Objective To analyze differential metabolites (DMs) in the urine of workers with occupational nickel exposure using non-targeted metabolomics, and to screen differential metabolic pathways. Methods A total of 30 nickel exposed workers were selected as the exposure group, and 30 administrative staff from the same factory were selected as the control group using the judgment sampling method. Urine samples of the individuals from the two groups were collected. The ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and non-targeted metabolomics were used to detect and identify metabolites. The differential metabolic profiles were compared between workers of the two groups, and key differential metabolic pathways and potential biomarkers were screened. The association of DMs and urinary nickel level were evaluated by Spearman correlation coefficients. The sensitivity and specificity of biomarkers were assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results A total of 418 metabolites were identified in the urine of worker in the exposure and control groups. The result of principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares analysis showed that there were 128 DMs in the urine of workers in the exposure group compared with the control group. These DMs were mainly enriched in glutathione metabolism, carnitine synthesis, and amino acid and nucleotide metabolism pathways, including glycine and serine metabolism. The result of correlation analysis and ROC curve analysis revealed that 4-methylcatechol, 4-vinylphenol sulfate, 2-hydroxyphenylacetone sulfate, 2-dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid, and decylbenzenesulfonic acid could be the potential biomarkers for nickel exposure (all area under the ROC curve >0.800). Conclusion There were significant differences in the urinary metabolic profiles of workers with occupational nickel exposure. The five DMs including 4-methylcatechol, 4-vinylphenol sulfate, 2-hydroxyphenylacetone sulfate, 2-dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid, and decylbenzenesulfonic acid. These DMs could be potential biomarkers of occupational nickel exposure.

Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological and molecular genetic characteristics of Crohn′s disease (CD).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 52 CD patients who underwent surgical resection at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between January 2014 and June 2023. Clinical presentations and histopathological features were assessed. Whole-genome sequencing was performed on 17 of the samples, followed by sequencing and pathway enrichment analyses. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess the expression of frequently mutated genes.Results:Among the 52 patients, 34 were males and 18 were females, male-to-female ratio was 1.9∶1.0, with a median age of 45 years at surgery and 35 years at diagnosis. According to the Montreal classification, A3 (51.9%,27/52), B2 (61.5%, 32/52), and L3 (50.0%,26/52) subtypes were the most predominant. Abdominal pain and diarrhea were the common symptoms. Histopathological features seen in all 52 patients included transmural inflammation, disruption of cryptal architecture, lymphoplasmacytic infiltration, varying degrees of submucosal fibrosis and thickening, increased enteric nerve fibers and neuronal proliferation. Mucosal defects, fissure ulcers, abscesses, pseudopolyps, and adenomatous proliferation were also observed in 51 (98.1%), 38 (73.1%), 28 (53.8%), 45 (86.5%), and 28 (53.8%) cases, respectively. Thirty-one (59.6%) cases had non-caseating granulomas, and 3 (5.8%) cases had intestinal mucosal glandular epithelial dysplasia. Molecular analysis showed that 12/17 CD patients exhibited mutations in at least one mucin family gene (MUC2, MUC3A, MUC4, MUC6, MUC12, MUC17), and MUC4 was the most frequently mutated in 7/17 of cases. Immunohistochemical stains showed reduced MUC4 expression in epithelial cells, with increased MUC4 expression in the epithelial surface, particularly around areas of inflammatory cell aggregation; and minimal expression in the lower half of the epithelium.Conclusions:CD exhibits diverse clinical and pathological features, necessitating a comprehensive multidimensional analysis for diagnosis. Mutations and expression alterations in mucin family genes, particularly MUC4, may play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of CD.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on different sleep stages, and the relationship between N3 stage of non-rapid eye movement sleep and respiratory abnormal events. METHODS: A total of 188 adult patients who underwent overnight polysomnography(PSG)monitoring in Sir Run Run shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University from June 24th to December 26th 2019 were enrolled in the study. OSA patients were classified into 3 groups (mild, moderate and severe) according to the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). PSG data, AHI and the lowest SPO in each stage of sleep were compared among three groups. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in total sleep time and sleep efficiency among patients with different severity of OSA (all >0.05). The proportion of N3 stage in moderate and severe OSA groups were significantly smaller than that in mild OSA group (all <0.05). The proportion of N3 stage in severe OSA group was also smaller than that in moderate OSA group (<0.05). In addition, severe OSA group had a longer latency of N3 stage than mild and moderate OSA groups (all <0.05). The latency of N3 stage in moderate OSA group was longer than that in mild OSA group (<0.05). The AHI in N3 stage was markedly lower than that in other sleep stages (all <0.01), regardless of the severity of OSA. Supine AHI in N3 stage in mild and moderate groups was significantly lower than that in N1, N2 and rapid eye movement (REM) stages (all <0.01). Supine AHI in N3 stage in severe group was also lower than that in N2 and REM stages (<0.05 or <0.01). The lowest SPO in N3 stage was significantly higher than that in N1, N2 and REM stages (<0.05 or <0.01), regardless of the severity of OSA. CONCLUSIONS s The proportion of N3 stage is lower in OSA patients, and N3 stage has less sleep respiratory events than non-N3 stages. The results suggest that the increased N3 stage proportion may indicate less severity of OSA.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical features and implication of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in ischemic stroke patients. METHODS: A total of 199 ischemic stroke patients were enrolled and assessed by polysomnography (PSG). RLS was identified according to criteria of International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group. Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) were used to evaluate the sleep quality, cognitive function and post-stroke depression, respectively. The National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was used to evaluate the neurological function 3 months after stroke onset. Gender-and age-matched non-ischemic stroke patients with RLS (primary PLS) were selected as controls. RESULTS: Twenty-two cases of RLS were identified among 199 ischemic stroke patients (11.1%). Generalized linear model and logistic regression showed that low serum ferritin level (=-133.3 mg/L, 95%:-200.4--0.1, <0.01), subcortical infarction (=4.05, 95%:1.15-14.18, <0.05) and female (=2.54, 95%:1.04-6.23, <0.05) were identified as the risk factors of RLS in ischemic stroke patients. Compared with ischemic stroke patients without RLS, ESS increased by 4.37 (95%:2.33-6.41, <0.01), PHQ-9 increased by 2.17 (95%:0.39--3.94, <0.05), and reduced NIHSS from the baseline deceased by 0.97 (95%:-1.79--0.15, <0.05) in ischemic stroke patients with RLS. In addition, the incidence of moderate-severe depression increased (=4.27, 95%:1.40-13.10, <0.05) in ischemic stroke patients with RLS. The index of periodic leg movements of sleep (PLMS) with arousal in ischemic stroke patients with RLS was significantly higher than that in patients with primary RLS (=12.85, 95%:2.04-23.67, <0.05). CONCLUSIONS RLS is common in ischemic stroke patients and has adverse influences on patients.
Brain Ischemia ; complications ; pathology ; Depression ; complications ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Polysomnography ; Restless Legs Syndrome ; complications ; pathology ; Stroke ; complications ; pathology

Objective To explore the feasibility and effectiveness of aesthetic restoration of caries of mandibular deciduous incisors with strip crown form of maxillary deciduous incisors.Methods A total of 64 patients (202 teeth) with symmetrical caries of bilateral mandibular central incisors or lateral incisors were randomly selected.The opposite maxillary incisors were restored with strip crowns form and the opposite incisors were restored with resin composite.The effects of the two methods and the incidence of complications were compared three months,six months and twelve months after treatment.Results Three months after treatment,there was no significant difference in the success rate between the two groups.Six months after treatment,there was significant differencein the marginal adaptation between the two groups (x2 =3.919,P =0.048);12 months after treatment,there was significant difference in the restoration integrity of the two groups and the incidence of secondary caries (x2 =5.027,P =0.025;secondary caries x2 =4.369,P =0.037).Conclusions The strip crown form of maxillary primary incisors can be used for aesthetic restoration of caries of mandibular primary incisors,and its effect is better than that of direct resin filling.The strip crown form for mandibular primary incisors needs to be developed and produced urgently.

Objective To study the characteristics of Chinese ischemic stroke subclassification (CISS) in relation with migration to different climatic zones in autumn and winter.Methods Ninety-six subjects who travelled from northeast China,northwest China and north China to Hainan Province from September 2012 to February 2017 and were admitted to our hospital due to cerebral infarction occurred within 3 weeks after they arrived at Hainan were included in this study.Their demographic data,risk factors for cerebrovascular disease,laboratory blood test and imaging parameters were recorded.The patients were classified according to their medical history,auxiliary examination findings and CISS.The recorded data were statistically analyzed.Results CISS showed that penetrating artery disease,large artery atherosclerosis,cardiogenic stroke,and undetermined etiology accounted for 50.0％,38.5％,4.2％,7.3％ respectively.Hypertension (70.8 ％) and abnormal glucose metabolism (61.5％) were the major risk factors for cerebral in farction.Conclusion The incidence of penetrating artery disease is the highest,followed by that of large artery atherosclerosis in cerebral infarction patients.Alert to cerebral infarction should thus be stressed for those with hypertension and abnormal glucose metabolism who are going to travel in autumn and winter.

Objective To systematically assess whether cilostazol can delay the progression or decrease the carotid intima-media thickness (clMT).Methods Papers on the effect of cilostazol on cIMT in randomized controlled trials and cohort studies were retrieved from a number of foreign and domestic databases.The data were analyzed by Review Manager 5.3.Results Six randomized controlled trials and two cohort studies were included in this study.A total of 1107 patients were divided into cilostazol therapy group (n=533) and control group (n=574).Meta-analysis showed that cilostazol therapy for 6 months,12 months,≥24 months could reduce the maximum cIMT with a mean difference of-0.04 mm (95％CI:-0.05--0.03,P=0.000),a mean difference of -0.04 mm (95％CI:-0.05--0.03,P=0.000) and a mean difference of-0.08 mm (95％CI:-0.11-0.05,P =0.000) respectively.Conclusion Cilostazol therapy for 6 months,12 months,24 months or more than 24 months can reduce the maximum cIMT,which is needed to be confirmed by studies with a large sample of clinical data.

Bariatric surgery is one of the most effective way to lose weight,which suppresses appetite through the central nervous system. The mechanisms of appetite change may include gut hormones, adipokines, as well as microbiota in the intestine.

BACKGROUNDSurveying regional cancer incidence and mortality provides significant data that can assist in making health policy for local areas; however, the province- and region-based cancer burden in China is seldom reported. In this study, we estimated cancer incidence and mortality in Guangdong Province, China and presented basic information for making policies related to health resource allocation and disease control.

METHODSA log-linear model was used to calculate the sex-, age-, and registry-specific ratios of incidence to mortality (I/M) based on cancer registry data from Guangzhou, Zhongshan, and Sihui between 2004 and 2008. The cancer incidences in 2009 were then estimated according to representative I/M ratios and the mortality records from eight death surveillance sites in Guangdong Province. The cancer incidences in each city were estimated by the corresponding sex- and age-specific incidences from cancer registries or death surveillance sites in each area. Finally, the total and region-based cancer incidences and mortalities for the entire population of Guangdong Province were summarized.

RESULTSThe estimated I/M ratios in Guangzhou (3.658), Zhongshan (2.153), and Sihui (1.527) were significantly different (P < 0.001), with an average I/M ratio of 2.446. Significant differences in the estimated I/M ratios were observed between distinct age groups and the three cancer registries. The estimated I/M ratio in females was significantly higher than that in males (2.864 vs. 2.027, P < 0.001). It was estimated that there were 163,376 new cancer cases (99,689 males and 63,687 females) in 2009; it was further estimated that 115,049 people (75,054 males and 39,995 females) died from cancer in Guangdong Province in 2009. The estimated crude and age-standardized rate of incidences (ASRI) in Guangdong Province were 231.34 and 246.87 per 100,000 males, respectively, and 156.98 and 163.57 per 100,000 females, respectively. The estimated crude and age-standardized rate of mortalities (ASRM) in Guangdong Province were 174.17 and 187.46 per 100,000 males, respectively, and 98.59 and 102.00 per 100,000 females, respectively. In comparison with the western area and the northern mountain area, higher ASRI and ASRM were recorded in the Pearl River Delta area and the eastern area in both males and females.

CONCLUSIONSCancer imposes a heavy disease burden, and cancer patterns are unevenly distributed throughout Guangdong Province. More health resources should be allocated to cancer control, especially in the western and northern mountain areas.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; mortality ; Population Surveillance ; Registries ; Sex Distribution