Objective To observe the intervention effect and mechanism of Chinese herbal compound(Zhenyuan Granules)on overweight in mice caused by estrogen deficiency.Methods An ovariectomized female mouse model was established to observe the effects of intragastric 14 week administration of Zhenyuan Granules on body mass and fat accumulation in mice.The 3T3-L1 mouse preadipocyte model was constructed to observe the effect of Zhenyuan Granules intervention on adipogenic differentiation.The expressions of key genes/proteins regulating adipocyte formation and fat synthesis in mouse adipose tissue and 3T3-L1 cells was detected to explore the mechanism of lipid-lowering effect of Zhenyuan Granules in vivo and in vitro.Results Zhenyuan Granules significantly decreased the body mass gain(P＜0.01),perigonadal and inguinal fat indexes(P＜0.05),significantly inhibited the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes into mature adipocytes(P＜0.01),significantly downregulated the expression levels of transcription factors peroxisome proliferators activated receptor γ(PPARγ)and sterol-regulatory element binding protein 1c(SREBP-1c)and enzymes acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1(ACC1)and fatty acid synthase(FAS)in adipose tissue and 3T3-L1 preadipocytes(P＜0.05),significantly enhanced the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase(AMPK)and ACC1(P＜0.05).Conclusion Zhenyuan Granules can inhibit the formation of adipocytes and improve the overweight of female mice caused by estrogen deficiency.The mechanism is related to the activation of AMPK signaling pathway.It is suggested that Bushen Jianpi Chinese herbal compound Zhenyuan Granules is helpful for body mass control in postmenopausal women.

Objective To investigate the incidence rate,clinical characteristics,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen,China.Methods Led by Shenzhen Children's Hospital,the Shenzhen Neonatal Data Collaboration Network organized 21 institutions to collect 36 cases of neonatal stroke from January 2020 to December 2022.The incidence,clinical characteristics,treatment,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen were analyzed.Results The incidence rate of neonatal stroke in 21 hospitals from 2020 to 2022 was 1/15 137,1/6 060,and 1/7 704,respectively.Ischemic stroke accounted for 75％(27/36);boys accounted for 64％(23/36).Among the 36 neonates,31(86％)had disease onset within 3 days after birth,and 19(53％)had convulsion as the initial presentation.Cerebral MRI showed that 22 neonates(61％)had left cerebral infarction and 13(36％)had basal ganglia infarction.Magnetic resonance angiography was performed for 12 neonates,among whom 9(75％)had involvement of the middle cerebral artery.Electroencephalography was performed for 29 neonates,with sharp waves in 21 neonates(72％)and seizures in 10 neonates(34％).Symptomatic/supportive treatment varied across different hospitals.Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment was performed for 12 neonates(33％,12/36),with a mean score of(32±4)points.The prognosis of 27 neonates was followed up to around 12 months of age,with 44％(12/27)of the neonates having a good prognosis.Conclusions Ischemic stroke is the main type of neonatal stroke,often with convulsions as the initial presentation,involvement of the middle cerebral artery,sharp waves on electroencephalography,and a relatively low neurodevelopment score.Symptomatic/supportive treatment is the main treatment method,and some neonates tend to have a poor prognosis.

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

To explore the changes and the reaction mechanisms between soil microecological environment and the content of secon-dary metabolites of plants under water deficit, this study carried out a pot experiment on the 3-leaf stage seedlings of Rheum officinale to analyze their response mechanism under different drought gradients(normal water supply, mild, moderate, and severe drought). The results indicated that the content of flavonoids, phenols, terpenoids, and alkaloids in the root of R. officinale varied greatly under drought stresses. Under mild drought stress, the content of substances mentioned above was comparatively high, and the content of rutin, emodin, gallic acid, and(+)-catechin hydrate in the root significantly increased. The content of rutin, emodin, and gallic acid under severe drought stress was significantly lower than that under normal water supply. The number of species, Shannon diversity index, richness index, and Simpson index of bacteria in the rhizosphere soil were significantly higher than those in blank soil, and the number of microbial species and richness index decreased significantly with the aggravation of drought stresses. In the context of water deficit, Cyanophyta, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadetes, Streptomyces, and Actinomyces were the dominant bacteria in the rhizosphere of R. officinale. The relative content of rutin and emodin in the root of R. officinale was positively correlated with the relative abundance of Cyanophyta and Firmicutes, and the relative content of(+)-catechin hydrate and(-)-epicatechin gallate was positively correlated with the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. In conclusion, appropriate drought stress can increase the content of secondary metabolites of R. officinale from physiological induction and the increase in the association with beneficial microbe.
Rhizosphere ; Rheum ; Droughts ; Soil ; Catechin ; Emodin ; Bacteria/metabolism* ; Water/metabolism* ; Firmicutes ; Soil Microbiology

Objective To explore the acute effects of NO₂ on children's respiratory hospitalization risk in Foshan City. Methods The daily average concentrations of six air pollutants such as NO2 and fine particulate matter, and meteorological data including average temperature and relative humidity in Foshan were collected from 2016 to 2019. Data on the daily number of children newly hospitalized for respiratory diseases (ECRH) in Foshan Women and Children Hospital were retrieved. Time series analysis was used to quantitatively evaluate the effect of daily NO2 concentration on the hospitalization risk of children with respiratory diseases. Results From 2016 to 2019, the average ECRH in the hospital was 10. The daily average concentrations of air pollutants NO₂, PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and SO₂ were 42.0 μg/m³, 35.3 μg/m³, 58.1 μg/m³, and 11.4 μg/m³, respectively. The air pressure, daily average temperature and relative humidity of atmosphere were 1008.4 Pa, 23.7℃ and 73.3%, respectively. ECRH was significantly correlated with the daily average concentration of NO2 (r=0.079, P<0.05). After excluding temperature, humidity and other influencing factors, for every 10 μg/m³ increase of NO2 concentration in the single pollutant model, the excess risk of ECHR in the hospital increased by 1.22% (95% CI: 0.06%, 2.40%) and 1.37% (95% CI: 0.23%, 2.53%) in lag0 and Lag1 day, respectively. The strongest effect appeared in lag0:7 with the excess risk increasing by 1.70% (95% CI:0.12%, 3.31%). In the NO₂ + SO₂ + CO + O₃_8h + PM_2.5 and NO₂ + SO₂ + CO + O₃_8h + PM₁₀ multi-pollutant models, significance correlation still existed between the daily average NO₂ concentration and ECHR in lag0, lag1 and lag0:1 to lag0:7. The strongest effect appeared in lag0:1, and the excess risks were 4.06% (95% CI: 1.83%, 6.34%) and 3.95% (95% CI: 1.85%, 6.09%), respectively. Dose-response relationship analysis showed a linear relationship between the daily average NO₂ concentration and ECHR, and the excess risk of new hospitalization gradually increased with the increase of daily average NO₂ concentration. Conclusion There was a significant correlation between NO₂ concentration and hospitalization risk of children with respiratory diseases in Foshan City, which suggests that the government should further strengthen the prevention and control of air pollution.

Kidney is an essential organ in human body with multiple physiological functions. However, there is 10 % population worldwide with renal disease. It is urgent to generate a model which is more similar with kidney at structural and functional level to study renal disease. The rise of in vitro differentiation technology from pluripotent stem cells gives regeneration medicine and precise medicine new energy. This study mimics kidney development in vitro by inducing human pluripotent stem cells including embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into kidney progenitor cells, and further forming nephrons, which is the structure and function unit in kidney. Human pluripotent stem cells were differentiated into primitive streak through activating WNT pathway while inhibiting TGF-(B signaling. Afterward, the primitive streak spontaneously differentiated into intermediate mesoderm. Then, we induced intermediate mesoderm cells into kidney progenitor cells through FGF pathway. The FACS analysis data indicated kidney progenitor cells were up to 51. 5%-61. 9% in total cell population. Immuno-stai-ning results showed these structures contained podocytes of glomerulus, proximal tubule, and distal tubule. This kidney differentiation protocol is stable, high-efficient, and well repeatable. This research provides a novel platform for early human kidney development study, kidney disease modeling, and drug screening.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the correlation between different body mass index (BMI) and prognosis of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). METHODS: The clinical characteristics and biological indices of 108 patients with MCL treated in Fujian Medical University Union Hospital were retrospectively analyzed, and the effects of different BMI on overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed. The correlation between BMI and B symptoms, LDH and Ki-67 was further observed. Furthermore，the differences of BMI between Autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation(Auto-PBSCT) and conventional chemotherapy groups were explored. RESULTS: Among 108 patients, the median age at diagnosis was 59（25-79） years old, and the male to female ratio was 4.4∶1. 88.89% of patients with Ann Arbor staging III-IV, 63.89% with bone marrow involvement, and 49.07% with splenic infiltration. Patients with BMI ≥ 24 kg/m² were divided into two groups: the high BMI group and the low BMI group. The 5-year PFS and OS of patients in the low BMI group were 31.9% and 47.0%, respectively, while those in the high BMI group were 64.6% and 68.7%, respectively. The incidence of death in the high BMI group was lower than that of the low BMI group (P＜0.01). In multivariate analysis, BMI was an independent predictor of PFS (HR=0.282; 95% CI: 0.122-0.651; P=0.003) and an independent predictor of OS (HR=0.299; 95% CI: 0.129-0.693; P=0.005). Also, patients with B symptoms had a lower BMI than those without B symptoms (P=0.01), but BMI had no effect on patients' LDH and Ki-67. The prognosis of 16 patients treated with Auto-PBSCT was significantly better than that of the conventional chemotherapy group. There was no significant difference in BMI between Auto-PBSCT group and conventional chemotherapy group. CONCLUSION BMI is an independent prognostic factor for PFS and OS in MCL, and may be influenced by the effect of B symptoms on BMI.
Adult ; Humans ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Lymphoma, Mantle-Cell/therapy* ; Body Mass Index ; Ki-67 Antigen ; Retrospective Studies ; Prognosis

Objective: To conclude the clinical features and the postoperative efficacy of congenital middle ear malformation treated with Malleostapedotomy (MS), and to explore the security and effectiveness of MS surgery. Methods: The clinical data of 17 patients (18 ears) with congenital middle ear malformation undergoing MS procedure were analyzed. There were 10 males (11 ears) and 7 females (7 ears), aged from 7 to 48 years. The imaging examination, pure-tone audiometry, intraoperative findings and postoperative hearing improvement of these patients were analyzed and summarized, and software SPSS23.0 was used for statistical analysis. Rusults All the 17 patients (18 ears) presented with hearing loss since childhood on the affected sides. Preoperative high resolution CT (HRCT) of the temporal bone revealed definite malformations in 9 ears (6 ears with incus long process dysplasia and 3 ears with anterior and posterior crus dysplasia). Before surgery, the mean bone conductive hearing threshold at 500, 1 000, 2 000 and 4 000 Hz was (15.6±10.2) dB HL, the mean air conductive hearing threshold was (60.6±9.7) dB HL, and the mean air-bone gap was (45.0±8.9) dB. During the surgery, all 18 ears were found to be accompanied by absence or hypoplasia of incus long process. 12 ears had stapes fixation, 6 ears had oval window atresia. All patients were treated with MS procedure by using Piston. The patients were followed up for 3 months to 1 year. The mean bone conductive hearing threshold was (14.7±8.8) dB HL. The mean air conductive hearing threshold was (37.7±11.6) dB HL, and the mean air-bone gap was (23.0±8.0) dB. There were statistically significant differences in the mean air conductive hearing threshold and mean air-bone gap before and after surgery (P<0.05). While there were no statistically significant differences in the mean bone conductive hearing threshold before and after surgery (P=0.550). Conclusions: MS procedure is safe and reliable in patients with congenital middle ear malformation of incus long process dysplasia, stapes fixation or oval window atresia. HRCT is useful in evaluating the major deformity of ossicular chain and facial nerve deformity. However, it is not enough to evaluate the joint of incus-stapes and oval window atresia. MS surgery in middle ear malformation requires advanced surgical experience and skills. The hearing improvement can be significant, even though some air-bone gap after surgery exist.
Child ; Ear Ossicles ; Ear, Middle/surgery* ; Female ; Hearing Loss, Conductive/surgery* ; Humans ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Stapes ; Treatment Outcome

Inflammation plays important roles in the progress of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Microglia is responsible for the homeostasis of the central nervous system (CNS), and involved in the neuroinflammation. Therefore, it could be potential in treatment of neurodegenerative diseases to suppress the microglia-mediated neuroinflammation. Mangiferin, a major glucoside of xanthone in Anemarrhena Rhizome, has anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetes, and anti-oxidative properties. However, the effect of mangiferin on the inflammatary responses of microglia cells are still poorly understand. In this study, we investigated the mechanism by which mangiferin inhibited inflammation in LPS-induced BV

With the joint efforts of countries and global non-state actors, great achievements have been made in the global malaria control programme; however, malaria remains a serious threat to human health. As the global leader for combating malaria, WHO formulated The Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016–2030, and the Global Malaria Programme, under the leadership of WHO, is responsible for implementing 5 key projects to achieve the goal proposed in The Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016–2030. In addition, the Global Fund, the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also play an important role in global malaria elimination programme. This review describes the currently main non-state actors participating in the global malaria elimination programme, and calls for the enhanced inter-actor coordination and close collaboration with state governments to achieve the great goal of malaria elimination in the world.