BACKGROUND: Spicy food consumption has been reported to be inversely associated with mortality from multiple diseases. However, the effect of spicy food intake on the incidence of vascular diseases in the Chinese population remains unclear. This study was conducted to explore this association. METHODS: This study was performed using the large-scale China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) prospective cohort of 486,335 participants. The primary outcomes were vascular disease, ischemic heart disease (IHD), major coronary events (MCEs), cerebrovascular disease, stroke, and non-stroke cerebrovascular disease. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to assess the association between spicy food consumption and incident vascular diseases. Subgroup analysis was also performed to evaluate the heterogeneity of the association between spicy food consumption and the risk of vascular disease stratified by several basic characteristics. In addition, the joint effects of spicy food consumption and the healthy lifestyle score on the risk of vascular disease were also evaluated, and sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the reliability of the association results. RESULTS: During a median follow-up time of 12.1 years, a total of 136,125 patients with vascular disease, 46,689 patients with IHD, 10,097 patients with MCEs, 80,114 patients with cerebrovascular disease, 56,726 patients with stroke, and 40,098 patients with non-stroke cerebrovascular disease were identified. Participants who consumed spicy food 1-2 days/week (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.95, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = [0.93, 0.97], P <0.001), 3-5 days/week (HR = 0.96, 95% CI = [0.94, 0.99], P = 0.003), and 6-7 days/week (HR = 0.97, 95% CI = [0.95, 0.99], P = 0.002) had a significantly lower risk of vascular disease than those who consumed spicy food less than once a week ( Ptrend <0.001), especially in those who were younger and living in rural areas. Notably, the disease-based subgroup analysis indicated that the inverse associations remained in IHD ( Ptrend = 0.011) and MCEs ( Ptrend = 0.002) risk. Intriguingly, there was an interaction effect between spicy food consumption and the healthy lifestyle score on the risk of IHD ( Pinteraction = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS Our findings support an inverse association between spicy food consumption and vascular disease in the Chinese population, which may provide additional dietary guidance for the prevention of vascular diseases.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Prospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Vascular Diseases/etiology* ; Risk Factors ; China/epidemiology* ; Adult ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Cerebrovascular Disorders/epidemiology* ; East Asian People

BACKGROUND:Cerebral ischemic stroke is one of the main fatal and disabling diseases in the clinic,but only a few patients benefit from vascular recanalization in time,so it is urgent to explore new and effective therapy.As one of the critical pathological changes of ischemic stroke,the glial scar formed mainly by astrocytes is one major cause that hinders axonal regeneration and neurological recovery at the late stage of stroke. OBJECTIVE:To elucidate the pathological process and crucial signal regulatory mechanism of astrocytes in the formation of glial scar after ischemic stroke,as well as the potential therapeutic targets,to provide a theoretical reference for intervening astrocytic scar formation against ischemic stroke effectively,and novel strategies for promoting post-stroke rehabilitation. METHODS:The relevant articles published in CNKI,PubMed and Web of Science databases from 2010 to 2022 were retrieved.The search terms were"Ischemic stroke,Brain ischemi*,Cerebral ischemi*,Astrocyt*,Astroglia*,Glial scar,Gliosis,Astrogliosis"in Chinese and English.Finally,78 articles were included after screening and summarized. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Astrocytes play an important role in the maintenance of central nervous system homeostasis.After ischemic stroke,astrocytes change from a resting state to an active state.According to the different severities of cerebral ischemic injury,astrocyte activation changes dynamically from swelling and proliferation to glial scar formation.(2)Mature astrocytes are stimulated to restart the cell cycle,then proliferate and migrate to lesions,which is the main source of the glial scar.Neural stem cells in the subventricular zone,neuron-glial antigen 2 precursor cells and ependymal precursor cells in the brain parenchyma can also differentiate into astrocytes.Endothelin-1,aquaporin 4,ciliary neurotrophic factor and connexins are involved in this process.In addition,chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan,as the main component of the extracellular matrix,forms the dense glial scar barrier with proliferated astrocytes,which hinders the polarization and extension of axons.(3)Activation or inhibition of crucial signal molecules involved in astrocyte activation,proliferation,migration and pro-inflammation functions regulate the glial scar formation.Transforming growth factor beta 1/Smad and Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 are classical pathways related to astrogliosis,while receptor-interacting protein 1 kinase and glycogen synthase kinase 3β are significant molecules regulating the inflammatory response.However,there are relatively few studies on Smad ubiquitination regulatory factor 2 and Interleukin-17 and their downstream signaling pathways in glial scar formation,which are worthy of further exploration.(4)Drugs targeting astrogliosis-related signaling pathways,cell proliferation regulatory proteins and inflammatory factors effectively inhibit the formation of glial scar after cerebral ischemic stroke.Among them,the role of commonly used clinical drugs such as melatonin and valproic acid in regulating glial scar formation has been verified,which makes it possible to use drugs that inhibit glial scar formation to promote the recovery of neurological function in patients with stroke.(5)Considering the protective effects of glial scar in the acute phase,how to choose the appropriate intervention chance of drugs to maintain the protective effect of the glial scar while promoting nerve regeneration and repair in the local microenvironment is the direction of future efforts.

Objective:To analyze the specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies level in the population after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Henan Province.Methods:A total of 5 178 peripheral venous blood samples were collected from 10 districts (counties) in Henan Province according to the national seroepidemiological survey program for COVID-19, and the method of cluster random sampling was adopted from March 6 to 15, 2023. Descriptive analysis was used for the basic data, history of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination, SARS-CoV-2 infection of the respondents. The specific IgG antibody of SARS-CoV-2 was detected using chemiluminescence method. Statistical analysis was performed by using rank sum test, Kruskal Wallis test, and Dunn′s test.Results:The overall positive rate of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG antibody was 83.35%(4 316/5 178). There were statistically significant differences in the specific IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 produced by people of different sexes, different ages, infected or not, vaccinated or not, and vaccinated with different doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine ( Z=3.60, H=195.32, Z=6.10, 18.08, H=382.70, respectively, all P<0.001). The specific IgG antibodies produced by unvaccinated+ uninfected group, unvaccinated+ infected group, vaccinated+ uninfected group, and vaccinated+ infected group were 3.54(0.98, 11.00), 60.65(2.33, 84.80), 133.00(59.80, 173.00), and 142.00(98.30, 176.00), respectively. And the difference was statistically significant( H=354.62, P<0.001). The specific IgG antibodies of uninfected people increased with the increase of inoculum times( H=287.00 and 98.48, both P<0.001). The specific IgG antibodies of people who were not infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the groups of whose interval from the last inoculation of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine to blood collection was less than three months, three to six months and more than six months were 171.86(156.04, 196.57), 71.71(17.08, 110.38) and 132.14(57.59, 172.25), respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( H=19.93, P<0.001). Among them, the absolute difference between the less than three months group and the three to six months group was statistically significant ( Z=3.67, P<0.001), and the absolute difference between the less than three months group and the more than six months group was statistically significant ( Z=3.47, P<0.001). The specific IgG antibodies level in the less than three months group was the highest. Conclusions:There is a certain correlation between the number of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine doses and the specific IgG antibodies level in uninfected people. The specific IgG antibodies could maintain a high level for three months after immunization.

Objective:To analyze the genetic evolution and molecular characteristics of H7N9 avian influenza virus (AIV) isolated in a live poultry market.Methods:Samples such as poultry feces, sewage, and hair removal machine and chopping board swabs were collected. Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR was used to detect influenza A virus and H7N9 AIV in the samples. The whole genome of H7N9 AIV was amplified with influenza A virus universal primers and sequenced. BLAST and MEGA X were used for sequence alignment, phylogenetic analysis and molecular characterization.Results:Seven poultry-related environment samples were collected in the live poultry market in Xuchang city in February 2023, and four were positive for H7N9 AIV. The whole genome sequences of three H7N9 AIV isolates were successfully obtained, and the isolates shared high nucleotide identity in different genes (98.37%-100.00%). BLAST analysis showed they were highly identical to H7N9 strains isolated from domestic poultry in China from 2020 to 2021. Genetic evolution analysis showed that the three isolates clustered in the same branch and were closer to the recent environmental isolates than to the recent strains isolated from human or avian. Through comparison with the sequences of the representative strains in different periods, it was found that the isolated strains in this study showed high avian pathogenicity with four amino acids KRAA inserted at the cleavage site; the hemagglutinin receptor-binding site was QSG, which was an avian binding receptor; there was a G186I mutation in hemagglutinin. Mammalian-adaptive mutation E627K was not detected in polymerase basic protein 2. Mutations (R292K and I38T) associated with drug resistance to neuraminidase inhibitor (oseltamivir) and polymerase acidic protein inhibitor (baloshavir) were not detected, suggesting that these isolates remained susceptible to these drugs. A S31N mutation was found in M2 protein, indicating they were resistant to alkamines.Conclusions:The three H7N9 AIV strains isolated in the live poultry market have high avian pathogenicity, but there are no significant increase in mutations related to the binding ability to human receptors, mammalian pathogenicity, viral transmissibility, or drug resistance as compared with previous representative strains causing human or avian infection.

Objective:To analyze the reinfection rates in people previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Zhengzhou and Yuzhou cities (first infected with Delta/B.1.617.2 variant), and Anyang city (first infected with Omicron/BA.1.1 variant) in January 2022 and the population characteristics, and compare the differences in antibody levels among different populations.Methods:Serum samples were collected from 371 previously infected, 134 reinfected and 19 uninfected people for IgG antibody detection. Among them, serum samples from 45 previously infected, 44 reinfected and 19 uninfected people were tested with different novel coronavirus variants (early original strain, BA.5.2 variant, XBB.1.5 variant) for neutralizing antibody detection.Results:The rate of reinfection was 32.82% (85/259) in Zhengzhou and Yuzhou cities, and 19.92% (49/246) in Anyang city. The IgG antibody level in reinfected people was higher than that in previously infected and uninfected people ( P<0.05). The IgG antibody level in uninfected group was higher in people vaccinated within three months than in those vaccinated six months ago ( P<0.05). The IgG antibody level in the group receiving four doses of vaccine was higher than that in the group receiving three doses of vaccine ( P<0.05). The results of true virus neutralization antibody detection showed that in the Zhengzhou and Yuzhou cases, the level of neutralization antibody against the early original strain was higher than those against the BA.5.2 variant and the XBB.1.5 variant ( P<0.05), and the level of neutralizing antibody against BA.5.2 variant was higher than that against XBB.1.5 variant ( P<0.05). In Anyang city cases, the level of neutralizing antibody against the early original strain was higher than those against BA.5.2 variant and XBB.1.5 variant ( P<0.05); in the reinfected population, the level of neutralizing antibody against the early original strain was higher than that against the XBB.1.5 variant ( P<0.05). In addition, the levels of all neutralizing antibodies in both previously infected and reinfected people were higher than those in uninfected people ( P<0.05). The level of neutralizing antibody in the infected population in Zhengzhou and Yuzhou cities was higher than that in the infected population in Anyang city and in uninfected population ( P<0.05). The levels of antibodies against BA.5.2 and anti-XBB.1.5 variants in infected people in Zhengzhou and Yuzhou cities were higher than those in uninfected people ( P<0.05). The level of neutralizing antibody against BA.5.2 variants in the previously infected population in Anyang city was higher than that in the uninfected population ( P<0.05), and the level of neutralizing antibody against XBB.1.5 variants in the infected population in Anyang city was higher than that in the uninfected population ( P<0.05). Conclusions:After infection with SARS-CoV-2, the neutralizing antibodies produced in the human body have a certain cross-protection effect on other variants, but the antibody level will gradually decrease over time. Protection from a previous early SARS-CoV-2 variants infection against the current main circulating Omicron variants (such as XBB variants) is low, and the immunity conferred by pervious infection or booster vaccination may not be able to provide sufficient protection against new variants.

BACKGROUND: Immunotherapy has been a standard treatment for the patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), however, reliable biomarkers for predicting the response remain unclear. This study explores the subpopulations of lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and combines clinical and laboratory examination indicators of NSCLC patients to identify potential biomarkers related to immunotherapy. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 82 patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC who underwent electronic bronchoscopy and received first-line immunotherapy at Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University between March 2020 and November 2022. Logistic regression and random forest models were employed to determine the correlation between immune cell subsets in BALF and response of immunotherapy. The predictive value was validated by the model. RESULTS: All patients enrolled received first-line immunotherapy, and the efficacy was evaluated according to clinical guidelines: among the 82 patients included, 48 patients got objective response and the other 34 did not achieve. The relationship between collected indicators and the best clinical treatment response was analyzed. The result shows that a higher percentage of total lymphocytes in BALF was associated with good response of first-line immunotherapy (P<0.05), while a higher percentage of T helper cells in BALF was associated with poor prognosis (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The proportions of total lymphocytes and T helper cells in BALF could be used as predictive biomarkers for first-line immunotherapy in late stage NSCLC. A multivariable model improves predictive accuracy.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/pathology* ; Male ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology* ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Immunotherapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Aged ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid/cytology* ; Case-Control Studies ; Adult ; Treatment Outcome

Objective:To analyze the whole genome of Omicron variants causing the first local Omicron outbreak in Henan Province and to investigate the mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome for source tracing.Methods:Respiratory tract samples from COVID-19 cases in the Omicron outbreak in Henan Province from January 7 to 29, 2022 were subjected to whole-genome sequencing and sequence alignment analysis. Whole-genome identity, variations and evolution of the Omicron variants were analyzed.Results:Through high-throughput sequencing, the whole-genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2 were obtained from 120 cases, which accounted for 25.64% (120/468) of all COVID-19 cases in Anyang during the same period. Compared with the genome of Wuhan reference strain (NC_045512.2), there were 57-59 nucleotide mutation sites in the 120 whole genome sequences, and one or two nucleotide mutation sites were added to the shared 57 nucleotide sites. All of the 120 strains were VOC/Omicron (BA.1.1) variants and shared high homology. The whole-genome sequence obtained from the first case A contained 57 nucleotide mutation sites, while apart from the 57 identical nucleotide mutation sites, one specific mutation site (C1594T) was found in the whole-genome sequence obtained from the first case B, suggesting that the two cases were in the same transmission chain. After comparing with the database of domestic and imported cases by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Henan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it was found that the current outbreak was linked with the same transmission chain as the existing local epidemics in other provinces. Moreover, epidemiological investigation showed that on January 2, case A had come into contact with her cousin and his family who returned from an affected area outside the province.Conclusions:Based on the gene sequencing results and epidemiological investigation, the COVID-19 outbreak in Anyang city, Henan Province was a local epidemic and the source of it was a college student who returned to Anyang city from other province on December 28, 2021. These infections were linked to the same transmission chain as the existing local infection in other provinces.

Humans ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Risk Factors ; Myocardial Infarction/complications* ; Coronary Disease/etiology* ; Heart Disease Risk Factors

Birth cohort study has played an important role in exploring the effect of exposures in early life on long-term health of offspring. With the rapid increase of problems of reproductive health among couples at childbearing age, the assisted reproductive technology (ART) has been widely introduced into clinical practice. However, the influences of ART on long-term outcomes of mothers and infants have not been fully studied. In 2016, the China National Birth Cohort (CNBC), a multicenter prospective cohort study recruiting families with ART-conceived pregnancies and spontaneous-conceived pregnancies simultaneously was launched officially. By June 30, 2021, a total of 72 000 families covering 39 000 ART- pregnancies and 33 000 spontaneous- pregnancies have been recruited in the study, their information and biological samples were collected at multiple time points, i.e., before assisted reproductive treatment, in embryo transfer period, in first, second and third trimesters, at delivery, and at 42 days after birth, 6 months, 1 year old and 3 years old. The main objectives of this study are to assess the development and health of offspring born after ART treatment, identify risk factors associated with adverse birth outcomes and childhood diseases and provide scientific basis for the strategies to improve the quality of new birth population. This paper will give a brief introduction to the establishment and research progress of CNBC.

Objective:To investigate the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the diagnosis of malignant endometrial lesions.Methods:A total of 142 patients with endometrial lesions who underwent contrast-enhanced ultrasound examination in Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2019 to September 2021 were selected. The endometrial lesions were divided into benign group (including endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial polyps) and malignant group (endometrial cancer) according to the pathological results of surgery, and the differences of contrast enhancement patterns between benign group and malignant group were compared. The sensitivity, specificity of CEUS in the diagnosis of endometrial cancer were calculated, and the Kappa value was calculated with the initial enhancement time earlier than or equal to the muscularity or the peak time earlier than the muscularity as the diagnostic index for the diagnosis of endometrial malignant lesions. The sensitivity, specificity, and Kappa value of CEUS in the diagnosis of endometrial cancer and endometrial cancer with thickness ≥10 mm were calculated.Results:A total of 108 patients underwent surgery with clear pathological results, including 66 patients in the benign lesion group and 42 patients in the malignant lesion group. The thickness of malignant lesions was significantly larger than that of benign lesions, and the difference was statistically significant( t=4.039, P<0.05), but there was no significant difference of hemodynamic parameters between the two groups ( P>0.05). The initial enhancement time, peak time and peak intensity of benign lesions were significantly different from those of malignant lesions(all P<0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, and Kappa value of CEUS in the diagnosis of endometrial cancer were 64.3%, 100% and 0.668, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity and Kappa value of CEUS in the diagnosis of endometrial carcinoma with lesion thickness ≥10 mm were 75.0%, 100% and 0.795, respectively. Conclusions:For the diagnosis of endometrial lesions, especially the malignant endometrial lesions with thickness and diameter greater than or equal to 10mm, there is a high diagnostic coincidence rate between CEUS and pathological diagnosis, and endometrial malignant lesions have more specific CEUS manifestations.