Objective This study examined changes in serum growth hormone(GH)and insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF-1)levels,as well as insulin resistance,in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)across different stages of diabetic kidney disease(DKD).It explored the relationship between these factors and the occurrence and progression of DKD,with the aim of identifying new targets for the prevention and treatment of DKD.Methods In this cross-sectional study,T2DM patients aged 18-80 years were selected from the Department of Endocrinology,The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University,from November 30,2019 to March 30,2021.Their serum GH and IGF-1 levels were tested.Results The serum GH level increased gradually in the groups,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).The level of serum IGF-1 decreased first and then increased among the groups,but with no significant difference(P＞0.05).HOMA-IR showed no significant correlation among the groups(P＞0.05),but HOMA-β gradually decreased among the groups,with statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the increase of serum GH level was closely related to the progression of T2DM to early DKD,and that the increase of serum IGF-1 level might be related to the deterioration of renal function in patients with T2DM at DKD stage.HOMA-IR and HOMA-β were not found to have correlation with the occurrence or development of DKD in T2DM patients.Conclusion In patients with T2DM,elevated serum GH level is closely associated with the occurrence and progression of early DKD.The increase of serum GH level may promote the occurrence of early DKD in T2DM,and the increase of serum IGF-1 level may be related to the deterioration of renal function in clinical DKD stage.In this study,we did not find correlation of HOMA-IR and HOMA-β with the occurrence or development of DKD in T2DM patients.

Objective To establish an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry(ICP-MS)method for the analysis of 29 mineral elements in Artemisiae Argyi Folium(AAF),and to develop a model for judging the origin of AAF based on the elemental fingerprint combined with chemometrics.Methods The variance method was used to compare the contents of 29 mineral elements in AAF samples from Qichun of Hubei province,Hebei province and Henan province,respectively.The discriminant models of AAF from different habitats were established by discriminant analysis,PLS-DA and PCA-Logistic regression algorithms.Results The differences of the 22 elements(V,Cr,Ni,As,Se,Rb,Mo,Cd,Sb,Ba,Hg,Pb,K,Li,B,Mg,Al,P,Ca,Fe,Zn,and Ga)in samples from Qichun of Hubei province,Hebei province and Henan province are extremely significant(P＜0.01).The discriminant analysis model showed that eight kinds of element variables(P,Cr,K,Li,Hg,Ba,Mg,and Mo),which have a significant effect on the origin discrimination are gradually introduced into the discriminant model,and the correct rate of back test is 100％.The correct rate of"leave one method"cross-validation is 96.7％.The PLS-DA model showed good prediction ability,and the variable importance projection values of K,P and Mg elements were greater than one,which could be used as the difference marker of AAF from different habitats.The accuracy of the origin discrimination model constructed by PC A-Logistic regression analysis was 100％.The elements with high first principal component loadings were Li,B,Mg,Al,P,K,Ca,V,Cr,Fe,Ni,Zn,As,Rb,Cd,Sb,and Ba.Conclusion This study shows that elemental fingerprint technology combined with chemometric analysis can identify AAF from Qichun of Hubei province,Hebei province,or Henan,providing technical support for the traceability of the origin of Artemisia argyi.

Objective This study examined changes in serum growth hormone(GH)and insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF-1)levels,as well as insulin resistance,in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)across different stages of diabetic kidney disease(DKD).It explored the relationship between these factors and the occurrence and progression of DKD,with the aim of identifying new targets for the prevention and treatment of DKD.Methods In this cross-sectional study,T2DM patients aged 18-80 years were selected from the Department of Endocrinology,The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University,from November 30,2019 to March 30,2021.Their serum GH and IGF-1 levels were tested.Results The serum GH level increased gradually in the groups,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).The level of serum IGF-1 decreased first and then increased among the groups,but with no significant difference(P＞0.05).HOMA-IR showed no significant correlation among the groups(P＞0.05),but HOMA-β gradually decreased among the groups,with statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the increase of serum GH level was closely related to the progression of T2DM to early DKD,and that the increase of serum IGF-1 level might be related to the deterioration of renal function in patients with T2DM at DKD stage.HOMA-IR and HOMA-β were not found to have correlation with the occurrence or development of DKD in T2DM patients.Conclusion In patients with T2DM,elevated serum GH level is closely associated with the occurrence and progression of early DKD.The increase of serum GH level may promote the occurrence of early DKD in T2DM,and the increase of serum IGF-1 level may be related to the deterioration of renal function in clinical DKD stage.In this study,we did not find correlation of HOMA-IR and HOMA-β with the occurrence or development of DKD in T2DM patients.

Objective To establish an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry(ICP-MS)method for the analysis of 29 mineral elements in Artemisiae Argyi Folium(AAF),and to develop a model for judging the origin of AAF based on the elemental fingerprint combined with chemometrics.Methods The variance method was used to compare the contents of 29 mineral elements in AAF samples from Qichun of Hubei province,Hebei province and Henan province,respectively.The discriminant models of AAF from different habitats were established by discriminant analysis,PLS-DA and PCA-Logistic regression algorithms.Results The differences of the 22 elements(V,Cr,Ni,As,Se,Rb,Mo,Cd,Sb,Ba,Hg,Pb,K,Li,B,Mg,Al,P,Ca,Fe,Zn,and Ga)in samples from Qichun of Hubei province,Hebei province and Henan province are extremely significant(P＜0.01).The discriminant analysis model showed that eight kinds of element variables(P,Cr,K,Li,Hg,Ba,Mg,and Mo),which have a significant effect on the origin discrimination are gradually introduced into the discriminant model,and the correct rate of back test is 100％.The correct rate of"leave one method"cross-validation is 96.7％.The PLS-DA model showed good prediction ability,and the variable importance projection values of K,P and Mg elements were greater than one,which could be used as the difference marker of AAF from different habitats.The accuracy of the origin discrimination model constructed by PC A-Logistic regression analysis was 100％.The elements with high first principal component loadings were Li,B,Mg,Al,P,K,Ca,V,Cr,Fe,Ni,Zn,As,Rb,Cd,Sb,and Ba.Conclusion This study shows that elemental fingerprint technology combined with chemometric analysis can identify AAF from Qichun of Hubei province,Hebei province,or Henan,providing technical support for the traceability of the origin of Artemisia argyi.

Objective:To develop the Care Needs Scale for Young and Middle-aged Terminally Ill Patients and test its reliability and validity, so as to provide an effective tool for evaluating the care needs of young and middle-aged terminally ill patients for medical and nursing staff.Methods:This study is a cross-sectional study. Guided by the theory of supportive care needs, an initial scale was formed through literature review, qualitative interviews, Delphi expert consultation, and pre-survey. From July to September 2022, convenience sampling was used to select 570 young and middle-aged terminally ill patients hospitalized in the Oncology Department and Hospice Care Ward of six Class Ⅲ hospitals in Tianjin as the research subject, and a questionnaire survey was conducted on the patients. The items in the scale were selected using item analysis method. The structural validity of the scale was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The content validity of the scale was evaluated using the scale-level content validity index and the item-level content validity index. The reliability of the scale was evaluated using internal consistency coefficient and half reliability coefficient. A total of 570 questionnaires were distributed, and 565 valid questionnaires were collected, with an effective response rate of 99.12% (565/570) .Results:A total of 18 experts completed two rounds of consultation, with an expert authority coefficient of 0.890, the Kendall's W values of 0.309 and 0.417, respectively ( P<0.05). The Care Needs Scale for Young and Middle-aged Terminally Ill Patients included 6 dimensions and a total of 39 items. Exploratory factor analysis extracted 6 common factors, with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 71.515%. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the overall model fitted well. The content validity index at the scale level was 0.942, and the content validity index at the item level was 0.833 to 1.000. The total Cronbach's α coefficient of the scale was 0.975, and the half reliability coefficient was 0.911. Conclusions:The reliability and validity of the Care Needs Scale for Young and Middle-aged Terminally Ill Patients are good, and it can be used as an evaluation tool for the care needs of young and middle-aged terminally ill patients.

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of chrysin in inducing apoptosis of human hepatic carcinoma cells and explore the possible mechanism.

METHODSHuman hepatic carcinoma SMMC-7721 cells treated with DMSO or chrysin at different concentrations (5-200 μg/mL) were examined for changes in the cell proliferation using CCK-8 assay. The morphological changes of SMMC-7721 cells were observed in response to treatment with 5, 10, or 20 μg/mL chrysin, and the changes in the cell nuclei were observed using DAPI nuclear staining. Annexin Ⅴ-FITC/PI flow cytometry was used to determine the cell apoptosis rate. The changes in the apoptosis-related proteins (PARP and caspase-3) and MAPKs signal pathway were detected with Western blotting.

RESULTSChrysin treatment obviously suppressed the proliferation of SMMC-7721 cells in a dose-dependent manner below the concentration of 60 μg/mL. Chrysin (20 μg/mL) also caused significantly increased cell apoptosis and significant cleavage of PARP and caspase-3. Chrysin significantly activated MAPKs signaling pathway in a time-and dose-dependent manner, with the peak activation level occurring at 15 min. Pretreatment of the cells with specific inhibitors of the MAPKs pathway obviously inhibited the effect of chrysin in inducing cell apoptosis.

CONCLUSIONSChrysin inhibits the proliferation and promotes apoptosis of SMMC-7721 cells by regulating the activation of MAPKs signaling.

Recent studies have shown that some long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are expressed abnormally in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissue, and the expression of H19 gene in lncRNAs in HCC tissue is significantly higher than that in normal tissue. After the knockout of H19 gene, the proliferative and invasive abilities of HCC are significantly reduced. This article briefly introduces lncRNAs and H19 gene, the detection method for lncRNAs, and the value of H19 in the diagnosis of HCC and points out that H19 may be used in a method for the diagnosis of HCC. Further studies on the expression of H19 in HCC and rapid, simple, and economic detection of lncRNAs including H19 play important roles in the diagnosis of HCC.

Objective To explore the relationship between peripherally inserted central catherer (PICC) complications and body mass index (BMI) in cancer patients, and provide references the preventive measures of PICC complications.Methods Totally 180 cancer patients with PICC complications were analyzed by retrospective analysis. Complications includes thromboembolism, infection, plugging, catheter extrusion, skin injury related to medical patches, exudation and phlebitis, etc. Patients′ BMI were calculated, and the correlation between patients with different BMI classification and the incidence rate of complications was analyzed.Results The result have indicated that there was a correlation between BMI and thromboembolism, plugging and phlebitis (r=0.203,0.204,0.198;P<0.05).Conclusions Nurses should pay attention to the correlation between BMI and thromboembolism, plugging and phlebitis in cancer patients with PICC. They also should take intervention measures and carry out individualized health education among patients.

Turn-over of messenger ribonucleic acid ( mRNA) is a major control point in gene expres-sion.In mammals,many mRNAs encode inflammatory cytokines ,oncoproteins,and G-protein-coupled receptors are destabilized by the presence of AU -rich elements ( AREs ) in their 3′-untranslated regions .Association of ARE-binding proteins(AUBPs)with these mRNAs promotes rapid mRNA degradation .ARE/poly(U)-binding factor 1(AUF1),one of the best-characterized AUBPs,binds to many ARE-mRNAs and assembles other fac-tors to recruit the mRNA degradation machinery .Most studies support an mRNA -destabilizing role for AUF1,al-though other findings suggest additional functions for this factor .However,several lines of evidence also support a role for AUF1 in the initiation and/or development of cancer .Many AUF1-targeted transcripts encode products that control pro-or anti-oncogenic processes .Numerous signaling pathways alter the composition of this AUF 1 complex of proteins to affect changes in ARE -mRNA degradation rates .This review briefly describes the roles of mRNA decay in gene expression in general and ARE -mediated decay ( AMD) in particular ,with a focus on AUF1 and the different modes of regulation that govern AUF 1 involvement in AMD.In the end,we discuss how changes in AUF1 isoform distribution,subcellular localization,and post-translational protein modifications can influence the metabolism of targeted mRNAs .