OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical treatment outcomes and the changes of the outcomes over time in extremely preterm twins in Guangdong Province, China. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for 269 pairs of extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks who were admitted to the department of neonatology in 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province from January 2008 to December 2017. According to the admission time, they were divided into two groups: 2008-2012 and 2013-2017. Besides, each pair of twins was divided into the heavier infant and the lighter infant subgroups according to birth weight. The perinatal data of mothers and hospitalization data of neonates were collected. The survival rate of twins and the incidence rate of complications were compared between the 2008-2012 and 2013-2017 groups. RESULTS: Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of severe asphyxia and smaller head circumference at birth (P<0.05). The mortality rates of both of the twins, the heavier infant of the twins, and the lighter infant of the twins were lower in the 2013-2017 group compared with the 2008-2012 group (P<0.05). Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of pulmonary hemorrhage, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage (P-IVH), and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) and a higher incidence rate of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS There is a significant increase in the survival rate over time in extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks in the 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province. The incidences of severe asphyxia, pulmonary hemorrhage, PDA, P-IVH, and NRDS decrease in both the heavier and lighter infants of the twins, but the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia increases. With the improvement of diagnosis and treatment, the multidisciplinary collaboration between different fields of fetal medicine including prenatal diagnosis, obstetrics, and neonatology is needed in the future to jointly develop management strategies for twin pregnancy.
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/epidemiology* ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Extremely Premature ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS)-induced analgesia was characterized, and its underlying mechanisms were examined in a spared nerve injury model of neuropathic pain in rats. The analgesic effect of SCS with moderate mechanical hypersensitivity was increased with increasing stimulation intensity between the 20% and 80% motor thresholds. Various frequencies (2, 15, 50, 100, 10000 Hz, and 2/100 Hz dense-dispersed) of SCS were similarly effective. SCS-induced analgesia was maintained without tolerance within 24 h of continuous stimulation. SCS at 2 Hz significantly increased methionine enkephalin content in the cerebrospinal fluid. The analgesic effect of 2 Hz was abolished by μ or κ opioid receptor antagonist. The effect of 100 Hz was prevented by a κ antagonist, and that of 10 kHz was blocked by any of the μ, δ, or κ receptor antagonists, suggesting that the analgesic effect of SCS at different frequencies is mediated by different endorphins and opioid receptors.
Analgesics ; Animals ; Narcotic Antagonists/pharmacology* ; Neuralgia/therapy* ; Opioid Peptides ; Rats ; Receptors, Opioid/physiology* ; Receptors, Opioid, kappa ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Stimulation

Objective: To study the epidemiological and pathogenic characteristics of Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from outbreaks cases in Guangdong Province, 2017-2020. Methods: Epidemiological characteristics of 87 outbreak events caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus were analyzed. Strains were serotyped, and then analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Results: The food-borne disease outbreak caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus was found in 16 cities. 44.8% (39/87) and 37.9% (33/87) of the outbreaks occurred in hotels, restaurants and school canteens, respectively. Improper food processing and storage (40.2%, 35/87) and cross contamination caused by indiscriminate raw and cooked food (25.3%, 22/87) were the main causes of food-borne disease outbreaks of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The main serotypes of patient derived strains were O3:K6 (87.5%) and O4:KUT (22.5%). The similarity value between O3:K6 type isolates was 65.5%-100.0%, and the PFGE pattern similarity value of O4:KUT type isolates was 66.5%-100.0%. Conclusion: Outbreaks caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus are widely distributed in Guangdong province. It is necessary to strengthen the publicity and education on the correct handling of food in hotels, restaurants, schools, and unit canteens. O3:K6 and O4:KUT serotypes are the main serotypes of the outbreak. There is genetic diversity among the epidemic strains.
China/epidemiology* ; Disease Outbreaks ; Foodborne Diseases/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Serotyping ; Vibrio Infections/epidemiology* ; Vibrio parahaemolyticus/genetics*

Apoptosis ; Caspase 3/metabolism* ; Endothelial Cells/metabolism* ; Humans ; Oxidative Stress ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; Triclosan/toxicity*

OBJECTIVE: This study optimizes three-dimensional (3D) culture conditions of HepG2 using response surface methodology (RSM) based on the VitroGel system to facilitate the cell model in vitro for liver tissues. METHOD: HepG2 cell was 3D cultured on the VitroGel system. Cell viability was detected using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay of HepG2 lived cell numbers. The proliferation of HepG2 cell and clustering performance was measured via fluorescence staining test. Albumin concentration in the culture medium supernatant as an index of HepG2 cell biological function was measured with ELISA kit. Independent factor tests were conducted with three key factors: inoculated cell concentration, cultured time, and dilution degree of the hydrogel. The preliminary results of independent factor tests were used to determine the levels of factors for RSM. RESULT: The selected optimal culture conditions are as follows: concentration of inoculated cells was 4.44 × 10 ⁵/mL, culture time was 4.86 days, and hydrogel dilution degree was 1:2.23. The result shows that under optimal conditions, the predicted optical density (OD) value of cell viability was 3.10 and measured 2.978 with a relative error of 3.94%. CONCLUSION This study serves as a reference for the 3D HepG2 culture and constructs liver tissues in vitro. Additionally, it provides the foundation for repeated dose high-throughput toxicity studies and other scientific research work.
Albumins ; Cell Culture Techniques/methods* ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Hydrogels

Objective: The relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and glycemic indices, including plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour postload glucose (2h-PG), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), remains inconclusive. We aimed to explore the associations between glycemic indices and SUA levels in the general Chinese population. Methods: The current study was a cross-sectional analysis using the first follow-up survey data from The China Cardiometabolic Disease and Cancer Cohort Study. A total of 105,922 community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 40 years underwent the oral glucose tolerance test and uric acid assessment. The nonlinear relationships between glycemic indices and SUA levels were explored using generalized additive models. Results: A total of 30,941 men and 62,361 women were eligible for the current analysis. Generalized additive models verified the inverted U-shaped association between glycemic indices and SUA levels, but with different inflection points in men and women. The thresholds for FPG, 2h-PG, and HbA1c for men and women were 6.5/8.0 mmol/L, 11.0/14.0 mmol/L, and 6.1/6.5, respectively (SUA levels increased with increasing glycemic indices before the inflection points and then eventually decreased with further increases in the glycemic indices). Conclusion An inverted U-shaped association was observed between major glycemic indices and uric acid levels in both sexes, while the inflection points were reached earlier in men than in women.
Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Blood Glucose/analysis* ; China/epidemiology* ; Cohort Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus/blood* ; Female ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Glycated Hemoglobin A/analysis* ; Glycemic Index ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Uric Acid/blood*

To explore interleukin-6 (IL-6) production and characterize lipid accumulation in L02 hepatocytes induced by sodium oleate. L02 hepatocytes were incubated with 0, 37.5, 75, 150, 300, 600, or 1,200 μmol/L sodium oleate for 24 h, and the supernatant was collected to detect the concentration of IL-6. L02 hepatocytes were incubated with 300, 150, 75, or 0 μmol/L sodium oleate for 0-24 h. The supernatant was collected for detection of IL-6 and free fatty acids. L02 hepatocytes treated with 300 μmol/L sodium oleate for 0-24 h were stained with Oil Red O. With extended sodium oleate incubation time, IL-6 levels increased, and free fatty acids decreased. After 24 h incubation, IL-6 levels increased as sodium oleate increased from 37.5 to 300 μmol/L (
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Hepatocytes/metabolism* ; Humans ; Interleukin-6/metabolism* ; Lipid Metabolism ; Oleic Acid/administration & dosage* ; Time Factors

The pain-relieving effect of acupuncture is known to involve primary afferent nerves (PANs) via their roles in signal transmission to the CNS. Using single-unit recording in rats, we characterized the generation and transmission of electrical signals in Aβ and Aδ fibers induced by acupuncture-like stimuli. Acupuncture-like signals were elicited in PANs using three techniques: manual acupuncture (MAc), emulated acupuncture (EAc), and electro-acupuncture (EA)-like peripheral electrical stimulation (PES). The discharges evoked by MAc and EAc were mostly in a burst pattern with average intra-burst and inter-burst firing rates of 90 Hz and 2 Hz, respectively. The frequency of discharges in PANs was correlated with the frequency of PES. The highest discharge frequency was 246 Hz in Aβ fibers and 180 Hz in Aδ fibers. Therefore, EA in a dense-disperse mode (at alternating frequency between 2 Hz and 15 Hz or between 2 Hz and 100 Hz) best mimics MAc. Frequencies of EA output >250 Hz appear to be obsolete for pain relief.

Objectives: To evaluate the distribution by age and sex of serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in an urban Chinese population and to provide a profile prediction for the risk of bacterial infection, inflammatory diseases, or tissue damages in the body. Methods: Serum hsCRP was determined using the Roche Tina-quant immuno-turbidimetric assay on a Hitachi 7600-010 automatic biochemical analyzer (Roche Diagnostics) in 1,572 males and 1,800 females, including 78 pregnant women, who were derived from the National Health and Nutrition Survey in 2010-2012. Results: The average hsCRP concentration in urban China was 0.68 mg/L for males and 0.65 mg/L for females. Significant differences in hsCRP were found among different age groups ( < 0.05). Monitoring results showed no significant differences among the 6-11, 45-59, and ≥ 60-year-old groups in the comparison of hsCRP between males and females in large cities. However, hsCRP concentration was significantly higher in men aged 12-17 and 18-44 years than in women. Conclusion The distribution of the hsCRP status of residents in large cities in China was influenced by age and gender, and the hsCRP levels of both sexes increased gradually with age. In addition, hsCRP concentration was higher in healthy pregnant women than in non-pregnant women. Basing on our results, we recommend that this parameter be included in future national and international screening for early detection of various illnesses.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Biomarkers ; blood ; C-Reactive Protein ; metabolism ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; epidemiology ; Child ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation ; epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pregnancy ; Prevalence ; Urban Population ; statistics & numerical data ; Young Adult