Background: Colorectal polyp is a common lower gastrointestinal disease. Study of its risk factors is of great significance for prevention and treatment of colorectal polyps in clinical practice. Aims: To construct and verify a prediction model for risk of colorectal polyps. Methods: According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 254 subjects who were hospitalized for health examination in the Special Internal Medicine Ward of Shanghai Huadong Hospital from January 2019 to June 2021 were enrolled in the study. They were allocated into colorectal polyps group and non⁃polyp group based on the results of colonoscopy. The relevant risk factors of colorectal polyp were collected, including gender, age, cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hyperuricemia, polyps/stones of gallbladder, fatty liver, etc. After screened by LASSO regression model, the selected factors were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression to build the prediction model and nomogram. Furthermore, the prediction model was evaluated by ROC curve, C index, calibration curve and decision curve, and validated by internal samples. Results: Of the 254 subjects enrolled in the study, 116 cases were in colorectal polyps group and 138 in non⁃polyp group. The risk prediction model identified that gender (OR=2.11, 95% CI: 1.06⁃4.27), age (OR=2.76, 95% CI: 1.17⁃6.73), hypertension (OR=3.23, 95% CI: 1.52⁃7.12), diabetes (OR=4.37, 95% CI: 1.52⁃14.64), hyperlipidemia (OR=3.20, 95% CI: 1.74⁃5.95) and fatty liver (OR= 2.21, 95% CI: 1.13⁃4.35) were independent risk factors for colorectal polyps. The model showed good area under the ROC curve (0.807) and C index (0.807). The decision curve demonstrated that if the threshold probability of colorectal polyps was more than 12%, the model would be of clinical significance. Internal samples were randomly selected for validation, and the C index was 0.793. Conclusions: The prediction model and nomogram constructed by combination of risk factors including gender, age, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and fatty liver have a substantial reference value for risk prediction of colorectal polyps.

METHODS: Rat BMSCs were isolated, cultured and identified. The time-dependent expressions of TSP-2 and Sox9 in BMSCs under a dynamic mechanical pressure of 0–120 kPa at 0.1 Hz for 1 h were tested by qPCR and Western blotting. The role of TSP-2 in chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs under mechanical pressure was validated by using small interfering RNA. The impact of TSP-2 and mechanical pressure on chondrogenesis were detected and the downstream signaling molecules were explored using Western blotting. RESULTS: Mechanical pressure stimulation of 0–120 kPa for 1 h significantly upregulated the expression of TSP-2 in BMSCs. The expression of the chondrogenesis markers Sox9, Aggrecan, and Col-II were all upregulated under dynamic mechanical pressure or TSP-2 stimulation. Additional exogenous TSP-2 may potentiate the chondrogenic effect of mechanical stimulation. After knock down TSP-2, the upregulation of Sox9, Aggrecan and Col-II under mechanical pressure was inhibited. The NF-jB signaling pathway responded to both dynamic pressure and TSP-2 stimulation, and the cartilage-promoting effect was blocked by an NF-jB signaling inhibitor. CONCLUSION TSP-2 plays an essential role in the chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs under mechanical pressure. NF-jB signaling is involved in the mechano-chemical coupling of TSP-2 and mechanical pressure for the chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs.

BACKGROUND: Although newly formed constructs of feasible pressure-preadjusted bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) showed biomechanical flexibility and superior capacity for cartilage regeneration, it is still not very clear how BMSCs and seed cells feel mechanical stimuli and convert them into biological signals, and the difference in signal transduction underlying mechanical and chemical cues is also unclear. METHODS: To determine whether mechanical stimulation (hydrostatic pressure) and chemical cues (platelet-rich fibrin, PRF) activate canonical or noncanonical Wnt signaling in BMSCs, BMSCs cocultured with PRF were subjected to hydrostatic pressure loading, and the activation of the Wnt signaling molecules and expression of cartilage-associated proteins and genes were determined by western blotting and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Inhibitors of canonical or noncanonical Wnt signaling, XVX-939 or L690,330, were adopted to investigate the role of Wnt signaling molecules in mechanically promoted chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs. RESULTS: Hydrostatic pressure of 120 kPa activated both Wnt/b-catenin signaling and Wnt/Ca2+ signaling, with the the maximum promotion effect at 60 min. PRF exerted no synergistic effect on Wnt/b-catenin signaling activation. However, the growth factors released by PRF might reverse the promotion effects of pressure on Wnt/Ca2+ signaling. Real-time PCR and Western blotting results showed that pressure could activate the expression of Col-II, Sox9, and aggrecan in BMSCs cocultured with PRF. Blocking experiment found a positive role of Wnt/b-catenin signaling, and a negative role of Wnt/ Ca2+ signaling in chondrogenic differentiation of the BMSCs. Mutual inhibition exists between canonical and noncanonical Wnt signaling in BMSCs under pressure. CONCLUSION Wnt signaling participates in the pressure-promoted chondrogenesis of the BMSCs co-cultured with PRF, with canonical and noncanonical pathways playing distinct roles during the process.

The elderly are a special group, with their unique pathophysiology and disease characteristics.The measures and goals of diagnosis and treatment for the elderly are different from those for children, young and middle-aged people.Taking into consideration of the national and international literature, the insight from our long-term clinical practice and in-depth reflections, the authors have written this article as a reference for our colleagues in geriatric care.

Objective:To investigate age-related histological and ultrastructural changes of the pancreas in Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats, and to provide a theoretical basis for the high incidence of pancreatic diseases in the elderly.Methods:Thirty 6-month-old specific pathogen-free male SD rats were fed until 6, 12, 18 and 25 months of age.Five rats of each age group were randomly selected, killed and then sampled to make histological(HE staining)and electron microscopic sections to observe age-related changes in pancreatic histology and ultrastructure.Results:The pancreatic tissue of rats showed increasing fibrosis with age, especially around the duct.Fat infiltration of the pancreatic tissue also increased with age( H=15.88, P=0.001). With the increase of age, the number(density)of pancreatic islets decreased gradually( F=3.55, P=0.039), but the average cross-sectional area of islets increased significantly( F=7.76, P=0.002), and the round and oval islets became irregular.Nuclear pyknosis, mitochondrial dehydration, mitochondrial swelling, and dilatation and loose organization of rough endoplasmic reticula were observed in the cytoplasm of pancreatic acinar cells and islet beat cells in aged rats.With the increase of age, the number of zymogen granules at the apical pole of pancreatic acinar cells of rats decreased( F=9.73, P<0.001), and the average area and total area of granules were significantly decreased( F=6.51, P=0.001; F=22.18, P<0.001); The number of non-senescent mitochondria and senescent mitochondria in the cytoplasm of acinar cells increased significantly( H=8.22, P=0.045; H=32.95, P<0.001); The amount of proinsulin in islet beta cells was significantly decreased( F=16.20, P<0.001). Conclusions:With aging, the rat pancreas exhibits a series of degenerative manifestations(stromal hyperplasia, adipose tissue infiltration, decreased numbers of zymogen granules in acinar cells, increases in the number of senescent mitochondria, reduced islets and reduced proinsulin in islet beta cells), while there are some compensatory phenomena(increasing numbers of islets and non-senescent mitochondria).

Background: Thyroid diseases are highly prevalent worldwide, but their diagnosis remains a challenge. We established reference intervals (RIs) for thyroid-associated hormones and evaluated the prevalence of thyroid diseases in China. Methods: After excluding outliers based on the results of ultrasound screening, thyroid antibody tests, and the Tukey method, the medical records of 20,303 euthyroid adults, who visited the Department of Health Care at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2014 to December 2018, were analyzed. Thyroid-associated hormones were measured by the Siemens Advia Centaur XP analyzer. The RIs for thyroid-associated hormones were calculated according to the CLSI C28-A3 guidelines, and were compared with the RIs provided by Siemens. The prevalence of thyroid diseases over the five years was evaluated and compared using the chi-square test. Results: The RIs for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), free triiodothyronine (FT3), total thyroxine (TT4), and total triiodothyronine (TT3) were 0.71–4.92 mIU/L, 12.2–20.1 pmol/L, 3.9–6.0 pmol/L, 65.6–135.1 nmol/L, and 1.2–2.2 nmol/L, respectively. The RIs of all hormones except TT4 differed significantly between males and females. The RIs of TSH increased with increasing age. The prevalence of overt hypothyroidism, overt hyperthyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism, and subclinical hyperthyroidism was 0.5% and 0.8%, 0.2% and 0.6%, 3.8% and 6.1%, and 3.3% and 4.7% in males and females, respectively, which differed from those provided by Siemens. Conclusions Sex-specific RIs were established for thyroid-associated hormones, and the prevalence of thyroid diseases was determined in the Chinese population.

Gastric cancer is a common malignant tumor in China, which seriously threatens the health of people. With the deepening of research on the prevention and treatment of gastric cancer in China, especially the effective control of risk factors related to gastric cancer and the continuous improvement of the level of screening and diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer, the prevalence and mortality of gastric cancer in China are declining year by year. Although great progress has been made in the prevention and treatment of gastric cancer in China, due to the aging of population and large population base, gastric cancer is still the third most common malignant tumor and the second most lethal malignant tumor in China. It is still one of the major diseases endangering the health of Chinese people, and there is still a long way to go for its prevention and treatment, and further efforts should be made. This article reviewed the epidemiological changes and implications of gastric cancer in China.

Anorexia of aging is one of the common clinical geriatric syndrome in clinic, characterized by the persistent and significant decreasing of appetite and/or by reducing a food intake in the elderly, which can cause various adverse consequences and increase the morbidity and mortality.However, clinicians have insufficient understanding of anorexia in the elderly, and often regard the anorexia of aging as the normal phenomenon of aging and might ignore it.This article reviews the domestic and foreign relevant literatures on anorexia of aging.

Objective:To explore the value of metal artifact reduction in oblique sagittal multi-acquisition with variable resonance image combination slab selectivity (MAVRIC-SL) inversion recovery (IR) sequence compared with conventional fast spin-echo (FSE) fat saturation (FS)-T 2WI and proton density weighted imaging (PDWI) on the postoperative review of patients with metal-fixed anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) at 3.0 T MR. Methods:From June to November 2018, 27 patients with metal fixtures in ACLR were prospectively recruited in the First Hospital of China Medical University. The FSE sequences (FS-T 2WI and PDWI) and the MAVRIC-SL IR were performed at 3.0 T MRI system. The maximum artifact slice was selected and ROI was drawn, then the implant and artifact area and the number of artifact-influence slices were recorded. Image signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was calculated. The degree of image artifacts (artifact degree of spiked ligament staple and its influence on the diagnosis of surrounding structures), measurability (measurability of distance between the upper edge of the staple and the lower edge of the graft entrance on tibia), and other degree of artifacts (whether there were metal artifacts other than implants that affect the observation of other structures within the scanning range) were scored. The Friedman M test and pairwise comparison were used to compare and analyze the quantitative and qualitative data. Results:The differences in artifact area, the number of artifact-influence slices and SNR among FS-T 2WI, PDWI and MAVRIC-SL IR images were statistically significant (all P<0.001). Pairwise comparison analysis suggested that the metal implant artifact area and the number of artifact-influence slices in the MAVRIC-SL IR image were smaller, and the SNR was higher than those of FS-T 2WI and PDWI (all P<0.05 after correction). The differences of the three scores among FS-T 2WI, PDWI and MAVRIC-SL IR were statistically significant (all P<0.001). Pairwise comparison analysis suggested that the degree of image artifacts score of MAVRIC-SL IR sequence was lower, and the measurability and other degree of artifacts scores were higher than FS-T 2WI and PDWI (all P<0.05 after correction). Conclusion:MAVRIC-SL can significantly reduce the metal artifacts and improve image quality in the postoperative MRI review of the patients with metal-fixed ACLR. Therefore, oblique sagittal MAVRIC-SL IR sequence can be used for assisting the diagnosis of conventional FS-T 2WI and PDWI.

Objective To optimize the process of ultrasonic extraction of polysaccharide in Anoectochilus roxburghii and to investigate the method of protein removal. Methods The extraction rate of polysaccharide was used as the detection index. On the basis of single factor investigation, Box-Behnken experimental design and response surface method were used to optimize the three factors of material-liquid ratio, ultrasonic time and ultrasonic extraction temperature. The five deproteinization methods including Sevage reagent method, TCA method, salt method (NaOH-CaCl₂ and NaOH-NaCl) and hydrochloric acid method were investigated with the retention rate of polysaccharide and protein removal rate. Results The optimal extraction conditions of polysaccharide from Anoectochilus roxburghii were as follows: liquid-to-solid ratio was 10∶1, extraction temperature was 48 ℃ and extraction time was 36 min with extraction 2 times, ultrasonic power was 300 W, the extraction rate was 13.13%. NaOH-CaCl₂ deproteinized methods∶ the loss rate of polysaccharide was 18.74%, and the removal rate of protein was 95.62%. Conclusion Ultrasonic extraction is easy to operate, and the optimized extraction method can achieve a high extraction rate. NaOH-CaCl₂ deproteinization methods can get high protein removal rate and polysaccharide retention rate. This method is suitable for the research and development of the active components of the polysaccharides from Anoectochilus roxburghii.