Objective: To explore the relationship between the ratio of dietary vitamin A (VitA) to body weight and hypertension among children, so as to provide a reference for blood pressure control through dietary nutritional interventions and childhood hypertension prevention. Methods: Utilizing the baseline survey and followup sample data from the Healthy Children Cohort established in urban and rural areas of Chongqing from 2014 to 2019, structured quantitative dietary questionnaire and selfdesigned questionnaire were used to investigate the information of dietary intake and socioeconomic characteristics of 15 279 children, as well as blood pressure, height, weight measurement. The ratio of dietary VitA to body weight was divided into four groups based on quartiles [≤P25(Q1), >P25~P50(Q2), >P50~P75(Q3), >P75(Q4)]. Generalized linear regression models and Logistic regression models were used to analyze the correlation between ratio of dietary VitA to body weight with blood pressure levels and prevalence of hypertension. Results: The results of the 2014 baseline survey indicated that, after adjusting for confounding factors such as demographic indicators and nutritional intake, significant differences were observed in systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) among different groups categorized by the ratio of dietary VitA to body weight (F=157.57, 44.71, 95.92, P<0.01). The baseline ratio of dietary VitA to body weight in children exhibited a negative correlation with DBP, SBP and MAP at baseline and in 2019[baseline: β(95%CI)=-0.65(-0.89--0.42), -0.22(-0.42--0.01), -0.36(-0.56--0.16); 2019: β(95%CI)=-0.77(-1.34--0.19), -0.62(-1.21--0.02), -0.77(-1.34--0.19), P＜0.05]. Compared to Q1 group, the risk of hypertension decreased among children in Q4 at baseline and followup in 2019 [OR(95%CI)=0.63(0.49-0.81), 0.18(0.08-0.42), P<0.01]. Conclusions The ratio of dietary VitA to body weight is significantly negatively correlated with blood pressure levels among children, and dietary VitA deficiency is an independent risk factor for hypertension among children. Measures should be taken to actively adjust childrens dietary nutrition and reduce the risk of childhood hypertension.

Objective To identify the pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis in bloodstream infec-tions with high confidence based on three deep learning models such as GoogleNet,ResNet101,and Vgg19,compare the performance and classification ability of these models,and explore the feasibility of applying the deep learning models for the rapid identification of pathogenic bacteria in bloodstream infections.Methods The preprocessed Gram-stained bacterial images,including 1 682 images for Staphylococcus aureus and 1 723 for Enterococcus faecalis,and 688 blank control microscopic images were input into three models for training and validation,respectively.Among them,1 344 images for Staphylococcus aureus,1 376 for Enterococcus faecalis,and 544 blank control images were used for training,and the remaining images were used for validation.The model with the best performance was identified according to the classification parameters between the models.Results The ResNet101 model had the lowest cross-en-tropy loss value(0.008 710 3),the largest Epoch value(93),and the highest accuracy rate(99％)for identifying the three types of validation set images.The cross-entropy loss value,Epoch value,and accuracy rate of the GoogleNet model were 0.063 89,86 and 98.6％,respectively,for identifying the three types of validation set images.Those of the Vgg19 model were 0.035 682,86 and 97.7％,respectively.Conclusion The ResNet101 model has the best performance in the classification of three kinds of images.The deep learning model may accurately,reliably and rapidly identify the Gram-stained images of pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis in bloodstream infections.

Objective:To compare the predictive values of Bologna Outcome Algorithm for Stroke (BOAS) , Acute Stroke Registry and Analysis of Lausanne (ASTRAL) and Preadmission Comorbidities, Level of Consciousness, Age, and Focal Neurologic Deficit (PLAN) for stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) and prognosis in elderly stroke patients in ICU.Methods:Using the convenient sampling method, a total of 198 elderly stroke patients who were hospitalized in ICU of Neurology Department of Henan Provincial People's Hospital were selected as the research objects from June 2017 to December 2019. According to whether SAP occurred within 4 weeks, patients were divided into SAP group, non-SAP group, severe SAP subgroup and mild SAP subgroup. According to the outcome within 4 weeks, they are divided into the poor prognosis group and the good prognosis group. The differences of BOAS, ASTRAL and PLAN scores among different groups were recorded and compared. ROC curve was used to analyze and compare the predictive performance of the three scales for SAP and its prognosis.Results:Pairwise positive correlation was found between BOAS, ASTRAL and PLAN scores ( P<0.05) . All the three scores of patients in SAP group were significantly higher than those in the non-SAP group, and ASTRAL and PLAN scores in severe SAP subgroup were higher than those in mild SAP subgroup, and the differences were significant ( P<0.05) . The area under ROC curve ( AUC) of BOAS, ASTRAL and PLAN scores were respectively 0.610, 0.692 and 0.705, and the AUC for predicting severe SAP were respectively 0.613, 0.661 and 0.709. In the SAP group and the non-SAP group, the scores of three scales of patients in the poor prognosis group were higher than those in the good prognosis group, and the differences were significant ( P<0.05) . The AUC of BOAS, ASTRAL and PLAN scores in the SAP group for predicting poor prognosis were respectively 0.736, 0.757 and 0.716, and AUC in the non-SAP group were respectively 0.699, 0.731 and 0.631. Conclusions:BOAS, ASTRAL and PLAN scores have certain predictive value for the SAP and prognosis of elderly patients in ICU. Among them, PLAN score has better predictive performance for SAP and ASTRAL has better predictive performance for prognosis.

Objective: To learn the willingness and influencing factors of influenza vaccination among the community managed diabetic patients in Keqiao District, Shaoxing, so as to provide the basis for influenza vaccination promotion. Methods: A self-compiled questionnaire survey was conducted from October to December 2017 among all the managed diabetic patients in Keqiao District. The contents of questionnaire included the basic information of the respondents, awareness of influenza vaccine, vaccination status and vaccination intention. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors for the willingness of influenza vaccination. Results: A total of 15 060 questionnaires were sent out and 13 781 valid ones were retrieved, the response rate was 91.51%. There were 3 888 patients with the awareness of influenza vaccine, accounting for 28.21%; 4 259 patients with the willingness to be vaccinated, accounting for 30.90%; 630 previously-vaccinated patients, accounting for 4.57%. The patients who were female (OR=1.157, 95%CI: 1.064-1.258) , were married (OR=1.242, 95%CI:1.107-1.393), were with other chronic diseases (OR=1.199, 95%CI: 1.103-1.303) , believed diabetic patients were more susceptible to influenza (OR=1.251, 95%CI: 1.102-1.419) , believed influenza aggravate diabetes status (OR=1.640, 95%CI: 1.445-1.860) , believed that the vaccination effectively prevent influenza (OR=3.129, 95%CI: 2.866-3.416) , knew about influenza vaccine (OR=1.111, 95%CI: 1.105-1.216) and ever received influenza vaccination (OR=1.316, 95%CI: 1.103-1.570) were more willing to be vaccinated. Conclusions The willingness of influenza vaccination among the community managed diabetic patients in Keqiao District is low. The patients＇gender, married status, other chronic diseases, awareness of influenza vaccine and the history of vaccination can affect the willingness of influenza vaccination.

Nuclear receptors are transcriptional regulators involved in almost all biological processes such as cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, substance metabolism and tumor formation, and they can be regulated by small molecules that bind to them. Autophagy is a special way of programmed cell death and it is a highly conserved metabolic process. Once autophagy defects or excessive autophagy occur, the disease will develop. In recent years, numerous studies have shown that nuclear receptors are related to autophagy. Therefore, this paper mainly reviews the research progress on nuclear receptors involved in the regulation of autophagy, and focuses on the mechanism of several nuclear receptors involved in the regulation of autophagy, aiming at understanding the molecular basis of how nuclear receptors participate in regulating autophagy, as well as providing possible ideas and strategies for the treatment of corresponding diseases.

Objective To elucidate the relative level of miR-23a RNA in rectal cancer tissues and cell line as well as the effects of miR-23a on the cell proliferation and apoptosis of rectal cancer cells in vitro.Methods Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was applied in assessment of the transcription of miR-23a in rectal cancer tissues and in vitro cells.The RNA fragment of miR-23a inhibitor and inhibitor NC were synthesized and transfected into SW480 cells.Cell proliferation was evaluated with Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay.The apoptotic rate was analyzed by flow cytometry.The expression of ESRP1 was detected by western blot.Wild-type pGL3-ESRP1-3'UTR (wt-pGL3-ESRP1-3'UTR) or mutant pGL3-ESRP1-3'UTR (mut-pGL3-ES-RP1-3'UTR) plasmids and miR-23a inhibitor RNA fragments or inhibitor NC RNA fragments were co-transfected into HEK293 and SW480 cells,then the Promega dual luciferase reporter gene assay kit was used to examine the dual luciferase activity in SW480 cells.Resuits The relative RNA level of miR-23a was significantly promoted in both rectal cancer tissue samples and SW480 cells.After SW480cells were transfected with miR-23a inhibitor,human rectal cancer cell line SW480 with down-regulation of miR-23a showed significant inhibition of cell proliferation compared with negative control (P =0.000).Furthermore,our data demonstrated clearly that the inhibition of miR-23a promoted apoptosis in SW480 cells (P =0.000).Luciferase assay showed that ESRP1 was a direct target gene of miR -23a.Conclusion The expression of miR-23a is clearly associated with the growth and apoptosis of human rectal cells by targeting ESRP1,whilst miR-23a may be used as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of rectal cancer in the future.

AIM:To investigate the expression of miR-23a and epithelial splicing regulatory protein 1(ESRP1) in rectal cancer tissues and cell lines as well as their effects on rectal cancer cell viability and apoptosis.METHODS:The relative levels of miR-23a in the rectal cancer tissues and cultured cells were assessed by RT-qPCR.The positive expression of ESRP1 in the rectal cancer tissues and non-cancer tissues was detected by immunohistochemical staining.The sequences of miR-23a inhibitor and inhibitor negative control (NC) were synthesized, and transfected into the SW480 cells.The cell viability was measured by CCK-8 assay.The apoptotic rate was analyzed by flow cytometry.The cell invasion was evaluated by Matrigel counting assay.The expression of ESRP1 was determined by Western blot.The wild-type pGL3-ESRP1-3'UTR (wt-pGL3-ESRP1-3'UTR) or mutant pGL3-ESRP1-3'UTR (mut-pGL3-ESRP1-3'UTR) plasmid and miR-23a inhibitor or inhibitor NC were co-transfected into the HEK293 and SW480 cells.The dual luciferase activity was detected according to Promega dual luciferase reporter gene assay kit instructions.The cell viability and apoptosis were evaluated by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry analysis, respectively, after the SW480 cells were transfected with ESRP1 mimic or mimic NC.The expression of ESRP1, caspase-3, Smac and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) in the SW480 cells was detected by Western blot.RESULTS:The expression of miR-23a was significantly up-re-gulated in the rectal cancer tissues and cell lines, while the positive expression of ESRP1 was significantly decreased in the rectal cancer specimens.The miR-23a expression was also closely related to lymphnode metastasis and TNM stages of rectal cancer patients.ESRP1 was inversely correlated with miR-23a in the rectal cancer tissues.After transfection with miR-23a inhibitor in human rectal cancer SW480 cells, the down-regulation of miR-23a induced significant inhibition of cell viability as compared with the cells transfected with inhibitor NC (P<0.01).Furthermore, the apoptotic rate induced by the miR-23a inhibitor transfection was markedly higher than that of control (P<0.01).Luciferase assay showed that ESRP1 was a direct target gene of miR-23a.The cell viability and apoptosis were inhibited and promoted, respectively, after transfection with ESRP1 mimic in the SW480 cells.Promoted expression of ESRP1 significantly up-regulated the levels of caspase-3 and Smac as well as down-regulated the expression of XIAP in the SW480 cells.CONCLUSION:The expression of miR-23a is significantly associated with the growth and apoptosis of human rectal cancer cells by targeting ESRP1.miR-23a may be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of rectal cancer in the future.

Objective To explore how Vibrio vulnificus (Vv) invades dendritic cells (DC) and induces acute necrosis of DC via toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and 4 pathways.Methods Vv 1.1758 strain and DC 2.4 mixed culture model was established,observed the infection rates of DC with optical microscope,the location of Vv and structural changes of DC by transmission electron microscope.The expression levels of TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA were determined by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) protein titers were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).DNA ladder qualitative test was used to detect cell apoptosis,while flow cytometry was used to quantify cell apoptosis and necrosis rates.Statistical analysis was done by chi-square test and one-way ANOVE.Results The infection rates of DC after 0.5,1,2,4 and 6 h of mixed culture were (7.8±0.8) ％,(13.9± 1.1) ％,(34.6±4.9) ％,(77.8± 10.2)％ and (95.8 ± 13.1)％,respectively.Vv was generally located in the internal cell membrane of DC 2.4.After 2 h co-culture,nuclear chromatins of DC became active and intranuclear apoptosis bodies appeared.After 4 h,cytoplasmic vacuoles appeared,chromatin gathered,and cell membranes were seriously damaged.After 6 h,mitochondria was highly swelled and distorted,and cell apoptosis and necrosis occurred.TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA levels reached peak values after co-culture for 0.5 h; TNF-α level began to increase at 1 h (P＜0.05) and reached peak values at 2 h.DNA Ladder electrophoresis presented scouring necrosis after 2 h culture and apoptotic bands appeared between 720 bp and 900 bp after 4 to 5 h culture.Early apoptosis rates of DC after 2,4 and 6 h culture were (3.1±3.8)％,(7.8±4.7)％ and (12.7±8.2)％,and necrosis rates of DC were (16.7±12.5)％,(41.6±25.9)％ and (75.5±33.6)％,higher than that of control group (all P＜0.05).Conclusions Vv infects DC and induce DNA degradation through up-regulated expression of TLR2 and TLR4 and increasing of TNF-α inflammatory mediators.During cell degradation,apoptosis and necrosis coexist,while necrosis is predominant.

Separating technique of Chinese medicine is not only a key technique in the field of Chinese medicine' s research and development, but also a significant step in the modernization of Chinese medicinal preparation. Computer chemistry can build model and look for the regulations from Chinese medicine system which is full of complicated data. This paper analyzed the applicability, key technology, basic mode and common algorithm of computer chemistry applied in the separation of Chinese medicine, introduced the mathematic mode and the setting methods of Extraction kinetics, investigated several problems which based on traditional Chinese medicine membrane procession, and forecasted the application prospect.
Chemistry Techniques, Analytical ; methods ; Computers ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Models, Theoretical

Pigment epithelium derived factor (PEDF) has been proven to be an effective drug for the treatment of choroidal neovascularization (CNV). However, the lack of ideal administration route is the biggest bottleneck preventing PEDF from wider clinical use. In this study, we developed a novel PEDF-carrying system which employed immuno-nano-liposomes (INLs) under ultrasound exposure. PEDF-loaded INLs were prepared by conjugating nanoliposomes to the peptide ATWLPPR specifically targeting the receptor-2 for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGFR-2) and reversely encapsuling PEDF. RF/6A cells were incubated with PEDF-loaded INLs. CNV models of BN rats were injected with PEDF-loaded INLs. MTT assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of the INLs on RF/6A cells. Flow cytometry was conducted to detect the apoptotic rate of cells. Laser scanning confocal microscopy was employed to observe the binding and transmitting process of PEDF-loaded INLs and to calculate the area of CNV in the rat model. The results showed that the PEDF-loaded INLs could exclusively bind to CNV but not to the normal choroidal vessels. The CNV area was significantly decreased in PEDF treatment groups in comparison with control group (P<0.05). Moreover, PEDF-loaded INLs exposed under ultrasound were more efficient in reducing the CNV area (P<0.05). It was concluded that INLs in combination with ultrasonic exposure can transmit PEDF into cytoplasma with high specificity and efficiency, which strengthens the inhibitory effects of PEDF on CNV and reduces its side effects. PEDF-loaded INLs possibly represent a new treatment paradigm for patients with ocular neovascularization.
Animals ; Choroidal Neovascularization ; drug therapy ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Eye Proteins ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Liposomes ; administration & dosage ; Male ; Nanoparticles ; administration & dosage ; Nerve Growth Factors ; therapeutic use ; Peptides ; administration & dosage ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred BN ; Serpins ; therapeutic use ; Ultrasonics ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 ; metabolism