Objective: This cross-sectional investigation aimed to determine the incidence, clinical characteristics, prognosis, and related risk factors of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain in mainland China. Methods: Data of patients with SARS-CoV-2 from December 28, 2022, to February 21, 2023, were collected through online and offline questionnaires from 45 tertiary hospitals and one center for disease control and prevention in mainland China. The questionnaire included demographic information, previous health history, smoking and alcohol drinking, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, olfactory and gustatory function before and after infection, other symptoms after infection, as well as the duration and improvement of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction. The self-reported olfactory and gustatory functions of patients were evaluated using the Olfactory VAS scale and Gustatory VAS scale. Results: A total of 35 566 valid questionnaires were obtained, revealing a high incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain (67.75%). Females(χ2=367.013, P<0.001) and young people(χ2=120.210, P<0.001) were more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Gender(OR=1.564, 95%CI: 1.487-1.645), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), oral health status (OR=0.881, 95%CI: 0.839-0.926), smoking history (OR=1.152, 95%CI=1.080-1.229), and drinking history (OR=0.854, 95%CI: 0.785-0.928) were correlated with the occurrence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2(above P<0.001). 44.62% (4 391/9 840) of the patients who had not recovered their sense of smell and taste also suffered from nasal congestion, runny nose, and 32.62% (3 210/9 840) suffered from dry mouth and sore throat. The improvement of olfactory and taste functions was correlated with the persistence of accompanying symptoms(χ2=10.873, P=0.001). The average score of olfactory and taste VAS scale was 8.41 and 8.51 respectively before SARS-CoV-2 infection, but decreased to3.69 and 4.29 respectively after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and recovered to 5.83and 6.55 respectively at the time of the survey. The median duration of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions was 15 days and 12 days, respectively, with 0.5% (121/24 096) of patients experiencing these dysfunctions for more than 28 days. The overall self-reported improvement rate of smell and taste dysfunctions was 59.16% (14 256/24 096). Gender(OR=0.893, 95%CI: 0.839-0.951), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), history of head and facial trauma(OR=1.180, 95%CI: 1.036-1.344, P=0.013), nose (OR=1.104, 95%CI: 1.042-1.171, P=0.001) and oral (OR=1.162, 95%CI: 1.096-1.233) health status, smoking history(OR=0.765, 95%CI: 0.709-0.825), and the persistence of accompanying symptoms (OR=0.359, 95%CI: 0.332-0.388) were correlated with the recovery of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2 (above P<0.001 except for the indicated values). Conclusion: The incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain is high in mainland China, with females and young people more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Active and effective intervention measures may be required for cases that persist for a long time. The recovery of olfactory and taste functions is influenced by several factors, including gender, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status, history of head and facial trauma, nasal and oral health status, smoking history, and persistence of accompanying symptoms.
Female ; Humans ; Adolescent ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Smell ; COVID-19/complications* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; Incidence ; Olfaction Disorders/etiology* ; Taste Disorders/etiology* ; Prognosis

Objective:To explore the efficacy of a 3D printed personalized composite template in the high tibial osteotomy for genu varum.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted of the 12 patients with genu varum who had been treated by high tibial osteotomy assisted by a 3D printed composite template at Department of Orthopaedics, The Third Hospital of Changsha between May 2016 and March 2019. They mere 2 men and 10 women, with a mean age of 55.1 years(range, from 46 to 65 years). Before operation, 3D printing technology was used to design and print a personalized composite osteotomy template for each patient. All patients underwent knee arthroscopy before osteotomy. The personalized 3D printed composite template was used to assist the high tibial osteotomy. The therapeutic outcomes were evaluated by comparison of posterior tibial slope angle (PTS), patellar height (Insall-Salvatti index), femorotibial angle, weight-bearing line (WBL) and medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA) on X-ray radiographs, American Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) knee score and visual analogy scale (VAS) between pre-operation and 12 months after operation.Results:The 12 patients were followed up for 15 to 36 months after operation, with an average of 14.7 months. All wounds healed at the first stage after operation with no complications like infection, nerve injury, deep vein thrombosis at lower limbs, delayed fracture union or nonunion. Follow-ups revealed no such complications as plate breakage or internal fixation loosening. The values of femorotibial angle (181.09°±3.94°), WBL (19.11%±17.61%), MPTA (81.20°±1.15°), HSS (87.6±7.1) and VAS[0(0, 1)] at 12 months after operation were significantly improved compared with those before operation[171.79°±2.77°, 61.71%±2.14%, 88.06°±1.44°, 64.6±12.9 and 4 (3,5) , respectively] (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in PTS or Insall-Salvatti index between pre-operation and 12 months post-operation ( P>0.05). According to the HSS scores at the last follow-up, the efficacy was excellent in 10 knees, good in one and fair in one. Conclusion:A 3D printed composite osteotomy template can lead to precise correction of alignment of lower limbs in the high tibial osteotomy for genu varum, resulting in good short-term outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Studies have indicated that periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) infection may contributed to accelerate the development of atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of inflammation, oxidative stress and the mechanism on atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein-E knockout (ApoE-/-) mice with P. gingivalis infection. METHODS: Eight-week-old male ApoE-/- mice (C57BL/6) were maintained under specific pathogen-free conditions and fed regular chow and sterile water after 1 weeks of housing. The animals were randomly divided into two groups: (a) ApoE-/- + PBS (n=8); (b) ApoE-/- + P.gingivalis strain FDC381 (n=8). Both of the groups received intravenous injections 3 times per week for 4 weeks since 8 weeks of age. The sham control group received injections with phosphate buffered saline only, while the P. gingivalis-challenged group with P.gingivalis strain FDC381at the same time. After 4 weeks, oxidative stress mediators and inflammation cytokines were analyzed by oil red O in heart, Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in serum, quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot in aorta. RESULTS: In our study, we found accelerated development of atherosclerosis and plaque formation in aorta with oil red O staining, increased oxidative stress markers [8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), NADPH oxidase (NOX)-2 and NOX-4], as well as increased inflammation cytokines [interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)] in the serum and aorta of the P. gingivalis-infected ApoE-/- mice. Compared with the control group, there was a significant increase protein level of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) in aorta after P. gingivalis infection. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that chronic intravenous infection of P. gingivalis in ApoE-/- mice could accelerate the development of atherosclerosis by disturbing the lipid profile and inducing oxidative stress and inflammation. The NF-κB signaling pathway might play a potential role in the P. gingivalis-accelerated atherogenesis.
Animals ; Apolipoproteins E ; Atherosclerosis ; Bacteroidaceae Infections ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Knockout ; Porphyromonas gingivalis

Objective: To compare the results obtained from the computer-aided sperm analysis (CASA) systems of the two fully-automated commercial sperm quality analyzers, Hamilton-Thorn IVOS Ⅱ (IVOS Ⅱ) and Spanish Sperm Class Analyzer (SCA). METHODS: A total of 99 semen samples were collected in the Center of Reproduction of Shenzhen Zhongshan Urology Hospital from September 2018 to October 2018 and, according to the sperm concentration, divided into groups A (<15 ×10⁶/ml), B (15－50 ×10⁶/ml) and C (>50 ×10⁶/ml). IVOS Ⅱ, SCA and manual microscopy were used for the examination of each sample, followed by comparison of the sperm concentration, sperm motility and percentage of progressively motile sperm (PMS) obtained from IVOS Ⅱ and SCA. RESULTS: The sperm concentrations derived from IVOS Ⅱ and SCA were significantly higher than that from manual microscopy in group A (［10.24 ± 4.60］ and ［10.20 ± 5.11］ vs ［8.45 ± 4.15］ ×10⁶/ml, P < 0.05), but showed no statistically significant difference in group B (［30.95 ± 11.84］ and ［31.81 ± 12.90］ vs ［29.14 ± 10.65］ ×10⁶/ml, P > 0.05) or C (［102.14 ± 45.97］ and ［109.48 ± 46.32］ vs ［104.74 ± 41.87］ ×10⁶/ml, P > 0.05). Significant differences were not observed between IVOS Ⅱ and SCA in the percentage of PMS (［24.21 ± 14.62］% vs ［23.92 ± 15.42］%, P > 0.05) or sperm motility (［37.48 ± 19.34］% vs ［37.69 ± 16.61］%, P > 0.05) in group B, nor in group C (PMS: ［30.80 ± 12.06］% vs ［32.98 ± 16.10］%, P > 0.05; sperm motility: ［44.50 ± 15.62］% vs ［47.26 ± 17.46］%, P > 0.05). Both the percentage of PMS and sperm motility obtained from IVOS Ⅱ were remarkably lower than those derived from SCA in group A (PMS: ［18.54 ± 12.96］% vs ［22.90 ± 12.88］%, P < 0.05; sperm motility: ［26.97 ± 14.05］% vs ［34.90 ± 15.18］%, P < 0.05). IVOS Ⅱ and SCA both showed a high repeatability (CV <15%), and the former exhibited an even higher one than the latter, in detection of sperm concentration, sperm motility and the percentage of PMS. CONCLUSIONS IVOS Ⅱ and SCA both had a good consistency in the results of sperm concentration, motility and progressive motility, but showed a poor comparability with low-concentration semen samples.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy and safety of re-combinant human interferon α1b injection combined with vidarabine injec-tion in the treatment of hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD).Methods A total of 94 children with HFMD were randomly divided into control and treatment groups with 47 cases per group.Control group received re-combinant human interferon α1b injection 6-20 μg· d-1, qd, intramus-cular injection.Treatment group was given vidarabine injection 5 -10 mg· kg-1· d-1, qd, intravenous drip, on the basis of control group . Two groups were treated for 5 days.The clinical efficacy , levels of serum immunoglobulin M (IgM), IgG, IgA, creatine kinase(CK), creatine ki-nase isoenzyme ( CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase ( LDH) and lactate dehydrogenase isoenzyme (LDH-1), and adverse drug reactions were compared between two groups .Results After treatment, the total effective rates of treatment and control groups were 97.87%(46 cases/47 cases)and 72.34%(34 cases/47 cases) with significant difference (P <0.05).After treatment, the main indexes in treatment and control groups were compared : IgM were ( 1.44 ±0.19 ) and ( 1.27 ±0.16 ) g· L-1, IgG were ( 9.08 ±1.28 ) and (8.47 ±1.17 ) g· L-1, IgA were ( 1.09 ±0.14 ) and ( 0.91 ±0.10 ) g· L-1, CK were ( 72.27 ±10.06 ) and (97.25 ±12.63 ) U· L-1, CK -MB were ( 19.94 ±2.66 ) and ( 32.14 ±4.17 ) U· L-1, LDH were (207.48 ±28.13) and (313.26 ±42.27)U· L-1, LDH-1 were (53.39 ±7.17) and (78.27 ±10.81)U· L-1, the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05 or P<0.01 ) .The adverse drug reactions of treatment group were leukopenia, skin pruritus and rash during the infusion of adenosine monophosphate , while those in the control group were leucopenia.The total incidences of adverse drug reactions in treatment and control groups were 4.25%and 2.13%without significant difference ( P >0.05 ) . Conclusion Recombinant human interferon α1b injection combined with vidarabine injection has a definitive clinical efficacy in the treatment of HFMD , without increasing the incidence of adverse drug reactions .

Objective To investigate the effects and cost of four formulations of niclosamide ethanolamine salt in Oncomela-nia hupensis snail control in the field in marshland and lake regions,so as to provide the evidence for drawing up the plan of mol-luscicide using in schistosomiasis endemic areas. Methods One drainage channel and one channel without water in the same area with snails in Jiangling County,Jingzhou City were selected as the research fields. The drainage channel was divided into 9 sections,except one section as a blank control group where the natural death rate of snails was observed only,and the remaining 8 sections were taken as the observation groups,where different dosages of 4％niclosamide ethanolamine salt powder,5％ni-closamide ethanolamine salt granules,25％ niclosamide ethanolamine salt suspending agent,26％ metaldehyde and ni-closamide ethanolamine salt suspending agent,and 50％niclosamide ethanolamine salt wettable powder were used re-spectively. The channel without water were divided into 4 sections,except one section as a blank control group,the oth-er 3 segments were taken as the observation groups,where 4％niclosamide ethanolamine salt powder,5％niclosamide ethanolamine salt granules,and 50％ niclosamide ethanolamine salt wettable powder were used respectively. Before and after spraying molluscicide for 7 days and 15 days,the system sampling method was used to observe the effects of snail control. Meanwhile,the unit cost method was used to calculate the costs of the different mulluscicide formulations abovementioned in unit area(1 m2). Results In the field at the drainage channel,the snail mortality rates of the groups spraying 4％niclosamide ethanolamine salt powder(50 g/m2),5％niclosamide ethanolamine salt granules(40 g/m2),25％ niclosamide ethanolamine suspending agent,26％ metaldehyde and niclosamide ethanolamine salt sus-pending agent,and 50％niclosamide ethanolamine salt wettable powder(2 g/m2 and 4 g/m2)for 7 days were 79.52％-97.87％,while the rates after spraying for 15 days were 71.00％-96.30％,and compared with those before spraying, the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.01). For the groups spraying with 2 g/m2 or 4 g/m2 suspending agent as well as wettable powder for 7 days,the snail mortality rates were significantly different(both P<0.05). In the field at the channel without water,the snail mortality rates of the 3 observation groups after spraying molluscicide for 7 days were 97.14％-100％,while for 15 days were 94.32％-100％,and compared with the rates before spraying,all the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.01). The unit costs per 1 m2 of the molluscicide abovementioned were ranged from 0.280 Yuan to 0.416 Yuan. Conclusions In marshland area inside embankment,the molluscicide formulations of the powder and granule are suitable for the environments without water or with instability water level , while the molluscicide formulations of the suspended agents and wettable powder are suitable for the water environment. Though the unit cost of powder is the lowest,the molluscicide in this formulation flies away seriously.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of c-Met inhibitor cabozantinib (XL-184) in inhibiting Listeria monocytogenes (LM) from invading Caco-2 cells to reduce the cell injury.

METHODSThe cell invasion capacity of LM was assayed in Caco-2 cells incubated with different doses of XL-184 for different durations. Caco-2 cells incubated with XL-184 were seeded on the upper room of the transwell chamber, and the cell monolayer was exposed to LM infection followed by addition of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The trans-epithelial electric resistance (TEER), HRP concentration and LM colony-forming unit (CFU) were measured in the cell monolayer. Fluorescent staining was used to evaluate the cell viability, and LDH release from the cells was examined to assess the changes in cell membrane permeability.

RESULTSXL-184 significantly decreased LM invasion rate in Caco-2 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner (P=0.000), and this effect was enhanced by co-incubation of the cells with ampicillin (P<0.05). In the cell membrane permeability assay in the monolayer cells, XL-184 markedly inhibited LM-induced reduction of TEER (P<0.05) and significantly suppressed LM-induced enhancement of cell membrane permeability shown by reduced HRP concentration and LM count in the lower chamber (P=0.000). The cells infected with LM showed significantly lowered cell viability, which was rescued by XL-184 (P<0.01); XL-184 also dose-dependently reduced LDH release from the cells (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSXL-184 can suppress LM invasion in Caco-2 cells to reduce the cell injury, suggesting its value as a promising candidate agent for prevention and treatment of LM infections.

Anilides ; pharmacology ; Caco-2 Cells ; Cell Membrane Permeability ; drug effects ; Cell Survival ; Humans ; Listeria monocytogenes ; drug effects ; Pyridines ; pharmacology

BACKGROUNDKnee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a chronic joint disease that manifests as knee pain as well as different degrees of lower limb swelling, stiffness, and movement disorders. The therapeutic goal is to alleviate or eliminate pain, correct deformities, improve or restore joint functions, and improve the quality of life. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Zhuanggu joint capsules combined with celecoxib and the benefit of treatment with Zhuanggu alone for KOA.

METHODSThis multi-center, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel controlled trial, started from December 2011 to May 2014, was carried out in 6 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Changchun, Chengdu, and Nanjing. A total of 432 patients with KOA were divided into three groups (144 cases in each group). The groups were treated, respectively, with Zhuanggu joint capsules combined with celecoxib capsule simulants, Zhuanggu joint capsules combined with celecoxib capsules, and celecoxib capsules combined with Zhuanggu joint capsule simulants for 4 weeks consecutively. The improvement of Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) index and the decreased rates in each dimension of WOMAC were evaluated before and after the treatment. Intergroup and intragroup comparisons of quantitative indices were performed. Statistically significant differences were evaluated with pairwise comparisons using Chi-square test (or Fisher's exact test) and an inspection level of α = 0.0167.

RESULTSFour weeks after treatment, the total efficacies of Zhuanggu group, combination group, and celecoxib group were 65%, 80%, and 64%, respectively, with statistically significant differences among the three groups (P = 0.005). Intergroup pairwise comparisons showed that the total efficacy of the combination group was significantly higher than that of the Zhuanggu (P = 0.005) and celecoxib (P = 0.003) groups. The difference between the latter two groups was not statistically significant (P > 0.0167). Four weeks after discontinuation, the efficacies of the three groups were 78%, 95%, and 65%, respectively, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.0001). Intergroup pairwise comparisons revealed that the efficacy of the combination group was significantly better than that of the Zhuanggu and the celecoxib groups (P < 0.0001). The difference between the latter two groups was not statistically significant (P > 0.0167). The incidences of adverse events in Zhuanggu group, combination group, and celecoxib group were 8.5%, 8.5%, and 11.1%, respectively, with insignificant differences (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSZhuanggu joint capsules alone or combined with celecoxib showed clinical efficacy in the treatment of KOA. The safety of Zhuanggu joint capsules alone or combined with celecoxib was acceptable.

TRIAL REGISTRATIONChinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-IPR-15007267; http://www.medresman.org/uc/project/projectedit.aspx?proj=1364.

Adult ; Aged ; Celecoxib ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Double-Blind Method ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteoarthritis, Knee ; drug therapy

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the value of a new platelet function test PFA P2Y (PFA-200) in monitoring clopidogrel treatment for cardiovascular disease in elderly patients.

METHODSFifty-six elderly patients receiving clopidogrel therapy in the Department of Cardiology of General Hospital of PLA from March to August in 2016 and 85 healthy volunteers were recruited for analysis. All the subjects underwent PFA P2Y, LTA (light transmittance aggregometry) and TEG (Thromboelastograph) tests, and Spearman correlation coefficients were used to test the associations between test results. The agreement among the 3 platelet function test methods was assessed using Cohen's kappa coefficient.

RESULTSCorrelation coefficient (r) was -0.701 (P<0.001) between PFA P2Y and LTA, and 0.475 (P<0.001) between PFA P2Y and TEG. The agreement was 75% between PFA P2Y and LTA and 67.9% between PFA P2Y and TEG. The κ value was 0.434 (P=0.001) between PFA P2Y and LTA and 0.242 (P=0.046) between PFA P2Y and TEG. With ADP-induced maximum platelet aggregation rate of LTA >50% as the laboratory clopidogrel resistance, the cut-off value of PFA P2Y was 119 s (AUC=0.733) with a sensitivity of 75.6% and a specificity of 73.3%.

CONCLUSIONPFA P2Y has a moderate correlation and agreement with LTA, but has a poor correlation and agreement with TEG. PFA P2Y can be useful for assessing the effects of clopidogrel therapy and the association of the cut-off value (119 s) with the long-term clinical ischemic events needs be confirmed in further study.

Biological Assay ; Blood Coagulation Tests ; Blood Platelets ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Platelet Aggregation ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Platelet Function Tests ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ticlopidine ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use

A quantitative analysis method of multi-components with a single marker (QAMS) for simultaneous determination of six marker compounds (one from phenolic acids and five from phthalides) in Chuanxiong Rhizoma was established by applying HPLC and using butylidenephthalide as the internal reference substance. And also the feasibility and accuracy of the established method for quality evaluation and application of Chuanxiong Rhizoma were investigated and validated. The analysis was performed with the mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile - 0.2% aqueous formic acid. The flow rate was 1.0 mL . min-1 and the column temperature was maintained at 30 °C. The detection wavelengths were set at 252 nm (for ferulic acid, Z-ligustilide, and butylidenephthalide) and 266 nm (for senkyunolide I, senkyunolide A, and coniferyl ferulate), separately, and 20 µL was injected for analysis with gradient elution. The results showed that there were no significant differences observed between the HPLC-QAMS method and the external standard method (RSD <5%). The relative correction factors were credible (RSD < 5%) in changed chromatographic conditions. The established HPLC-QAMS method can be accurately used for simultaneously evaluating and controlling the quality of Chuanxiong Rhizoma with multi-components.
4-Butyrolactone ; analogs & derivatives ; Acetonitriles ; Benzofurans ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Coumaric Acids ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; standards ; Hydroxybenzoates ; Quality Control ; Rhizome ; chemistry