Objective The purpose of this paper is to further understand the clinical manifestations of impaired vestibular function in the sixteen-and-a-half syndrome and the different forms of nystagmus caused by pontine lesions,so as to improve the clinical diagnosis and treatment ability.Methods Combined with the medical history,clinical symptoms,signs and auxiliary examination in the case report,the eye movement characteristics and related nerve pathways of the sixteen-and-a-half syndromes were comprehensively analyzed to locate the pons lesions.Results In this patient,the Ⅷ cranial nerve(vestibulo-cochlear)simply involved the left vestibule,and there were clinical evidences of spontaneous nystagmus with left torsional upbeat and reduced function of the left saccule pathway.The lesions at the pontine showed vertical gaze-evoked nystagmus.Conclusions In the sixteen-and-a-half syndrome,the vestibular cochlear nerve is involved and may involve only the vestibular part without hearing impairment.The lesion of pons may result in sixteen and a half syndromes,and may also result in vertical gaze-evoked nystagmus.

Objective This study aims to test the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Asher-McDade aesthetic index and clarify its feasibility for the postoperative outcome evaluation of cleft lip in China.Methods The Chinese version of the Asher-McDade aesthetic index was established through translation,back translation,debugging,and pre-survey.Eighty postoperative photographs of patients with cleft lip admitted to the West China Hospital of Stoma-tology,Sichuan University were included.Ten healthcare professionals,including surgeons,nurses,and students,in the department of cleft lip and palate surgery finished the index to test its reliability and validity.Results The Cronbach's alpha coefficient and retest reliability of this index are 0.804 and 0.895,respectively.The item-level content validity in-dex(I-CVI)and scale-level content validity index ave-rage(S-CVI/ave)of the index are 1.000 and 0.95,respec-tively.For this index,the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin(KMO)test score is 0.706,the χ2 value of Bartlett's test for the consistency of the index is 962.260(P<0.01),and the cu-mulative variance contribution rate is 63.095%.Conclu-sion The Chinese version of the Asher-McDade aesthe-tic index has good reliability and validity and is applica-ble to the professional evaluation of the effect of postoperative photographs in Chinese patients with cleft lip.

Objective:To test the practical effect of the research projects outpatient strategy for application of the National Natural Science Foundation (NSFC) in a hospital of Chinese medicine.Methods:We compared the number and success rate of the National Natural Science Foundation of China grant awards before and after the implementation of the research projects outpatient strategy, and further analyzed the promotional effect of the research projects outpatient strategy on general programs and youth scientists funds through univariate analysis and multivariate Logistic regression.Results:Since the implementation of the research projects outpatient strategy, both the number of NSFC grant awards and the success rate continuously increased, indicating that the strategy played a positive role in improving the overall success rate of the hospital. However, this effect was primarily reflected in the assistance provided to applications for youth scientists funds. The main favorable factor for winning general programs was the applicant′s preliminary foundation. Applicants who have previously received NSFC funding had a higher success rate.Conclusions:The strategy of research projects outpatient can promote the winning of NSFC youth scientists funds.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the disease burden of prostate cancer (PC) and assess key influencing factors associated with the disease expenditures of PC in the United States. METHODS: The total deaths, incidence, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life-years of PC were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey was used to estimate healthcare expenditures and productivity loss and to investigate patterns of payment and use of healthcare resources in the United States. A multivariable logistic regression model was conducted to identify key factors influencing expenditures. RESULTS: For patients aged 50 and older, the burden for all age groups showed a modest increase over the 6-year period. Annual medical expenditures were estimated to range from US$24.8 billion to US$39.2 billion from 2014 to 2019. The annual loss in productivity for patients was approximately US$1,200. The top 3 major components of medical costs were hospital inpatient stays, prescription medicines, and office-based visits. Medicare was the largest source of payments for survivors. In terms of drug consumption, genitourinary tract agents (57.0%) and antineoplastics (18.6%) were the main therapeutic drugs. High medical expenditures were positively associated with age (p=0.005), having private health insurance (p=0.016), more comorbidities, not currently smoking (p=0.001), and patient self-perception of fair/poor health status (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS From 2014 to 2019, the national real-world data of PC revealed that the disease burden in the United States continued to increase, which was partly related to patient characteristics.

ACC oxidase (ACO) is one of the key enzymes that catalyze the synthesis of ethylene. Ethylene is involved in salt stress response in plants, and salt stress seriously affects the yield of peanut. In this study, AhACO genes were cloned and their functions were investigated with the aim to explore the biological function of AhACOs in salt stress response, and to provide genetic resources for the breeding of salt-tolerant varieties of peanut. AhACO1 and AhACO2 were amplified from the cDNA of salt-tolerant peanut mutant M29, respectively, and cloned into the plant expression vector pCAMBIA super1300. The recombinant plasmid was transformed into Huayu22 by pollen tube injection mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. After harvest, the small slice cotyledon was separated from the kernel, and the positive seeds were screened by PCR. The expression of AhACO genes was analyzed by qRT-PCR, and the ethylene release was detected by capillary column gas chromatography. Transgenic seeds were sowed and then irrigated with NaCl solution, and the phenotypic changes of 21-day-seedings were recorded. The results showed that the growth of transgenic plants were better than that of the control group Huayu 22 upon salt stress, and the relative content of chlorophyll SPAD value and net photosynthetic rate (Pn) of transgenic peanuts were higher than those of the control group. In addition, the ethylene production of AhACO1 and AhACO2 transgenic plants were 2.79 and 1.87 times higher than that of control peanut, respectively. These results showed that AhACO1 and AhACO2 could significantly improve the salt stress tolerance of transgenic peanut.
Salt Tolerance/genetics* ; Arachis/genetics* ; Plant Breeding ; Ethylenes/metabolism* ; Plants, Genetically Modified/genetics* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Plant Proteins/genetics*

Objective To investigate the effect of Ganshuang granule combined with entecavir on portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis. Methods A total of 356 patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis who attended and were hospitalized in The Third People's Hospital of Kunming from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020 were enrolled and randomly divided into combination group with 191 patients and control group with 165 patients. The patients in the combination group received Ganshuang granule combined with entecavir, and those in the control group received entecavir alone. The course of treatment was at least 24 weeks. The t -test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the cumulative incidence rate of PVT in both groups, and the log-rank test was used for comparison between two groups. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional-hazards regression model analyses were used to investigate the influencing factors for PVT in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis. Results The 191 patients in the combination group were followed up for 296.25 person-years in total, with a mean follow-up time of 1.55±0.65 years, and there were 8 patients with PVT, with an incidence rate of 4.19% and an incidence density of 1.41 per ten-thousand person-years. The 165 patients in the control group were followed up for 253.25 person-years in total, with a mean follow-up time of 1.53±0.67 years, and there were 20 patients with PVT, with an incidence rate of 12.12% and an incidence density of 4.79 per ten-thousand person-years. There was a significant difference in the incidence rate of PVT between the two groups ( χ 2 =7.687, P =0.006). The cumulative incidence rate of PVT plotted by the Kaplan-Meier method showed that the combination group had a significantly lower cumulative incidence rate of PVT than the control group ( χ 2 =7.226, P =0.007), with a relative risk of 3.155 (95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 1.351-7.370). The univariate Cox analysis showed that hypertension, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), albumin (Alb), cholinesterase, estimated glomerular filtration rate, alpha-fetoprotein, D-dimer (D-D), Child-Pugh class, and Ganshuang granule combined with entecavir were influencing factors for PVT (all P < 0.05); the multivariate Cox analysis showed that AST (hazard ratio [ HR ]=1.002, 95% CI : 1.000-1.004, P =0.025), and D-D ( HR =1.907, 95% CI : 1.554-2.338, P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for PVT in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis, while Alb ( HR =0.844, 95% CI : 0.755-0.944, P =0.003) and Ganshuang granule combined with entecavir ( HR =0.350, 95% CI : 0.144-0.851, P =0.021) were independent protective factors against PVT in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis. Conclusion Ganshuang granule combined with entecavir can significantly reduce the incidence rate of PVT in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis, thereby exerting a certain preventive effect against PVT.

Multimodality optical imaging probes have emerged as powerful tools that improve detection sensitivity and accuracy, important in disease diagnosis and treatment. In this review, we focus on recent developments of optical fluorescence imaging (OFI) probe integration with other imaging modalities such as X-ray computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and photoacoustic imaging (PAI). The imaging technologies are briefly described in order to introduce the strengths and limitations of each techniques and the need for further multimodality optical imaging probe development. The emphasis of this account is placed on how design strategies are currently implemented to afford physicochemically and biologically compatible multimodality optical fluorescence imaging probes. We also present studies that overcame intrinsic disadvantages of each imaging technique by multimodality approach with improved detection sensitivity and accuracy.

Objective To investigate the changes of the immunological factors in subcutaneous exudate and blood components of the rats receiving cutaneous scraping method,and to compare the changes of skin histopathological features before and after cutaneous scraping under microscope.Methods SD rats were randomly divided into two groups,cutaneous-scraping group and non-cutaneous-scraping group.And then each group was divided into three subgroups.The observation indexes included the levels of interleukin (IL)-1β,IL-6 and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) in the blood and the skin,routine blood examination,and skin histopathological features.Results In cutaneous-scraping group,the number of white blood cells in the blood and the levels of IL-1 β and IFN-γ in skin tissues were increased (P ＜ 0.05),the hemolysis rate was increased (P ＜ 0.05).However,the levels of IL-1β,IL-6 and IFN-γin the blood showed no obvious changes.Under the microscope,severe skin edema,vascular congestion and dilatation,and infiltration of inflammatory cells were found in the skin after cutaneous scraping.Conclusion The cutaneous scraping method can activate the immune response rapidly,and the immunological components of the subcutaneous exudate after cutaneous scraping are helpful to the disease treatment.

Objective To evaluate the effect of hypotension factor on endotracheal tube cuff-in-duced damage to tracheal mucous membrane of rabbits. Methods Eighty healthy rabbits of both sexes, aged 3.0-3.5 months, weighing 2.5-3.5 kg, were divided into 16 groups(n=5 each)according to the cuff pressure and mean arterial pressure(MAP): different cuff pressures when MAP did not decrease groups(C1M1group, C2M1group, C3M1group, C4M1group), different cuff pressures when MAP de-creased by 20% of the baseline value groups(C1M2group, C2M2group, C3M2group, C4M2group), dif-ferent cuff pressures when MAP decreased by 30% of the baseline value groups(C1M3group, C2M3group, C3M3group, C4M3group), and different cuff pressures when MAP decreased by 40% of the baseline value groups(C1M4group, C2M4group, C3M4group, C4M4group). Different cuff pressures were 0, 10, 20 and 30 cmH2O.At 2 h of tracheal intubation, the tracheas in the cuff-compressed area were harvested and sliced for examination of the pathological changes of tracheal mucous membrane after haematoxylin and eosin staining(with a light microscope), and the damage to tracheal mucous membrane was scored. Results When at the same low pressure(MAP decreased by 20%, 30% and 40% of the baseline value), the score of damage to tracheal mucous membrane increased with the increasing cuff pressures(P<0.05). When at the same cuff pressure(10, 20 and 30 cmH2O), the score of damage to tracheal mucous membrane in-creased with the increasing MAP(P<0.05). There was interaction between cuff pressure and MAP, F=2.034(P<0.05). Conclusion There is interaction between the effects of hypotension factor and endotra-cheal tube cuff factor on damage to tracheal mucous membrane; hypotension factor can aggravate endotra-cheal tube cuff-induced damage to tracheal mucous membrane of rabbits.

Objective To explore the therapeutic effects of combined application of survivin antisense nucleic acid and taxol in subcutaneous xenograft mouse model of Balb/c and to preliminarily investigate the mechanism of the anticancer effects.Methods The model of subcutaneous tumor was established by hypodermic injection of C26 cells into Bal b/c mice.The mice were then randomly divided into five groups through the internal tumor injection:the blank group (C),lipo2000 group (L),paclitaxel group (T),survivin antisense nucleic acid group (A),and survivin antisense nucleic acid combined with paclitaxel group (A+T).We observed tumor growth,determined cell apoptosis by TUNEL method,and detected the expression of survivin by Western blot.Results ① All treatment groups had T/C<60%,which was significantly different from that of group L (P <0.05);the intervention was proved effective in vivo .The tumor inhibition rate of mice tumor weight showed that there were significantly curative effects in groups T,A and A+ T compared with that in group C (P < 0.05 ).The antitumor activity of paclitaxel (tumor inhibition rate of 21.82%±0.84%)could be improved by more than 59% through combination therapy (tumor inhibition rate of 54.1 6% ± 0.32%)concerning inhibition of tumor weight growth.② TUNEL method detected apoptotic cells:The tumor cells hardly had apoptosis in the blank group while T group and A group had a certain number of apoptotic cells.The experiment results suggested that PTX could promote tumor cell apoptosis,and that not only A+T strengthened the effect in killing tumor cells,but also the synergy of both could influence tumor resistance and ultimately make the effect in promoting tumor cell apoptosis conspicuous.③ The expression of survivin protein:The results showed that the expression of survivin protein in group A + T was obviously decreased without the expression of β-actin affected;it did not change significantly in group C compared with group L.The ratio of the A-value in groups T,A and A+T was 0.895 ±0.01 1,0.704 ±0.121 and 0.345 ± 0.01 9,respectively.Analysis of variance t-test showed that the expression level in group A+T obviously differed from that in groups C,L,A and T (P <0.05).Conclusion The combined therapy of survivin antisense nucleic acid and taxol can promote tumor cell apoptosis by downregulating the expression of survivin protein,reduce the body’s resistance to drugs and create synergetic effects.