Objective This study aims to investigate and analyze the distribution of MN blood type among ethnic minorities in China. Methods Through a systematic retrieval of the 981 literature related to MN blood group distribution, 120 literature, meeting the criteria of this study, with complete data were selected. The literature covers 49 ethnic minorities. SPSS 26 statistical software was used to analyze the data. Results The results showed that among the 49 ethnic minorities in China, the phenotype distribution of MN blood type was MN>MM>NN, with proportions of 42.54%, 41.86%, and 15.06% respectively. The gene frequency for MN blood type exhibited a trend of m>n, with a gene frequency of m being 0.6313 and n being 0.3687. Cluster analysis divided the Chinese ethnic minorities into three groups based on the gene frequency for m, showing the characteristics of Group I>Group II>Group III. Conclusion The MN blood type characteristics in Chinese ethnic minorities show a higher frequency of the M gene compared to the N gene. The frequency of the M gene is higher in southern ethnic minorities than in northern ones. There are significant differences between southwestern ethnic minorities and the Han nationality, but no differences with long-term mixed/settled Han populations.
Humans ; China/ethnology* ; Minority Groups ; Ethnicity/genetics* ; Gene Frequency ; Asian People/genetics* ; Blood Group Antigens/genetics*

Objective : To investigate the role of AdipoRon, an adiponectin receptor agonist, in treatment of carbon tetrachloride(CCl4) induced liver fibrosis mice model and the mechanisms. Methods : Forty mice were randomly divided into control group, model group, L-AdipoRon group and H-AdipoRon group, with 10 mice in each group. Hepatic fibrosis was induced by intraperitoneal injection of CCl4solution. The mice in L-and H-AdipoRon groups were given 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg AdipoRon by gavage, respectively. The activities of serum aspartate aminotransferase(AST) and alanine aminotransferase(ALT) were detected by biochemical method. Liver histopathological changes and fibrosis were detected by HE staining, Masson staining and Sirius scarlet stain. The protein expression levels of Collagen I, α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA), matrix metalloproteinase 1(MMP-1) and matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor 1(TIMP-1) in mice liver were detected by Western blot. Lipid deposition in liver were detected by oil red O staining. The percentage(%) of CD68+ iNOS+ positive M1-type macrophages in the liver were detected by immunofluorescence. The expression levels of fatty acid synthetase(Fasn), stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1(Scd1), fatty acid transporter(Cd36), peroxissome proliferator activated receptor-α(Pparα) and carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1α(Cpt1α) in mice liver tissues, as well as M1 macrophage-related genes interleukin-6(IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and M2 macrophage-related genes arginase 1(Arg1), Chil3 chitinase-like 3(Ym-1) were detected by RT-qPCR assay. Results : Compared with model group, in low-dose AdipoRon group and high-dose AdipoRon group, serum ALT and AST activities significantly decreased(P<0.05); liver tissues structure were damaged, liver cells degeneration and inflammatory cells infiltration were improved; collagen fiber deposition was also significantly reduced; the relative expression levels of Collagen I, α-SMA and TIMP-1 proteins were significantly down-regulated(P<0.05), while the relative expression levels of MMP-1 protein were significantly up-regulated(P<0.05); the lipid droplets deposition in livers were significantly reduced. The relative Fasn, Scd1 and Cd36 mRNA expression levels in liver tissues were significantly down-regulated(P<0.05), and the relative Pparα and Cpt1α mRNA expression levels were significantly up-regulated(P<0.05); the percentage(%) of CD68+ iNOS+ positive M1-type macrophages significantly decreased(P<0.05); the relative IL-6 and TNF-α mRNA expression levels significantly decreased(P<0.05), the relative Arg1 and Ym-1 mRNA expression levels were significantly up-regulated(P<0.05). In addition, the improvement effects of high-dose AdipoRon group were better than those of low-dose AdipoRon group(P<0.05). Conclusion AdipoRon can improve the disorder of lipid metabolisms, inhibit the M1 type macrophages polarization, and improve the liver fibrosis in CCl4-induced liver fibrosis mice model.

Objective To investigate the effect of the HtrA serine peptidase 3(HTRA3)gene on choroidal neovascu-larization(CNV)and M2 macrophage polarization.Methods Fasting venous blood was collected from 30 patients with wet age-related macular degeneration(wAMD group)and 30 healthy subjects(normal group).The serum HTRA3 messen-ger ribonucleic acid(mRNA)level was detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR).RF/6A cells were randomly divided into the control group,NC-sh group and HTRA3-sh group.Lentiviral vectors of NC-shRNA and HTRA3-shRNA were transfected into RF/6A cells in the NC-sh group and HTRA3-sh group by Lipo-fectamine2000.HTRA3 transfection was detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot.Then,the RF/6A cells were randomly di-vided into the N group,H group,H+NC-sh group and H+HTRA3-sh group.After cell transfection,RF/6A cells in the N group were cultured in a RPMI 1640 complete medium at a normoxia state,and cells in other groups were cultured in a RP-MI 1640 medium with 200 mmol·L-1 CoCl2 at a hypoxia state.Tubule formation was measured by Matrigel.The C57BL/6J mice were divided into the control group,CNV group,CNV+NC-sh group and CNV+HTRA3-sh group,with 12 mice in each group.Mice in the control group were unmodeled mice,and mice in the other groups were laser-induced CNV model mice.NC-shRNA and HTRA3-shRNA lentiviral vectors with a titer of 1 × 1011 TU·mL-1 were administered to mice in the CNV+NC-sh group and CNV+HTRA3-sh group via intravitreal injection.Mice in the control group and CNV group were in-jected with phosphate buffered saline.After 7 days of treatment,the mice were examined by fundus fluorescein angiogra-phy,and the eyeballs received hematoxylin & eosin staining.The mRNA levels of HTRA3,chitinase-like protein 3(Ym-1),arginase 1(Arg-1),inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS),cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2)and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)in RF/6A cells or choroidal tissues were detected by qRT-PCR.The protein expression levels of HTRA3,VEGF and nuclear factor kappa B(NF-κB)p65 in RF/6A cells or choroidal tissues were detected by Western blot.Re-sults Compared with the normal group,serum HTRA3 mRNA level of patients in the wAMD group increased(t=11.804,P＜0.001).Compared with the control group and NC-sh group,the expressions of HTRA3 mRNA and protein in RF/6A cells in the HTRA3-sh group decreased(all P＜0.05).Compared with the N group,the number of closed lumen and the mRNA and protein expressions of HTRA3 and VEGF in RF/6A cells in the H group increased(all P＜0.05).Compared with the H+NC-sh group,the number of closed lumen and the mRNA and protein expressions of HTRA3 and VEGF decreased in RF/6A cells in the H+HTRA3-sh group(all P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,the mRNA and protein expression levels of HTRA3 increased,the relative fluorescence intensity of CNV increased,the mRNA levels of Ym-1 and Arg-1 in-creased,the iNOS and COX-2 mRNA levels decreased,and the NF-κB p65 protein expression level increased in mice of the CNV group(all P＜0.05).Compared with the CNV+NC-sh group,the mRNA and protein expression levels of HTRA3 de-creased,the relative fluorescence intensity of CNV decreased,the mRNA levels of Ym-1 and Arg-1 decreased,the mRNA levels of iNOS and COX-2 increased,and the NF-κB p65 protein expression level decreased in mice of the CNV+HTRA3-sh group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Down-regulation of HTRA3 can inhibit the formation of CNV and the polarization of M2 macrophages.HTRA3 may be an important potential target for the prevention and treatment of wAMD.

AIM: To analyze and compare the efficacy of binocular visual perception training and suspended vision trainer in postoperative rehabilitation of strabismus.METHODS: A total of 96 children who received surgical treatment from July 2022 to September 2023 were included in the study subjects, and they were group A(n=32), group B(n=32)and group C(n=32). After operation, binocular visual training, visual perception training and suspension vision trainer were used to compare the efficacy among groups.RESULTS: The changes of simultaneous visual function, fusion visual function, stereoscopic visual function, perceptual eye position(horizontal and vertical)and CIXTQ of the three groups of children were observed before training and at 3 mo after training, and the study found that the simultaneous visual function recovered differently at 3 mo after training, with the best recovery in the group B(all P<0.05); there were no significant differences in fusion visual function of the groups A and B(P>0.05), but there were statistical significance in fusion visual function among the three groups(all P<0.05); and there were no significant differences in recovery rate of stereoscopic visual function among the three groups(P>0.05). The improvement of perceptual eye position of the group B, either horizontally or vertically, was better than that of both the group A and group C(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION: Visual perception training has a higher value in the simultaneous visual function, fusion function, stereoscopic visual function, perceptual eye position and quality of life in children with strabismus.

Objective:To investigate the current status of endoscopic treatment for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension in China, and to provide supporting data and reference for the development of endoscopic treatment.Methods:In this study, initiated by the Liver Health Consortium in China (CHESS), a questionnaire was designed and distributed online to investigate the basic condition of endoscopic treatment for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension in 2022 in China. Questions included annual number and indication of endoscopic procedures, adherence to guideline for preventing esophagogastric variceal bleeding (EGVB), management and timing of emergent EGVB, management of gastric and isolated varices, and improvement of endoscopic treatment. Proportions of hospitals concerning therapeutic choices to all participant hospitals were calculated. Guideline adherence between secondary and tertiary hospitals were compared by using Chi-square test.Results:A total of 836 hospitals from 31 provinces (anotomous regions and municipalities) participated in the survey. According to the survey, the control of acute EGVB (49.3%, 412/836) and the prevention of recurrent bleeding (38.3%, 320/836) were major indications of endoscopic treatment. For primary [non-selective β-blocker (NSBB) or endoscopic therapies] and secondary prophylaxis (NSBB and endoscopic therapies) of EGVB, adherence to domestic guideline was 72.5% (606/836) and 39.2% (328/836), respectively. There were significant differences in the adherence between secondary and tertiary hospitals in primary prophylaxis of EGVB [71.0% (495/697) VS 79.9% (111/139), χ2=4.11, P=0.033] and secondary prophylaxis of EGVB [41.6% (290/697) VS 27.3% (38/139), χ2=9.31, P=0.002]. A total of 78.2% (654/836) hospitals preferred endoscopic therapies treating acute EGVB, and endoscopic therapy was more likely to be the first choice for treating acute EGVB in tertiary hospitals (82.6%, 576/697) than secondary hospitals [56.1% (78/139), χ2=46.33, P<0.001]. The optimal timing was usually within 12 hours (48.5%, 317/654) and 12-24 hours (36.9%, 241/654) after the bleeding. Regarding the management of gastroesophageal varices type 2 and isolated gastric varices type 1, most hospitals used cyanoacrylate injection in combination with sclerotherapy [48.2% (403/836) and 29.9% (250/836), respectively], but substantial proportions of hospitals preferred clip-assisted therapies [12.4% (104/836) and 26.4% (221/836), respectively]. Improving the skills of endoscopic doctors (84.2%, 704/836), and enhancing the precision of pre-procedure evaluation and quality of multidisciplinary team (78.9%, 660/836) were considered urgent needs in the development of endoscopic treatment. Conclusion:A variety of endoscopic treatments for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension are implemented nationwide. Participant hospitals are active to perform emergent endoscopy for acute EGVB, but are inadequate in following recommendations regarding primary and secondary prophylaxis of EGVB. Moreover, the selection of endoscopic procedures for gastric varices differs greatly among hospitals.

Background Arsenic, cobalt, barium, and other individual metal exposure have been confirmed to be associated with the incidence of kidney stones. However, there are few studies on the association between mixed metal exposure and kidney stones, especially in occupational groups. Objective To investigate the association between mixed metal exposure and kidney stones in an occupational population from a metal smelting plant. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, and lifestyle information of 1158 mixed metal-exposed workers in a metal smelting plant in Guangdong Province from July 2021 to January 2022. Midstream morning urine samples were collected from the workers, the concentrations of 18 metals including lithium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, arsenic, selenium, strontium, molybdenum, cadmium, cesium, barium, tungsten, titanium, and lead were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and the urinary mercury levels were measured by cold atomic absorption spectroscopy. Based on predetermined inclusion criteria, a total of 919 mixed metal-exposed workers were included in the study, including 117 workers in the kidney stone group and 802 workers in the non-kidney stone group. With a detection rate of urinary metals greater than 80% as entry criterion, 16 eligible metals were finally included for further analysis. Parametric or non-parametric methods were used to compare the differences between continuous or categorical variables of the non-kidney stone group and the kidney stone group. Logistic regression models were constructed to explore the association between individual metal exposures and kidney stones. Weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression models were used to evaluate the association between mixed metal exposure and kidney stones, as well as the weights of each metal on kidney stones. Then Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models were used to explore the overall effect of mixed metal exposure on renal calculi and the potential interactions between metals. Results We found that there were significant differences in sex, age, length of service, and body mass Index (BMI) between the non-kidney stone group and the kidney stone group (P<0.05). The urinary concentrations of molybdenum and barium in the kidney stone group were higher than those in the non-kidney stone group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The logistic regression models demonstrated that urinary cobalt, arsenic, molybdenum, and barium were positively correlated with the risk of kidney stones (P_trend<0.05). The WQS regression models showed that the mixed exposure to vanadium, cobalt, arsenic, molybdenum, and barium was positively associated with the risk of kidney stones (P<0.05). Among them, molybdenum, arsenic, and barium accounted for 0.391, 0.337, and 0.154, respectively. The BKMR results revealed a positive association between metal mixture exposure and the risk of kidney stones (P<0.05). When other metals were fixed at the 25th, 50th, or 75th percentile, arsenic, molybdenum, cobalt, and barium exhibited significant positive effects on the risk of kidney stones (P<0.05), while vanadium showed a significant negative effect (P<0.05). The interaction analysis demonstrated interactions between barium and cobalt, as well as between vanadium and cobalt (P<0.05). Conclusion In the occupational population of this smelter, occupational mixed metal exposure could increase the risk of kidney stones, and the main metals are molybdenum, arsenic, barium, and cobalt.

Ankylosing spondylitis(AS)is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by inflammatory back pain.Its pathological features mainly include inflammation,bone destruction,and pathologic new bone formation.The etiology of AS is complex,and it may be related to genetics,infections,the environment,and intestinal flora.Its pathogenesis has not yet been clarified.In recent years,osteoimmunology,as a new theme in the study of inflammatory arthritis,plays an important role in the pathogenesis and development of AS,which was embodied in the inflammatory response and imbalance of bone metabolism.Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has the characteristics of multiple pathways,multiple components,multiple targets and multiple levels.TCM can improve the inflammatory response and bone metabolism imbalance of AS by regulating the osteoblasts of the skeletal system and the related factors of the immune system,thus to prevent and control AS.For this reason,the paper summarizes the role of bone immunology in the pathogenesis of AS,and reviews the current status of research on the intervention of TCM in bone immunology for the treatment of AS,with a view to providing certain references for the future clinical application of TCM in the prevention and treatment of AS.

Purpose To explore the ultrasound imaging characteristics and clinical significance of abnormal sylvian fissure in fetuses of transthalamic section at 22-26 weeks of gestation.Materials and Methods The ultrasound image characteristics,intracranial and extracranial malformations and clinical outcomes of 12 abnormal sylvian fissure cases of transthalamic section at 22-26 weeks of gestation in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from December 2018 to March 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.Results According to the ultrasound image characteristics of abnormal sylvian fissure,it could be divided into straight(4 cases)and shallow shapes(8 cases).The sylvian fissure of straight shapes was flat.Straight shapes were with 1 malformation of cortical development.The sylvian fissure of shallow shapes was corniform with unconspicuous insular platform.All of the shallow shapes were malformation of cortical development.Common intracranial abnormal signs mainly included other abnormal cerebral gyrus and sulcus(9 cases),ventricular dilatation or hydrocephalus(7 cases),partial or complete agenesis of corpus callosum(7 cases),etc.11 pregnant women chose to terminate their pregnancy,and 1 fetus died in the uterus after 5 days of ultrasound examination.Conclusion Fetal abnormal sylvian fissure at 22-26 weeks of gestation is an important clue to craniocerebral malformations,especially to malformation of cortical development.

Objective To establish ecological suitability zone of Forsythia suspensa(Thunb.)Vahl in Shanxi Province;To study the quality regionalization of Forsythia suspensa(Thunb.)Vahl from different producing areas in Shanxi Province;To provide reference for reasonable planting and wild tending of Forsythia suspensa(Thunb.)Vahl.Methods Maximum entropy(MaxEnt)model and ArcGIS software were used to study the ecological suitability of Forsythia suspensa(Thunb.)Vahl in Shanxi Province;By screening the main environmental factors and combining them with the content of forsythoside and forsythoside A in Forsythia suspensa(Thunb.)Vahl of different regions,a quality zoning of Forsythia suspensa Thunb.Vahl medicinal materials in Shanxi Province based on forsythoside,forsythoside A and environmental factors was constructed.Results The ecological suitable areas of Forsythia suspensa Thunb.Vahl in Shanxi Province were mainly distributed in the southern part of Shanxi Province,mainly in Linfen,Yuncheng,Changzhi,and Jincheng.The general contents of forsythoside and forsythoside A in the Forsythia suspensa(Thunb.)Vahl medicinal material were gradually reduced from southern part to northern part of Shanxi Province.The comprehensive quality was high in southern part of Shanxi Province,mainly in Linfen,Changzhi,Yuncheng and Jincheng.Conclusion The results of this study are consistent with the actual survey.The southern part of Shanxi province is a suitable planting area for high quality Forsythia suspensa(Thunb.)Vahl,which provides a reference for the standardized planting and wild tending of Forsythia suspensa(Thunb.)Vahl.