Objective: To investigate the correlation of emotional and behavioral problems with sleep problems in children with cerebral palsy, so as to provide reference for intervention of emotional and behavioral problems in children. Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted, and 402 children aged 6-18 with cerebral palsy who were adopted by social welfare institutions in Guangzhou City from January 2023 to January 2024 were selected to investigate their full time nurses. The Parents Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to assess the emotional and behavioral problems of children with cerebral palsy, and the Children s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) was used to assess sleep problems. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the correlation between the sleep problem of children with cerebral palsy and the emotional and behavioral problems. Results: The prevalence of emotional and behavioral difficulties among children with cerebral palsy was 15.7%. The median sleep problem score of children with emotional and behavioral problems [37.0(36.0, 41.0)] was significantly higher than that of children without emotional and behavioral [35.0(34.0, 36.0)] ( Z =-5.74, P <0.01). The results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that after adjusting covariables such as age, gender, cerebral palsy classification, language retardation, visual impairment and epilepsy, the total sleep problem score of children with cerebral palsy was positively correlated with the total difficulty score ( β= 0.28, 95%CI =0.17-0.34, P <0.05). Conclusions Sleep problems in children with cerebral palsy are associated with emotional and behavioral difficulties. Understanding of the management of sleep problems in children with cerebral palsy should be enhanced to reduce the incidence of emotional and behavioral problems in children with cerebral palsy.

Objective: To investigate the association between cysteine level and lumbar spine (LS) bone mineral density (BMD) among children with cerebral palsy, so as to provide a basis for bone health enhancement among children with cerebral palsy. Methods: A total of 149 children aged 10-18 with cerebral palsy who were admitted to the G city Social Welfare Institute (Luogang District) from January 2023 to January 2024. Basic demographic characteristics of children with cerebral palsy were extracted from medical records system. Cysteine levels were measured using the enzyme cycling method. LS BMD of the children was determined by specialized rehabilitation physicians using dual energy X ray absorptiometry, and the corrected BMD Z -scores for LS were calculated. Non restrictive cubic splines and segmented multiple linear regression were employed to analyze the correlation between cysteine levels and age specific height Z -scores (HAZ scores) for LS BMD in children with cerebral palsy. Results: The median cysteine concentration in children with cerebral palsy was 9.13(8.42, 10.30)μmol/L, with significantly higher levels in spastic type children [9.28(8.53，10.49)μmol/L] compared to non spastic types [8.64(7.89，9.66)μmol/L]( Z=-2.46，P <0.05). The median LS BMD HAZ score was -1.07( -2.10 , -0.16), and the detection rate of decreased bone mass was 29.5%. There was an "L" shaped association between serum homocysteine concentration and LS BMD HAZ score in children with cerebral palsy. When serum homocysteine concentration was below 8.7 μmol/L, a significant negative correlation was observed between LS BMD HAZ score and serum homocysteine concentration ( B=-0.32, 95%CI =-1.06 to -0.15, P <0.05). Conclusions The significant negative correlation between cysteine levels and LS BMD in children with cerebral palsy at lower cysteine concentrations, which suggests a potentially higher sensitivity to the influence of homocysteine than healthy children and adolescents, warranting attention even if not reaching the standard of hyperhomocysteinemia.

AIM:To comprehend the mechanism by which ginsenoside Rc protects against cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury(CIRI),with a particular emphasis on pyroptosis.METHODS:The C57BL/6 mice were randomly di-vided into 6 groups:sham group,middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion(MCAO/R)group,ginsenoside Rc+MCAO/R group(Rc group),AMP-activated protein kinase(AMPK)agonist acadesine/5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-D-ribofuranoside(AICAR)+MCAO/R group(agonist group),and ginsenoside Rc+MCAO/R+AMPK inhibitor Compound C group(Rc+inhibitor group).The mice in agonist group were given 500 mg/kg of AICAR intraperitoneally,while those in Rc+inhibitor group were given 20 mg/kg of Compound C intraperitoneally.Ginsenoside Rc was gavaged into the mice in Rc and Rc+inhibitor groups at a dose of 40 mg/kg once per day for 7 d after modeling,while the mice in sham and MCAO/R groups got the same volume of purified water.With the use of the Zea-Longa score,we determined which mice had neu-rological abnormalities.TTC staining was employed for assessing the cerebral infarct amount in mice,and the dry wet weight technique was utilized for determining the degree of cerebral edema.Moreover,HE staining was used to observe pathological alterations in the brain,and Western blot and RT-qPCR were applied for detecting the expression of AMPK,nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3),caspase-1 and gasdermin-D(GSDMD)in the brains of mice.Lastly,ELISA was employed for measuring the levels of inflammatory factors,interleukin-1β(IL-1β)and IL-18.RESULTS:Brain edema,infarct volume and neurological impairments were all diminished in agonist and Rc groups.Additionally,they demonstrated neuronal damage inhibition.The ratio of p-AMPK/AMPK and AMPK mRNA ex-pression in mouse brain tissues was elevated in both Rc and agonist groups.They showed decreased mRNA and protein levels of NLRP3,caspase-1 and GSDMD,as well as the levels of IL-1β and IL-18.Compared with Rc group,there were remarkable decreases in p-AMPK/AMPK ratio and AMPK mRNA expression in the brain tissue of mice in Rc+inhibitor group(P<0.05).The mRNA and protein levels of NLRP3,caspase-1 and GSDMD,and the IL-1β and IL-18 expression levels were significantly increased(P<0.05).Moreover,the neurological deficiency scores and infarct volume were in-creased,and the degrees of cerebral edema and neuronal pathological damage were enhanced(P<0.05).CONCLU-SION:Ginsenoside Rc may inhibit NLRP3/caspase-1/GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis by activating AMPK pathway,thereby reducing CIRI in mice.

Due to the virtues of no stutter peaks, low rates of mutation, and short amplicon sizes, insertion/deletion (InDel) polymorphism is an indispensable tool for analyzing degraded DNA samples from crime scenes for human identifications (Wang et al., 2021). Herein, a self-developed panel of 43 InDel loci constructed previously by our group was utilized to evaluate the genetic diversities and explore the genetic background of the Han Chinese from Beijing (HCB) including 301 random healthy individuals. The lengths of amplicons at 43 InDel loci in this panel ranged from 87 to 199 bp, which indicated that the panel could be used as an effective tool to utilize highly degraded DNA samples for human identity testing. The loci in this panel were validated and performed well for forensic degraded DNA samples (Jin et al., 2021). The combined discrimination power (PD) and combined probability of exclusion (PE) values in this panel indicated that the 43 InDel loci could be used as the candidate markers in personal identification and parentage testing of HCB. In addition, population genetic relationships between the HCB and 26 reference populations from five continents based on 19 overlapped InDel loci were displayed by constructing a phylogenetic tree, principal component analysis (PCA), and population genetic structure analysis. The results illustrated that the HCB had closer genetic relationships with the Han populations from Chinese different regions.
Beijing ; China ; Forensic Genetics/methods* ; Gene Frequency ; Genetics, Population ; Humans ; INDEL Mutation ; Phylogeny

Purpose: Plasma osmolality, a marker of dehydration, is associated with cardiovascular mortality. We aimed to investigate whether elevated plasma osmolality is associated with case fatality within 1 year after severe acute ischemic stroke. Materials and Methods: We included severe ischemic stroke patients (defined as National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale ≥15 score) within 24 hours from symptom onset admitted to the Department of Neurology, West China Hospital between January 2017 and June 2019. Admission plasma osmolality was calculated using the equation 1.86 * (sodium+potassium)+1.15 * glucose+urea+14. Elevated plasma osmolality was defined as plasma osmolality >296 mOsm/kg, indicating a state of dehydration. Study outcomes included 3-month and 1-year case fatalities. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine independent associations between plasma osmolality and case fatalities at different time points. Results: A total of 265 patients with severe acute ischemic stroke were included. The mean age was 71.2±13.1 years, with 51.3% being males. Among the included patients, case fatalities were recorded for 31.7% (84/265) at 3 months and 39.6% (105/265) at 1 year. Elevated plasma osmolality (dehydration) was associated with 3-month case fatality [odds ratio (OR) 1.98, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07–3.66, p=0.029], but not 1-year case fatality (OR 1.51, 95% CI 0.84–2.72, p=0.165), after full adjustment for confounding factors. Conclusion Elevated plasma osmolality was independently associated with 3-month case fatality, but not 1-year case fatality, for severe acute ischemic stroke.

Objective To investigate the prevalence rate of non-obese fatty liver disease and its influencing factors, and to provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of fatty liver disease. Methods A total of 23 545 individuals who underwent physical examination in Karamay Central Hospital from January to December 2015 and had complete data of abdominal ultrasound, body mass index (BMI), age, and sex were screened out to analyze the prevalence rate of fatty liver disease, and 7484 individuals with normal BMI who had complete data of triglyceride (TG), fasting blood glucose, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were further screened out to perform a multivariate analysis. The t -test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate independent influencing factors for non-obese fatty liver disease. Results In 2015, the prevalence rate of fatty liver disease was 30.2% (7116/23 545) among the individuals who underwent physical examination in Karamay Central Hospital. A stratified analysis based on BMI showed that the individuals with emaciation, normal BMI, overweight, and obesity had a prevalence rate of 0.8% (6/706), 9.3% (919/9899), 38.4% (3404/8870), and 68.5% (2787/4070), respectively (all P < 0.05), and male individuals had a significantly higher prevalence rate of fatty liver disease than female individuals (all P < 0.05). Among the 919 patients with non-obese fatty liver disease, young, middle-aged, and elderly patients accounted for 40.7% (374/919), 46.1% (424/919), and 13.2% (121/919), respectively. For the individuals with normal BMI, there was no significant difference in the prevalence rate of fatty liver disease between middle-aged and elderly individuals (14.5% vs 16.8%, P > 0.05), while both of them had a significantly higher prevalence rate than the young individuals (14.5%/16.8% vs 6.0%, P < 0.05). Young and middle-aged male individuals had a significantly higher prevalence rate of fatty liver disease than their female counterparts ( χ 2 =99.40 and 43.29, both P < 0.001), while the elderly male individuals had a significantly lower prevalence rate than their female counterparts ( χ 2 =9.81, P =0.002). For the individuals with normal BMI, the individuals with normal TG had a prevalence rate of fatty liver disease of 5.0% (311/6273), while those with elevated TG had a prevalence rate of 26.8% (325/1211), with a significant difference between the two groups ( χ 2 =624.90, P < 0.001). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, BMI, ALT, fasting blood glucose, TG, and serum uric acid level were independent influencing factors for fatty liver disease in individuals with normal BMI (all P < 0.001). Conclusion There is a relatively high prevalence rate of non-obese fatty liver disease among individuals undergoing physical examination in Karamay Central Hospital, and 61.5% of the patients with non-obese fatty liver disease have glucose or lipid metabolic disorders. Serum TG level may be used as a simple and effective screening index for non-obese fatty liver disease.

Purpose: Plasma osmolality, a marker of dehydration, is associated with cardiovascular mortality. We aimed to investigate whether elevated plasma osmolality is associated with case fatality within 1 year after severe acute ischemic stroke. Materials and Methods: We included severe ischemic stroke patients (defined as National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale ≥15 score) within 24 hours from symptom onset admitted to the Department of Neurology, West China Hospital between January 2017 and June 2019. Admission plasma osmolality was calculated using the equation 1.86 * (sodium+potassium)+1.15 * glucose+urea+14. Elevated plasma osmolality was defined as plasma osmolality >296 mOsm/kg, indicating a state of dehydration. Study outcomes included 3-month and 1-year case fatalities. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine independent associations between plasma osmolality and case fatalities at different time points. Results: A total of 265 patients with severe acute ischemic stroke were included. The mean age was 71.2±13.1 years, with 51.3% being males. Among the included patients, case fatalities were recorded for 31.7% (84/265) at 3 months and 39.6% (105/265) at 1 year. Elevated plasma osmolality (dehydration) was associated with 3-month case fatality [odds ratio (OR) 1.98, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07–3.66, p=0.029], but not 1-year case fatality (OR 1.51, 95% CI 0.84–2.72, p=0.165), after full adjustment for confounding factors. Conclusion Elevated plasma osmolality was independently associated with 3-month case fatality, but not 1-year case fatality, for severe acute ischemic stroke.

MarR family transcription regulators are ubiquitous among bacteria and archaea. They extensively control multiple cellular processes and elaborately regulate the expression of genes involved in virulence, stress response and antibiotics at translational level. In Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, insertional inactivation of MarR family transcription regulator HpaR (XC2827) resulted in significantly decrease in virulence and increase in the production of the extracellular proteases. Here, we reported that the genome of Xcc 8004 encodes nine MarR family transcription regulators. The MarR family transcription regulators, HpaR (XC2827) and XC0449, were heterologous expressed and purified. In vitro MST and Pull-down assay confirmed the physical interaction between HpaR and XC0449. Phenotypical assay determined that deletion of XC0449 resulted in substantial virulence attenuation. In vitro EMSA, in vivo qRT-PCR and GUS activity assay identified that HpaR and XC0449 coordinately act as the transcriptional activator to regulate the expression of the virulence-associated gene XC0705, and eventually control the bacterial virulence and the production of extracellular proteases.
Bacterial Proteins ; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial ; Transcription Factors ; Virulence ; Xanthomonas campestris

Objective To discuss the risk in duo paternity testing. Methods 22 fictitious duo families formed by 22 pairs of unrelated individuals having one or zero inconsistent locus were selected after detected by GoldeneyeTM 20A Kit. The 22 fictitious duo families were further tested with STRtyper-10G kit and/or AGCU 21+1 STR kit until there were more than 3 inconsistent loci and the cumulative paternity index(CPI) value was less than 0.0001. According to the three excluding rules, ① number of inconsistent loci>3; ② CPI ≤ 0.0001; ③ accord with both ① and ② , using multiple STR systems, such as 19 STR loci, 26 STR loci, 39 STR loci and 46 STR loci to test and discuss whether there is difference among the excluding result of unrelated individual. Results Among those 22 fictitious duo families, using three excluding rules, None was excluded by 19 STR loci, and all was excluded by 39 STR loci. Conclusion Duo paternity tests may get a wrong result using only 19 loci system. To reduce the error risk 39 STR-loci systems would be suggested.

Objective To explore the relationship between semen leukocyte and liquefaction and sperm motility through the anal‐ysis of routine semen examination results .Methods Retrospectively analyze on 8 666 cases of routine semen examination .Accord‐ing to the leukocyte count the semen samples which had sperms were divided into three groups ,Group A :white blood cells≤1 × 106/mL ,Group B:(1-4)× 106/mL ,Group C :>4 × 106/mL .Then compare the liquefaction time and sperm motility of these three groups .Results Among the 8 666 cases of semen analysis ,there were 164 cases of azoospermia(accounting for 1 .9% ) and 8 502 fine cases(accounting for 98 .1% ) .There were 7 419 ,1 014 and 69 cases in Group A ,B ,C respectively .In the three groups ,there were 5 323 ,740 and 50 cases of normal sperm motility respectively ;there were 2 096 ,274 and 19 cases of the abnormal motility ca‐ses respectively .In the three groups ,the normal cases of semen liquefaction time were 4 593 ,608 and 43 respectively ;the abnormal were 2 826 ,406 and 26 cases respectively .Statistical analysis showed no significant correlation between semen leukocyte and lique‐faction(P=0 .712) ,and between semen leukocyte and sperm motility(P=0 .486) .There were 1 217 cases of normal sperm motility and 4 027 cases of abnormal sperm motility in normal liquefaction group;there were 1 172 cases of normal sperm motility and 2 086 cases of sperm motility in abnormal liquefied group .There was statistically significant difference between the two groups(P=0 .000<0 .05) .Conclusion There were no correlation between semen leukocyte count and liquefaction or sperm motility ,but sperm mo‐tility and liquefaction are correlated .