Objective To study the effects of different pellet feed hardness on the growth and reproduction,feed utilization rate,and environmental dust in laboratory mice.Methods One hundred of fifty 50 3-week-old SPF-grade C57BL/6JGpt and 150 ICR laboratory mice were randomly divided into three groups,with an equal number of males and females.They were fed diets with different hardness of 18.62 kg,23.15 kg,and 27.89 kg.Body weight,feed utilization rate,and dust levels in cages were recorded and calculated for mice aged 3-10 weeks.Forty-five 6-week-old male mice and ninety 4-week-old female mice from each strain were randomly divided into three groups and fed pellet feeds with three different hardness levels.After 2 weeks of adaptation to the same hardness feed,the mice were paired at a 1:2 male-to-female ratio and monitored for reproductive data for 3 months.Results At the age of 4 weeks,the body weight of male C57BL/6JGpt mice in 23.15 kg group was significantly higher than that in the 18.62 kg and 27.89 kg groups(P＜0.01),and the body weight of females in the 18.62 kg group was significantly higher than that in the 27.89 kg group(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in body weight among ICR mice aged 3-10 weeks across different feed hardness groups(P＞0.05).For both strains,feed utilization rate for males was higher than that for females across different feed hardness groups at all weeks of age(P＜0.01).Compared to the 27.89 kg group,both the 18.62 kg and 23.15 kg groups showed a significant increase in the 50-mesh dust levels in cages for both strains aged 4-8 weeks(except for 7-week-old C57BL/6JGpt mice)(P＜0.05).For both C57BL/6JGpt and ICR mice,there was no significant difference in basic reproductive performance such as interval between the first litter and the monthly production index among the three feed hardness groups during the experimental period(P＞0.05).However,the monthly production index of C57BL/6JGpt mice first increased and then decreased with the increase of feed hardness,while that of ICR mice increased with increasing feed hardness,though these differences were not statistically significant(P＞0.05).Conclusion Different strains and genders had different tolerance to feed hardness.C57BL/6JGpt mice are more adapted to lower hardness feeds,while ICR mice are better suited to slightly higher hardness feeds.

Objective:To understand the incidence of sleep disorder in human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) patients before antiviral therapy, and to explore its risk factors.Methods:200 newly treated HIV/AIDS patients who visited the Eighth Affiliated City Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from January to June 2016 were randomly selected. According to the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), they were divided into a good sleep group and a Sleep disorder group; The influencing factors of sleep disorder in HIV/AIDS patients were analyzed by univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression.Results:The incidence of Sleep disorder in 200 HIV/AIDS patients before antiviral therapy was 22.5%(45/200); CD4 + T cell count was (414.13±202.16)/μl; 29%(58/200) of patients had CD4 + T cell counts<200/μl. There were significant differences in CD4 + T cell count and the proportion of patients with syphilis infection, comorbidity anxiety and comorbidity depression between the good sleep group and the Sleep disorder group (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that syphilis infection ( OR=4.606; 95% CI: 1.973-10.752; P<0.001), comorbidity anxiety ( OR=2.496; 95% CI: 1.086-5.737; P=0.031) and comorbidity depression ( OR=2.087; 95% CI: 0.915-4.760; P=0.040) were risk factors for sleep disorder in HIV/AIDS patients before antiviral treatment. Conclusions:The incidence of Sleep disorder in HIV/AIDS patients before antiviral therapy in Guangzhou is high, especially in patients with syphilis infection, comorbidity anxiety and comorbidity depression. The sleep disorder of HIV/AIDS patients should be assessed and detected early, and multiple interventions should be taken to improve sleep quality.

Objective:To explore the effect of intraspinal labor analgesia on labor progress, maternal and infant outcomes.Methods:Two hundred cases of full-term singleton primiparous women in head position admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College from March 2019 to March 2020 were selected as the research subjects. According to the random number table method, they were divided into the control group (100 cases, natural delivery) and the analgesia group (100 cases, analgesia delivery). The visual analoguescore (VAS), progress of labor, and the outcome of delivery between the two groups werecompared.Results:The VAS scores of the analgesic group at 10, 30 and 60 min after analgesia were lower than those in the control group: (1.30 ± 0.17) scores vs. (9.50 ± 0.53) scores, (0.50 ± 0.22) scores vs. (9.50 ± 0.16) scores, (0.40 ± 0.28) scores vs. (9.50 ± 0.34) scores, the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The first stage of labor in the analgesia group was longer than that in the control group: (347.6 ± 54.4) min vs. (325.8 ± 58.5) min; but the active stage, the second stage of labor, the third stage of labor and the total duration of labor in the analgesia group were shorter than those in the control group: (184.3 ± 39.5) min vs. (202.9 ± 42.7) min, (57.8 ± 17.9) min vs. (85.3 ± 16.9) min, (7.7 ± 5.0) min vs. (16.3 ± 5.2) min, (503.6 ± 131.4) min vs. (596.5 ± 175.7) min, the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The 2 h and 24 h postpartum hemorrhage in the analgesia group were significantly lower than those in the control group: (223.64 ± 80.34) ml vs. (276.97 ± 82.35) ml, (331.57 ± 92.47) ml vs. (384.59 ± 94.25) ml, the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The rate of normal delivery and the use of oxytocin in the analgesia group were higher than those in the control group: 91.0%(91/100) vs. 75.0%(75/100), 83.0%(83/100) vs. 49.0% (49/100), the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). In the newborn Apgar scores, the muscle tension, pulse, reflex response, respiration score and total score in the analgesia group were significantly higher than those in the control group ( P<0.05). The neonatal distress in the analgesia group was lower than that in the control group: 4.0%(4/100) vs. 15.0%(15/100), the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Intravertebral labor analgesia can shorten the time of parturient delivery, reduce postpartum hemorrhage, improve the Apgar score of newborns, increase the pregnancy rate, and improve maternal and infant outcome.

Objective::This survey was designed to understand the misconceptions about labor epidurals.Methods::This voluntary and anonymous online survey on wenjuan.com was conducted from September 1 st, 2015 to January 1 st, 2016 via mainly WeChat groups dedicated to perinatal healthcare providers in China. The questionnaire included items inquiring the knowledge and opinions about labor epidural analgesia related to maternal complications, baby safety, and effect on laboring. Incomplete surveys were excluded from the data analysis. The data was presented as percentages and a Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test, as appreciate, was used to quantitatively compare the results. Results::A total of 1412 respondents completed surveys with 42.9% (606/1412) of them being anesthesiologists, 35.1% (495/1412) being obstetricians, 11.8% (167/1412) being midwives, 3.7% (52/1412) being labor and delivery nurses, and 6.5% (92/1412) being hospital administrators and unspecified. The study revealed a lack of knowledge in labor pain control. Although 82.4% (1164/1412) of respondents were familiar with labor epidural analgesia, 8.9% (126/1412) did not know how it works, and 1.1% (15/1412) never heard it in a multiple-choice question. The three main groups (anesthesiologists, obstetricians, and midwives/labor and delivery nurses) were chosen for comparisons. Opinions among these three groups concerning five questions in the three main concerns were evaluated using a statistical significance of P<0.05. Conclusion::The results in our survey indicated an urgent need of continuing medical education to multidisciplinary specialties to improve evidence-based medical practices as these misconceptions have existed for over 10 years in the medical professionals. Lack of public awareness fueled by misconceptions related to labor epidural analgesia may be associated with a lack of professional knowledge. Correct knowledge in professionals needs to be disseminated to the public in order to dispel possible misconceptions and rumors about labor epidural analgesia. This would not only enhance patient understanding of their care but also improve maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes.

Objective::This survey was designed to understand the misconceptions about labor epidurals.Methods::This voluntary and anonymous online survey on wenjuan.com was conducted from September 1 st, 2015 to January 1 st, 2016 via mainly WeChat groups dedicated to perinatal healthcare providers in China. The questionnaire included items inquiring the knowledge and opinions about labor epidural analgesia related to maternal complications, baby safety, and effect on laboring. Incomplete surveys were excluded from the data analysis. The data was presented as percentages and a Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test, as appreciate, was used to quantitatively compare the results. Results::A total of 1412 respondents completed surveys with 42.9% (606/1412) of them being anesthesiologists, 35.1% (495/1412) being obstetricians, 11.8% (167/1412) being midwives, 3.7% (52/1412) being labor and delivery nurses, and 6.5% (92/1412) being hospital administrators and unspecified. The study revealed a lack of knowledge in labor pain control. Although 82.4% (1164/1412) of respondents were familiar with labor epidural analgesia, 8.9% (126/1412) did not know how it works, and 1.1% (15/1412) never heard it in a multiple-choice question. The three main groups (anesthesiologists, obstetricians, and midwives/labor and delivery nurses) were chosen for comparisons. Opinions among these three groups concerning five questions in the three main concerns were evaluated using a statistical significance of P<0.05. Conclusion::The results in our survey indicated an urgent need of continuing medical education to multidisciplinary specialties to improve evidence-based medical practices as these misconceptions have existed for over 10 years in the medical professionals. Lack of public awareness fueled by misconceptions related to labor epidural analgesia may be associated with a lack of professional knowledge. Correct knowledge in professionals needs to be disseminated to the public in order to dispel possible misconceptions and rumors about labor epidural analgesia. This would not only enhance patient understanding of their care but also improve maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes.

In view of the evaluation of fundus image segmentation, a new evaluation method was proposed to make up insufficiency of the traditional evaluation method which only considers the overlap of pixels and neglects topology structure of the retinal vessel. Mathematical morphology and thinning algorithm were used to obtain the retinal vascular topology structure. Then three features of retinal vessel, including mutual information, correlation coefficient and ratio of nodes, were calculated. The features of the thinned images taken as topology structure of blood vessel were used to evaluate retinal image segmentation. The manually-labeled images and their eroded ones of STARE database were used in the experiment. The result showed that these features, including mutual information, correlation coefficient and ratio of nodes, could be used to evaluate the segmentation quality of retinal vessel on fundus image through topology structure, and the algorithm was simple. The method is of significance to the supplement of traditional segmentation evaluation of retinal vessel on fundus image.
Algorithms ; Databases, Factual ; Diagnostic Imaging ; methods ; Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological ; Fundus Oculi ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Retina ; Retinal Vessels ; anatomy & histology

Objective To establish the standard of quality control for Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae Viride (PCRV) and to identify two kinds of PCRV which are collected in different times. Methods In this article,volatile components and flavonoid in 10 batches of samples which were collected from eight provinces were determined by GC and HPLC-DAD,respectively. Their fingerprints were handled by weighted similarity of range and by principal component analysis (PCA). Results According to the result of similarity and classification,there were obvious differences between the two kinds of PCRV.To know whether the differences have great influences on the pharmacological actions of PCRV, pharmacological studies will be needed. Weighted similarity is suitable for this system which has a high content of similar components. Conclusion These methods are effective and will help us to establish the criterion of quality control for PCRV.

Objective To study the sample quality of 'whitish' Radix Salvia Miltiorrhiza(the root of a grown-environmental-influenced variant sample of Salvia miltiorrhiza,which cortex and transection is white) grown in Luanchuan Region of Henan Province and normal Radix Salvia Miltiorrhiza by the means of TLC and HPLC chromatographic fingerprints;hence to compare the difference of their constituents.Methods TLC Chromatographic condition: Precoated silica gel F_(254) plate;hydrophilic and lipophilic constituents were developed and derivatizated with different solvent systems and visualization reagents,respectively.HPLC Chromatographic condition: Zorbax SB C_(18) column;hydrophilic and lipophilic constituents were gradient eluted,respectively.Results The 'whitish' Radix Salvia Miltiorrhiza contains lower content of lipophilic compounds,the main diterpene quinones was only trace amount,while the content of hydrophilic constituents was relatively higher.Conclusion The 'whitish' phenomenon suggests that the 'micro'-environmental condition can probably influence negatively the bio-synthesis of diterpene-quinones.The factors of influence still need further study.Such phenomenon would be worth concerning seriously for GAP administration.

Objective To establish the HPLC fingerprint of Herba Selaginellae moellendorfii for identification and comparison with other species of the same genus and to determine the content of amentoflavone.Method Separation was performed on ZORBAX SB-C18 chromatographic column,acetonitrile(A)-0.5 %solution of acetic acid in water(B)as mobile phase with gradient elution and the flow rate was 1.0 mL?min-1.The detection wavelength was at 270 nm.The content determination of amentoflavone carried out synchronously.Results The characteristic eighteen peaks in the chromatogram consisted of the common pattern of Herba Selaginellae moellendorfii.The fingerprint coupling with similarity and Principal Component Analysis differentiated and classified the various species of selaginella.Nine species could be divided into 3 classes.The content of amentoflavone in Herba Selaginellae moellendorfii was 0.8～1.0 %.Conclusions The weighted similarity coefficient was calculated from 13 batches of Herba Selaginellae moellendorfii samples as high as more than 0.98.Among 9 species of Selaginella,5 species(S.biformis,S.involvens,S.doederileinii,S.trachyphylla,S.tamariscina)were sorted out by means of Principal Component Analysis in the same class with S.moellendorfii.Which indicated the possibility of bio-equivalence among the herbs of these six species,while S.picta,S.uncinata and S.delicatula are considered as adulterants of S.moellendorfii as their dissimilar fingerprints.