Objective To analyze the influencing factors of oral frailty in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes and construct a nomogram prediction model. Methods A total of 370 elderly patients with type 2 diabetes were selected as the research subjects, including 284 patients in the modeling group and 86 patients in the validation group. The Oral Frailty Index-8 (OF-8) Scale was used for oral frailty screening, and a score of ≥4 was considered positive for oral frailty. General information of the two groups was collected through a self-made questionnaire. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors of oral frailty in patients with type 2 diabetes, and nomogram model was constructed. The goodness-of-fit and predictive performance of the model were verified using the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test and the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Results The incidence of oral frailty among elderly patients with type 2 diabetes was 45.4% (129/284). Age, body mass index (BMI), appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI), smoking, monthly income and subjective chewing difficulty were identified as influencing factors for oral frailty in elderly diabetic patients (P < 0.05). The areas under the ROC for internal and external validation were 0.887 (95%CI, 0.847 to 0.925) and 0.839 (95%CI, 0.755 to 0.923), respectively. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed that χ²=4.852, P=0.773, indicating good goodness-of-fit for the nomogram model. Conclusion Age, ASMI, BMI, smoking, monthly income and subjective chewing difficulty are influencing factors for oral frailty in elderly diabetic patients. The nomogram prediction model constructed based on these influencing factors demonstrates good performance.

Objective:To identify the types of fear of progression in patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) based on latent profile analysis, and to explore the influencing factors of different types.Methods:Cross-sectional survey method was used to select the patients with coronary heart disease and underwent PCI in Anhui Public Health Clinical Center from April to December 2023 as the research object. The general information questionnaire, Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form, Ruminative Response Scale and Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire were used to investigate them. Mplus8.3 software was used to construct the latent profile model.Results:A total of 240 patients with complete data were enrolled, including 176 males and 64 females, aged 28-84 (62.94 ± 11.20) years. The results of latent profile analysis showed that the fear of progression of patients after PCI could be divided into three latent categories: There were 59 cases (24.6%) in the low fear group, 111 cases (46.3%) in the medium fear group, and 70 cases (29.1%) in the high fear-worried family group. The results of multiple logistic regression analysis showed that compared with the low fear group, the probability of having primary school education or below was higher in the medium fear group ( OR=4.054, 95% CI 1.370-11.996) and the high fear-worry family group ( OR=5.996, 95% CI 1.562-23.014), secondary school was more likely in the moderate fear group ( OR=3.096, 95% CI 1.104-8.682, all P<0.05);Living in rural areas were more likely to be in the moderate fear group ( OR=2.587, 95% CI 1.187-5.637) and the high few-worry family group ( OR=6.958, 95% CI 2.567-18.856, all P<0.05); The probability of the first interventional therapy was higher in the moderate fear group ( OR=2.496, 95% CI 1.107-5.630) and the high fear-worry family group ( OR=4.924, 95% CI=1.809-13.402, all P<0.05). In addition, compared with the low fear group, patients with higher rumination were more likely to belong to the high few-worry family working group ( OR=1.130, 95% CI 1.055-1.210, P<0.05);Moderate fear group ( OR=1.181, 95% CI 1.046-1.334) and high fear family working group ( OR=1.349, 95% CI 1.164-1.562, all P<0.05) had a higher level of illness perception. Conclusions:There is significant heterogeneity in the fear of progression among patients after PCI. Medical staff can implement precise intervention according to the potential category characteristics of patients′ fear of progression, so as to reduce the level of fear of disease progression.

Professor ZHOU Peng has deeply discussed the pathological characteristics of psoriasis vulgaris,emphasizing that the disease is usually manifested deficiency interweaved with excess,leading to frequent recurrence and persistent refractory,which may lead to psychological and emotional problems of patients.This paper further expounds the effect of blood stasis on the pathogenesis,progression and prognosis of psoriasis,and puts forward a new method of combining Lingnan fire needling and filiform needling acupuncture technique to treat psoriasis vulgaris with blood stasis syndrome.Professor ZHOU Peng believes that the treatment principle of this disease is"regulating the mind first,rectifying blood as a base,syndrome differentiating and eliminating pathogenic factors",aiming at comprehensively considering the etiology and symptoms,in order to achieve more effective treatment results.Combined with the analysis of dermoscopic signs,it provides a possible improvement direction for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris from a new perspective.

Objective:To observe the change of retinal artery angle in eyes with idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM) and to analyze the relationship between retinal artery angle, ERM classification based on optical coherence tomography (OCT), and visual acuity.Methods:A retrospective cross-sectional clinical study. A total of 187 eyes in 187 patients diagnosed with monocular idiopathic ERM (IERM group) in Department of Ophthalmology of Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital and the Affiliated Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University at Hangzhou from November 2018 to January 2023 were included in the study. The contralateral healthy eyes were included as the control group. All patients underwent best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), fundus photography, spectral-domain OCT, OCT angiography (OCTA) and axial length (AL) measurement. BCVA examination was performed using the standard logarithmic visual acuity chart, which was converted to the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) visual acuity. The foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area was measured by OCTA. The central macular thickness (CMT) was measured by spectral domain OCTaccording to the grading criteria of ectopic inner foveal layer (EIFL) was divided into stages 1 to 4 with 42, 45, 62, and 38 eyes, and the IERM group was subdivided into stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, and stage 4 groups accordingly. Image J was used to measure the retinal artery angle and the 1/2 retinal artery angle on fundus images. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the correlation between BCVA and artery angle, 1/2 artery Angle, CMT, FAZ area and AL.Results:Compared with the control group, eyes in IERM group had worse BCVA ( t=9.727), thicker CMT ( t=12.452), smaller FAZ area ( t=-14.329), smaller artery angle ( t=-9.165) and smaller 1/2 artery angle ( t=-9.549). The differences were statistically significant ( P<0.001). With the increase of IERM stage, the artery angle and 1/2 artery angle decreased significantly ( F=21.763, 12.515; P<0.001). There was no significant difference in artery angle and 1/2 artery angle between stage 1 group and stage 2 group, and 1/2 arterial angle between stage 2 group and stage 3 group ( P>0.05). There were significant differences in artery angle and 1/2 artery angle between the other groups ( P<0.05). There were significant differences in CMT and logMAR BCVA among different classification subgroups in IERM groups ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in FAZ area between grade 3 group and grade 4 group ( P>0.05). There were significant differences in FAZ area between the other groups ( P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that decreased artery angle ( P=0.013) and increased CMT ( P<0.001) were associated with decreased BCVA. Conclusions:Compared with healthy eyes, the artery angle decreases significantly with the increase of ERM stage. Decreased retinal artery angle is associated with decreased visual acuity in IERM eyes.

Nearly a quarter of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and remains long-term asymptomatic infection. Rv2626c is a latent infection-related protein regulated by DosR of M. tuberculosis. In this study, the Rv2626c protein was prokaryotically expressed and purified, and its immunobiological characteristics were analyzed using RAW264.7 cells and mice as infection models. SDS-PAGE and Western blotting analysis showed that the Rv2626c-His fusion protein was mainly expressed in soluble form and specifically reacted with the rabbit anti-H37RV polyclonal serum. In addition, we found that the Rv2626c protein bound to the surface of RAW264.7 macrophages and up-regulated the production of NO. Moreover, the Rv2626c protein significantly induced the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-6 and MCP-1, and induced strong Th1-tendency immune response. These results may help to reveal the pathogenic mechanism of M. tuberculosis and facilitate the development of new tuberculosis vaccine.
Animals ; Mice ; Rabbits ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis/genetics* ; Tuberculosis ; Antigens, Bacterial ; Cytokines ; Immunity, Cellular

Objective: To investigate the association of the levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) with frailty and its components among the elderly over 65 years old in 9 longevity areas of China. Methods: Cross-sectional data from the Health Ageing and Biomarkers Cohort Study (HABCS, 2017-2018) were used and the elderly over 65 years old were included in this study. Through questionnaire interview and physical examination, the information including demographic characteristics, behavior, diet, daily activity, cognitive function, and health status was collected. The association between hs-CRP and frailty and its components in the participants was analyzed by multivariate logistic regression model and restrictive cubic spline. Results: A total of 2 453 participants were finally included, the age was (84.8±19.8) years old. The median hs-CRP level was 1.13 mg/L and the prevalence of frailty was 24.4%. Compared with the low-level group (hs-CRP<1.0 mg/L), the OR (95%CI) value of the high-level group (hs-CRP>3.0 mg/L) was 1.79 (1.35-2.36) mg/L. As for the components, the hs-CRP level was also positively associated with ADL disability, IADL disability, functional limitation and multimorbidity. After adjusting for confounding factors, compared with the low-level group, the OR (95%CI) values of the high-level group for the four components were 1.68 (1.25-2.27), 1.88 (1.42-2.50), 1.68 (1.31-2.14) and 1.39 (1.12-1.72), respectively. Conclusion: There is a positive association between the levels of hs-CRP and the risk of frailty among the elderly over 65 years old in 9 longevity areas of China. The higher hs-CRP level may increase the risk of frailty by elevating the risk of four physical functional disabilities, namely ADL disability, IADL disability, functional limitation and multimorbidity.
Humans ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; C-Reactive Protein/analysis* ; Frailty/epidemiology* ; Cohort Studies ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; China/epidemiology*

Objective: To establish and optimize a TaqMan-probe quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay for the detection of 7 important Rickettsiales pathogens and simultaneous identification of the infection types. Methods: Based on the ompB gene of Rickettsia prowazekii, Rickettsia mooseri and spotted fever group rickettsiae, the groEL gene of Orientia tsutsugamushi, the 16S rRNA of Ehrlichia chaffeensis, the gltA gene of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and the com1 gene of Coxiella burnetii, we synthesized primers and TaqMan-probes and optimized the reaction system and reaction process to same solution. The sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility of this assay were evaluated and the assay was used for the detection of simulated and actual samples. Results: The Ct value of the standard curves of the 7 pathogens showed a good linear relationship with the number of DNA copies (all R² >0.990 0), the minimum detection limit was 10 copies/μl, showing good specificity. In the 96 tick nucleic acid extracts, Coxiella burnetii was detected in 1 sampleand spotted fever group Rickettsiae was detected in 3 samples. In the 80 blood samples from patients with undefined febrile illness, Orientia tsutsugamushi was detected in 1 sample and spotted fever group rickettsiae was detected in 2 samples. Conclusions: In this study, based on the established TaqMan-probe qPCR assay, the reaction system and reaction condition of the 7 important pathogens of Rickettsiales were optimized to the same solution. This method overcomes the shortcomings of using different reaction systems and reaction conditions for different pathogens, which can precisely identify the species of 7 important pathogens of Rickettsiales in clinical sample detections and is important for the infection type identification and laboratory detection time reduction to facilitate precise treatment of the patients.
Humans ; Rickettsiales ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; Reproducibility of Results ; Orientia tsutsugamushi ; Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture (acupuncture for soothing the liver and regulating the mentality) combined with western medication on depression and sleep quality in the patients with depression-insomnia comorbidity due to COVID-19 quarantine, and investigate the potential mechanism from the perspective of cortical excitability. METHODS: Sixty patients with depression-insomnia comorbidity due to COVID-19 quarantine were randomly divided into an acupuncture group and a sham-acupuncture group, 30 cases in each one. The patients of both groups were treated with oral administration of sertraline hydrochloride tablets. In the acupuncture group, Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture was supplemented. Body acupuncture was applied to Yintang (GV 24⁺), Baihui (GV 20), Hegu (LI 4), Zhaohai (KI 6), Qihai (CV 6), etc. The intradermal needling was used at Xin (CO₁₅), Gan (CO₁₂) and Shen (CO₁₀). In the sham-acupuncture group, the sham-acupuncture was given at the same points as the acupuncture group. The compensatory treatment was provided at the end of follow-up for the patients in the sham-acupuncture group. In both groups, the treatment was given once every two days, 3 times a week, for consecutive 8 weeks. The self-rating depression scale (SDS) and insomnia severity index (ISI) scores were compared between the two groups before and after treatment and 1 month after the end of treatment (follow-up) separately. The cortical excitability indexes (resting motor threshold [rMT], motor evoked potential amplitude [MEP-A], cortical resting period [CSP]) and the level of serum 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) were measured before and after treatment in the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment and in follow-up, SDS and ISI scores were decreased in both groups compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), and the scores in the acupuncture group were lower than those in the sham-acupuncture group (P<0.05), and the decrease range in the acupuncture group after treatment was larger than that in the sham-acupuncture group (P<0.05). After treatment, rMT was reduced (P<0.05), while MEP-A and CSP were increased (P<0.05) in the acupuncture group compared with that before treatment. The levels of serum 5-HT in both groups were increased compared with those before treatment (P<0.05). The rMT in the acupuncture group was lower than that in the sham-acupuncture group, while MEP-A and CSP, as well as the level of serum 5-HT were higher in the acupuncture group in comparison with the sham-acupuncture group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture combined with western medication can relieve depression and improve sleep quality in the patients with depression-insomnia comorbidity due to COVID-19 quarantine, which is probably related to rectifying the imbalanced excitatory and inhibitory neuronal functions.
Humans ; Depression ; Quarantine ; Serotonin ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; COVID-19 ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Comorbidity

Atherosclerosis(AS) is the key pathological basis of coronary heart disease(CHD), and lipid infiltration is a classical theory to explain the pathological mechanism of AS. The theory highlights that the occurrence and development of AS are closely related to abnormal lipid metabolism, with the essence of the pathological reaction caused by the invasion of lipids into arterial intima from plasma. Phlegm and blood stasis are physiologically homologous and subject to pathological co-existence. Phlegm-blood stasis correlation is the basic theory to explain the pathogenesis characteristics of CHD and has important guiding significance for revealing the mecha-nism of lipid infiltration of CHD. Phlegm is the pathological product of abnormal metabolism of Qi, blood, and body fluid, and a gene-ral summary of a series of abnormally expressed lipid substances. Among them, turbid phlegm invades the heart vessels, gradually accumulates, and condenses to achieve the qualitative change from "invisible pathogen" to "tangible pathogen", which corresponds to the mechanism of lipid migration and deposition in the intima of blood vessels, and is the starting factor of the disease. Blood stasis is the continuous development of phlegm, and it is a result of pathological states such as decreased blood fluidity, increased blood coagulation, and abnormal rheology. The fact that blood stasis caused by phlegm accords with the pathological process of "lipid abnormality-circulatory disturbance" and is the central link of the disease. Phlegm and blood stasis aggravate each other and lead to indissoluble cementation. The phlegm-blood stasis combination serves as common pathogen to trigger the disease, which is the inevitable outcome of the disease. Based on the phlegm-blood stasis correlation theory, the simultaneous treatment of phlegm and blood stasis is established. It is found that this therapy can simultaneously regulate blood lipid, reduce blood viscosity, and improve blood circulation, which can fundamentally cut off the biological material basis of the reciprocal transformation between phlegm and blood stasis, thus exerting a significant curative effect.
Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Coronary Disease ; Mucus ; Atherosclerosis ; Lipids

This study aimed to explore the mechanism of n-butanol alcohol extract of Baitouweng Decoction(BAEB) in the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis(VVC) in mice based on the negative regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome via PKCδ/NLRC4/IL-1Ra axis. In the experiment, female C57BL/6 mice were divided randomly into the following six groups: a blank control group, a VVC model group, high-, medium-, and low-dose BAEB groups(80, 40, and 20 mg·kg~(-1)), and a fluconazole group(20 mg·kg~(-1)). The VVC model was induced in mice except for those in the blank control group by the estrogen dependence method. After modeling, no treatment was carried out in the blank control group. The mice in the high-, medium-, and low-dose BAEB groups were treated with BAEB at 80, 40, and 20 mg·kg~(-1), respectively, and those in the fluconazole group were treated with fluconazole at 20 mg·kg~(-1). The mice in the VVC model group received the same volume of normal saline. The general state and body weight of mice in each group were observed every day, and the morphological changes of Candida albicans in the vaginal lavage of mice were examined by Gram staining. The fungal load in the vaginal lavage of mice was detected by microdilution assay. After the mice were killed, the degree of neutrophil infiltration in the vaginal lavage was detected by Papanicolaou staining. The content of inflammatory cytokines interleukin(IL)-1β, IL-18, and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) in the vaginal lavage was tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA), and vaginal histopathology was analyzed by hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining. The expression and distribution of NLRP3, PKCδ, pNLRC4, and IL-1Ra in vaginal tissues were measured by immunohistochemistry(IHC), and the expression and distribution of pNLRC4 and IL-1Ra in vaginal tissues were detected by immunofluorescence(IF). The protein expression of NLRP3, PKCδ, pNLRC4, and IL-1Ra was detected by Western blot(WB), and the mRNA expression of NLRP3, PKCδ, pNLRC4, and IL-1Ra was detected by qRT-PCR. The results showed that compared with the blank control group, the VVC model group showed redness, edema, and white secretions in the vagina. Compared with the VVC model group, the BAEB groups showed improved general state of VVC mice. As revealed by Gram staining, Papanicolaou staining, microdilution assay, and HE staining, compared with the blank control group, the VVC model group showed a large number of hyphae, neutrophils infiltration, and increased fungal load in the vaginal lavage, destroyed vaginal mucosa, and infiltration of a large number of inflammatory cells. BAEB could reduce the transformation of C. albicans from yeast to hyphae. High-dose BAEB could significantly reduce neutrophil infiltration and fungal load. Low-and medium-dose BAEB could reduce the da-mage to the vaginal tissue, while high-dose BAEB could restore the damaged vaginal tissues to normal levels. ELISA results showed that the content of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-18, and LDH in the VVC model group significantly increased compared with that in the blank control group, and the content of IL-1β, IL-18 and LDH in the medium-and high-dose BAEB groups was significantly reduced compared with that in the VVC model group. WB and qRT-PCR results showed that compared with the blank control group, the VVC model group showed reduced protein and mRNA expression of PKCδ, pNLRC4, and IL-1Ra in vaginal tissues of mice and increased protein and mRNA expression of NLRP3. Compared with the VVC model group, the medium-and high-dose BAEB groups showed up-regulated protein and mRNA expression of PKCδ, pNLRC4, and IL-1Ra in vaginal tissues and inhibited protein and mRNA expression of NLRP3 in vaginal tissues. This study indicated that the therapeutic effect of BAEB on VVC mice was presumably related to the negative regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome by promoting PKCδ/NLRC4/IL-1Ra axis.
Female ; Animals ; Humans ; Mice ; Candidiasis, Vulvovaginal/drug therapy* ; Inflammasomes/genetics* ; Interleukin-18 ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/genetics* ; 1-Butanol/pharmacology* ; Fluconazole/therapeutic use* ; Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein/therapeutic use* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Candida albicans ; Cytokines ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Ethanol ; RNA, Messenger ; Calcium-Binding Proteins/therapeutic use*