Background::Asthma imposes a large healthcare burden in China and the United States (US). However, the trends of asthma mortality and the relative risk factors have not been comparatively analyzed between the countries. The aim of this study was to compare the mortality and risk factors between China and the US.Methods::The deaths, and mortality rates of asthma in China and the US during 1990–2019 were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The age–period–cohort model was used to estimate these mortality rates based on a log-linear scale with additive age, period, and cohort effects. The population attributable fractions of risk factors for asthma were estimated.Results::In 1990–2019, the asthma mortality rate was higher in China than in the US. The crude and age-standardized asthma mortality rates trended downward in both China and the US from 1990 to 2019. The decline in mortality was more obvious in China. Mortality gap between the two countries was narrowing. A sex difference in asthma mortality was observed with higher mortality in males in China and females in the US. The age effects showed that mortality increased with age in adults older than 20 years, particularly in the elderly. Downward trends were generally observed in the period and cohort rate ratios in both countries, with China experiencing a more obvious decrease. Smoking and high body mass index (BMI) were the leading risk factors for asthma mortality in China and the US, respectively. Mortality attributable to occupational asthmagens and smoking decreased the most in China and the US, respectively.Conclusions::In 1990–2019, the asthma mortality rate was higher in China than in the US; however, the mortality gap has narrowed. Mortality increased with age in adults. The improvements in asthma death risk with period and birth cohort were more obvious in China than in the US. Smoking, high BMI, and aging are major health problems associated with asthma control. The role of occupational asthmagens in asthma mortality underscores the importance of management and prevention of occupational asthma.

Nucleoside drugs play an essential role in treating major diseases such as tumor and viral infections, and have been widely applied in clinics. However, the effectiveness and application of nucleoside drugs are significantly limited by their intrinsic properties such as low bioavailability, lack of targeting ability, and inability to enter the cells. Nanocarriers can improve the physiological properties of nucleoside drugs by improving drug delivery efficiency and availability, maintaining drug efficacy and system stability, adjusting the binding ability of the carrier and drug molecules, as well as modifying specific molecules to achieve active targeting. Starting from the design strategy of nucleoside drug nanodelivery systems, the design and therapeutic effect of these nanomedicines are described in this review, and the future development directions of nucleoside/nucleotide-loaded nanomedicines are also discussed.
Nanomedicine ; Nucleosides/chemistry* ; Nucleotides ; Nanoparticles/chemistry* ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Drug Carriers

OBJECTIVE: To investigate clinical effect of sternoclavicular hook plate in treating acute proximal clavicle fracture. METHODS: The clinical of 12 patients with acute unstable proximal clavicle fracture from June 2016 to June 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 8 males and 4 females, aged from 46 to 63 years old. Ten patients caused by car accident and 2 patients caused by high falling. All patients had multiple injuries;the time from injury to surgery ranged from 2 to 14 d. All patients were treated with domestic sternoclavicular joint hook plate. The operative time ranged from 40 to 115 min. The intraoperative bleeding volume ranged from 30 to 110 ml, follow-up time ranged from 10 to 36 months, the fracture healing time ranged from 8 to 18 weeks. At the latest follow-up, the efficacy was evaluated by using shoulder joint function score (Rockwood score). RESULTS: All 12 patients were followed up, with no obvious pain at the latest follow-up. The rockwood scores of the affected shoulder ranged from 13 to 14, and the healthy shoulder ranged from 14 to 15. CONCLUSION The sternocleidoclavicular joint plate is fixed with preformed plate. The cantilever is designed to retain the motion of the sternoclavicular joint. It's safe and simple, avoid, the injury of important organs during operation, and has a good prognosis. It is an ideal fixation method for the treatment of proximal clavicle fracture.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Clavicle/injuries* ; Sternoclavicular Joint/injuries* ; Retrospective Studies ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/methods* ; Treatment Outcome ; Fractures, Bone/surgery*

Transient osteoporosis of the hip(TOH) is classified as a type of bone marrow edema syndrome. TOH is lack of previous study and there is still controversy about his pathogenesis. In recent years, with the development of multi-discipline, such as imaging, pathology, molecular biology, the study has found that the pathological mechanism is complex, while its mechanism is still not clear, which need further research. This paper summarizes the research progress on the pathogenesis of TOH from neurogenic, osteonecrosis, abnormal vascular function, subchondral fracture, heredity and regional acceleration and son on.

Objective To observe the effect of treadmill exercise on the expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and its receptor Smad3 protein as well as on cell apoptosis in the ischemic boundary zone,so as to explore how exercise promotes the recovery of neurological function after cerebral ischemia.Methods Thirty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a sham group (n=6),a model group (n=12) and an exercise group (n=12).A modified Longa's method was used to establish an animal model of cerebral ischemia by occluding the right middle cerebral artery in the rats of the model and exercise groups.Those of the sham group were subjected to the same surgical procedure except that no thread was inserted.After 24h the exercise group began treadmill training,while the other two groups were left on the treadmill without training.Modified neurological severity scores (mNSSs) were used to quantify the rats' neurological functioning on the 3rd,7th and 14th day after the surgery.The ischemic boundary zone tissue was then dissected to detect the expression of TGF-31 and Smad3 protein using western blotting.Cell apoptosis was detected by TUNEL staining.Results The average mNSS scores of the exercise group on the 7th and the 14th day were significantly lower than those of the model group at the same time points.The average expression level of TGF-β1 and Smad3 protein in the exercise group was significantly higher than in the model group.The number of TUNEL-positive cells in the exercise group was significantly lower than in the model group on the 14th day.Conclusions Treadmill exercise can improve the recovery of neurological function after cerebral ischemia.It may be partly due to upregulating the expression of TGF-β1 and Smad3 protein,which inhibit cell apoptosis in the ischemic boundary zone.

Objective To evaluate the effect of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy on postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in elderly patients undergoing general anesthesia.Methods A total of 112 patients,aged 65-75 yr,of American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status Ⅱ or Ⅲ,undergoing elective non-cardiac surgery with general anesthesia,were randomly divided into control group (C group,n =54) and HBO group (n =58).Patients were exposed to hyperbaric oxygen in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber once a day from day 3 to day 12 after surgery in both groups.Pressure was slowly increased to 2 atmosphere absolute within 20 min,pure oxygen was inhaled for 35 min by mask,5 min later pure oxygen was inhaled for another 35 min,oxygen inhalation was then stopped and pressure was slowly increased to 1 atmosphere absolute in HBO group.Patients inhaled air at 1 atmosphere absolute for 70 min in C group.Cognitive function score was assessed using Mini-Mental State Examination,language ability test,visual identification function test,digit span backwards task and Hasegawa's Dementia Scale (HDS) at 2 days before surgery and 7 and 13 days after surgery.The development of POCD was recorded.Results Compared with the baseline at 2 days before surgery,language ability test,digit span backwards task and HDS scores were significantly decreased at 7 and 13 days after surgery in C group,and digit span backwards task scores were significantly decreased at 7 days after surgery in HBO group (P＜0.05 or 0.01).The language ability test and HDS scores were significantly higher,and the incidence of POCD was lower at 7 and 13 days after surgery in HBO group than in C group (P＜0.05).Conclusion HBO therapy can reduce POCD in elderly patients undergoing general anesthesia.

Objective To investigate the safety and short-term effectiveness of the hybrid operation for the treatment of intracranial complex ruptured aneurysms.Methods From December 2014 to March 2017,14 consecutive patients with complex ruptured aneurysm treated with hybrid operation at the Department of Neurosurgery,Nanfang Hospital,Southern Medical University were enrolled retrospectively,including 13 with acute spontaneous aneurismal subarachnoid hemorrhage and 1 with hemorrhage in the recurrent aneurysm embolization.Twelve aneurysms were treated with shape clipping.Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) was used to evaluate the clipping effect of aneurysms.Two patients with aneurysm were treated with extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass and aneurysm trapping.Endovascular balloon occlusion for trapping aneurysms was performed after DSA evaluation of the patency of bridge vessel.Results Of the 14 patients,11 were treated with emergency hybrid operation after angiography,2 were treated with elective surgery,and 1 with emergency surgery for rescue because of bleeding during embolization.DSA revealed that the aneurysm clips in 3 of 12 patients needed to be adjusted,including 2 parent artery stenosis and 1 with incomplete clipping.After adjustment,the clipping was satisfactory.In intracranial and extracranial bypass surgery,angiography revealed that the blood vessels were patent.Trapping of the aneurysms was performed in the one-stage operation.One patient discharged voluntarily after procedure because of serious vasospasm.Onepatient had perfusion pressure breakthrough after surgery and received hematoma evacuation and decompression.The Glasgow outcome scale (GOS) score was 3 at discharge.Other patients had no new neurological dysfunction after operation.Thirteen patients were followed up for 3-24 months after operation.There were no new neurological dysfunction,including GOS 5 in 8 cases and 4 in 5 cases.Six patients underwent DSA examination,in 4 of them the aneurysm clipping did not show aneurysm recurrence,and the parent arteries were patent.Two patients treated with vascular bypass.There were no recurrence of aneurysms,and the parent arteries and anastomotic vessels were patent.Conclusion After preliminary observation,using hybrid operation for the treatment of complicated intracranial ruptured aneurysms was safe and effective.

Objective To compare the clinical choosing principles of sedated colonoscopy with con-ventional colonoscopy. Methods Outpatients who were willing to accept colonoscopy with or without seda-tion were prospectively recruited,which were assigned to sedated colonoscopy group(n=362)and conven-tional colonoscopy group(n=323). All patients and endoscopists were asked to answer a self-administered questionnaire. The colonoscopy completion,operation time,procedure-related discomfort,and questionnaire results of the two groups were compared and statistically analyzed. Results The completion rate was 98. 9%in the sedated colonoscopy group(358/362)and 89. 8% in the conventional colonoscopy group(290/323) ( P=0. 337 ). The operation time of sedated and conventional group were( 5. 60 ± 3. 25 ) minutes and (7. 71 ± 5. 70)minutes respectively(P<0. 001). And the average cost was CNY 886. 54 per patient in se-dated group and CNY 386. 00 per patient in the conventional group. Patient satisfaction score of conventional group and sedated group were 4(3-4)and 3(2-3)points(P<0. 001),while endoscopist satisfaction score was 4(3-4)and 4(4-4)(P<0. 001). A total of 354 patients(97. 79%)in the sedated group and 225 pa-tients(69. 66%)in the conventional group showed willingness to repeat the identical colonoscopy( P <0. 001). Patients who were male(P=0. 035),having no past abdominal operations(P<0. 001),or no ab-dominal pain during colonoscopy( P =0. 015 )in the conventional group preferred to repeat conventional colonoscopy. Conclusion Although the examination time of conventional colonoscopy is longer than sedated colonoscopy,it could reduce anesthesia risk and the cost. Conventional colonoscopy remains an irreplaceable examination of colorectal diseases in developing countries. Physicians should not only focus on patients'com-fort during endoscopy,but also help patients make a decision based on their actual situation and endoscopic indications to make the best of medical resources.

This study investigated the tight junction (TJ) protein expression of the intestinal mucosa in a rat tail-suspension model under simulated weightlessness. Twenty-four Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups: CON group (n=8), control; SUS-14 d group (n=8), tail-suspension for 14 days; SUS-21 d group (n=8), tail-suspension for 21 days. Occludin and Zonula Occluden-1 (ZO-1) expression levels were determined by immunohistochemical analysis and mRNA fluorescent quantitative PCR. Plasma levels of diamine oxidase (DAO) and d-lactate were determined using enzymatic spectrophotometry. Immunohistochemical results for occludin and ZO-1 showed disruption of the TJs in the intestinal mucosa in SUS-14 d and SUS-21 d groups. The expression levels of occludin and ZO-1 in SUS-21 d group were lower than those in SUS-14 d group, and significantly lower than those in CON group (Occldin: 0.86±0.02 vs 1.01±0.03 vs 1.63±0.03 and ZO-1: 0.82±0.01 vs 1.00±0.02 vs 1.55±0.01, P<0.01). Moreover, the levels of plasma DAO and d-lactate in SUS-21 d group were higher than those in SUS-14 d group, and significantly higher than those in CON group (DAO: 27.58±0.49 vs 20.74±0.49 vs 12.94±0.21 and d-lactate: 37.86±0.74 vs 28.26±1.01 vs 17.76±0.91, P<0.01). There were significant negative correlations between occludin or ZO-1 expression levels and DAO (r (2)=0.9014, r (2)=0.9355, P<0.01) or d-lactate levels (r (2)=0.8989, r (2)=0.9331, P<0.01). Occludin and Zo-1 were reduced in intestinal mucosa both in mRNA and protein levels in the rat tail-suspension model. The significant negative correlations between expression levels of TJs and plasma levels of DAO or d-lactate support the hypothesis that intestinal permeability is increased due to a decrease in TJ protein expression during tail-suspension from 14 days to 21 days.

This study investigated the tight junction (TJ) protein expression of the intestinal mucosa in a rat tail-suspension model under simulated weightlessness.Twenty-four Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups:CON group (n=8),control; SUS-14 d group (n=8),tail-suspension for 14 days;SUS-21 d group (n=8),tail-suspension for 21 days.Occludin and Zonula Occluden-1 (ZO-1) expression levels were determined by immunohistochemical analysis and mRNA fluorescent quantitative PCR.Plasma levels of diamine oxidase (DAO) and d-lactate were determined using enzymatic spectrophotometry.Immunohistochemical results for occludin and ZO-1 showed disruption of the TJs in the intestinal mucosa in SUS-14 d and SUS-21 d groups.The expression levels of occludin and ZO-1 in SUS-21 d group were lower than those in SUS-14 d group,and significantly lower than those in CON group (Occldin:0.86±0.02 vs 1.01±0.03 vs 1.63±0.03 and ZO-1:0.82±0.01 vs 1.00±0.02 vs 1.55±0.01,P＜0.01).Moreover,the levels of plasma DAO and d-lactate in SUS-21 d group were higher than those in SUS-14 d group,and significantly higher than those in CON group (DAO:27.58±0.49 vs 20.74±0.49 vs 12.94±0.21 and d-lactate:37.86±0.74 vs 28.26±1.01 vs 17.76±0.91,P＜0.01).There were significant negative co rrelations between occludin or ZO-1 expression levels and DAO (r2=0.9014,r2=0.9355,P＜0.01) or d-lactate levels (r2=0.8989,r2=0.9331,P＜0.01).Occludin and Zo-1 were reduced in intestinal mucosa both in mRNA and protein levels in the rat tail-suspension model.The significant negative correlations between expression levels of TJs and plasma levels of DAO or d-lactate support the hypothesis that intestinal permeability is increased due to a decrease in TJ protein expression during tail-suspension from 14 days to 21 days.