Bacteroides and Dubosiella at the genus level， in the control group， Proteobacteria at the phylum level as well as Barnesiella and Staphylococcus at the genus level. Correlation analysis based on a heatmap revealed that GLP-1 levels were positively correlated with Firmicutes， F/B ratio and Fusobacterium， and negatively correlated with Bacteroidota， Proteobacteria， Bacteroides and Escherichia-Shigella. In terms of clinical efficacy， compared with the control group， the total effective rate of the observation group was significantly higher （P<0.05）. Compared with the baseline， the scores for shortness of breath， fatigue， weakness， spontaneous sweating and reluctance to speak significantly decreased in both groups （P<0.01）. Compared with the control group after treatment， the score for weakness was significantly lower in the observation group （P<0.01），indicating that Astragali Radix could improve clinical symptoms and alleviate weakness symptoms. In terms of safety， compared with the baseline， alanine aminotransferase （ALT） levels significantly decreased in both groups （P<0.05，P<0.01），indicating that Astragali Radix did not induce any significant abnormalities in liver and kidney functions. ConclusionAstragali Radix demonstrates the potential to significantly improve the gut microbiota environment in patients of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes with Qi deficiency. The therapeutic effect may contribute to glycemic control， possibly mediated by an elevation in GLP-1 level. These findings may support its further clinical investigations and potential applications.

The clinical antiprotozoal drug nitazoxanide has been demonstrated to improve the experimental diabetes mellitus, lipid metabolism disorders, atherosclerosis and inhibit inflammation. Since the pathogenesis of heart failure with preserved ejection (HFpEF) is multifactorial and closely associated with the aforementioned diseases, we aim to study the effect of nitazoxanide on high-fat diet (HFD) plus L-NAME (N ω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester)-induced HFpEF and metabolic syndrome in mice. We found that oral nitazoxanide improved cardiac hypertrophy, cardiac fibrosis, cardiac diastolic dysfunction, increased blood pressure, impaired exercise tolerance, impaired glucose handling, serum lipid disorders, hepatic steatosis, increased weight of white adipose tissues and kidney fibrosis in HFD + L-NAME-treated mice. In the established HFD + L-NAME-induced HFpEF and metabolic syndrome mouse model, therapeutic treatment with nitazoxanide rescued HFD + L-NAME-induced pathological phenotypes as mentioned above. The in vitro experiments revealed that tizoxanide, the active metabolite of nitazoxanide, increased the basal mitochondria metabolism of cardiomyocytes, inhibited cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and collagen secretion from cardiac fibroblasts, and relaxed phenylephrine- and U46619-induced constriction of rat mesenteric arteries, indicating that the direct effect of tizoxanide might partly contribute to the protective effect of nitazoxanide against HFpEF in vivo. The present study suggests that nitazoxanide might be a potential drug for HFpEF and metabolic syndrome therapy.

Objective:To explore the impact of applying micro-video tracing training model to emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) knowledge training on the autonomous learning ability and learning outcomes among emergency department nurses.Methods:In this study, the training content was developed from the perspective of the historical development of EIDs. The training program was constructed in the form of a micro-video classification module and periodic WeChat group push-based autonomous learning. Convenience sampling was used to select 85 emergency nurses ( n=85) from a grade A tertiary general hospital in Shanghai for micro-video tracing training. The nurses were provided with EIDs knowledge training using a module consisting of 11 episodes, each of which included 5 sessions, i.e., enlightening thinking, micro-video learning, key point consolidation, key point analysis, and extension and expansion. After the intervention, the nurses were compared for their autonomous learning ability and their knowledge, belief, and action levels of EIDs, and their degree of satisfaction with the training model was evaluated. SPSS 20.0 and GraphPad Prism 9.3.0 were used for non-parametric Wilcoxon paired tests of quartiles ( Q25, M, and Q75). Results:After the training, the emergency department nurses had significantly higher scores in overall autonomous learning ability ( Z=-4.69, P<0.001) and in each dimension: concept of self-motivation ( Z=-4.48, P<0.001), task analysis ( Z=-4.06, P<0.001), self-monitoring and regulation ( Z=-4.50, P<0.001), and self-evaluation ( Z=-4.82, P<0.001); they had significantly higher scores in overall knowledge, belief, and action levels of EIDs ( Z=-4.65, P<0.001) and in each dimension: knowledge ( Z=-4.04, P<0.001), belief ( Z=-3.24, P=0.001), and action ( Z=-4.05, P<0.001). Emergency department nurses had a high degree of satisfaction with the training model (degree of satisfaction for each item >90%). Conclusions:The micro-video tracing training model can effectively improve the autonomous learning ability of emergency department nurses and their knowledge, belief, and action levels of EIDs, with a high degree of satisfaction among the nurses, making it promising for wide use.

Objective:To explore the influencing factors of insomnia disorder in perimenopausal women and construct a prediction model of insomnia disorder in perimenopausal women based on machine learning method.Methods:A case-control study was used in this study. A total of 140 perimenopausal women who were examined in Lishui Maternal and Child Health Hospital from January 2019 to June 2021 were selected as the study objects for retrospective analysis by convenient sampling method. They were divided into occurrence and non-occurrence groups based on the presence of insomnia disorders. Relevant data of the patients were collected and risk factors analysis was conducted. Multivariate Logistic regression, decision classification regression tree (CRT) and back propagation neural network (BPNN) algorithm based on machine learning, the prediction model of insomnia disorder in perimenopausal women was constructed.Results:A total of 140 perimenopausal women were included, including 88 patients (62.86%) in the occurrence group, aged (50.16 ± 4.73) years old, and 52 patients (37.14%) in the non-occurrence group, aged (47.33 ± 4.54) years old. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that percapita family monthly income ( OR = 0.019, 95% CI 0.001-0.422, P<0.05), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) score ( OR = 1.665, 95% CI 1.108-2.502, P<0.05) and Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) score ( OR = 1.407, 95% CI 1.085-1.826, P<0.05) of the two groups were independent risk factors for the occurrence of insomnia disorder in perimenopausal women. The prediction model constructed by CRT showed that SAS score, HAMD score and percapita family monthly income were the influencing factors for the occurrence of insomnia disorder in perimenopausal women. The results of BPNN model showed that the importance ranking of influencing factors was SAS score>percapita family monthly income>HAMD score>body mass index>age>work status>daily exercise cumulative time. Among the models constructed by the three machine learning algorithms, the area under the curve of multivariate Logistic regression analysis was 0.998, the sensitivity was 96.6%, the specificity was 100.0%, which had the best predictive performance. Conclusions:In this study, the prediction model of insomnia disorder in perimenopausal women based on machine learning method has good prediction efficiency, among which the multivariate Logistic regression model has the best diagnostic efficiency, and the established prediction model has good prediction accuracy.

Objective To explore the predictive effect of empowerment and theory of planned behavior(TPB)on the four core behaviors of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)self-management,and analyze the influence path of TPB model and behavioral intention on the four core behaviors.Methods A total of 500 T2DM patients who were hospitalized in the Endocrinology Department of three tertiary general hospitals in different provinces from December 2022 to May 2023 were selected for investigation.Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to explore the predictive effects of empowerment and TPB models on self-management behaviors.Bootstrap method was used to analyze the influence path of TPB model and behavior intention on self-management behaviors.Results Empowerment had a predictive effect on self-management behavior,which was improved after the addition of TPB,with medication R2=0.194,blood glucose monitoring R2=0.308,regular diet R2=0.337 and regular exercise R2=0.343,respectively.Mediation effect analyses revealed that attitude,subjective norm,and perceived behavioral control were observed to predict behavior intention across the four behaviors,and the three except through the behavior intention indirectly affect behavior,can also directly affect the behavior.Conclusions Empowerment can predict self-management behavior,and adding TPB to this can improve the prediction effect.Attitude,subjective norms and perceived control can indirectly or directly affect self-management behavior through behavioral intention.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between serum glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) levels and neuroimaging changes and cognitive impairment in patients with cerebral small vascular disease (CSVD).Methods:135 patients with CSVD recruited from the Department of Neurology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University from September 2021 to July 2022 were assessed by cranial multimodal magnetic resonance imaging and Montreal cognitive function assessment (MoCA), and the basic data were analyzed at the same time.The serum GDNF concentration of all patients was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). According to the median GDNF concentration, the patients were divided into low GDNF group and high GDNF group. The baseline data, MoCA score and imaging markers of the two groups were compared by Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, logistic regression, Kruskal-Wallis H test and Jonckheere-Terpstra trend test, and the correlation between serum GDNF level and imaging markers and cognitive function of patients with CSVD was analyzed. Results:The median serum GDNF concentration of all CSVD patients was 16.66 pg/mL. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that low serum GDNF level was a risk factor for white matter hyperintensity and total image load in patients with CSVD. Serum GDNF level was a protective factor of cognitive impairment in patients with CSVD in multiple logistic regression analysis. The area under the curve of ROC curve analysis of cognitive impairment after CSVD predicted by serum GDNF level was 0.735, the sensitivity was 66.4%, and the specificity was 71.4%. The level of serum GDNF was positively related with visual space and executive function, attention and computational power, delayed recall and orientation( r=0.267, 0.187, 0.219, 0.215, all P<0.05). Conclusion:The serum GDNF level is related to white matter hyperintensities, total imaging load and cognitive impairment in patients with CSVD. Serum GDNF level may play a predictive role in CSVD and cognitive impairment.

【Objective】 To explore the effectiveness of creating the obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) animal model of glossocoma using the botulinum toxin type A in white rabbits, and to explore the effectiveness and safety of magnetic traction hyoid suspension operation in the OSAHS animal model of glossocoma. 【Methods】 A total of 12 adult male experimental white rabbits were randomly divided into two groups. The animals in the experimental group were injected with 0.4 mL (10 U) of botulinum toxin type A in the genioglossus muscle to construct the OSAHS animal model of glossocoma. The animals in the control group were injected with 0.4 mL of normal saline. We designed and 3D printed a polyacrylate shell that could be loaded with inner and outer neodymium iron boron (NdFeB) magnets. After the modeling, a polyacrylate shell with the inner magnet device was fixed on the hyoid bone of the animals in the experimental group. All animals in the experimental group wore the polyacrylate orthotic neck brace containing the outer magnet 10 days after the operation. The arterial blood oxygen detector was used to record the oxygen saturation (SaO2) of the femoral artery, and multi-slice CT plain scan was used to measure the diameter of the narrowest part of the upper airway. 【Results】 The animals in the experimental group gradually showed decreased activity, labored breathing, blue lips and ear margins and other manifestations of hypoxemia 5 days after intramuscular injection of botulinum toxin type A in the genioglossus, and their body weight dropped from (3.72±0.21)kg to (3.40±0.20)kg, the average SaO2 of the femoral artery decreased from (93.84±5.14)% to (84.00±3.35)%, and the diameter of the narrowest part of the upper airway decreased from (4.83±0.47)mm to (3.52±0.83)mm (P<0.05). In the control group, the animals’ weight, the average SaO2 of the femoral artery, and the diameter of the narrowest part of the upper airway did not significantly change before and after injection of normal saline into the genioglossus muscle (P>0.05). The animals in the experimental group completed the magnetic traction hyoid suspension surgery. After wearing the orthotic neck brace containing an external magnet for hyoid magnetic traction, the food intake and activity of the animals in the experimental group increased, the color of the lips changed from purple to pink, the SaO2 of the femoral artery increased significantly to (90.44±5.95)%, and the diameter of the narrowest part of the upper airway increased significantly to (4.42±0.15)mm (P<0.05). 【Conclusion】 The genioglossus muscle injection of botulinum toxin type A in white rabbits could successfully establish the OSAHS animal model of glossocoma. Magnetic traction hyoid suspension surgery in the treatment of OSAHS animal model could effectively correct the upper airway stenosis related symptoms and hypoxemia caused by glossocoma.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels and white matter high signal and non-dementia vascular cognitive dysfunction in patients with cerebral small vascular disease (CSVD).Methods:Total 106 patients with CSVD who were admitted to the Department of Neurology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical College from April 2019 to December 2020 were enrolled.They were divided into vascular cognitive impairment no dementia group (VCIND group, n=47) and no vascular cognitive impairment group (N-VCI group, n=59)according to mini-mental assessment scale (MMSE), Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) scale and activity of daily living scale (ADL). Serum VEGF levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The baseline data, serum VEGF levels, MoCA score and Fazekas score were compared between the two groups.The correlation between serum VEGF level and white matter high signal and cognitive function was analyzed.SPSS 19.0 software was used for data processing.The statistical methods were t-test, Chi square test, nonparametric test, Logistic regression analysis, Pearson correlation analysis and Spearman correlation analysis. Results:There were significant differences in serum VEGF level((464.18±114.58)pg/mL, (414.17±45.80)pg/mL, F=22.880), MoCA score((13.07±6.48), (20.17±4.06), F=17.920) and Fazekas score (4(3, 5), 3(1, 3), Z=-4.189)between the two groups (all P<0.05). The level of VEGF( β=0.008, OR=1.008, 95% CI=1.001-1.015, P<0.05) was the influencing factor of cognitive function in patients with CSVD .The level of VEGF was negatively correlated with the total score of MoCA, attention and calculation power, and orientation ability ( r=-0.345, -0.373, -0.445, all P<0.05) and it was positively correlated with the total Fazekas score and the Fazekas score of paraventricular and deep white matter ( r=0.392, 0.495, 0.302, all P<0.05). There was a linear trend between the high signal grade of paraventricular and deep white matter and VCIND (both P<0.05). Conclusion:Serum VEGF level is correlated with cognitive function and white matter hyperintensity in patients with CSVD.The increase of VEGF level may be a factor reflecting cognitive dysfunction.In addition, with the increase of white matter hyperintensity level, the risk of VCIND in CSVD is increased.

A splicing mutation in VPS4B can cause dentin dysplasia type I (DD-I), a hereditary autosomal-dominant disorder characterized by rootless teeth, the etiology of which is genetically heterogeneous. In our study, dental follicle cells (DFCs) were isolated and cultured from a patient with DD-I and compared with those from an age-matched, healthy control. In a previous study, this DD-I patient was confirmed to have a loss-of-function splicing mutation in VPS4B (IVS7 + 46C > G). The results from this study showed that the isolated DFCs were vimentin-positive and CK14-negative, indicating that the isolated cells were derived from the mesenchyme. DFCs harboring the VPS4B mutation had a significantly higher proliferation rate from day 3 to day 8 than control DFCs, indicating that VPS4B is involved in cell proliferation. The cells were then replenished with osteogenic medium to investigate how the VPS4B mutation affected osteogenic differentiation. Induction of osteogenesis, detected by alizarin red and alkaline phosphatase staining in vitro, was decreased in the DFCs from the DD-I patient compared to the control DFCs. Furthermore, we also found that the VPS4B mutation in the DD-I patient downregulated the expression of osteoblast-related genes, such as ALP, BSP, OCN, RUNX2, and their encoded proteins. These outcomes confirmed that the DD-I-associated VPS4B mutation could decrease the capacity of DFCs to differentiate during the mineralization process and may also impair physiological root formation and bone remodeling. This might provide valuable insights and implications for exploring the pathological mechanisms underlying DD-I root development.
ATPases Associated with Diverse Cellular Activities ; genetics ; Case-Control Studies ; Cell Differentiation ; genetics ; Cells, Cultured ; Dental Sac ; cytology ; Dentin Dysplasia ; genetics ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Endosomal Sorting Complexes Required for Transport ; genetics ; Humans ; Mutation ; genetics ; Osteogenesis ; genetics ; RNA Splicing ; genetics

Abstract To thoroughly implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions on preventing and controlling myopia in children, the Ministry of Education together in collaboration with relevant eight departments jointly issued and implemented a plan to tackle and prevent myopia among children and young students. This article focuses on strengthening organizational leadership, optimizing system design, ensuring responsibilities of implerentation, uniting prevention and control efforts, highlighting pilot drive, strengthening demonstration guidance, promoting integration of teaching and medicine, playing the role of experts, insisting on scientific prevention and control, regularly monitoring and early warning, and reducing academic burden. Strengthen physical training, strengthen hardware construction, improve the visual environment, collaborative family-school relationship, comprehensively overcome difficulties, strengthen market supervision, standardize industry behavior, strengthen team building, strengthen professional training, support professional construction, provide intellectual support, increase financial investment, ensure the implementation of funds, strengthen publicity and education, highlight the function of educating people, improve the assessment mechanism, and be accountable according to regulations and laws. This paper summarizes the phased progress made in the comprehensive prevention and control of myopia among children and adolescents in provinces (cities, districts) across China over the past year through the solid implementation of the Plan. A number of phased achievements have been achieved, providing important supports for the construction of a healthy China.