ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) for muscle atrophy in patients with immobilization after surgical fixation of foot and ankle fractures.MethodsThis was a two-arm randomized controlled trial wherein 80 patients were recruited and divided into control (n = 40) and intervention (n = 40) groups. The control group received conventional orthopedic treatment, whereas the intervention group received TEAS and conventional treatment. The intervention group received TEAS 3 times a week for 30 min each time for 8 weeks. The primary outcomes were muscle thickness (MT) and cross-sectional area (CSA) of the rectus femoris and gastrocnemius muscles, whereas the secondary outcome measure was echo intensity (EI). Data were collected before the fixation operations (baseline assessment) and 4 and 8 weeks after intervention.ResultsCompared with baseline, the MT and CSA were reduced in both groups by the end of treatment, whereas EI increased in both groups. At week 4, the reduction in the rectus femoris CSA in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P = .02); however, the between-group differences in the MT and EI (all P .05) were not significant. No serious adverse events were observed in either group.ConclusionOur study showed that TEAS can improve muscle atrophy by attenuating the decline in the muscle CSA. Because this was only a pilot trial, subsequent studies will need longer follow-ups and larger sample sizes.

As color doppler ultrasound listed as the thyroid to regular physical examination project, the positive detection rate of benign and malignant thyroid diseases has increased year by year. The population of patients after thyroid surgery is getting larger and larger, however, the research on how to replace the absent thyroid with exogenous thyroid hormone is not perfect. As the switch of thyroid hormone activation and deactivation, deiodinase plays an important role in maintaining the internal environment of human body. The expression of these enzymes will change with the different needs of each organ in the individual. In the past, many authors have made a detailed description of deiodinase in basic medicine, but the principle of action in clinical aspects is relatively lacking. In this paper, the mechanism of deiodinase was reviewed through literature reading, to explore the basic principle of deiodinase in exogenous thyroid hormone supplementation after thyroid surgery.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics of pregnancy complicated by primary Sj?gren's syndrome (pSS) and the related factors of adverse outcomes in pregnant women with pSS.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 32 pregnancies complicated by pSS treated in the Department of Obstetrics at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from February 2017 to August 2022. The patients were divided into two groups according to whether they had perinatal adverse outcomes: an adverse outcome group ( n=20) and a favorable outcome group ( n=12). The clinical characteristics of the two groups were compared with two independant sample t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Fisher's exact test, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the related factors of adverse outcomes in pregnant women with pSS. Results:(1) The average maternal age of the 32 pSS pregnancies was (32.9±4.6) years, the pre-pregnancy body mass index was (21.1±3.8) kg/m 2, and the median gestational age at delivery was 37.8 (35.4-38.5) weeks. There were 18 women (56.3%, 18/32) were diagnosed before pregnancy and 14 women (43.7%, 14/32) during pregnancy. Out of the 32 pregnancies, 25 (79.1%, 25/32) received therapy with glucocorticoids and/or hydroxychloroquine during pregnancy, whereas seven (21.9%, 7/32) had no medication during pregnancy. (2) The main adverse maternal outcomes included oligohydramnios (25%, 8/32), hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (18.8%, 6/32), preterm birth (18.8%, 6/32), fetal growth restriction (15.6%, 5/32), miscarriage (12.5%, 4/32), gestational diabetes mellitus (9.4%, 3/32), and postpartum hemorrhage (3.1%, 1/32). (3) Adverse neonatal outcomes included low birth weight infants in seven cases (25.0%, 7/28), neonatal asphyxia in seven cases (25.0%, 7/28), and two cases of congenital heart block (7.1%, 2/28). (4) The rate of diagnosis before pregnancy in the favorable outcome group was higher than the adverse outcome group [10/12 vs. 40.0%(8/20), Fisher's exact test, P=0.028]. There were no significant differences between the two groups concerning maternal age, pre-pregnancy BMI, weight gain during pregnancy, parity, rates of positivity for autoantibodies (antinuclear antibody, Sj?gren-specific antibody A, Sj?gren-specific antibody B, anti-Ro-52), and proportion of drug treatment (glucocorticoids, hydroxychloroquine) (all P>0.05). (5) Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that diagnosis before pregnancy ( OR=0.02, 95% CI: 0.00-0.62, P=0.024) and positive Sj?gren-specific antibody B ( OR=0.01,95% CI: 0.00-0.75, P=0.038) were the protective factors. Conclusions:The clinical manifestations of pSS among pregnant women are varied and atypical,often with insidious onset. For pregnant women with pSS, being diagnosed before pregnancy, positive Sj?gren-specific antibody B may reduce adverse outcomes. It is important to address pre-pregnancy examination, early diagnosis and timely intervention to reduce the occurrence of adverse outcomes in pregnant women with pSS.

Neutrophils as the first immune responders to infection can quickly identify and eliminate pathogens. The mainly rely on glycolysis to exert their killing functions. Although researches on the metabolic shifs that affect neutrophil functions began early, little is known about how neutrophils undergo metabolic transformation during the anti-infection process. It has been proven that glycogen metabolism plays an important role in regulating the functions of neutrophils. Other metabolic pathways besides glycolysis, such as mitochondrial metabolism and fatty acid oxidation during neutrophil differentiation, have potential contributions to the regulation of neutrophils′ functions. This review summaries current studies about metabolic regulatory effects of neutrophils on anti-infection responses, intending to provide reference for further study on the metabolism of neutrophils.

Objective:To analyze the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in visceral adipose tissue of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) based on bioinformatics.Methods:The microarray dataset GSE78721 was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, including visceral fat samples data from 19 T2DM patients and 16 non-diabetic subjects. The analysis of transcriptomic profiling results from tissue samples was conducted, and a comparison between different groups of samples based on gender was performed. The online Xintao Academic Database was utilized for the analysis, employing the "limma" package in R language to filter DEGs. Subsequently, the DEGs were visualized, and Gene Ontology (GO) functional annotation along with Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis were carried out and visualized. Based on the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING) database, a protein-protein interaction network (PPI) of DEGs was constructed and key differentially expressed genes were identified and visualized using Cytoscape software.Results:Analysis of visceral adipose tissue gene expression profiles revealed 168 DEGs (|log 2FC|≥1, P<0.05). In females, 42 mRNAs were up-regulated, 3 were down-regulated; in males, 105 were up-regulated, 37 were down-regulated, 19 genes were shared by the two groups. GO analysis linked DEGs to insulin-like growth factor receptor signaling and regulation, nutrient response, and leukocyte migration. KEGG analysis implicated extracellular matrix receptor interactions and leukocyte transendothelial migration. The PPI network unveiled 10 key genes, including COL1A1, COL1A2, TGFB3, PCOLCE, TIMP1, COL6A2, COMP, COL14A1, VCAM1 and THY1. Conclusion:Bioinformatics technology can effectively analyze and screen DEGs in visceral adipose tissue of T2DM patients, providing useful clues for further exploring its molecular mechanism and finding therapeutic targets.

Peripapillary hyperreflective ovoid mass-like structure (PHOMS) is a novel imaging feature newly defined in recent years in the study of optic disc drusen (ODD).In OCT images, it shows an oval hyper-reflective signal on the Bruch membrane around the optic papilla, ring or crescent non-fluorescence in autofluorescence, and light gray peripapillary elevations around the optic disc in non-red infrared images.There is no conclusive evidence as to whether PHOMS is a subtype or precursor of ODD.Histopathologically, PHOMS might correspond to the lateral bulging or herniation of distended axons into the peripapillary retina.Since there may be different pathological properties between PHOMS and ODD in histology, there are different imaging features in multimodal imaging.To make the diagnosis of ODD more accurate, the Optic Disc Drusen Studies Consortium recommends that PHOMS be distinguished from ODD.PHOMS is mainly differentiated from ODD and perioptic vessels on OCT.It can be seen in many diseases such as ODD, optic papilledema, non-arteritis anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, multiple sclerosis, central retinal vein occlusion, pediatric tilted disc syndrome, isolated optic neuritis and optic atrophy, and is an important cause of pseudopapilloedema in children.This article summarizes the origin, imaging features, differential diagnosis and related diseases of PHOMS, to increase domestic researchers' understanding of the structure of PHOMS, enhance the differential diagnosis between PHOMS and ODD, and provide a reference for clinical research and diagnosis.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small molecular peptides widely existing in the innate immunity of organisms, serving as the first line of defense. Natural AMPs possess various biological activities and are difficult to develop drug resistance. However, they are easily broken down by digestive enzymes in the body. In recent years, increasing methods have been reported to enhance the stability of AMPs, including incorporation of unnatural amino acids, chemical modifications, strategic avoidance of enzyme cleavage sites, cyclization, and nano peptide design. This review summarizes the methods for improving the stability of AMPs against protease degradation, aiming to provide references for further research in this field.
Antimicrobial Peptides/pharmacology* ; Humans ; Peptide Hydrolases/metabolism* ; Protein Stability ; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides/chemistry* ; Anti-Infective Agents/chemistry*

Objective:To investigate the per capita expenses of physical examination and its related factors in health examination (management) institutions in 2019.Methods:Using the census method, the basic information, including the name, address, nature, level and operation nature of the institutions, and per capita expenses of physical examination in provincial health examination (management) institutions in 2019 were collected by questionnaire survey. Rank sum test and Spearman correlation analysis were used to analyze the data.Results:In 2019, the top three provinces in terms of per capita expenses of physical examination were Shanghai, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Beijing, with 612.00 yuan, 547.90 yuan and 528.83 yuan, respectively; Guizhou Province, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Guangdong Province ranked the last three, with 255.25 yuan, 244.00 yuan and 235.10 yuan, respectively. There were significant differences in per capita expenses of physical examination among different health examination (management) institutions in different regions and of different institutional nature, institutional level and business nature (all P<0.05). The per capita expenses of physical examination was positively correlated with the local per capita health care expenditure, the proportion of local population aged 15-64 years and the proportion of local people with education of college and above ( r=0.465, 0.374 and 0.401, all P<0.05). Conclusions:There are differences in the per capita expenses of physical examination in health examination (management) institutions among different regions, institutional nature, institutional level and business nature in 2019, and it is related to the per capita health care expenditure, age and educational level of the local people.

Clinical cases treated by magnetic compression anastomosis (MCA) for different causes and types of intestinal stenosis/ atresia to successfully achieve intestinal recanalization were reviewed, so as to explore the clinical application of MCA. From May 2019 to August 2022, 4 patients underwent colorectal MCA for intestinal recanalization in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University and Northwest Women and Children's Hospital. All operations went well, and the intestinal anastomosis was recanalized. The magnetic ring was discharged in 7-15 days, and the postoperative colonoscopy or radiography showed that the anastomosis was intact. MCA can be used to treat different types of colorectal stenosis and atresia due to different reasons, and can also be used to assist intestinal anastomosis in colorectal surgery.

{L-End}Objective To explore the status of quality control assessment of pure tone audiometry (PTA) and to analyze its influencing factors in occupational medical examination (OME) institutions in Guangzhou City. {L-End}Methods A total of 41 OME institutions in Guangzhou City were selected as the research subjects from 2021 to 2022 using random sampling method, and its status of on-site quality and PTA quality for individuals exposed to noise were assessed. {L-End}Results A total of 205 rectification items were identified among the 41 OME institutions from 2021 to 2022. Among them, 19, 28, 30, and 28 OME institutions did not meet the requirements of organizational structure, quality management system, quality control of OME, and health examination information reporting, respectively. A total of 1 095 OME reports for individuals exposed to noise were assessed, with 820 reports having correct results and conclusions, resulting in an accuracy rate of 74.9%. The results of the multiple logistic regression analysis showed that OME institutions without meeting the requirements for the quality management system had a higher risk of failing the PTA quality control assessment and having inaccurate hearing test results compared with those meeting the requirements (all P<0.05). OME institutions with a filing period less than one year had a higher risk of having inaccurate hearing test results than those with a filing period of one year or more (P<0.05). OME institutions not meeting the requirements for quality control of OME had a higher risk of having abnormal OME conclusions than those meeting the requirements (P<0.05). OME institutions not meeting the requirements for health examination information reporting had a higher risk of having abnormal conclusions in suspected occupational disease than those meeting the requirements (P<0.05). OME institutions not meeting the requirements for the quality management system had a higher risk of having abnormal conclusions of occupational contraindications than those meeting the requirements (P<0.05). {L-End}Conclusion The quality of PTA in OME institutions in Guangzhou City needs to be improved. And a well-established quality management system for OME is beneficial for improving the quality of PTA.