Diabetic nephropathy(DN)is one of the most important complications of diabetes.Its pathogenesis is com-plex and has not been fully elucidated.Epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)plays an important role in the development of DN.Relevant data show that glycogen synthesis kinase-3β(GSK-3β)participates in the process of EMT through multiple sig-naling pathways and affects the occurrence and progression of DN.This article reviews the research progress of GSK-3β in-volved in EMT in DN.

Background Grassroots medical and health personnel are an important component of China's public health system, and guaranteeing their physical and mental health will have a profound impact on the development of China's health service. Objective To identify potential influencing factors of occupational stress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia as well as their interactions. Methods In August 2021, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among all the staff (2675 medical and health personnel) at 7 secondary public hospitals and 8 health institutions in Xiong’an New Area of Hebei Province by cluster sampling. Occupational stress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia were evaluated by the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire (ERI), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS). The bnlearn and gmodels packages of R4.2.1 software were used to construct Bayesian networks on work and personal factors-occupational stress- health effects. The Bayesian network model was visualized by Netica32.0. Results Among the 3018 questionnaires distributed, a total of 2675 valid questionnaires were recovered, with an effective recovery rate of 88.63%. The positive rates of occupational stress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia were 51.48%, 62.13%, 62.50%, and 56.37%, respectively in the grassroots medical and health personnel. The positive rate of occupational stress among the medical and health workers varied by age, educational level, and organization type (P<0.05); the positive rate of anxiety varied by age, marital status, and daily working hours (P<0.05); and the positive rates of depression and insomnia varied by gender, educational level, and overcommitment (P<0.05). The final Bayesian network contained 14 nodes and 18 directed edges, and its prediction accuracy was 85.4%. .Job title, daily working hours, overcommitment and exercise directly associated with occupational stress, and other work and personal factors associated with occupational stress indirectly. Occupational stress associated with insomnia directly or indirectly via anxiety. Anxiety and insomnia associated with reporting depression. Conclusion Grassroots medical and health personnel of Xiong'an New Area, Hebei Province report high levels of occupational stress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Occupational stress directly or indirectly associates with anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Work and personal factors associate with occupational stress, and associate with anxiety, depression, and insomnia via occupational stress. Occupational stress may be an early warning factor of general work and personal factors affecting anxiety, depression, insomnia, and other mental health problems. Attention should be paid to the assessment and intervention of occupational stress in medical and health personnel to prevent mental health problems.

Background::Alterations in the placental expression of glucose transporters (GLUTs), the crucial maternal-fetal nutrient transporters, have been found in women with hyperglycemia in pregnancy (HIP). However, there is still uncertainty about the underlying effect of the high-glucose environment on placental GLUTs expression in HIP.Methods::We quantitatively evaluated the activity of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and expression of GLUTs (GLUT1, GLUT3, and GLUT4) in the placenta of women with normal pregnancies (CTRL, n = 12) and pregnant women complicated with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM, n = 12) by immunohistochemistry. In addition, BeWo cells were treated with different glucose concentrations to verify the regulation of hyperglycemia. Then, changes in the expression of GLUTs following the activation or suppression of the mTOR pathway were also assessed using MHY1485/rapamycin (RAPA) treatment or small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated silencing approaches. Moreover, we further explored the alteration and potential upstream regulatory role of methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) when exposed to hyperglycemia. Results::mTOR, phosphorylated mTOR (p-mTOR), and GLUT1 protein levels were upregulated in the placenta of women with T2DM compared with those CTRL. In BeWo cells, mTOR activity increased with increasing glucose concentration, and the expression of GLUT1, GLUT3, and GLUT4 as well as GLUT1 cell membrane translocation were upregulated by hyperglycemia to varying degrees. Both the drug-mediated and genetic depletion of mTOR signaling in BeWo cells suppressed GLUTs expression, whereas MHY1485-induced mTOR activation upregulated GLUTs expression. Additionally, high glucose levels upregulated METTL3 expression and nuclear translocation, and decreasing METTL3 levels suppressed GLUTs expression and mTOR activity and vice versa. Furthermore, in METTL3 knockdown BeWo cells, the inhibitory effect on GLUTs expression was eliminated by activating the mTOR signaling pathway using MHY1485. Conclusion::High-glucose environment-induced upregulation of METTL3 in trophoblasts regulates the expression of GLUTs through mTOR signaling, contributing to disordered nutrient transport in women with HIP.

【Objective】 To analyze the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection data of blood donors from 18 domestic blood stations, so as to investigate the HBV infection situation of blood donors. 【Methods】 The positive rate of HBV and its distribution characteristics of regions, the percentage of HBsAg+ ELISA in first-time vs repeated blood donors, and the percentage of HBsAg-/HBV DNA+ blood donors of 18 domestic blood stations during 2017 to 2020 were collected from the Working Platform for Practice Comparison of Blood Centers, and the HBV infection among blood donors were statistically analyzed. 【Results】 From 2017 to 2020, the positive rate of HBV in blood donors among 18 domestic blood stations was 13.48/10 000-144.02/10 000, with the average HBV positive rate in eastern, central and western region at 26.14/10 000, 51.98/10 000 and 41.00/10 000, respectively. The HBsAg+ rate by ELISA among first-time and repeated blood donors was 14.55/10 000-305.39/10 000 vs 1.04/10 000-87.43/10 000 The HBsAg-/HBV DNA+ yield was 1.80/10 000-35.31/10 000. 【Conclusion】 The distribution of HBV infection in blood donors has regional characteristics, and HBV prevalence was low in repeated blood donors. HBsAg ELISA combined with HBV DNA detection can better ensure blood safety.

Objective:To evaluate the correlation between anti-C1q antibody and disease activity and cellular immune function in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Methods:The clinical data and test indexes of 134 patients with SLE and 90 healthy people who were admitted to Henan Provincial People′s Hospital from June 2017 to February 2018 were collected. The level of anti-C1q antibody was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and lymphocyte subsets were measured by flow cytometry. According to the score of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI)-2K, SLE patients were divided into active and inactive groups, and SLE patients were divided into LN group and non-LN group according to the presence or absence of kidney involvement. The levels of anti-C1q antibodies and lymphocyte subsets were compared among the three groups, and correlations between anti-C1q antibodies and disease activity and lymphocytes were analyzed. The predictive value of anti-C1q antibodies and anti double stranded DNA (dsDNA) antibodies for SLE disease activity was evaluated.Results:The anti-C1q antibody level, percentage of T cells and Ts cells in SLE group were higher than those in control group, while the percentage of Th cells, percentage of NK cells, T cell count, Th cell count, B cell count and NK cell count in SLE group were lower than those in control group (all P<0.05); The anti-C1q antibody level in the active group was higher than that in the inactive group, and the counts of T cells, Ts cells, Th cells, B cells and NK cells were lower than those in the inactive group (all P<0.05); The anti-C1q antibody level in LN group was higher than that in non-LN group, and the T cell count, Ts cell count, Th cell count, B cell count, NK cell count were lower than that in non-LN group, with statistically significant difference (all P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that age, hemoglobin (HB), C3, C4, T cell count, Th cell count, B cell count and NK cell count were negatively correlated with anti-C1q antibody, while SLEDAI-2K, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and anti-dsDNA antibody were positively correlated with anti-C1q antibody (all P<0.05). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of anti-C1q antibody alone in predicting SLE disease activity was 0.702, with a sensitivity of 0.547 and a specificity of 0.827. The combination of anti-C1q and anti ds-DNA antibodies resulted in an AUC of 0.761, a sensitivity of 0.756, and a specificity of 0.691. The combined detection value of the two antibodies predicting SLE disease activity was better than the single detection. Conclusions:Anti-C1q antibody is closely related to disease activity and cellular immune dysfunction, and has certain predictive value in SLE disease activity.

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic performance and clinical significance of SLE-DAS in the disease activity of SLE patients in China.Methods:The clinical data of 134 patients with SLE were collected. The disease activity was evaluated by SLE-DAS, SLEDAI-2000, BILAG-2004 and PGA scoring tools. Pearson test and Spearman test were used to analyze the correlation. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) was used to evaluate SLE-DAS, and Kappa consistency test was adapted to assess the consistency of the two scoring methods.Results:One hundred and thirty-four patients with SLE, including 7 males and 127 females, aged 13-77 years, with an average of (35±13) years were included. Among them, renal involvement was 38.1%, skin mucosal involvement was 11.2%, musculoskeletal involvement was 8.2%, blood system involvement was 13.4%, heart and lung involvement was 2.2%, neuropsychiatric involvement was 1.5%, and multisystem involvement was 3.0%. SLE-DAS was positively correlated with CRP, ESR, anti-dsDNA antibody, urinary protein (24 h) level, SLEDAI-2000, BILAG-2004 and PGA ( r=0.25, 0.34, 0.47, 0.77, 0.93, 0.94, 0.95, P<0.01); SLE-DAS was negatively correlated with PLT, Hb, C3 and C4 ( r=-0.29, -0.43, -0.41, -0.32, P<0.01). When SLEDAI-2000>5 was used as a cut point for analyzing SLE-DAS, the results showed that the area under the curve (AUC) 95% CI of SLE-DAS was 0.961 (0.927,0.995), the Yoden index was 0.845. When the cut-off value was set up to 4.65( P<0.001), the sensitivity was 98.11%, the specificity was 86.42%, and the accuracy was 91.04%. Kappa consistency test showed that kappa value was 0.819( P<0.001). Conclusions:SLE-DAS can be used to evaluate the disease activity of SLE patients and can be used as the evidence to guide treatment plan in clinical practice.

Objective:To investigate the similarities and differences of Doppler echocardiographic parameters in healthy adults among Chinese (EMINCA study), Japanese (JAMP study) and Europeans (NORRE study).Methods:Based on the published Doppler echocardiographic data of JAMP and NORRE studies, the corresponding Doppler parameters were selected from the original database of EMINCA study and stratified by sex and age groups accordingly. Independent-samples t-test, summary t-test, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to test the differences between groups. Results:①Common Doppler parameters in three studies included: peak velocities of early diastolic (E) and late diastolic waves (A) of mitral valve inflow, E/A ratio, deceleration time (DT) of E wave, tissue velocities of early diastole (e′ ) and late diastole (a′ ) at both septal and lateral sites of the mitral annulus and the average value of e′ at both sites (average-e′), ratios of E to septal e′ (septal-E/e′), E to lateral e′ (lateral-E/e′), and E to average e′ (average-E/e′). ②Differences between genders: There existed significant gender differences for 5/10 of parameters in EMINCA study, 8/10 in JAMP study and 3/12 in NORRE study (all P<0.05). ③Stratification by sex and age groups: Except for DT for men in EMINCA study, significant differences were found in all 12 Doppler parameters both for men and women in all three studies (all P<0.05). ④Comparison between EMINCA and JAMP studies: There were statistically significant differences in 8/10 and 9/10 of parameters for men and women, respectively (all P<0.05). ⑤Comparison between EMINCA and NORRE studies: 7/12 of parameters both in men and women were significantly different between the two studies (all P<0.05). ⑥For the three studies, 6/10 of parameters both in men and women correlated positively with age ( r=0.12-0.66, all P<0.001), while 4/10 correlated negatively with age ( r=-0.27--0.72, all P<0.001). Conclusions:Doppler echocardiographic measurements in healthy adults are significantly different with genders, ages and races/nationalities. Therefore, gender, age and race/nationality-specific reference values of Doppler echocardiography parameters should be encouraged in clinical practice.

Pregnancy ; Female ; Humans ; Fetal Blood/metabolism* ; DNA Methylation/genetics* ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; Placenta/metabolism* ; Exercise Therapy

Background::Transplant renal artery stenosis (TRAS) is a vascular complication after kidney transplantation associated with poor outcomes. This study aimed to analyze the efficacy and safety of low-dose aspirin for preventing TRAS.Methods::After kidney transplantation, patients were enrolled from January 2018 to December 2020 in Henan Provincial People’s Hospital. A total of 351 enrolled recipients were randomized to an aspirin group with low-dose intake of aspirin in addition to standard treatment ( n = 178), or a control group with only standard treatment ( n = 173). The patients was initially diagnosed as TRAS (id-TRAS) by Doppler ultrasound, and confirmed cases were diagnosed by DSA (c-TRAS). Results::In the aspirin and control groups, 15.7% (28/178) and 22.0% (38/173) of the recipients developed id-TRAS, respectively, with no statistical difference. However, for c-TRAS, the difference of incidence and cumulative incidence was statistically significant. The incidence of c-TRAS was lower in the aspirin group compared with the control group (2.8% [5/178] vs. 11.6% [20/173], P = 0.001). Kaplan–Meier estimates and Cox regression model identified the cumulative incidence and hazard ratio (HR) of TRAS over time in two groups, showing that recipients treated with aspirin had a significantly lower risk of c-TRAS than those who were not treated (log-rank P = 0.001, HR = 0.23, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.09–0.62). The levels of platelet aggregation rate ( P < 0.001), cholesterol ( P = 0.028), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( P = 0.003) in the aspirin group were decreased compared with the control group in the third-month post-transplantation. For the incidence of adverse events, there was no statistical difference. Conclusion::Clinical application of low-dose aspirin after renal transplant could prevent the development of TRAS with no significant increase in adverse effects.Trial Registration::Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT04260828.

Objective:To investigate the efficiency of deep learning image reconstruction (DLIR) algorithm in the image quality and detection of hypovascular hepatic metastases under low radiation doses in comparison with adaptive statistical iterative construction-V (ASiR-V).Methods:Fifty-six patients with suspected hypovascular hepatic metastases who needed abdominal enhanced CT scans were collected prospectively in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January to April 2021. The patients received conventional radiation dose with tube current-time products of 400 mA CT scans in the first venous phase, low-dose CT scans in the second venous phase, which were set as tube current-time products of 280 mA for group A (19 cases), 200 mA for group B (19 cases) and 120 mA for group C (18 case), respectively. The images of first venous phase and 3 groups of second venous phase were both reconstructed with ASiR-V60% and high-DLIR (DLIR-H). Quantitative parameters [image noise, liver and portal vein signal to noise ratio (SNR), contrast to noise ratio (CNR)] and qualitative parameters (overall image quality, lesion conspicuity, diagnostic confidence) were compared between ASiR-V60% and DLIR-H images, and the effective radiation dose (ED) and the lesion detectability of each group was recorded. The paired t test was used to compare quantitative parameters, whereas the Wilcoxon signed-rank test of paired data was used to compare qualitative parameters. Results:In the second venous phase, ED was (5.56±0.35) mSv in group A, (3.88±0.23) mSv in group B, and (2.42±0.23) mSv in group C, with a decrease of 30%, 50% and 70% compared with the first venous phase, respectively. Moreover, with the decrease of radiation dose, the noise gradually increased, and the CNR lesions, SNR liver and SNR portal vein all gradually decreased. DLIR-H images had statistically better quantitative scores than ASiR-V60% images when the same radiation dose was applied (all P<0.001). Furthermore, the qualitative parameters of each group decreased with the decrease of radiation dose. Under the same radiation dose, the overall image quality, lesion conspicuity and diagnostic confidence of DLIR-H were higher than those of ASiR-V60% (all P<0.001). All lesions [100% (84/84)] were detected by ASIR-V60% and DLIR-H in group A, 92.0% (75/81) in group B, and 88.0% (79/89) in group C. Conclusions:Compared with ASiR-V60%, DLIR-H could reduce image noise, improve overall image quality and lesion conspicuity of hypovascular hepatic metastases as well as increase diagnostic confidence under different radiation doses.