Objective To explore the current status of H.pylori infection in the natural population of Sanya City,analyze its influencing factors,and provide a reference basis for the prevention and control of H.pylori infection.Methods A total of 677 residents from four districts of Sanya City were selected by overall stratified random sampling method,and were subjected to urea 14C breath test and questionnaire survey to calculate the positive rate of H.pylori in the natural population and analyze the influencing factors of H.pylori infection.Results A total of 606 residents were included,and the number of H.pylori positive detections was 261,with a positive detection rate of 38.5％.Among them,different ethnicity,marital status,smoking,eating vegetables and fruits,and literacy level were associated with H.pylori infection(P＜0.05);gender,age,BMI,alcohol consumption,drinking water source,betel quid chewing,and the number of cohabitants were not significantly associated with H.pylori infection(P＞0.05).Family infection was an independent risk factor for H.pylori infection in the natural population of Sanya City,and Li ethnicity,frequent consumption of fruits and vegetables,and college and higher education level were independent protective factors for H.pylori infection in the natural population of Sanya City.Conclusion The rate of H.pylori infection in the natural population of Sanya City is lower than the national average.Consuming more fruits and vegetables and improving the awareness of hygiene protection are conducive to the prevention of H.pylori infection;and the promotion of the family and related members with the same examination and treatment is important to avoid aggregation of infection within the family.

Objective To explore the relevant risk factors of H.pylori infection,and provide reference for prevention and treatment of H.pylori in this area,and further provide theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of gastric cancer.Methods A total of 1200 residents in four districts of Haikou city were investigated by questionnaire and urea 14 C breath test by holistic stratified random sampling to calculate the population infection rate and analyze the risk factors of infection.Results The total infection rate was 32.5％,which was lower than the national H.pylori infection rate.No consumption of fruits and vegetables,no habit of washing hands before meals,and people with gastrointestinal symptoms,are independent risk factors of H.pylori infection.No consumption of pickled products is of great significance to prevent H.pylori infection.Conclusion The prevalence of H.pylori infection in the population of Haikou is lower than the national average,and H.pylori infection is closely related to the poor living habits of residents.

Objective To investigate the effect of varying ureteral wall thickness(UWT)at the site of ureteral stones on the clinical efficacy of ureteroscopic lithotripsy(URL).Methods The clinical data of 164 patients with ureteral stones in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed.According to different UWT,the patients were divided into the mild thickening group(84 cases,UWT<3.16 mm),the moderate thickening group(31 cases,UWT 3.16 to 3.49 mm),and the severe thickening group(49 cases,UWT>3.49 mm),and the differences of clinical related indicators among the three groups were compared.Results The incidence of postoperative renal colic and leukocyte disorder in the mild thickening group and the moderate thickening group were lower than those in the severe thickening group,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).The postoperative catheterization time in the mild thickening group and the moderate thickening group were shorter than that in the severe thickening group,and the incidences of secondary lithotripsy,residual stones and stone return to kidney in the mild thickening group and the moderate thickening group were lower than those in the severe thickening group,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).The length of hospital stay and hospitalization cost in the mild thickening group and the moderate thickening group were shorter/less than those in the severe thickening group,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).Conclusion With the increase of UWT(especially when UWT>3.49 mm),the incidence of postoperative complications and hospitalization cost of URL increase to varying degrees,and the surgical efficacy decreases.In clinical work,UWT measurement holds potential value in predicting the surgical efficacy and complications of URL.

The effect of porcine SIRT5 on replication of foot and mouth disease virus type O(FMDV-O)and the underlying regulatory mechanism were investigated.Western blot and RT-qPCR analyses were employed to monitor expression of endoge-nous SIRT5 in PK-15 cells infected with FMDV-O.Three pairs of SIRT5-specific siRNAs were synthesized.Changes to SIRT5 and FMDV-O protein and transcript levels,in addition to virus copy numbers,were measured by western blot and RT-qPCR analyses.PK-15 cells were transfected with a eukaryotic SIRT5 expression plasmid.Western blot and RT-qPCR analyses were used to explore the impact of SIRT5 overexpression on FMDV-O replication.Meanwhile,RT-qPCR analysis was used to detect the effect of SIRT5 overexpression on the mRNA expression levels of type I interferon-stimulated genes induced by SeV and FMDV-O.The results showed that expression of SIRT5 was up-regulated in PK-15 cells infected with FMDV-O and siRNA interfered with SIRT5 to inhibit FMDV-O replication.SIRT5 overexpression promoted FMDV-O replication.SIRT5 over-expression decreased mRNA expression levels of interferon-stimulated genes induced by SeV and FMDV-O.These results suggest that FMDV-O infection stimulated expression of SIRT5 in PK-15 cells,while SIRT5 promoted FMDV-O rep-lication by inhibiting production of type I interferon-stimula-ted genes.These findings provide a reference to further ex-plore the mechanism underlying the ability of porcine SIRT5 to promote FMDV-O replication.

Objective:To explore the differences of clinical features and surgical efficacy between the elderly and the middle-aged and young patients with meningiomas in the central cortex area.Methods:Forty-three elderly patients with meningiomas in the central cortex area (≥60 years old) and 63 middle-aged and young patients with meningiomas in the central cortex area (18-59 years old), accepted surgery in Department of Neurosurgery, Guangdong 999 Brain Hospital from January 2011 to December 2020, were chosen. The differences of symptom, gross tumor volume, peritumoral edema degrees, intraoperative blood loss, tumor resection degrees, complications, and hospital stays between the 2 groups were analyzed.Results:The elderly patients had significantly higher proportion of preoperative muscle strength decline, lower proportion of preoperative headache, larger preoperative tumor volume, more severe peritumoral edema degrees before and after surgery, small volume of intraoperative blood loss, and longer hospital stays compared with the middle-aged and young patients ( P<0.05). However, no significant differences in distributions of tumor resection Simpson grades, proportion of new neurological dysfunction, incidence of postoperative complications, and proportions of reoperations and tumor recurrence were noted between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). Significant difference in distributions of peritumoral edema degrees among patients with different WHO grades was noted in the elderly group ( P<0.05), and significant difference in distribution of peritumoral edema degrees among patients with different tumor volumes was noted in the middle-aged and young group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Although differences in clinical characteristics exist between the elderly and the middle-aged and young patients with meningiomas in the central cortex area, no significant difference in surgical efficacy is noted between the 2 groups. The peritumoral edema degree in the elderly patients is related to tumor pathological grades, while that in middle-aged and young patients is related to tumor volumes.

This study aims to explore the influence of Polygonati Rhizoma on the pyroptosis in the rat model of diabetic macroangiopathy via the NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3(NLRP3)/cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-1(caspase-1)/gasdermin D(GSDMD) pathway. The rat model of diabetes was established by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin(STZ) combined with a high-fat, high-sugar diet. The blood glucose meter, fully automated biochemical analyzer, hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, and Western blot were employed to measure blood glucose levels, lipid levels, vascular thickness, inflammatory cytokine levels, and expression levels of pyroptosis-related proteins. The mechanism of pharmacological interventions against the injury in the context of diabetes was thus explored. The results demonstrated the successful establishment of the model of diabetes. Compared with the control group, the model group showed elevated levels of fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-c), lowered level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-c), thickened vascular intima, and elevated serum and aorta levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-1β(IL-1β) and interleukin-18(IL-18). Moreover, the model group showed increased NLRP3 inflammasomes and up-regulated levels of caspase-1 and GSDMD in aortic vascular cells. Polygonati Rhizoma intervention reduced blood glucose and lipid levels, inhibited vascular thickening, lowered the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-18 in the serum and aorta, attenuated NLRP3 inflammasome expression, and down-regulated the expression levels of caspase-1 and GSDMD, compared with the model group. In summary, Polygonati Rhizoma can slow down the progression of diabetic macroangiopathy by inhibiting pyroptosis and alleviating local vascular inflammation.
Animals ; Rats ; Caspase 1/genetics* ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/genetics* ; Interleukin-18 ; Blood Glucose ; Pyroptosis ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Diabetes Complications ; Vascular Diseases ; Inflammasomes ; Cholesterol ; Lipids ; Diabetes Mellitus

AIM:To observe the clinical efficacy of modified Buyang Huanwu Decoction in treating non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy(NPDR)of qi and yin deficiency and stagnation of collaterals, and to quantitatively analyze the changes in peripapillary vessel density before and after treatment using optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA).METHODS:A randomized controlled trial was used to collect a total of 58 patients(99 eyes)with qi and yin deficiency and stagnation of collaterals NPDR who visited our hospital from June 2022 to November 2022, and patients were randomly divided into an observation group(n=29, 51 eyes)and a control group(n=29, 48 eyes). The control group received basic treatment according to the recommendations for DR published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology in 2019(blood glucose control, diabetes health education, and regular follow-up for patients with mild NPDR; and add local/grid-like laser photocoagulation if necessary for patients with moderate NPDR), while the observation group received modified Buyang Huanwu Decoction in addition to the basic treatment for 1mo. The best-corrected visual acuity(BCVA), traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)efficacy, peripapillary telangiectasia vessel density(ppVD), and changes in peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer(pRNFL)thickness were compared between the two groups before and after treatment.RESULTS:The BCVA(LogMAR)of the observation group was 0.20(0.10, 0.30)after 1mo of treatment, which was significantly improved compared with that of the control group of 0.30(0.20, 0.40; P<0.05). The TCM efficacy in the observation group after 1mo of treatment was better than that in the control group(P<0.05). The ppVD in all quadrants of the observation group showed a significant improvement at 1mo after treatment, and the ppVD in all quadrants of the observation group was higher than that of the control group(P<0.05). The pRNFL thickness in the superior, temporal, and average peripapillary areas of the observation group increased after 1mo of treatment, and the pRNFL thickness in the superior, temporal, inferior quadrants, and average peripapillary area of the observation group was higher than that of the control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Modified Buyang Huanwu Decoction can improve visual acuity and enhance TCM efficacy in patients with NPDR of qi and yin deficiency and stagnation of collaterals. It may be related to its ability to improve ppVD and reduce damage to the pRNFL.

Attenuated Salmonella typhimurium VNP20009 is a widely used natural oncolytic bacterium, which has great application potential given its unique characteristics, including clinical safety, tumor targeting specificity, and explicit genome sequence. Here, we show that tumor progression can be effectively reduced by intraperitoneal administration with VNP20009 in a mouse model of melanoma (all animal experiments were conducted in accordance with the Animal Ethics Committee of China Pharmaceutical University); co-culture experiment in vitro demonstrated that VNP20009 can induce the polarization of macrophage M1, accompanied by expression of inflammation-related factors; flow cytometry analysis showed that VNP20009 induced the increase of immune cell infiltration in tumor. Further analysis showed that T cells infiltration in tumor-draining lymph node (TDLN) increased, and VNP20009 induced the activation of CD4⁺ T cells and CD8⁺ T cells in tumor. Our results demonstrate that VNP20009 treatment significantly inhibited melanoma tumors by remodeling tumor-associated macrophages to an M1-like phenotype, as well as recruiting and activating cytotoxic T cells, combined with its own antigenic activity to exert anti-tumor immunity.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture (acupuncture for soothing the liver and regulating the mentality) combined with western medication on depression and sleep quality in the patients with depression-insomnia comorbidity due to COVID-19 quarantine, and investigate the potential mechanism from the perspective of cortical excitability. METHODS: Sixty patients with depression-insomnia comorbidity due to COVID-19 quarantine were randomly divided into an acupuncture group and a sham-acupuncture group, 30 cases in each one. The patients of both groups were treated with oral administration of sertraline hydrochloride tablets. In the acupuncture group, Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture was supplemented. Body acupuncture was applied to Yintang (GV 24⁺), Baihui (GV 20), Hegu (LI 4), Zhaohai (KI 6), Qihai (CV 6), etc. The intradermal needling was used at Xin (CO₁₅), Gan (CO₁₂) and Shen (CO₁₀). In the sham-acupuncture group, the sham-acupuncture was given at the same points as the acupuncture group. The compensatory treatment was provided at the end of follow-up for the patients in the sham-acupuncture group. In both groups, the treatment was given once every two days, 3 times a week, for consecutive 8 weeks. The self-rating depression scale (SDS) and insomnia severity index (ISI) scores were compared between the two groups before and after treatment and 1 month after the end of treatment (follow-up) separately. The cortical excitability indexes (resting motor threshold [rMT], motor evoked potential amplitude [MEP-A], cortical resting period [CSP]) and the level of serum 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) were measured before and after treatment in the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment and in follow-up, SDS and ISI scores were decreased in both groups compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), and the scores in the acupuncture group were lower than those in the sham-acupuncture group (P<0.05), and the decrease range in the acupuncture group after treatment was larger than that in the sham-acupuncture group (P<0.05). After treatment, rMT was reduced (P<0.05), while MEP-A and CSP were increased (P<0.05) in the acupuncture group compared with that before treatment. The levels of serum 5-HT in both groups were increased compared with those before treatment (P<0.05). The rMT in the acupuncture group was lower than that in the sham-acupuncture group, while MEP-A and CSP, as well as the level of serum 5-HT were higher in the acupuncture group in comparison with the sham-acupuncture group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture combined with western medication can relieve depression and improve sleep quality in the patients with depression-insomnia comorbidity due to COVID-19 quarantine, which is probably related to rectifying the imbalanced excitatory and inhibitory neuronal functions.
Humans ; Depression ; Quarantine ; Serotonin ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; COVID-19 ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Comorbidity

In China, the level of ambient fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) pollution far exceeds the air quality standards recommended by the World Health Organization. Moreover, the health effects of PM 2.5 exposure have become a major public health issue. More than half of PM 2.5 -related excess deaths are caused by cardiopulmonary disease, which has become a major health risk associated with PM 2.5 pollution. In this review, we discussed the latest epidemiological advances relating to the health effects of PM 2.5 on cardiopulmonary diseases in China, including studies relating to the effects of PM 2.5 on mortality, morbidity, and risk factors for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. These data provided important evidence to highlight the cardiopulmonary risk associated with PM 2.5 across the world. In the future, further studies need to be carried out to investigate the specific relationship between the constituents and sources of PM 2.5 and cardiopulmonary disease. These studies provided scientific evidence for precise reduction measurement of pollution sources and public health risks. It is also necessary to identify effective biomarkers and elucidate the biological mechanisms and pathways involved; this may help us to take steps to reduce PM 2.5 pollution and reduce the incidence of cardiopulmonary disease.
Humans ; Particulate Matter/analysis* ; Air Pollution/adverse effects* ; Risk Factors ; Respiratory Tract Diseases ; China/epidemiology* ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects*