Objective:To explore the characteristics of gut microbiota changes in individuals with Sarcopenic Obesity(SO)based on 16S rRNA sequencing.Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted in Chongming District, Shanghai from April to November 2021.Fecal samples were collected from 20 elderly SO patients (case group)and 40 elderly non-SO individuals(control group)for 16S rRNA sequencing in order to analyze the diversity, structural composition, and species differences of gut microbiota, and then to predict the differential metabolic functions of the gut microbiota.Results:A total of 60 subjects were included.The case group consisted of 20 individuals(15 males and 5 females)with an average age of 73.15 ± 4.09 years; the control group included 40 individuals(20 males and 20 females)with an average age of 71.20 ± 4.12 years.The α-diversity analysis revealed that the richness indices ACE and Chao 1 of the case group were significantly lower than those of the control group( P<0.05), while the diversity indices Shannon and Simpson showed a trend of being lower in the case group, but the differences were not statistically significant( P>0.05). Principal coordinate analysis based on the Unweighted-unifrac distance metric demonstrated a statistically significant difference in β-diversity between the two groups( P=0.003). The structure and composition of the gut microbiota in the case group were altered, with a significant reduction in the relative abundance of the Blautia genus in the case group( P<0.05). LEfSe analysis identified 5 and 16 enriched microbial species in the case and control groups, respectively (Linear Discriminant Analysis score >2, P<0.05). Additionally, PICRUSt2 functional prediction revealed significant differences( P<0.05)in metabolic pathways between the two groups, including quorum sensing, fat digestion and absorption, and folate biosynthesis. Conclusions:The gut microbiota in elderly SO patients is disordered, mainly manifested as a decrease in diversity and characteristic changes in structural composition, as well as a reduction in the abundance of the beneficial bacterium Blautia.The Progression of SO is closely associated with gut microbiota metabolic disturbances, and targeting the gut microbiota is expected to become a novel therapeutic approach for SO.

Objective:To explore the characteristics of gut microbiota changes in individuals with Sarcopenic Obesity(SO)based on 16S rRNA sequencing.Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted in Chongming District, Shanghai from April to November 2021.Fecal samples were collected from 20 elderly SO patients (case group)and 40 elderly non-SO individuals(control group)for 16S rRNA sequencing in order to analyze the diversity, structural composition, and species differences of gut microbiota, and then to predict the differential metabolic functions of the gut microbiota.Results:A total of 60 subjects were included.The case group consisted of 20 individuals(15 males and 5 females)with an average age of 73.15 ± 4.09 years; the control group included 40 individuals(20 males and 20 females)with an average age of 71.20 ± 4.12 years.The α-diversity analysis revealed that the richness indices ACE and Chao 1 of the case group were significantly lower than those of the control group( P<0.05), while the diversity indices Shannon and Simpson showed a trend of being lower in the case group, but the differences were not statistically significant( P>0.05). Principal coordinate analysis based on the Unweighted-unifrac distance metric demonstrated a statistically significant difference in β-diversity between the two groups( P=0.003). The structure and composition of the gut microbiota in the case group were altered, with a significant reduction in the relative abundance of the Blautia genus in the case group( P<0.05). LEfSe analysis identified 5 and 16 enriched microbial species in the case and control groups, respectively (Linear Discriminant Analysis score >2, P<0.05). Additionally, PICRUSt2 functional prediction revealed significant differences( P<0.05)in metabolic pathways between the two groups, including quorum sensing, fat digestion and absorption, and folate biosynthesis. Conclusions:The gut microbiota in elderly SO patients is disordered, mainly manifested as a decrease in diversity and characteristic changes in structural composition, as well as a reduction in the abundance of the beneficial bacterium Blautia.The Progression of SO is closely associated with gut microbiota metabolic disturbances, and targeting the gut microbiota is expected to become a novel therapeutic approach for SO.

OBJECTIVE: N6-methyladenosine (m ⁶A) is a common epigenetic modification in eukaryotes. In this study, we explore the potential impact of m ⁶A-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (m ⁶A-SNPs) on heart failure (HF). METHODS: Data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) investigating HF in humans and from m ⁶A-SNPs datasets were used to identify HF-associated m ⁶A-SNPs. Their functions were explored using expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL), gene expression, and gene enrichment analyses. Mediation protein quantitative trait locus (pQTL)-Mendelian randomization (MR) was used to investigate the potential mechanism between critical protein levels and risk factors for HF. RESULTS: We screened 44 HF-associated m ⁶A-SNPs, including 10 m ⁶A-SNPs that showed eQTL signals and differential expressions in HF. The SNP rs1801270 in CDKN1A showed the strongest association with HF ( P = 7.75 × 10 ^-6). Additionally, MR verified the genetic association between the CDKN1A protein and HF, as well as the mediating effect of blood pressure (BP) in this pathway. Higher circulating level of CDKN1A was associated with a lower risk of HF (odds ratio [ OR] = 0.82, 95% confidence interval [ CI]: 0.69 to 0.99). The proportions of hypertension, systolic BP, and diastolic BP were 48.10%, 28.94%, and 18.02%, respectively. Associations of PDIA6 ( P = 1.30 × 10 ^-2) and SMAD3 ( P = 4.80 × 10 ^-2) with HF were also detected. CONCLUSION Multiple HF-related m ⁶A-SNPs were identified in this study. Genetic associations of CDKN1A and other proteins with HF and its risk factors were demonstrated, providing new ideas for further exploration of the molecular mechanisms of HF.
Humans ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Heart Failure/genetics* ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21/metabolism* ; Quantitative Trait Loci ; Adenosine/metabolism* ; Male ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease

Objective:To evaluate the new model of group screening combined with opportunistic screening for the diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer.Methods:Group screening combined with opportunistic screening was used for gastric cancer screening. (1) Group screening. Cluster sampling was used to screen gastric cancer by endoscopy in high-risk population (aged 40-<70 years) of rural residents in Weihai from July 2017 to December 2020, and biopsy was obtained for histopathology if necessary. Main collection parameters included the detection rate of advanced gastric cancer, early gastric cancer and high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIN). (2) Opportunistic screening. The changes of the detection rates of early gastric cancer in opportunistic screening in 2 hospitals in Weihai area were observed during the same period of time.Results:(1) In group screening, from July 2017 to December 2020, the first batch of 8 000 cases of gastric cancer screening were completed. The cases of advanced gastric cancer, early gastric cancer and HGIN were 36, 28, and 62, respectively. The detection rates of gastric cancer and early gastric cancer were 0.80% (64/8 000) and 43.75% (28/64), respectively. The proportion of early gastric cancer+HGIN who received endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) was 77.78% (70/90), and the rate of curative resection was 100.00%(70/70). (2) Opportunistic screening: from July 2017 to December 2020, the annual early gastric cancer detection rates in opportunistic screening in Wendeng District Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital were 16.67% (1/6), 20.00% (3/15), 23.53% (4/17), and 33.33% (6/18) in the consecutive 4 years, respectively. The annual detection rates of early gastric cancer in opportunistic screening in Ru Shan Peoples Hospital were 14.74% (14/95), 23.80% (60/252), 25.49% (65/255), and 24.04% (50/208), respectively. The detection rates of opportunistic screening for early gastric cancer in hospitals in Weihai city increased year by year.Conclusion:In areas with high incidence of gastric cancer, a certain scale of group screening can lead to a wider range of opportunistic screening, resulting in the increase of the detection rate of early gastric cancer. The new model of diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer is worth recommendation.

Background::Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is underrecognized, and its association with coronary artery disease (CAD) remains limited, especially in China. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of FH and its relationship with CAD in a large Chinese cohort.Methods::FH was defined using the Make Early Diagnosis to Prevent Early Death (MEDPED) criteria. The crude and age-sex standardized prevalence of FH were calculated based on surveys of the Prediction for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk in China (China-PAR) project during 2007-2008. The associations of FH with incident CAD and its major subtypes were estimated with the cohort-stratified multivariate Cox proportional hazard models based on the data from the baseline to the last follow-up (2018-2020).Results::Among 98,885 included participants, 190 participants were defined as FH. Crude and age-sex standardized prevalence and 95% confidence interval (CI) of FH were 0.19% (0.17%–0.22%) and 0.13% (0.10%–0.16%), respectively. The prevalence varied across age groups and peaked in the group of 60–<70 years (0.28%), and the peak prevalence (0.18%) in males was earlier, yet lower than the peak crude prevalence in females (0.41%). During a mean follow-up of 10.7 years, 2493 cases of incident CAD were identified. After multivariate adjustment, FH patients had a 2.03-fold greater risk of developing CAD compared to non-FH participants.Conclusions::The prevalence of FH was estimated to be 0.19% in the participants, and it was associated with an elevated risk of incident CAD. Our study suggests that early screening of FH has certain public health significance for the prevention of CAD.

Background::Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is underrecognized, and its association with coronary artery disease (CAD) remains limited, especially in China. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of FH and its relationship with CAD in a large Chinese cohort.Methods::FH was defined using the Make Early Diagnosis to Prevent Early Death (MEDPED) criteria. The crude and age-sex standardized prevalence of FH were calculated based on surveys of the Prediction for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk in China (China-PAR) project during 2007-2008. The associations of FH with incident CAD and its major subtypes were estimated with the cohort-stratified multivariate Cox proportional hazard models based on the data from the baseline to the last follow-up (2018-2020).Results::Among 98,885 included participants, 190 participants were defined as FH. Crude and age-sex standardized prevalence and 95% confidence interval (CI) of FH were 0.19% (0.17%–0.22%) and 0.13% (0.10%–0.16%), respectively. The prevalence varied across age groups and peaked in the group of 60–<70 years (0.28%), and the peak prevalence (0.18%) in males was earlier, yet lower than the peak crude prevalence in females (0.41%). During a mean follow-up of 10.7 years, 2493 cases of incident CAD were identified. After multivariate adjustment, FH patients had a 2.03-fold greater risk of developing CAD compared to non-FH participants.Conclusions::The prevalence of FH was estimated to be 0.19% in the participants, and it was associated with an elevated risk of incident CAD. Our study suggests that early screening of FH has certain public health significance for the prevention of CAD.

Objective    To investigate the clinical value of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted chest computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis of peripheral lung shadow. Methods    The CT image data of 810 patients with peripheral pulmonary shadow treated by thoracic surgery in Tianjin Chest Hospital Affiliated to Tianjin University from January 2018 to July 2019 were retrospectively analyzed using AI-assisted chest CT imaging diagnosis system. There were 339 males and 471 females with a median age of 63 years. The malignant probability of preoperative AI-assisted diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary shadow was compared with the results of postoperative pathology. Results    The pathological diagnosis of 810 patients with peripheral pulmonary shadow was lung cancer in 627 (77.4%) patients, precancerous lesion in 30 (3.7%) patients and benign lesion in 153 (18.9%) patients. The median probability of malignant AI diagnosis before operation was 86.0% (lung cancer), 90.0% (precancerous lesion) and 37.0% (benign lesion), respectively. According to the analysis of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of AI malignant probability distribution in this group of patients, the area under the ROC curve was 0.882. The critical value of malignant probability for diagnosis of lung cancer was 75.0%with a sensitivity of 0.856 and specificity of 0.814. A total of 571 patients were diagnosed with AI malignancy probability≥ 75.0%, among whom 537 patients were pathologically diagnosed as lung cancer with a positive predictive value of 94.0%(537/571). Conclusion    The AI-assisted chest CT diagnosis system has a high accuracy in the diagnosis of peripheral lung cancer with malignant probability≥75.0% as the diagnostic threshold.

Objective:To explore the expression and clinical significance of miR-143 in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) .Methods:Tumor samples and adjacent tissues from 52 patients with PTC were obtained from Jan. 1st, 2018 to Mar. 31st, 2018 in Thyroid Surgery Department of the Affiliated Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital of Qingdao University. Quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to measure the expression of miR-143 in those subjects. In addition, the relationship between the expression levels of miR-143 and the clinicopathological characteristics was analyzed.Results:RT-qPCR indicated that the expression of miR-143 was down-regulated in PTC, which was significantly lower than that in adjacent tissues ( t=-21.39, 95% CI: 18.20-15.07, P<0.001) . Low expression of miR-143 was related to the number of lymph node metastasis ≥3 in central compartment ( t=10.13, P=0.012) and lateral neck lymph node metastasis ( t=-4.67, P<0.001) . Conclusion:Downregulation of miR-143 in PTC is linked to the metastasis of PTC and may be a potential target for therapeutic intervention.

Objective:To explore the clinical significance of recurrent laryngeal nerve inlet zone(RLNIZ) lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid cancer(PTC).Methods:The clinical data of the clinicopathologic characteristics of 738 cases with papillary thyroid cancer at our centers from Jul 2017 to Jun 2018 was retrospectively reviewed. 108 cases with RLNIZ lymph node dissection for pathological examination were included. The relationship between metastasis of RLNIZ lymph node and clinicopathologic characteristics was analyzed.Results:RLNIZ lymph node was detected in 12.3%(91/738)cases, the mean lymph node number in RLNIZ was 1.5±0.7, and 30.8%(28/91) cases suffered RLNIZ lymph node metastasis. RLNIZ lymph node metastasis(LNM) is associated with tumor size( P=0.028), capsular invasion( P=0.019), No. of central compartment LNM( P<0.001) and lateral neck LNM( P<0.001). No. of central compartment LNM was found to be the independent risk factor of RLNIZ lymph node metastasis. The incidence of dysphagia and inferior parathyroid damage was 0.9%(1/108)respectively. Conclusions:RLNIZ lymph node metastasis is common among PTC patients , therefore, RLNIZ lymph node should be routinely removed especially in patients with tumor size over 1cm、suspected capsular invasion and lateral neck lymph node metastasis confirmed by preoperative imaging examination.