Humans ; Nephrotic Syndrome ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Tissue Donors ; Transplantation Conditioning ; Graft vs Host Disease

Objective:To investigate the changes of thyroid hormones and the flow velocity of superior thyroid artery in patients with Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyrotoxicosis before and after treatment with methimazole.Methods:A case-control study was conducted to select 45 cases of Graves' disease and 45 cases of Hashimoto's thyroiditis from October 2021 to December 2022 in the Department of Endocrinology, North China University of Science and Technology Affiliated Hospital. The changes of thyroid hormone and blood flow velocity of superior thyroid artery in patients with Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis before and after treatment with methimazole were analyzed. Measurement data satisfying normal distribution were expressed by xˉ±s, and the mean between two groups was compared by t test. Measurement data not satisfying normal distribution were expressed by M( Q1, Q3), and the median between two groups was compared by Wilcoxon rank sum test. χ 2 test was used to compare the constituent ratio of enumeration data among groups. Results:There was no significant difference in thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) between the two groups before treatment, and there was no significant difference in TSH between the two groups after 1 month and 3 months of treatment (all P>0.05). The levels of free triiodothyronine (FT3) were (24.09±9.29) pmol/L and (17.41±9.36) pmol/L in Graves' disease group and Hashimoto's thyroiditis group respectively before treatment. FT4 were (60.23±20.82) and (43.47±21.71) pmol/L, respectively, and the peak stolie vloiy (PSV) were (69.53±5.70) and (52.65±4.64) cm/s, respectively in Graves' disease group and Hashimoto's thyroiditis group respectively before treatment. There were significant differences between the two groups ( t values wrere 3.39 and 3.74, Z=13.83, all P<0.001). The difference of FT3 between one month after treatment and before treatment was (-6.36±5.32) and (-12.64±9.08) pmol/L ( t=4.02, P<0.001) and the difference in FT3 between 3 months of treatment and before treatment was (-10.14±9.50) and (-17.80±11.17) pmol/L, respectively ( t=3.51, P<0.001) between the Graves disease group and the Hashimoto's thyroiditis group. The difference in FT4 between the Graves disease group and the Hashimoto's thyroiditis group after 1 month of treatment and before treatment was (-28.47±10.09) and (-20.57±14.48) pmol/L ( t=7.01, P<0.001), and the difference of FT4 was (-47.06±20.57) and (-30.17±20.54) pmol/L ( t=3.91, P<0.001) between the Graves disease group and the Hashimoto toxin group. The difference between one month after treatment and before treatment was (-13.10(-34.10,-2.60)) and (-10.50(-27.5,-0.20)) cm/s ( Z=2.63, P=0.009), respectively. The difference between 3 months and before treatment was (-31.40(-53.20,-12.70)) and (-19.90(-46.00,-4.70)cm/s ( Z=4.40, P<0.001)) between the Graves disease group and the Hashimoto's thyroiditis group, and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion:Thyroid hormone levels were decreased after treatment with methimazole in patients with diffuse toxic goiter and Hashimoto toxemia, but the difference was not statistically significant. The PSV level of superior thyroid artery in patients with diffuse toxic goiter was significantly lower than that in patients with Hashimoto's thyrotoxicosis.

Background Heavy metals may play an important role in environmental risk factors associated disorders of activities of daily living (ADL) in older adults. Objective To investigate the associations between plasma levels of six heavy metals (zinc, arsenic, cadmium, lead, manganese, and copper) and ADL disorders in older adults. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted from 2018 to 2019 among 1412 rural elderly people in Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The plasma metal concentrations were detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and subsequently classified into three groups (T1-T3) based on tertiles, with the T1 group as the reference. The samples were assessed for ADL disorders using the ADL scale. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline model (RCS) were used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) to assess the associations between heavy metals and the prevalence of reporting ADL disorders. Results The mean age of the study population was (68.52 ± 5.92) years, 825 (58.4%) female and 587 (41.6%) male. Of these, 372 (26.34%) subjects reported ADL disorders, and most of them were female (74.30%). The results of logistic regression showed that the participants in the cadmium T2 group (0.15-0.25 µg·L⁻¹) had a higher risk of ADL disorders compared to the T1 group (≤0.15 μg·L⁻¹) (OR=1.552, 95%CI: 1.086, 2.134). After stratification by sex, the relative risk of ADL disorders was lower in the plasma copper T3 group (>1019.58 µg·L⁻¹) compared to the T1 group (≤868.12 μg·L⁻¹) in men (OR=0.481, 95%CI: 0.232, 0.998). The relative risk of ADL disorders was higher in the plasma cadmium T2 group (0.15-0.25 µg·L⁻¹) compared to the T1 group (≤0.15 μg·L⁻¹) in women (OR=1.758, 95%CI: 1.182, 2.616). The RCS results showed that the risk of ADL disorders in men was nonlinearly associated with copper (P_nonlinear=0.011, P_overall<0.05). Conclusion High levels of cadmium are positively associated with the risk of reporting ADL disorders, while high levels of copper are negatively associated with the risk of reporting ADL disorders in men.

Objective:To observe the effects of histone deacetylase 3(HDAC3)-nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2)signaling pathway on the adipogenesis of condylar chondrocytes in rats with temporomandibular joint(TMJ)osteoarthritis(OA).Meth-ods:60 6-week-old female SD rats were randomly divided into 10 groups(n=6):control,unilateral anterior crossbite(UAC)stimula-tion,UAC with HDAC3 inhibitor RGFP966 injection(UAC+RGFP966)and UAC with Nrf2 agonist Bardoxolone injection(UAC+Bard-oxolone)groups.The animals were sacrificed at 4,8 and 12 weeks after set up of the experiment,and TMJ condylar cartilage was taken for immunohistochemical(IHC)staining of HDAC3,Nrf2 and Adiponection.Results:Compared with the control group,the de-generation of TMJ condylar cartilage in the UAC group was obvious,the positive cell rates of HDAC3 and Adiponectin were increased(P＜0.05),while the positive cell rate of Nrf2 decreased(P＜0.05).Compared with UAC group,after injection of RGFP966 and Bardox-olone,the positive cell rates of HDAC3 and Adiponectin in TMJ condylar cartilage of rats were decreased(P＜0.05),the positive cell rate of Nrf2 increased(P＜0.05),and the degree of cartilage degeneration was reduced.Conclusion:UAC promotes the adipogenesis of TMJ OA condylar chondrocytes through HDAC3-Nrf2 signaling pathway.Local drug injection intervention of HDAC3-Nrf2 signaling can inhibit the adipogenesis and cartilage degeneration of TMJ OA condylar chondrocytes.

Most information used to evaluate diabetic statuses is collected at a special time-point, such as taking fasting plasma glucose test and providing a limited view of individual's health and disease risk. As a new parameter for continuously evaluating personal clinical statuses, the newly developed technique "continuous glucose monitoring" (CGM) can characterize glucose dynamics. By calculating the complexity of glucose time series index (CGI) with refined composite multi-scale entropy analysis of the CGM data, the study showed for the first time that the complexity of glucose time series in subjects decreased gradually from normal glucose tolerance to impaired glucose regulation and then to type 2 diabetes (P for trend < 0.01). Furthermore, CGI was significantly associated with various parameters such as insulin sensitivity/secretion (all P < 0.01), and multiple linear stepwise regression showed that the disposition index, which reflects β-cell function after adjusting for insulin sensitivity, was the only independent factor correlated with CGI (P < 0.01). Our findings indicate that the CGI derived from the CGM data may serve as a novel marker to evaluate glucose homeostasis.
Humans ; Glucose ; Blood Glucose ; Insulin Resistance/physiology* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/diagnosis* ; Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring ; Time Factors ; Insulin

Objective    To evaluate the early and mid-term results of robot-assisted coronary artery bypass grafting (RACAB) in the treatment of multi-vessel coronary artery disease (MV-CAD). Methods     Patients with MV-CAD who underwent RACAB from April 2018 to December 2021 in our hospital were included. Patients who underwent hybrid coronary revascularization (HCR) which combined RACAB with percutaneous coronary intervention were allocated to a HCR-RACAB group, and patients who underwent multi-vessel RACAB were allocated to a MV-RACAB group. Perioperative and follow-up data were collected and compared between the two groups. Results     A total of 102 patients were included, including 81 males and 21 females with a mean age of 61.7±10.8 years. Two (2.0%) patients were transferred to conventional CABG due to sudden ventricular fibrillation and pleura adhesion. In the remaining 100 patients who underwent RACAB, 100 left internal mammary arteries (LIMA) and 46 right internal mammary arteries (RIMA) were harvested with a 100.0% success rate. Besides, all patients undergoing RACAB achieved LIMA/RIMA-left anterior descending branch reconstruction, with an average number of 2.5±0.6 target vessels revascularized by stent or graft. One patient had perioperative myocardial infarction with an outcome of death. The incidence of major perioperative adverse events was 1.0%. There was no perioperative stroke or re-sternotomy for hemostasis. The mean follow-up time was 28.2 months, with a follow-up rate of 99.0% and an overall major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event (MACCE) rate of 7.0%, including 3 all-cause deaths (3.0%), 2 strokes (2.0%) and 3 re-revascularizations (3.0%). The HCR-RACAB group had fewer red blood cell transfusion (P=0.030) and intraoperative blood loss (P=0.037) compared with the MV-RACAB group, and there was no statistical difference in the incidence of major perioperative adverse events or MACCE between the two groups during the follow-up period (P>0.05). Conclusion    RACAB can be safely applied in the treatment of MV-CAD with good early and mid-term outcomes. High-quality harvesting of LIMA/RIMA and aortic no-touch technique are crucial to achieve these results.

Objectives: To investigate the role of donor change in the second hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT2) for hematological relapse of malignant hematology after the first transplantation (HSCT1) . Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with relapsed hematological malignancies who received HSCT2 at our single center between Mar 1998 and Dec 2020. A total of 70 patients were enrolled[49 males and 21 females; median age, 31.5 (3-61) yr]. Results: Forty-nine male and 21 female patients were enrolled in the trial. At the time of HSCT2, the median age was 31.5 (3-61) years old. Thirty-one patients were diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, 23 patients with ALL, and 16 patients with MDS or other malignant hematology disease. Thirty patients had HSCT2 with donor change, and 40 patients underwent HSCT2 without donor change. The median relapse time after HSCT1 was 245.5 (26-2 905) days. After HSCT2, 70 patients had neutrophil engraftment, and 62 (88.6%) had platelet engraftment. The cumulative incidence of platelet engraftment was (93.1±4.7) % in patients with donor change and (86.0±5.7) % in patients without donor change (P=0.636). The cumulative incidence of CMV infection in patients with and without donor change was (64.0±10.3) % and (37.0±7.8) % (P=0.053), respectively. The cumulative incidence of grade Ⅱ-Ⅳ acute graft versus host disease was (19.4±7.9) % vs (31.3±7.5) %, respectively (P=0.227). The cumulative incidence of TRM 100-day post HSCT2 was (9.2±5.1) % vs (6.7±4.6) % (P=0.648), and the cumulative incidence of chronic graft versus host disease at 1-yr post-HSCT2 was (36.7±11.4) % versus (65.6±9.1) % (P=0.031). With a median follow-up of 767 (271-4 936) days, 38 patients had complete remission (CR), and three patients had persistent disease. The CR rate was 92.7%. The cumulative incidences of overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) 2 yr after HSCT2 were 25.8% and 23.7%, respectively. The cumulative incidence of relapse, OS, and DFS was (52.6±11.6) % vs (62.4±11.3) % (P=0.423), (28.3±8.6) % vs (23.8±7.5) % (P=0.643), and (28.3±8.6) % vs (22.3±7.7) % (P=0.787), respectively, in patients with changed donor compared with patients with the original donor. Relapses within 6 months post-HSCT1 and with persistent disease before HSCT2 were risk factors for OS, DFS, and CIR. Disease status before HSCT2 and early relapse (within 6 months post-HSCT1) was an independent risk factor for OS, DFS, and CIR post-HSCT2. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that changing donors did not affect the clinical outcome of HSCT2.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Hematologic Neoplasms/therapy* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effects* ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/therapy* ; Recurrence ; Graft vs Host Disease/etiology* ; Chronic Disease

Objective:To investigate the safety and efficacy of haplo-identical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) conditioning with the same dosage form of antithymoglobulin (ATG) in patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) failure to ATG.Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study. A total of 65 patients with SAA who failed ATG treatment and received haplo-HSCT conditioning with the same dosage of ATG at the Institute of Hematology, Peking University People′s Hospital between July 2008 and October 2020 were included as the ATG treatment failure group. An additional 65 SAA patients who applied ATG for the first time during haplo-HSCT were randomly selected by stratified sampling as the first-line haplo-HSCT group. Baseline clinical data and follow-up data of the two groups were collected. Conditioning-related toxicity within 10 days after ATG application and long-term prognosis were analyzed. The Kaplan-Meier was used to calculate the overall survival rate, and the Log-rank test was applied to compare the rates of the two groups.Results:In the ATG treatment failure group, there were 36 males and 29 females, and the age at the time of transplantation [ M ( Q1, Q3)] was 16 (8, 25) years. In the first-line haplo-HSCT group, there were 35 males and 30 females, with a median age of 17 (7, 26) years. Within 10 days of ATG application, the incidence of noninfectious fever, noninfectious diarrhea, and liver injury in the ATG treatment failure group was 78% (51 cases), 45% (29 cases), and 28% (18 cases), respectively, and in the first-line haplo-HSCT group was 74% (48 cases), 54% (35 cases), and 25% (16 cases), respectively; the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant for any of these three parameters (all P>0.05). For graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), there was no significant difference between the ATG treatment failure group and the first-line haplo-HSCT group in the development of 100 day Ⅱ to Ⅳ acute GVHD (29.51%±0.35% vs. 25.42%±0.33%), Ⅲ to Ⅳ acute GVHD (6.56%±0.10% vs. 6.78%±0.11%), and 3-year chronic GVHD (26.73%±0.36% vs. 21.15%±0.30%) (all P>0.05). Three-year overall survival (79.6%±5.1% vs. 84.6%±4.5%) and 3-year failure-free survival (79.6%±5.1% vs. 81.5%±4.8%) were also comparable between these two groups (both P>0.05). Conclusions:Compared with no exposure to ATG before HSCT, similar early adverse effects and comparable survival outcomes were achieved in patients with SAA who failed previous ATG treatment and received haplo-HSCT conditioning with the same dosage form of ATG. This might indicate that previous failure of ATG treatment does not significantly impact the efficacy and safety of salvaging haplo-HSCT in patients with SAA.

Lifestyle interventions, including dietary adjustments and exercise, are important for obesity management. This study enrolled adults with overweight or obesity to explore whether either low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) or exercise is more effective in metabolism improvement. Forty-five eligible subjects were randomly divided into an LCD group (n = 22) and an exercise group (EX, n = 23). The subjects either adopted LCD (carbohydrate intake < 50 g/day) or performed moderate-to-vigorous exercise (⩾ 30 min/day) for 3 weeks. After the interventions, LCD led to a larger weight loss than EX ( - 3.56 ± 0.37 kg vs. - 1.24 ± 0.39 kg, P < 0.001), as well as a larger reduction in fat mass ( - 2.10 ± 0.18 kg vs. - 1.25 ± 0.24 kg, P = 0.007) and waist circumference ( - 5.25 ± 0.52 cm vs. - 3.45 ± 0.38 cm, P = 0.008). Both interventions reduced visceral and subcutaneous fat and improved liver steatosis and insulin resistance. Triglycerides decreased in both two groups, whereas low-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased in the LCD group but decreased in the EX group. Various glycemic parameters, including serum glycated albumin, mean sensor glucose, coefficient of variability (CV), and largest amplitude of glycemic excursions, substantially declined in the LCD group. Only CV slightly decreased after exercise. This pilot study suggested that the effects of LCD and exercise are similar in alleviating liver steatosis and insulin resistance. Compared with exercise, LCD might be more efficient for weight loss and glucose homeostasis in people with obesity.
Adult ; Blood Glucose ; Diet, Carbohydrate-Restricted ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Pilot Projects ; Weight Loss

Objective:To develop the screening checklist of brief interview for autism disorder suitable for Chinese children and evaluate its reliability and validity.Methods:Based on existed research results and diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder of DSM-5, the screening checklist of brief interview for autism spectrum disorder(SCAD) was developed. A sample of 238 children were selected for investigation and 28 of them were retested for test-retest reliability with 2-4 weeks interval. Cronbach's α coefficient, split-half correlation coefficient, test-retest reliability, and evaluator consistency were used to test the reliability of the scale. Content validity, construct validity and empirical validity were used to test the validity of the scale.All statistical analysis were conducted by SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 17.0.Results:The SCAD contains two components and six dimensions, with a total of 25 items. The Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.936 for the total scale and were 0.938, 0.771 for the two components. The split-half coefficient for the total scale and the two components were 0.962, 0.938 and 0.794. The test-retest reliability for the total scale and the two components were 0.806, 0.795 and 0.766. The Kendall coefficient for the total scale and the two components were 0.968, 0.982 and 0.950. The SCAD item-level content validity index (I-CVI) ranged from 0.66 to 0.98 and the Kappa value ranged from 0.66 to 0.98. The scale-level content validity S-CVI/UA and S-CVI/Ave were 0.89 and 0.94. The correlations between SCAD and calibration tests such as ABC, CARS and M-CHAT were 0.54, 0.53 and 0.87, and the correlation coefficients with the M-CHAT-R/F between the two components were 0.87 and 0.76 respectively (both P<0.01). The result of CFA demonstrated that the model fitted the data with well construct validity(χ 2/ df=0.910, RMR=0.049, AGFI=0.974, RMSEA=0.010, PNFI=0.530, PCFI=0.533, NFI=0.994, RFI=0.988, CFI=1.000). The correlation coefficient of the two components was 0.88 and that with the total scale were 0.97 and 0.90, each dimensions with the total scale ranged from 0.72 to 0.93. Conclusion:The SCAD has a good reliability and validity, and it can be used as a clinical screening tool for children with autism spectrum disorder.