Objective: To investigate the factors affecting carotid plaques among perimenopausal women, so as to provide the basis for the prevention and early intervention of cardiovascular diseases in perimenopausal women. Methods: Perimenopausal women aged 40-60 who underwent health check-ups at Xingtai People's Hospital from January 2022 to January 2023 were selected as subjects by convenient sampling method. Demographic information, lifestyle, waist-to-hip ratio, and blood biochemical indicators were collected through questionnaire surveys, physical examinations, and laboratory tests. Carotid plaques were detected using a Doppler ultrasound diagnostic instrument. Factors affecting carotid plaques among perimenopausal women were identified using a multivariable logistic regression model. Results: Totally 2 146 perimenopausal women were surveyed, with an age of (50.04±5.82) years. Carotid plaques were detected in 525 cases, with a detection rate of 24.46%. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that older age (45-<50 years old, OR=1.474, 95%CI: 1.062-2.047; 55-60 years old, OR=1.779, 95%CI: 1.276-2.481), residing in urban areas (OR=1.601, 95%CI: 1.079-2.376), drinking (OR=1.805, 95%CI: 1.108-2.941), hypertension (OR=1.815, 95%CI: 1.290-2.553), abnormal waist-to-hip ratio (OR=2.479, 95%CI: 1.982-3.101), and abnormal atherogenic index of plasma (OR=1.325, 95%CI: 1.064-1.650) were associated with a higher risk of carotid plaques. College degree or above (college, OR=0.659, 95%CI: 0.502-0.865; bachelor's degree or above, OR=0.517, 95%CI: 0.397-0.673), physical exercise (OR=0.621, 95%CI: 0.494-0.781) were associated with a lower risk of carotid plaques. Conclusion The carotid plaques among perimenopausal women mainly affected by age, place of residence, educational level, alcohol consumption, physical exercise, hypertension, waist-to-hip ratio and atherogenic index of plasma.

Myotonic dystrophy type 1(DM1)is a multisystem trinucleotide repeat expansion disorder usually referred to the department of neurology with complaints of progressive muscle weakness and myotonia.This article reported a 33-year-old female patient with DM1 presenting with acute respiratory failure.Muscle bi-opsy in vastus lateralis showed significantly increased internal nuclei.Genetic test show CTG repeat expansions with the size of(847±76)in dystrophia myotonica protein kinase(DMPK)gene on chromosome 19.This case report broadens the clinician's understanding of the atypical clinical manifestations of DM1,so as to avoid missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis.

Phage therapy is one of the most important tools for the treatment of infections with multi-drug resistant bacteria. Such phages are usually isolated from hospital effluents, however, no systematic study on the distribution of phages in hospital effluents has been conducted so far. The aim of this study was to isolate the corresponding phages of common pathogenic bacteria isolated in the clinic as hosts, so as to assess the ecological distribution of phages in hospital wastewater and to provide a reference for the isolation and application of phages of drug-resistant bacteria in the clinic. A cross-sectional study design was used in this study. The 125 pathogenic bacteria (belonging to 16 different strains) isolated from the clinical microbiology laboratory of Qilu Hospital of Shandong University from May to June 2023 were selected as the target strains, and the phages corresponding to these strains were isolated and purified from the hospital wastewater by using the double-layer plate sandwich method. At the same time, the distribution of pathogenic bacteria in the same batch of wastewater was analyzed with the help of mNGS sequencing technology, so as to preliminarily investigate the abundance correspondence between pathogenic bacteria and phages in wastewater. The results showed that a total of 56 phage strains were isolated from 125 clinical pathogens as hosts, corresponding to six pathogens, including Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. All six pathogenic bacteria contained strains with different degrees of drug resistance, with a higher percentage of multi-drug resistant strains in A. baumannii, Escherichia coli and P. aeruginosa. The phage acquisition rates of these six pathogens were, in descending order, Escherichia coli (80%), Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (75%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (70%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (66.67%), Acinetobacter baumannii (36.36%) and Staphylococcus aureus (12.5%). Preliminary mNGS sequencing results showed that the pathogenic bacteria with higher abundance in the batch of effluent were Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella aerogenes, Klebsiella michiganensis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In conclusion, phages of most common clinical Gram-negative pathogens were isolated from hospital wastewater with high isolation rates; however, phages of Gram-positive pathogens were isolated at lower rates, and only phages corresponding to Staphylococcus aureus were isolated in this study. The corresponding mNGS sequencing results showed that the distribution of Gram-negative pathogens in sewage may had a positive correlation with the ecological distribution of phages.

Phage therapy is one of the most important tools for the treatment of infections with multi-drug resistant bacteria. Such phages are usually isolated from hospital effluents, however, no systematic study on the distribution of phages in hospital effluents has been conducted so far. The aim of this study was to isolate the corresponding phages of common pathogenic bacteria isolated in the clinic as hosts, so as to assess the ecological distribution of phages in hospital wastewater and to provide a reference for the isolation and application of phages of drug-resistant bacteria in the clinic. A cross-sectional study design was used in this study. The 125 pathogenic bacteria (belonging to 16 different strains) isolated from the clinical microbiology laboratory of Qilu Hospital of Shandong University from May to June 2023 were selected as the target strains, and the phages corresponding to these strains were isolated and purified from the hospital wastewater by using the double-layer plate sandwich method. At the same time, the distribution of pathogenic bacteria in the same batch of wastewater was analyzed with the help of mNGS sequencing technology, so as to preliminarily investigate the abundance correspondence between pathogenic bacteria and phages in wastewater. The results showed that a total of 56 phage strains were isolated from 125 clinical pathogens as hosts, corresponding to six pathogens, including Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. All six pathogenic bacteria contained strains with different degrees of drug resistance, with a higher percentage of multi-drug resistant strains in A. baumannii, Escherichia coli and P. aeruginosa. The phage acquisition rates of these six pathogens were, in descending order, Escherichia coli (80%), Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (75%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (70%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (66.67%), Acinetobacter baumannii (36.36%) and Staphylococcus aureus (12.5%). Preliminary mNGS sequencing results showed that the pathogenic bacteria with higher abundance in the batch of effluent were Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella aerogenes, Klebsiella michiganensis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In conclusion, phages of most common clinical Gram-negative pathogens were isolated from hospital wastewater with high isolation rates; however, phages of Gram-positive pathogens were isolated at lower rates, and only phages corresponding to Staphylococcus aureus were isolated in this study. The corresponding mNGS sequencing results showed that the distribution of Gram-negative pathogens in sewage may had a positive correlation with the ecological distribution of phages.

The correlation between hearing loss (HL) and physical performance in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) remains poorly investigated. This study explored the association between HL and physical performance in patients on MHD. Methods: This multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted between July 2020 and April 2021 in seven hemodialysis centers in Shanghai and Suzhou, China. The hearing assessment was performed using pure-tone average (PTA). Physical performance was assessed using the Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT), handgrip strength, and gait speed. Results: Finally, 838 adult patients (male, 516 [61.6%]; 61.2 ± 2.6 years) were enrolled. Among them, 423 (50.5%) had mild to profound HL (male, 48.6% and female, 53.4%). Patients with HL had poorer physical performance than patients without HL (p < 0.001). TUGT was positively correlated with PTA (r = 0.265, p < 0.001), while handgrip strength and gait speed were negatively correlated with PTA (r = –0.356, p < 0.001 and r = –0.342, p < 0.001, respectively). Physical performance in patients aged <60 years showed significant dose-response relationships with HL. After adjusting for confounders, the odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for HL across the TUGT quartiles (lowest to highest) were 1.00 (reference), 1.15 (0.73–1.81), 1.69 (1.07–2.70), and 2.87 (1.69–4.88) (p for trend = 0.005). Conclusion: Lower prevalence of HL was associated with a faster TUGT and a stronger handgrip strength in patients on MHD.

Objective To analyze the microflora structure and abundance of ileum and colon of SPF male SD rats by high-throughput sequencing technique. MethodsThe ileal and colonic lumen contents of 30 SPF male SD rats were collected, the total bacterial DNA in the contents was extracted and amplified by PCR. The V3-V4 region of bacterial 16S rRNA in the samples was sequenced using Illumina NovaSeq sequencing platform. Then the species structure and abundance of the intestinal flora were analyzed at the phylum and genus level based on validated data. The diversity and differences between ileal and colonic flora were analyzed using the QIIME software (amplicon) analysis tool. The Tax4Fun program was applied to predict the dominant gene enrichment pathways of ileal and colonic flora. ResultsAt the phylum level, the dominant microflora in the ileum of male SD rats were Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, accounting for more than 98%. The dominant colonic microbial community were mainly Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, accounting for more than 95%. At the genus level, Lactobacillus and Alistipes were the predominant bacteria in the ileum. The colon was dominated by Lactobacillus and Romboutsia. In terms of flora diversity, the alpha diversity of colonic flora including richness index (Chao1 index) and diversity index (Shannon index) were significantly higher than those of ileum (P < 0.01), and the structural variability of the composition of its flora species was smaller than that of ileum; the ileal flora with significant structural variability were mainly of the phylum Firmicutes, Romboutsia, Peptostreptococcaceae, while the colonic flora had significant structural differences in Bacteroidales. In terms of flora function, the ileal flora dominant genes were significantly enriched in lipid-like metabolism, polyketide metabolism, membrane transport, biodegradation and other pathways, while the colonic flora dominant genes were significantly enriched in glycan biosynthesis metabolism, energy metabolism, biosynthesis of cofactor and vitamins and other products, and other pathways. ConclusionThere are significant differences in structure and abundance between the ileal and colonic flora of SPF male SD rats, and the abundance and diversity of colonic flora are higher than those of ileal flora.

Objective:To investigate the effect and role of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) on the expression of inhibin (PHB) in the proliferation and survival of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells.Methods:The expression of PHB in 13 pairs of HBV-infected livers, normal livers and HepG2.2.15 and HepG2 cells was detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR and Western blot. Liver tissues were collected from seven patients with chronic hepatitis B before and after antiviral (tenofovir) treatment, and the expression of PHB was detected by RT-PCR and Western blot. HepG2.2.15 cells were transfected with Pcmv6-AC-GFP-PHB, and control vectors were collected. DNA content was analyzed by flow cytometry. The proliferation level of each cell group was detected using the EdU cell proliferation assay. HepG2.2.15 cells transfected with Pcmv6-AC-GFP-PHB and the control vector were cultured in serum-free medium for 6 days. Apoptosis was measured at the indicated time points using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS)-based Annexin-V/PI double staining.Results:Compared with normal liver tissue, the expression of PHB in HBV-infected liver tissue was down-regulated ( P < 0.01). Compared with HepG2 cells, the expression of PHB in HepG2.2.15 cells was significantly decreased ( P < 0.01). The expression level of PHB in liver tissue after antiviral treatment (tenofovir) was significantly higher than that before treatment ( P < 0.01). Compared with the control vector, the proliferation rate of HepG2.2.15 cells transfected with Pcmv6-AC-GFP-PHB was significantly lower than that of the control vector, and the apoptosis rate of HepG2.2.15 cells transfected with the Pcmv6-AC-GFP-PHB vector was significantly higher than the control vector ( P < 0.01). Conclusion:HBV down-regulates the expression of inhibin to promote the proliferation and survival of hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic performance of non-contrast-enhanced Dixon water-fat separation Compressed SENSE (CS-SENSE) whole-heart coronary magnetic resonance angiography (CMRA) at 3.0 T on patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD).Method:The study complied with the Declaration of Helsinki. Local ethics committee approved this study and written informed consent was obtained from each patient. In this prospective study, from March 2021 to September 2021, 53 consecutive participants with suspected CAD who were scheduled for X-ray coronary angiography (CAG) were prospectively recruited in Zhongshan Hospital. CMRA was performed with a 3.0 T scanner without contrast agent enhancement during free breathing with Dixon water-fat separation and CS-SENSE methods. The accuracy of CMRA for detecting a ≥ 50% reduction in diameter was determined using CAG as the reference method.Results:Acquisition of whole-heart CMRA images was successfully performed in 46 (86.8%) of 53 patients with an average imaging time of (7.8±1.8) min. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values, negative predictive values, and accuracy of CMRA according to a patient-based analysis were 95.8%(95%CI 78.9%-99.9%), 81.8%(95%CI 59.7%-94.8%), 85.2%(95%CI 66.3%-95.8%), 94.7%(95%CI 74.0%-99.9%), 89.1%(95%CI 76.4%-96.4%), respectively. The areas under the receiver-operator characteristic curve (AUC) from CMRA images according to patient-, vessel-and segment-based analyses were 0.876(95%CI 0.745-0.955), 0.880(95%CI 0.814-0.929), 0.903(95%CI 0.877-0.926), respectively.Conclusion:3.0 T non-contrast-enhanced Dixon water-fat separation CS-SENSE whole-heart CMRA is a promising technique to detect clinically significant coronary stenosis on patients with suspected CAD.

【Objective】 To analyze the epidemic of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in voluntary blood donors , and to assess the residual risk of HCV transmission by blood transfusion in Taiyuan. 【Methods】 The HCV screening results of voluntary blood donors in Taiyuan from 2016 to 2021 were collected by blood center information system, and the epidemiologic feature of first-time and repeated donors were analyzed. The incidence-window period model was used to assess the residual risk of HCV transmission by transfusion in first-time/repeated donors as well as that in repeated donors under different blood screening modes. 【Results】 Of the 662 705 samples in Taiyuan from 2016 to 2021, the HCV positive rate of the first-time donors was 1.83‰(595/325 009) and the residual risk of HCV transmission was 14.91/100 000. The HCV positive rate of the repeated donors was 0.04‰ (13/337 696) and the residual risk was 0.31/1 000 000. The total residual risk of HCV transmission was 7.47/1 000 000. A total of 337 696 blood samples of repeated blood donors were tested, the repeated blood donors’ residual risk of transfusion-transmitted HCV was 0.31/100 000 after dual ELISA tests , and 0.06/100 000 after dual ELISA and once NAT, which reduce by 80.65% since NAT were adopted. 【Conclusion】 The residual risk of HCV transmission from repeated donors was less than that from first-time donors. The blood screening mode of HCV by dual ELISA and once NAT can effectively reduce the residual risk of transfusion-transmitted HCV and improve blood safety. The rate of repeat blood donation needs to be increased by continuously optimizing the recruitment strategy of blood donors.

Sulforaphane (SFN), a natural anti-tumor compound from cruciferous vegetables, has been reported to induce protective autophagy to cancer cells, which might impair the anti-tumor efficiency of SFN. However, the accurate function and mechanism of SFN inducing autophagy in cancers are still obscure, especially in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), one of malignancies with high incidence in North China. Here, we mainly explored the potential function of autophagy upon SFN treatment in ESCC and molecular mechanism. We demonstrated that SFN could inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis by activating caspase pathway. Moreover, we found activation of NRF2 pathway by SFN was responsible for the induction of autophagy and also a disadvantage element to the anti-tumor effects of SFN on ESCC, indicating that SFN might induce protective autophagy in ESCC. We, therefore, investigated effects of autophagy inhibition on sensitivity of ESCC cells to SFN and found that chloroquine (CQ) could neutralize the activation of SFN on NRF2 and enhance the activation of SFN on caspase pathway, thus improved the anti-tumor efficiency of SFN on ESCC