Cold has been a long-term survival challenge in the evolutionary process of mammals. In response to cold stress, in addition to brown adipose tissue (BAT) dissipating energy as heat through glucose and lipid oxidation to maintain body temperature, cold stimulation can strongly activate thermogenesis and energy expenditure in beige fat cells, which are widely distributed in the subcutaneous layer. However, the effects of cold stimulation on other tissues and systemic lipid metabolism remain unclear. Our previous research indicated that, under cold stress, BAT not only produces heat but also secretes numerous exosomes to mediate BAT-liver crosstalk. Whether subcutaneous fat has a similar mechanism is still unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the alterations in lipid metabolism across various tissues under cold exposure and to explore whether subcutaneous fat regulates systemic glucose and lipid metabolism via exosomes, thereby elucidating the regulatory mechanisms of lipid metabolism homeostasis under physiological stress. RT-qPCR, Western blot, and H&E staining methods were used to investigate the physiological changes in lipid metabolism in the serum, liver, epididymal white adipose tissue, and subcutaneous fat of mice under cold stimulation. The results revealed that cold exposure significantly enhanced the thermogenic activity of subcutaneous adipose tissue and markedly increased exosome secretion. These exosomes were efficiently taken up by hepatocytes, where they profoundly influenced hepatic lipid metabolism, as evidenced by alterations in the expression levels of key genes involved in lipid synthesis and catabolism pathways. This study has unveiled a novel mechanism by which subcutaneous fat regulates lipid metabolism through exosome secretion under cold stimulation, providing new insights into the systemic regulatory role of beige adipocytes under cold stress and offering a theoretical basis for the development of new therapeutic strategies for obesity and metabolic diseases.
Animals ; Lipid Metabolism/physiology* ; Mice ; Exosomes/metabolism* ; Cold Temperature ; Subcutaneous Fat/physiology* ; Thermogenesis/physiology* ; Adipose Tissue, Brown/metabolism* ; Male

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the association between temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and insomnia using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach. METHODS: Bidirectional MR analyses of two samples, TMD (n=377 277) and insomnia (n=375 359), were performed using genome-wide association study statistics published in the FinnGen database. Instrumental variables were first screened, and then inverse variance weighting (IVW) and MR-Egger were used as the main-effect assessment methods. Weighted median, weighted mode, and simple mode served as supplementary methods. We used IVW and MR-Egger to test for heterogeneity, as well as MR-Egger intercepts to assess the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) potential level of multiplicity effects. Sensitivity analyses were conducted based on leave-one-out to identify potentially influential SNPs. All analyses were conducted by using the two-sample MR R package and were considered statistically significant when P<0.05. RESULTS: MR analysis showed the presence of TMD on insomnia (OR=1.089, 95%CI: 1.017-1.166, P=0.014). Meanwhile, no effect of insomnia on TMD (OR=0.996, 95%CI: 0.964-1.029, P=0.816) was found. The sensitivity-analysis showed that no heterogeneity existed (P>0.05), and the presence of horizontal pleiotropy was not detected (P>0.05). Leave-one-out sensitivity analysis showed no single SNP, which may affect the causal relation. All findings indicated that the causal relationship between TMD and insomnia was not significantly affected by any individual SNP and that IV did not bias the results. CONCLUSIONS Results of MR analyses showed that TMD is a risk factor for insomnia, whereas insomnia is not a risk factor for TMD.
Humans ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/genetics* ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders/complications* ; Genome-Wide Association Study

Objective To investigate the effect of varying ureteral wall thickness(UWT)at the site of ureteral stones on the clinical efficacy of ureteroscopic lithotripsy(URL).Methods The clinical data of 164 patients with ureteral stones in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed.According to different UWT,the patients were divided into the mild thickening group(84 cases,UWT<3.16 mm),the moderate thickening group(31 cases,UWT 3.16 to 3.49 mm),and the severe thickening group(49 cases,UWT>3.49 mm),and the differences of clinical related indicators among the three groups were compared.Results The incidence of postoperative renal colic and leukocyte disorder in the mild thickening group and the moderate thickening group were lower than those in the severe thickening group,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).The postoperative catheterization time in the mild thickening group and the moderate thickening group were shorter than that in the severe thickening group,and the incidences of secondary lithotripsy,residual stones and stone return to kidney in the mild thickening group and the moderate thickening group were lower than those in the severe thickening group,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).The length of hospital stay and hospitalization cost in the mild thickening group and the moderate thickening group were shorter/less than those in the severe thickening group,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).Conclusion With the increase of UWT(especially when UWT>3.49 mm),the incidence of postoperative complications and hospitalization cost of URL increase to varying degrees,and the surgical efficacy decreases.In clinical work,UWT measurement holds potential value in predicting the surgical efficacy and complications of URL.

Objective:To explore the training needs of peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) specialist nurses in Shandong Province for subcutaneous tunnel technique, so as to provide reference for conducting systematic and standardized training.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional survey. From October to December 2022, convenience sampling was used to select 922 PICC specialist nurses in Shandong Province as the research subject. A self-made questionnaire was used to investigate the training needs of PICC specialist nurses for subcutaneous tunnel technique.Results:A total of 922 questionnaires were distributed, and 922 valid questionnaires were collected, with an effective response rate of 100.00%. 22.78% (210/922) of PICC specialist nurses used subcutaneous tunnel technique. In terms of training willingness, 92.08% (849/922) of PICC specialist nurses had a training need for subcutaneous tunnel technique. In terms of training content needs, the total score of PICC specialist nurses for subcutaneous tunnel technique training content needs was (62.26±11.06), and the average score for each item was >4.15, and the highest scoring item was the sharing of special cases in tunnel PICC (4.60±0.77), and the lowest scoring item was PICC maintenance knowledge (4.15±1.15) .Conclusions:The application rate of subcutaneous tunnel technique is low, and PICC specialist nurses have a high training need. Managers should increase training efforts for this technique, improve training content, innovate training models, develop targeted training programs, so as to promote the application and promotion of this technique.

Objective:To comprehensively search, evaluate and summarize the relevant evidence of early ambulation in patients with total knee arthroplasty (TKA), so as to provide evidence-based basis for the nursing practice of early ambulation in patients with TKA.Methods:Clinical decisions, best practice manuals, guidelines, systematic reviews, expert consensus and evidence summaries for early postoperative ambulation of TKA patients were searched by computer on PubMed, Web of Science, BMJ Best Practice, Cochrane Library, UpToDate, OVID, CINAHL, Embase, Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Centre for Evidence-based Health Care, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang Data, VIP, China Biology Medicine disc, Guidelines International Network, National Guideline Clearinghouse, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Canadian Medical Association Clinical Practice Guideline, Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons. The retrieval time was from the establishment of the databases to March 31, 2023. Four nursing graduate students trained in evidence-based nursing systems independently evaluated the quality of the included literature and divided the evidence levels according to the JBI Evidence Pre Grading System (2014 edition) .Results:A total of 15 articles were included, including four clinical decision papers, three guidelines, six expert consensus papers, one evidence summary and one systematic review. According to the judgment of professionals, 23 pieces of best evidence were formed from seven aspects, including the director of ambulation, evaluation before ambulation, ambulation planning, ambulation timing, ambulation content, ambulation evaluation and health education.Conclusions:The best evidence of early postoperative ambulation of patients with TKA summarized in this study is scientific and practical, which can provide evidence-based basis for clinical nursing work.

Objective: Cognition impairments are considered as a fundamental characteristic of severe mental disorders (SMD). Recent studies suggest that hyperprolactinemia may exert a detrimental influence on cognitive performance in patients with SMD. The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between serum prolactin levels and cognitive function in female individuals diagnosed with SMD. Methods: We conducted a study on 294 patients with SMD and 195 healthy controls, aged between 14 to 55 years old. Cognitive function was assessed using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), while prolactin levels were measured in serum. Descriptive analysis and comparative analysis were performed to compare cognitive function and prolactin levels between groups, and linear regression models were used to explore the relationship between prolactin and cognitive function. Results: Compared to the healthy control, individuals with SMD exhibited significantly higher levels of prolactin, while scoring lower on RBANS total and every index scores. Furthermore, a negative association between prolactin levels and cognitive function (RBANS total index score, attention, and delayed memory) was observed in SMD patients. Importantly, this inverse correlation between prolactin and cognition function (RBANS total index score, total scale score, and attention) persisted in patients who were not taking medications that could potentially influence serum prolactin levels. Conclusion Our study reveals a significant correlation between elevated prolactin levels and cognitive impairment in female patients with SMD, underscoring the importance of monitoring prolactin levels in order to prevent cognitive deterioration among female SMD patients.

Hip fracture is considered as the most severe osteoporotic fracture characterized by high disability and mortality in the elderly. Improved surgical techniques and multidisciplinary team play an active role in alleviating prognosis, which places higher demands on perioperative nursing. Dysfunction, complications, and secondary impact of anaesthesia and surgery add more difficulties to clinical nursing. Besides, there still lack clinical practices in perioperative nursing for elderly patients with hip fracture in China. In this context, led by the Orthopedic Nursing Committee of Chinese Nursing Association, the Expert consensus on clinical practice in perioperative nursing for elderly patients with hip fracture ( version 2023) is developed based on the evidence-based medicine. This consensus provides 11 recommendations on elderly patients with hip fracture from aspects of perioperative health education, condition monitoring and inspection, complication risk assessment and prevention, and rehabilitation, in order to provide guiding advices for clinical practice, improve the quality of nursing and ameliorate the prognosis of elderly patients with hip fracture.

Objective:To explore the team construction and treatment strategy of the Diabetic Foot-Multidisciplinary Team.Methods:The clinical data of 19 patients with severe ischemic diabetic foot treated by our Diabetic Foot-Multidisciplinary Team Center from Apr 2021 to Mar 2022 were collected, and the overall amputation rate, above-ankle major amputation rate, minor amputation rate and mortality, Diabetic Foot-Multidisciplinary Team consultation discipline participation rate and treatment participation degree were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Nineteen patients (15 males and 4 females) were enrolled, aged 26 to 94 (68.6±14.2). All were with severe ischemic diabetic foot ulcer:Rutherford grade 5 or up and dysfunction in 2 or more organs. Complications included arteriosclerosis obliterans of the lower extremities in 18 cases, heart diseases in 18, hypertension in 15, and renal insufficiencies in 10. The overall amputation rate was 36.8%, major amputation rate in 21.1%, minor amputation rate in 15.8%, and mortality rate was 15.8%. A total of 16 disciplines participated in Diabetic Foot-Multidisciplinary Team; the main participating disciplines were vascular surgery (19 times), endocrinology (12 times), and cardiology (11 times). The main treatment disciplines were vascular surgery (14 times), plastic surgery (3 times), and cardiology (2 times).Conclusion:For the diagnosis and treatment of diabetic foot, it is necessary to set up a multidisciplinary team as early as possible to control the causes of diabetic foot ulcer, prevent the recurrence of diabetic foot ulcer, reduce the mortality and amputation rate, and improve the quality of life of patients.

Objective: To analyze the prevalence and the risk factors of fungal sepsis in 25 neonatal intensive care units (NICU) among preterm infants in China, and to provide a basis for preventive strategies of fungal sepsis. Methods: This was a second-analysis of the data from the "reduction of infection in neonatal intensive care units using the evidence-based practice for improving quality" study. The current status of fungal sepsis of the 24 731 preterm infants with the gestational age of <34⁺⁰ weeks, who were admitted to 25 participating NICU within 7 days of birth between May 2015 and April 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. These preterm infants were divided into the fungal sepsis group and the without fungal sepsis group according to whether they developed fungal sepsis to analyze the incidences and the microbiology of fungal sepsis. Chi-square test was used to compare the incidences of fungal sepsis in preterm infants with different gestational ages and birth weights and in different NICU. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to study the outcomes of preterm infants with fungal sepsis, which were further compared with those of preterm infants without fungal sepsis. The 144 preterm infants in the fungal sepsis group were matched with 288 preterm infants in the non-fungal sepsis group by propensity score-matched method. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the risk factors of fungal sepsis. Results: In all, 166 (0.7%) of the 24 731 preterm infants developed fungal sepsis, with the gestational age of (29.7±2.0) weeks and the birth weight of (1 300±293) g. The incidence of fungal sepsis increased with decreasing gestational age and birth weight (both P<0.001). The preterm infants with gestational age of <32 weeks accounted for 87.3% (145/166). The incidence of fungal sepsis was 1.0% (117/11 438) in very preterm infants and 2.0% (28/1 401) in extremely preterm infants, and was 1.3% (103/8 060) in very low birth weight infants and 1.7% (21/1 211) in extremely low birth weight infants, respectively. There was no fungal sepsis in 3 NICU, and the incidences in the other 22 NICU ranged from 0.7% (10/1 397) to 2.9% (21/724), with significant statistical difference (P<0.001). The pathogens were mainly Candida (150/166, 90.4%), including 59 cases of Candida albicans and 91 cases of non-Candida albicans, of which Candida parapsilosis was the most common (41 cases). Fungal sepsis was independently associated with increased risk of moderate to severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) (adjusted OR 1.52, 95%CI 1.04-2.22, P=0.030) and severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (adjusted OR 2.55, 95%CI 1.12-5.80, P=0.025). Previous broad spectrum antibiotics exposure (adjusted OR=2.50, 95%CI 1.50-4.17, P<0.001), prolonged use of central line (adjusted OR=1.05, 95%CI 1.03-1.08, P<0.001) and previous total parenteral nutrition (TPN) duration (adjusted OR=1.04, 95%CI 1.02-1.06, P<0.001) were all independently associated with increasing risk of fungal sepsis. Conclusions: Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis are the main pathogens of fungal sepsis among preterm infants in Chinese NICU. Preterm infants with fungal sepsis are at increased risk of moderate to severe BPD and severe ROP. Previous broad spectrum antibiotics exposure, prolonged use of central line and prolonged duration of TPN will increase the risk of fungal sepsis. Ongoing initiatives are needed to reduce fungal sepsis based on these risk factors.
Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Birth Weight ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Retrospective Studies ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight ; Gestational Age ; Infant, Extremely Premature ; Sepsis/epidemiology* ; Retinopathy of Prematurity/epidemiology* ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/epidemiology*

Mammals exhibit limited heart regeneration ability, which can lead to heart failure after myocardial infarction. In contrast, zebrafish exhibit remarkable cardiac regeneration capacity. Several cell types and signaling pathways have been reported to participate in this process. However, a comprehensive analysis of how different cells and signals interact and coordinate to regulate cardiac regeneration is unavailable. We collected major cardiac cell types from zebrafish and performed high-precision single-cell transcriptome analyses during both development and post-injury regeneration. We revealed the cellular heterogeneity as well as the molecular progress of cardiomyocytes during these processes, and identified a subtype of atrial cardiomyocyte exhibiting a stem-like state which may transdifferentiate into ventricular cardiomyocytes during regeneration. Furthermore, we identified a regeneration-induced cell (RIC) population in the epicardium-derived cells (EPDC), and demonstrated Angiopoietin 4 (Angpt4) as a specific regulator of heart regeneration. angpt4 expression is specifically and transiently activated in RIC, which initiates a signaling cascade from EPDC to endocardium through the Tie2-MAPK pathway, and further induces activation of cathepsin K in cardiomyocytes through RA signaling. Loss of angpt4 leads to defects in scar tissue resolution and cardiomyocyte proliferation, while overexpression of angpt4 accelerates regeneration. Furthermore, we found that ANGPT4 could enhance proliferation of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, and promote cardiac repair in mice after myocardial infarction, indicating that the function of Angpt4 is conserved in mammals. Our study provides a mechanistic understanding of heart regeneration at single-cell precision, identifies Angpt4 as a key regulator of cardiomyocyte proliferation and regeneration, and offers a novel therapeutic target for improved recovery after human heart injuries.
Humans ; Mice ; Rats ; Cell Proliferation ; Heart/physiology* ; Mammals ; Myocardial Infarction/metabolism* ; Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism* ; Pericardium/metabolism* ; Single-Cell Analysis ; Zebrafish/metabolism*