Objective:To explore the association between triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and carotid artery plaque in patients with type 2 diabetic kidney disease (DKD).Methods:Clinical data of 620 DKD patients admitted in the Department of Endocrinology, the Affiliated Huai′an First People′s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from August 2018 to August 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, including 366 cases with carotid artery plaque and 254 cases without carotid plaque. According to TyG index quartile patients were divided into Q 1,Q 2, Q 3 and Q 4 groups with TyG index<8.94,≥8.94 and<9.44,≥9.44 and<9.96, and≥9.96, respectively. The prevalence of carotid plaque in DKD patients with different TyG index levels was analyzed. The relationship between TyG index and carotid plaque occurrence in DKD patients were analyzed with Logistic regression analysis and restricted cubic lines (RCS). Results:The age, course of disease, smoking rate, SBP, HbA1c, TG, BUN, eGFR and TyG indexes in carotid plaque group were significantly higher than those in non-carotid plaque group (all P<0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that age, disease course, smoking rate, SBP, HbA1c, TG, BUN, low eGFR and TyG index were independent influencing factors for carotid plaque ( OR=1.05, 1.05, 1.88, 1.01, 1.09, 1.11, 1.09, 0.99 and 1.28, all P<0.05). The risk of carotid plaque in DKD patients in Q 3 and Q 4 groups was 2.20 and 2.50 times higher than that in Q 1 group. After adjusting for age, sex, course of disease, smoking, BMI, blood pressure (SBP and DBP), blood lipids (TC, HDL and LDL) and renal function, the risk of carotid plaque in DKD patients in Q 3 and Q 4 groups was higher than that in Q 1 group ( OR=1.95 and 2.24). RCS analysis showed that the correlation between TyG index and the risk of carotid plaque in DKD patients was linear(χ 2=0.40, P=0.527), and DKD patients with TyG index>9.95 had a higher risk of carotid plaque. Conclusions:TyG index is significantly elevated in DKD patients with carotid plaque, and TyG index is an independent risk factor for the occurrence of carotid plaques in DKD patients.

OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical features and prognosis of children and their family members with family clusters of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant infection under the admission mode of parent-child ward. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 190 children and 190 family members with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection who were admitted to Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, the designated hospital for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), April 8 to May 10, 2022. RESULTS: Both the child and adult groups were mainly mild COVID-19, and the proportion of mild cases in the child group was higher than that in the adult group (P<0.05). Respiratory symptoms were the main clinical manifestations in both groups. Compared with the adult group, the child group had higher incidence rates of fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and wheezing (P<0.05) and lower incidence rates of nasal obstruction, runny nose, cough, dry throat, throat itching, and throat pain (P<0.05). Compared with the child group, the adult group had higher rates of use of Chinese patent drugs, traditional Chinese medicine decoction, recombinant interferon spray, cough-relieving and phlegm-eliminating drugs, and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir tablets (P<0.05). Compared with the adult group, the child group had a lower vaccination rate of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (30.5% vs 71.1%, P<0.001) and a shorter duration of positive SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid (P<0.05). The patients with mild COVID-19 had a shorter duration of positive SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid than those with common COVID-19 in both groups (P<0.05). The patients with underlying diseases had a longer duration of positive SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid than those without such diseases in both groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Both children and adults with family clusters of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection manifest mainly mild COVID-19. Despite lower vaccination rate of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in children, they have rapid disease recovery, with a shorter duration of positive SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid than adults, under the admission mode of parent-child ward.
Adult ; Humans ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Cough ; Retrospective Studies ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; China/epidemiology* ; Family ; Nucleic Acids

Objective: To determine the factors influencing insomnia and construct early insomnia warning tools for rescuers to informbest practices for early screening and intervention. Methods: Cluster sampling was used to conduct a cross-sectional survey of 1,133 rescuers from one unit in Beijing, China. Logistic regression modeling and R software were used to analyze insomnia-related factors and construct a PRISM model, respectively. Results: The positive rate of insomnia among rescuers was 2.74%. Accounting for participants' age, education, systolic pressure, smoking, per capita family monthly income, psychological resilience, and cognitive emotion regulation, logistic regression analysis revealed that, compared with families with an average monthly income less than 3,000 yuan, the odds ratio ( ) values and the [95% confidence interval ( )] for participants of the following categories were as follows: average monthly family income greater than 5,000 yuan: 2.998 (1.307-6.879), smoking: 4.124 (1.954-8.706), and psychological resilience: 0.960 (0.933-0.988). The ROC curve area of the PRISM model (AUC) = 0.7650, specificity = 0.7169, and sensitivity = 0.7419. Conclusion Insomnia was related to the participants' per capita family monthly income, smoking habits, and psychological resilience on rescue workers. The PRISM model's good diagnostic value advises its use to screen rescuer early sleep quality. Further, advisable interventions to optimize sleep quality and battle effectiveness include psychological resilience training and smoking cessation.
Adolescent ; Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Income ; statistics & numerical data ; Male ; Models, Theoretical ; Occupational Diseases ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Rescue Work ; statistics & numerical data ; Resilience, Psychological ; Risk Factors ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Smoking ; epidemiology ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Young Adult

Objective To investigate the dynamic expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and heat shock protein 47 (HSP47) and explore their roles in the progression of hepatic fibrosis induced by Schistosoma japonicum infection. Methods Fifty female mice of the ICR strain were randomly divided into the infection group and the normal control group, of 25 mice in each group. Each mouse in the infection group was infected with 20 ± 1 cercariae of S. japonicum via the abdominal skin, while uninfected animals served as normal control. Five mice were sacrificed 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 weeks post-infection and liver tissues were sampled. Serum HSP47 and TGF-β1 was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the pathological changes of liver specimens were observed with hematoxylin & eosin (HE) staining. In addition, the synthesis of alpha 1 chain of type I collagen (COL1A1) was measured using Masson staining, and the mRNA expression of TGF-β1, HSP47 and COL1A1 was determined using real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay. Results During the period of S. japonicum-induced hepatic fibrosis, the serum HSP47 and TGF-β1 levels and the mRNA expression of TGF - β1, HSP47 and COL1A1 gradually increased with the progression of hepatic fibrosis. The serum levels of HSP47 and TGF-β1 were (179.26 ± 29.87) pg/mL and (22.37 ± 5.21) ng/mL 6 weeks post-infection, respectively, which were significantly greater than those [(150.29 ± 34.91) pg/mL and (18.54 ± 7.78) ng/mL, respectively] in the normal control group (both P values < 0.05). In addition, the mRNA expression of HSP47, COL1A1 and TGF-β1 was (0.86 ± 0.04), (1.17 ± 0.06) and (0.64 ± 0.13) in mouse liver specimens, which was significantly higher than that (0.23 ± 0.03, 0.20 ± 0.02 and 0.38 ± 0.02) in the normal control group (all P values < 0.01). Conclusions The expression of TGF-β1 and HSP47 during the period of S. japonicum-induced hepatic fibrosis is consistent with the progression of the hepatic fibrosis, and exhibits the same tendency with type I collagen expression. HSP47 is a novel promising diagnosis marker and therapeutic target for S. japonicum-induced hepatic fibrosis.

Objective: To observe the effect of acupuncture plus thunder-fire moxibustion on the expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in cartilage of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) rats, and to explore the mechanism of acupuncture plus thunder-fire moxibustion in the treatment of KOA. Methods:Thirty Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a blank control group, a model group and an acupuncture-moxibustion group by random digits table, 10 rats in each group. Rats in the model group and the acupuncture-moxibustion group were injected with papain in the right posterior knee joint to prepare the models. The levels of MMP-3 and TIMP-1 in rat synovium of each group were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) after 2 weeks of treatment. The level of TGF-β1 was determined by Motic B5 Micro-camera system. Results:The levels of MMP-3 and TIMP-1 in the cartilage of the model group were significantly higher than those in the blank control group (allP<0.01); the levels of MMP-3 and TIMP-1 in the acupuncture-moxibustion group were lower than those in the model group, and the between-group differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The levels of MMP-3 and TIMP-1 in the acupuncture-moxibustion group were higher than those in the blank control group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The level of TGF-β1 in cartilage tissues of the model group was significantly lower than that in the blank control group (P<0.01); the level of TGF-β1 in the acupuncture-moxibustion group was higher than that in the model group (P<0.05), but it was lower than that in the blank control group, and the between-group difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: Acupuncture plus thunder-fire moxibustion can effectively recover the abnormal expressions of MMP-3 and TIMP-1 in KOA model rats and somewhat up-regulate TGF-β1, which may be one of its mechanisms of acupuncture plus thunder-fire for KOA.

OBJECTIVETo study the association of ORMDL3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) with lysophosphatidylcholine (LysoPC) and apolipoprotein B (apoB) levels.

METHODSA total of 300 children diagnosed with bronchial asthma between January 2010 and December 2012 were selected for the asthma group, and 298 children diagnosed with upper respiratory tract infection in the same period were selected for the control group. Serum LysoPC and apoB levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Genotype analysis was performed using the TaqMan probe.

RESULTSLysoPC and apoB levels were significantly higher in the asthma group than in the control group (P<0.01). Among children with various genotypes of ORMDL3 gene at locus rs12603332, the asthma group had significantly higher LysoPC and apoB levels than the control group (P<0.01). Among the children with asthma, those with CC genotype had significantly higher LysoPC and apoB levels than those with CT and TT genotypes (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSLysoPC and apoB may intervene in the pathological process of asthma. Pro-inflammatory gene ORMDL3 SNP rs12603332 may be associated with high LysoPC and apoB levels, which leads to the occurrence of childhood asthma.

Apolipoproteins B ; blood ; Asthma ; blood ; genetics ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Lysophosphatidylcholines ; blood ; Male ; Membrane Proteins ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

To study the analgesic effect of chronic administration with ferulic acid, and preliminarily discuss its mechanism. Thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia tests were conducted to observe the analgesic effect of chronic administration with ferulic acid on CCI mice. The neurochemical detection method was applied to observe the effect chronic administration with ferulic acid on monoamine neurotransmitter and monoamine oxidase activity. Compared with the normal group, CCI mice showed notable reduction in heat sensation and nociceptive threshold in and mechanical allodynia. Ferulic acid (10, 20, 40 and 80 mg x kg(-1), po) could significantly reverse the situations. In an in-depth study, we found that the reason for these results was that ferulic acid was dose-dependent in increasing 5-HT and NE levels in hippocampus, frontal cortex and amygdale and could inhibit MAO-A activity in mouse brains. These results showed that ferulic acid has the analgesic effect. Its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of monoamine oxidase activity and the increase in monoamine neurotransmitter in mouse brains.
Analgesics ; administration & dosage ; Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; drug effects ; Coumaric Acids ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Hyperalgesia ; drug therapy ; psychology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Monoamine Oxidase ; metabolism ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; metabolism ; Sciatic Nerve ; drug effects ; injuries ; Sciatic Neuropathy ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; psychology

Abnormalities of chromosome 11 involving mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) on 11q23 are often seen in acute myeloid leukemia (AML)-M5 or AML-M4. The fusion gene of MLL-PTD and MLL plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of these AML. However, rare chromosome abnormalities have been identified in this type of leukemia. To explore whether there were other MLL gene mutations at M4 and M5, in this study all of the MLL exons were sequenced at cDNA level. 25 patients with de novo AML-M4 or M5 with normal karyotypes excluding M4eo and MLL fusion gene or MLL-PTD were selected, the amplification and direct sequencing analysis of full length MLL gene exons were carried out, then the mutations found were verified at genomic DNA level. Furthermore, the point mutations were tested in normal samples and a larger group of AML patients using the platform of Mass Array. The results showed that high-frequency deletion/insertion and point mutations in RD, PHD, TAD and SET domains of MLL were found, while these alterations in normal samples and other subtypes of AML samples were also verified, and without significant difference (P > 0.05). It is concluded that a variety of deletions/insertions in MLL mRNA and point mutations are respectively alternative splicing of MLL gene at transcriptional level and single nucleotide polymorphism. These alternations together constituted genetic polymorphisms of MLL. Although these variations may not play a direct role in the molecular pathogenesis of AML-M4 or M5, their correlations to clinical treatment and prognosis need to be further explored.
Alternative Splicing ; Base Sequence ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11 ; genetics ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase ; Humans ; Leukemia, Monocytic, Acute ; genetics ; Leukemia, Myelomonocytic, Acute ; genetics ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Mutation ; Myeloid-Lymphoid Leukemia Protein ; genetics ; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion ; genetics

This study is designed to serve as a reference for the establishment of health security systems for children’s critical diseases. Through analysis of the operation of Shanghai Children Hospital Care Aid (SCHCA), this study explored the financing model and management of a children’s critical disease healthcare system and analyzed the possibility of expanding this system to other areas. It is found that a premium as low as RMB 7 per capita per year under SCHCA can provide high-level security for children’s critical diseases. With the good experience in Shanghai and based on the current basic medical insurance system for urban residents and the new rural cooperative medical scheme (NRCMS), it is necessary and feasible to build a health security system for children’s critical diseases at the national level.
Adolescent ; Child ; Child Welfare ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Delivery of Health Care ; Health Policy ; economics ; legislation & jurisprudence ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn

Human leukemia is closely associated with various genetic alterations such as chromosomal translocations and gene mutations. The use of retroviral transduction/bone marrow transplantation mouse model harboring these genetic abnormalities has been critical in understanding the molecular pathogenesis of leukemia and exploring new therapeutic target. Additional genetic events are verified to cooperate with fusion genes resulting from chromosomal translocations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) to develop a leukemic phenotype in mice, such as C-KIT N822K with AML1-ETO, FLT3-ITD with PML-RARα, Meis1 with NUP98-HOX, and Cdx4 with MLL-AF9. Mouse model shows that BCR/ABL fusion gene induces chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and suggests that GATA-2 L359V and high expression of Hes1 are key molecules in acute myeloid transformation of CML. Furthermore, combination therapy with Imatinib and arsenic sulfide for CML mice exerts more profound therapeutic effects than either drug as a single agent. This review focuses the recent progress and application of retroviral-mediated mouse models of myeloid leukemia, and discusses some factors influencing the mouse model establishment, including retroviral construction, retrovirus titer and hematopoietic microenvironment.
Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Leukemia, Myeloid ; genetics ; Mice ; Retroviridae ; genetics