AIM:To investigate the regulatory role of retinoid X receptor(RXR)in oxidative stress response of rat type Ⅱ alveolar epithelial cells(AECII)induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation(HR).METHODS:The AECII were di-vided into control(C)group,HR group,HR+solvent dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO)group(HD group),HR+RXR agonist 9-cis-retinoic acid(9-RA)group(RA group),and HR+RXR antagonist HX531 group(HX group).Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8)method was used to measure the cell viability.Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the expression of surfactant protein A(SP-A)and RXRα in AECII.Kits were detected to the levels of superoxide dismutase(SOD)and malondialdehyde(MDA)in cells.Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the ultrastructural changes of the cells.Western blot was used to detect the protein level of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2(Nrf2).RT-PCR was used to detect the expression level of Nrf2 mRNA.RESULTS:Compared with C group,the cell viability and SOD activity in HR,HD,RA and HX groups were decreased significantly(P<0.05),the MDA content were increased significantly(P<0.05),the Nrf2 mRNA and protein expression levels were decreased significantly(P<0.05 or P<0.01),and the immuno-fluorescence expression of RXRα was significantly increased(P<0.01).Compared with HR and HX groups,the cells in RA group showed significantly increased cell viability(P<0.05),increased SOD activity(P<0.05),decreased MDA con-tent(P<0.05),increased Nrf2 mRNA and protein expression levels(P<0.01),and significantly increased immunofluo-rescence expression of RXRα(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:Hypoxia/reoxygenation can aggravate the oxidative stress re-sponse of rat AECII,and RXR agonist intervention can alleviate HR-induced rat AECII injury by inhibiting oxidative stress.

AIM:To investigate the effects of sodium hydrosulfide(NaHS)on hexokinase 2(HK2)-nucleo-tide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3)-gasdermin D(GSDMD)pathway and pyroptosis in-duced by lung ischemia/reperfusion(I/R)in rats.METHODS:Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 6 groups:control group,control+NaHS group,I/R group,low-dose NaHS+I/R(L+I/R)group,medium-dose NaHS+I/R(M+I/R)group,and high-dose NaHS+I/R(H+I/R)group,with 6 rats in each group.The NaHS was administered via intraperi-toneal injection at 1.5 mL,30 min before modeling.The left lung tissues were collected 30 min after ischemia and 1 h af-ter reperfusion,and the wet/dry weight ratio and total lung water content were recorded.Hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining was used to examine lung tissue morphological changes.The levels of malondialdehyde(MDA),myeloperoxidase(MPO)and lactate in lung tissues were measured with test kits.ELISA was employed to determine the levels of interleukin-1β(IL-1β)and IL-18.The expression of glycolysis-and pyroptosis-related indicators was analyzed by Western blot,qRT-PCR and immunofluorescence staining.RESULTS:Compared with control group,the rats in NaHS group showed no signifi-cant differences in all laboratory tests(P>0.05).The rats in I/R group exhibited significant lung injury,oxidative stress,increased lactate level,and up-regulated glycolysis and pyroptosis(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Compared with I/R group,the indicators in L+I/R group showed a downward trend(P<0.01)or no difference(P>0.05),while those in M+I/R group dis-played a significant reduction(P<0.05 or P<0.01).However,the indexes in H+I/R group exhibited no significant dif-ferences in these tests(all P>0.05).CONCLUSION:A moderate dose(56 μmol·L-1·kg-1)of NaHS mitigated the oc-currence of pyroptosis by inhibiting the HK2-NLRP3-GSDMD pathway,thus contributing to the attenuation of lung I/R in-jury in rats.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of cognitive impairment. Beyond clinical diagnosis, AD pathologic changes are considered as "gold standard" for mechanistic research or new drug development studies. According to AD research framework, neurodegeneration occurs after amyloid-β and Tau protein deposition and before cognitive decline. Due to lower-and medium-field MRI limitation, most of these neurodegenerative characteristics identified at present appear at middle or late stage of AD, hardly being an early warning signal. 7T MRI system, representing the most advanced field strength MRI presently, is characterized by its exceptional resolution and sensitivity that facilitate the early identification of neurodegeneration. This article reviews the recent advance in 7T MRI in AD spectrum and brain structures associated with AD, aiming to enhance the utilization of 7T MRI in this field.

Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze the different brain oxygen metabolism statuses in preeclampsia using magnetic resonance imaging and investigate the factors that affect cerebral oxygen metabolism in preeclampsia. Materials and Methods: Forty-nine women with preeclampsia (mean age 32.4 years; range, 18–44 years), 22 pregnant healthy controls (PHCs) (mean age 30.7 years; range, 23–40 years), and 40 non-pregnant healthy controls (NPHCs) (mean age 32.5 years; range, 20–42 years) were included in this study. Brain oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) values were computed using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) plus quantitative blood oxygen level-dependent magnitude-based OEF mapping (QSM + quantitative blood oxygen level-dependent imaging or QQ) obtained with a 1.5-T scanner. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to investigate the differences in OEF values in the brain regions among the groups. Results: Among the three groups, the average OEF values were significantly different in multiple brain areas, including the parahippocampus, multiple gyri of the frontal lobe, calcarine, cuneus, and precuneus (all P-values were less than 0.05, after correcting for multiple comparisons). The average OEF values of the preeclampsia group were higher than those of the PHC and NPHC groups. The bilateral superior frontal gyrus/bilateral medial superior frontal gyrus had the largest size of the aforementioned brain regions, and the OEF values in this area were 24.2 ± 4.6, 21.3 ± 2.4, and 20.6 ± 2.8 in the preeclampsia, PHC, and NPHC groups, respectively. In addition, the OEF values showed no significant differences between NPHC and PHC. Correlation analysis revealed that the OEF values of some brain regions (mainly involving the frontal, occipital, and temporal gyrus) were positively correlated with age, gestational week, body mass index, and mean blood pressure in the preeclampsia group (r = 0.361–0.812). Conclusion Using whole-brain VBM analysis, we found that patients with preeclampsia had higher OEF values than controls.

Objective To analyze the equity of the allocation of oral medical resources and the accessibility of health service capabilities in Wuhan. Methods The equity of oral medical resources was calculated with Gini coefficient and Theil index, accessibility was assessed by two-step floating catchment area model, and the spatial autocorrelation was used to study the high-low clustering of accessibility. Results The Gini coefficient of oral medical resources based on population level was around 0.3, and the Gini coefficient of oral medical resources based on geographic area was greater than 0.6. Theil index calculation results were similar. In terms of overall accessibility, the area with poor accessibility was 2,428 square kilometers, reaching 28.38% of the total area, while the area with better accessibility accounted for 14.18%. Conclusion The allocation of oral medical care resources based on population distribution was fairer and better than that based on geographic area. Moreover, the geographical accessibility varies greatly between regions, showing the characteristics of high-high cluster and low-low cluster.

Coagulometer, known as blood coagulation analyzer, is a product that can provide accurate test results for medical diagnosis and treatment analysis by detecting a series of items closely related to thrombosis and hemostasis in coagulation reaction. On the basis of previous traditional methods, and with our deep understanding about the principles of hemagglutination detection, we propose a hemagglutination detection method by using the dual-magnetic circuit beads method. Then, the corresponding hemagglutination detection module is designed. The coagulation time of plasma can be measured by detecting the movement of the magnetic beads when the magnetic field intensity is appropriate. The activated partial thromboplastin time(APTT) of plasma is tested when the most suitable magnetic field intensity is found. The results preliminarily show that this blood coagulation test method is valid and the corresponding test module has a potential value in business.
Blood Coagulation ; Blood Coagulation Tests ; Magnetic Phenomena ; Magnetics ; Partial Thromboplastin Time

Objective:To explore the mediating effect of self-efficacy of family caregivers of dementia patients between patient-related impairment and caregivers' health-related quality of life.Methods:This study was a aross-sectional study. Using the convenient sampling method, family caregivers of dementia patients who accompanied patients in two ClassⅢ Grade A hospitals in Shanghai from December 2015 to September 2019 were selected as the research objects. Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Chinese Family Caregivers (SEQCFC) , the MOS 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Chinese Version of the Relevant Outcome Scale for Alzheimer's disease (CROSA) were used to conduct the questionnaire survey. SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 22.0 software were used for statistical analysis, Pearson correlation was used to calculate the correlation between variables and structural equation model was established to test the relationship between variables.Results:A total of 291 caregivers who met the inclusion criteria completed the questionnaire assessment, and the completion rate of the questionnaire was 100%. The impairment score of dementia patients was (87.13±23.88) , the total score of self-efficacy of care givers was (57.49±16.42) , the overall physical health score of health-related quality of life was (41.33±9.71) and the total score of mental health was (48.85±7.69) . The results of Pearson correlation analysis showed that in addition to the self-efficacy of the support dimension, the total score of the patients' dementia-related impairment was positively correlated with the total score of the caregivers' self-efficacy and the self-efficacy of the care giving behavior dimensions ( P< 0.05) . The total score of dementia-related impairment of patients was positively correlated with the total score of physical health and the total score of mental health of caregivers ( P<0.01) . The total score of caregivers' self-efficacy and the self-efficacy of each dimension of caregiving behavior were positively correlated with the total score of physical health and mental health of caregiver ( P<0.01) . Caregivers' self-efficacy was a partial mediator between dementia-related impairment and physical and mental health related quality of life of caregivers, and the mediation effect accounted for 29.79% and 43.67% of the total effect, respectively. Conclusions:The dementia-related damage of patients can directly affect the caregivers' health-related quality of life and it can also indirectly affect the caregivers' health-related quality of life through the caregivers' sense of self-efficacy. Therefore, it can reduce effects of dementia-related impairment on health-related quality of life of caregivers by improving caregivers' sense of self-efficacy.

Objective To examine the effect of a Caregiving Self-Management Support (C-SMS) Program on self-efficacy, social support for family caregivers of people with dementia and psychological symptom of patients. Methods Using the convenient sampling method, 41 caregivers of dementia patients were selected as the study objects from September 2016 to September 2017 in the Memory Disorders Outpatient Department of two ClassⅢ Grade A hospitals in Shanghai. They were divided into the experimental group(n=26) and control group(n=15) according to their willingness. Totally 4 participants in each of the two groups dropped out of the study in the middle. In the experimental group, a total of 6 times, once in 2 weeks social support group activities were carried out; in the control group, a total of 3 telephone instruction, once a month was carried out, all participants were distributed with the Caregiver Educational Booklet prepared by the research team and participated 3 education seminars during the follow-up visit. Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Chinese Family Caregivers(SEQCFC) and Medical Outcome Study Social Support Survey(MOS-SSS) and Revised Memory and Behaviour Problems Checklist(RMBPC) were used to compare the effect of intervention. Results The time effect of the total score of SEQCFC was significant (P＜ 0.01). There was a statistically significance in the interaction on social support score between groups and time (P＜ 0.05). After intervention and follow-up, the self-efficacy scores of family caregivers in the experimental group were higher than the baseline (P＜0.05). There were significant time effect in the total score of behavioral and psychological symptom behavioral symptoms, memory and depression related problems (P＜0.05). The total score of behavioral and psychological symptom, score of the disruptive behaviour dimension after follow-up visit, scores of the depression dimension after intervention and follow-up visit in the experimental group were all lower than the baseline (P＜ 0.05). Conclusions The self-management support project of caregivers can improve the self-efficacy of family caregivers and alleviate the behavioral and psychological symptom of dementia patients.

Objective To identify abnormal cerebral glucose metabolism characteristics in patients with corticobasal degeneration (CBD) using 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET imaging. Methods From January 2014 to January 2017, resting-state brain 18 F-FDG PET imaging was performed in 10 CBD patients (5 males, 5 females; average age: (63.4±6.2) years) and 20 age-matched healthy subjects (8 males, 12 female; average age: (63.6±6.2) years). Voxel-based statistical parametric mapping (SPM) was used to analyze images to obtain the CBD-related brain metabolic characteristics. The regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (rCMRglc) was compared between 2 groups by two-sample t test. Results Compared with healthy controls, CBD group demonstrated asymmetrically decreased glucose metabolism mainly in the cere-bral hemisphere opposite to the more clinically affected body side, including the superior, middle and inferi-or frontal gyrus, the precentral gyrus, the superior and inferior parietal lobule, the angular gyrus, the supra-marginal gyrus, the precuneus, the middle occipital gyrus, the middle and inferior temporal gyrus, Heschl gyrus, the fusiform gyrus, the insula and the thalamus. And relatively increased glucose metabolism was present in ipsilateral precentral and postcentral gyrus, hippocampus, insula and putamen, bilateral cerebel-lum, paracentral lobules and pontine. The rCMRglc in those regions was significantly different between CBD patients and healthy controls (t values: 4.236-9.044, all P<0.01). Conclusion The asymmetric cerebral glucose metabolism features in CBD based on 18 F-FDG PET imaging contribute to the differential diagnosis between CBD patients and healthy subjects.