The accumulation of uremic toxins such as urea nitrogen, blood creatinine, and uric acid of patients with renal failure in vivo would lead to aggravated kidney damage. In this study, coated aldehyde oxy-starch (CAO) was used as an adsorbent to investigate its in vitro adsorption performance on renal failure indexes for urea, indoxyl sulfate (INS), monomethylamine (MMA), dimethylamine (DMA), uric acid (UA), and creatinine (Cr). The effects of variables such as pH, temperature, concentration, dosage, and time on the adsorption capacity of CAO were systematically investigated, employing analytical techniques of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC). The results revealed that CAO exhibited a strong adsorption capacity for urea, INS, and MMA, alongside a moderate adsorption capacity for DMA, UA, and Cr. The adsorption kinetics and thermodynamic studies indicated that the adsorption of urea and UA by CAO were fitted in pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the adsorption isotherm aligned with the Freundlich adsorption model. The enthalpy change ΔH of urea in adsorption was in the range of 40 to 60 kJ·mol^-1, which demonstrated the presence of strong adsorption force due to the interactions of coordinating groups. The ΔH of UA was greater than 80 kJ·mol^-1, indicating the generation of chemical bonds during the adsorption. Both of them, Gibbs free energy ΔG was less than 0, within the range of -20 to 0 kJ·mol^-1, suggested that the adsorption of urea and UA by CAO occurred spontaneously as physical adsorption process. The adsorption entropy ΔS of urea and UA was > 0, which indicated an increase in entropy throughout the adsorption. The infrared spectroscopygram showed the formation of a chemical bond, specifically the imine bond, following the adsorption of urea by CAO, thereby indicating a chemical reaction during the adsorption. This study elucidates the adsorption mechanism of CAO on various indexes of renal failure, providing a scientific basis for its clinical usage.

Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) have been widely used in regenerative medicine, but there is limited research on the stability of UC-MSCs formulation during production. This study aims to assess the stability of the cell stock solution and intermediate product throughout the production process, as well as the final product following reconstitution, in order to offer guidance for the manufacturing process and serve as a reference for formulation reconstitution methods. Three batches of cell formulation were produced and stored under low temperature (2-8 ℃) and room temperature (20-26 ℃) during cell stock solution and intermediate product stages. The storage time intervals for cell stock solution were 0, 2, 4, and 6 h, while for intermediate products, the intervals were 0, 1, 2, and 3 h. The evaluation items included visual inspection, viable cell concentration, cell viability, cell surface markers, lymphocyte proliferation inhibition rate, and sterility. Additionally, dilution and culture stability studies were performed after reconstitution of the cell product. The reconstitution diluents included 0.9% sodium chloride injection, 0.9% sodium chloride injection + 1% human serum albumin, and 0.9% sodium chloride injection + 2% human serum albumin, with dilution ratios of 10-fold and 40-fold. The storage time intervals after dilution were 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 h. The reconstitution culture media included DMEM medium, DMEM + 2% platelet lysate, 0.9% sodium chloride injection, and 0.9% sodium chloride injection + 1% human serum albumin, and the culture duration was 24 h. The evaluation items were viable cell concentration and cell viability. The results showed that the cell stock solution remained stable for up to 6 h under both low temperature (2-8 ℃) and room temperature (20-26 ℃) conditions, while the intermediate product remained stable for up to 3 h under the same conditions. After formulation reconstitution, using sodium chloride injection diluted with 1% or 2% human serum albumin maintained a viability of over 80% within 4 h. It was observed that different dilution factors had an impact on cell viability. After formulation reconstitution, cultivation in medium with 2% platelet lysate resulted in a cell viability of over 80% after 24 h. In conclusion, the stability of cell stock solution within 6 h and intermediate product within 3 h meets the requirements. The addition of 1% or 2% human serum albumin in the reconstitution diluent can better protect the post-reconstitution cell viability.

Background The staff in centers for disease control and prevention (CDC) were at a great risk for psychological distress when they were faced with outbreak-related prevention and control work and routine tasks during the COVID-19 period. Psychological resilience and burnout are two key influencing factors on psychological distress. Objective To explore the status and mechanisms of psychological resilience, burnout, and psychological distress among CDC staff. Methods From September to October 2022, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in all CDC staff in Beijing, and 2228 CDC staff from 17 units (including 1 municipality-level CDC and 16 district-level CDCs) participated the questionnaire survey. The basic information questionnaire, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10) Chinese version, Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) Chinese version, and the 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (Kessler10) Chinese version were selected in our study. Mann-Whitney U test or Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to analyze the differences in the scores of psychological resilience, burnout, and psychological distress by demographic and sociological characteristics. The correlations among the three elements were analyzed by Spearman correlation analysis. Potential influencing factors of psychological distress of the CDC staff were evaluated by multiple linear regression. A potential mediating effect of psychological resilience-burnout-psychological distress was analyzed by the mediation package of R 4.2.0, and validated by Bootstrap method. Results Of 2228 questionnaires distributed, 2022 valid questionnaires were collected, and the recovery rate was 90.75%. The median (P₂₅, P₇₅) psychological distress score of CDC staff was 13.00 (8.00, 24.00), and the number of participants with psychological distress levels of 1, 2, 3, and 4 was 358 (17.71%), 546 (27.00%), 362 (17.90%), and 756 (37.39%), respectively. The median (P₂₅, P₇₅) psychological resilience score was 24.00 (20.00, 30.00) and the median (P₂₅, P₇₅) burnout score was 38.00 (25.00, 50.00). The results of the multiple linear regression showed that psychological resilience, burnout, caring for the elderly, having a chronic disease, and monthly income had independent influences on psychological distress (P<0.05), and emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced personal accomplishment (reversed) in the case of burnout had a great effect on psychological distress (P<0.05). After controlling general demographic characteristic variables, total burnout score exerted a partial mediation effect on the relationship between psychological resilience and psychological distress, with a mediation effect value of −0.439 (95%CI: −0.483, −0.397), and a total mediation effect contribution rate of 60.89%. The two dimensions of burnout (emotional exhaustion and cynicism) played a partial mediating role between psychological resilience and psychological distress, with mediating effect contribution rates of 42.44% and 41.41%, respectively. Conclusion Psychological distress among CDC staff in Beijing was prominent during COVID-19. Psychological resilience can act directly on psychological distress or indirectly on psychological distress through burnout. Both emotional exhaustion and cynicism dimensions of burnout have a partial mediating role between psychological resilience and psychological distress. Increasing psychological resilience and decreasing burnout may reduce the occurrence of psychological distress.

Objective To comprehensively excavate and analyze the research status,research hotspots and future trends of the literature related to the field of acupoint catgut embedding therapy for pain treatment in the CNKI database.Methods We searched the CNKI database from its establishment to June 2022,and scientifically analyzed the authors,keywords,and institutions of the included literature of acupoint catgut embedding therapy for pain treatment through specific algorithms of Citespace to generate a visual knowledge map.Results A total of 319 documents were included for statistical analysis,the number of publications in the field of acupoint catgut embedding therapy for the treatment of pain was generally on the rise,the number of publications by various authors was on the low side,and there was a lack of co-operation between the research teams,with the main institutions being the Guang'anmen Hospital,Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences,Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical Universities of Nationalities and the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine,forming a 10-keyword clustering,and the hotspots of diseases under study were mainly mixed haemorrhoids,postoperative pain,low back and leg pain and dysmenorrhoea,etc..The main interventions were pure acupoint catgut embedding therapy and the combination of acupoint catgut embedding therapy and other acupuncture therapies,and the main research method was clinical research.Conclusion Acupoint catgut embedding therapy for the treatment of pain has a good development prospect,the future needs to deepen the clinical research,strengthen the mechanism research,pay attention to the joint use of acupoint catgut embedding therapy and other traditional Chinese medicine methods,and pay attention to the research of different thread materials.

Objective Data mining technology was used to mine the medication rules of the prescriptions used in the treatment of pediatric atopic dermatitis by Chinese medical master XUAN Guo-Wei.Methods The medical records of effective cases of pediatric atopic dermatitis treated by Professor XUAN Guo-Wei at outpatient clinic were collected,and then the medical data were statistically analyzed using frequency statistics,association rule analysis and cluster analysis.Results A total of 242 prescriptions were included,involving 101 Chinese medicinals.There were 23 commonly-used herbs,and the 16 high-frequency herbs(frequency＞100 times)were Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Saposhnikoviae Radix,Glehniae Radix,Perillae Folium,Ophiopogonis Radix,Cynanchi Paniculati Radix et Rhizoma,Microctis Folium,Dictamni Cortex,Scrophulariae Radix,Coicis Semen,Cicadae Periostracum,Lilii Bulbus,Rehmanniae Radix,Kochiae Fructus,Sclerotium Poriae Pararadicis,and Euryales Semen.The analysis of the medicinal properties showed that most of the herbs were sweet and cold,and mainly had the meridian tropism of the spleen,stomach and liver meridians.The association rule analysis yielded 24 commonly-used drug combinations and 20 association rules.Cluster analysis yielded 2 core drug combinations.Conclusion For the treatment of pediatric atopic dermatitis,Professor XUAN Guo-Wei focuses on the clearing,supplementing and harmonizing therapies,and the medication principle of"supporting the healthy-qi to eliminate the pathogen,and balancing the yin and yang"is applied throughout the treatment.

AIM:To establish a model of meibomian gland dysfunction in rats induced by eyeliner tattoo and investigate its potential mechanisms.METHODS:A total of 40 SD rats were selected, with 30 randomly chosen to have eyeliner tattoo applied their right eyes and designated as the eyeliner group. The remaining 10 rats were not given any treatment and served as the normal group. The corneal morphology of both groups was observed using a slit lamp at 1, 2, and 4 wk after establishment, and the tear film break-up time(BUT), Schirmer I test(SIt), corneal fluorescein staining score, and corneal irregularity score were calculated. The corneal Placido rings were examined using an ocular surface analyzer, and the corneal tissue structures of both groups were observed under a confocal microscope. After 4 wk and completion of clinical indicator recording, the eyeballs and upper and lower eyelid tissues were taken for pathological examination. The meibomian gland structures were observed through HE staining, the conjunctival goblet cells were observed using PAS staining, and the lipid droplets were observed with ORO staining.RESULTS:The slit lamp examination results showed that the eyeliner group rats exhibited in situ black pigmentation in the eyelids, with no eyelid deformation or scarring. The corneal epithelium was rough, with positive fluorescein staining, presenting as spotty staining that worsened over time. Compared with the normal group, the BUT was significantly shortened, tear secretion volume was significantly decreased, and the corneal fluorescein staining score and corneal irregularity score were significantly increased at 1, 2, and 4 wk after modeling in the eyeliner group(all P<0.01). The corneal confocal microscopy results showed a decrease in corneal epithelial cells in the eyeliner group, with the appearance of abnormally bright cells, and inflammatory cell infiltration visible in the stromal layer. The ORO staining results revealed a decrease in lipid droplets in the eyeliner group, showing a downward trend with increasing observation time. The HE staining results showed that pigment blocked the meibomian gland openings in the eyeliner group, and the density of meibomian gland acini showed a downward trend over time. The PAS staining results showed a decreasing trend in the number of PAS-positive cells in the eyeliner group.CONCLUSION:Eyeliner tattoo can induce meibomian gland dysfunction, and the blockage of meibomian gland openings caused by the pigment particles used may be an important cause of meibomian gland dysfunction.

Objective To evaluate the value of rs61330082 and rs4730153 polymorphisms of Visfatin locus for the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)in a high-risk population.Methods SNPscanTM high-throughput single nucleotide polymorphism typing technique was used to genotype Visfatin gene loci rs61330082 and rs4730153 in 346 T2DM patients(T2DM group)and 1426 normal controls(NC group).Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze T2DM risk factors.ROC curves were used to analyze the optimal cut-off values of Visfatin gene rs61330082 and rs4730153 for the diagnosis of T2DM.Results The proportion of women,age,obesity,smoking,hypertension,FPG,HbA1c and TG were higher in T2DM group than those in NC group(P<0.01)and HDL-C was lower than in NC group(P<0.01).The frequency of G allele and GG genotype was higher in T2DM group compared with NC group(P<0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that age,female,obesity,hypertension,TG,and GG genotype at rs4730153 locus were risk factors for T2DM,HDL-C was a protective factor for T2DM.The area under the ROC curve of GG genotype at Visfatin rs4730153 mutation for diagnosis of T2DM was 0.668 and the optimal cut-off point for predicting T2DM was 20.04%,with sensitivity 60.1%and specificity 66.1%,respectively.Conclusion The GG genotype of Visfatin gene rs4730153 locus is associated with the risk of T2DM and can beused as a candidate gene for predicting phenotype of T2DM.

Health technology assessment(HTA)is an important tool to inform health decision-making.Although highly related to ethical issues in the context of HTA,equity has attracted much attention from the academia,a consensus has not yet been reached on how to define and evaluate equity in China and abroad.It introduces the concept of equity,pointes out the necessity to realize health equity and the reflection of equity in healthcare sector,and further elaborates four ways to consider equity,and described the official practice of equity in HTA at home and abroad.It proposes several suggestions for China's HTA:considering equity in HTA and the discussion of equity should depend on specific decision-making scenarios;clarifying what health measurement perspective should be adopted before measuring health equity;paying attention to the value judgment of equity adopted by various stakeholders;conducting basic researches on the general population's preference for health measurement perspectives and value judgments of equity in China in a gesture to improve the evaluation system of equity in HTA.

Objectives:To investigate the effect of inhibition of long non-coding RNA(lnc RNA)in human metastasis associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1(MALAT1)on glycolipitoxicity-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cell dysfunction. Methods:Human umbilical vein endothelial cells were treated with glucose and palmitic acid in vitro to establish the glycolipitoxic endothelial cell models.Following groups were examined:control group,high-glucose and high-fat group,high-glucose and high-fat + non-targeting RAN control group,high-glucose and high-lipid+MALAT1 siRNA group,and high-glucose and high-lipid+MAPK1 siRNA group.RT-qPCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of MALAT1 and MAPK1.Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of autophagy,mitochondrial fusion division,apoptosis,and pathway-related proteins.Immunofluorescence confocal localization was used to detect the fluorescence colocalization of autophagy and lysosome-related proteins.The number of autophagolysosomes in endothelial cells was observed by transmission electron microscopy.Mitochondrial probe staining was used to detect mitochondrial morphology,immunofluorescence was used to detect intracellular reactive oxygen species(ROS)production,flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptosis of cells in each group,cell proliferation and scratch assays were used to detect the proliferation and migration ability of cells in different groups at different time points.The angiogenesis was quantified by counting the number of new blood vessels in each group. Results:Compared with the control group,the expression of lncRNA MALAT1 mRNA and the expression of phosphorylated mito-activated protein kinase 1(p-MAPK1)were upregulated(both P＜0.05)and the expression of phosphorylated mammalian target protein(p-mTOR)was downregulated in the high-glucose and high-fat group and the high-sugar and high-fat control group(all P＜0.01).Compared with the high-glucose and high-fat non-targeting RNA control group,the expressions of microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3(LC3)and p62 were downregulated(P＜0.01,P＜0.05),LC3 and lysosome-associated membrane protein 2(LAMP2)protein co-localized positive fluorescence particles were increased(both P＜0.01),number of lysosomes were decreased,the expression of ROS was decreased(P＜0.01),the expression level of mitochondrial fusion protein optic nerve atrophin 1(OPA1)was increased(P＜0.05),the expressions of cleaved caspase-3 and BCL-2-related X protein(BAX)were decreased and BCL-2 was increased(all P＜0.05),cell proliferation,migration,and tube-forming ability were increased(all P＜0.01),and the expression of p-MAPK1 was decreased(P＜0.05)and p-mTOR expression was increased(both P＜0.05)in the high-glucose and high-lipid+si-MALAT1 group.Compared with the high-glucose and high-fat non-targeting RNA control group,the expression of p-MAPK1 in endothelial cells was decreased and the expression of p-mTOR was increased in the high-glucose and high-lipid+si-MAPK1 group(both P＜0.01). Conclusions:Inhibition of lncRNA MALAT1 expression can reduce the level of mitophagy in glycolipidotoxic environments,reduce apoptosis of endothelial cells and improve endothelial cell function,which may be related to the regulation of MAPK1/mTOR signaling pathway.