To study the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and insomnia among social workers during the prolonged battle against the COVID-19 pandemic and explore the associated risk factors.

Objective:To study the short-term clinical outcomes of different courses of antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) for preterm twins.Methods:From January 2017 to December 2021, preterm twins with gestational age (GA) 24-34 weeks admitted to the neonatal ward of our hospital and received ACS were retrospectively studied. The infants were assigned into single-course group, partial-course group and multiple-course group according to ACS courses. The short-term clinical outcomes were compared among the groups. SPSS software version 25.0 was used for statistical analysis.Results:A total of 286 infants were enrolled in this study, including 128 in single-course group, 89 in partial-course group and 69 in multiple-course group. Compared with single-course group, the risks of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in both partial-course group ( OR=2.332, 95% CI 1.028-5.293, P=0.043) and multiple-course group ( OR=3.872, 95% CI 1.104-13.584, P=0.034) were higher. The birth length in multiple-course group ( β=-0.016, 95% CI -0.029 - -0.002, P=0.024) was lower than single-course group. Conclusions:The risks of neonatal RDS in preterm twins are higher in partial-course and multiple-course of ACS. A full course of ACS should be used to prevent neonatal RDS until further evidence of effectiveness is available.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic β-cells elevate insulin production and secretion through a compensatory mechanism to override insulin resistance under metabolic stress conditions. Deficits in β-cell compensatory capacity result in hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, the mechanism in the regulation of β-cell compensative capacity remains elusive. Nuclear factor-Y (NF-Y) is critical for pancreatic islets' homeostasis under physiological conditions, but its role in β-cell compensatory response to insulin resistance in obesity is unclear. METHODS: In this study, using obese ( ob/ob ) mice with an absence of NF-Y subunit A (NF-YA) in β-cells ( ob , Nf-ya βKO) as well as rat insulinoma cell line (INS1)-based models, we determined whether NF-Y-mediated apoptosis makes an essential contribution to β-cell compensation upon metabolic stress. RESULTS: Obese animals had markedly augmented NF-Y expression in pancreatic islets. Deletion of β-cell Nf-ya in obese mice worsened glucose intolerance and resulted in β-cell dysfunction, which was attributable to augmented β-cell apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, primary pancreatic islets from Nf-ya βKO mice were sensitive to palmitate-induced β-cell apoptosis due to mitochondrial impairment and the attenuated antioxidant response, which resulted in the aggravation of phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and cleaved caspase-3. These detrimental effects were completely relieved by ROS scavenger. Ultimately, forced overexpression of NF-Y in INS1 β-cell line could rescue palmitate-induced β-cell apoptosis, dysfunction, and mitochondrial impairment. CONCLUSION Pancreatic NF-Y might be an essential regulator of β-cell compensation under metabolic stress.
Rats ; Mice ; Animals ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/metabolism* ; Insulin Resistance ; Insulin ; Insulin-Secreting Cells/metabolism* ; Apoptosis ; Stress, Physiological ; Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Palmitates/pharmacology* ; Obesity/metabolism*

Osteoporosis (OP) is a systemic bone metabolic disease when bone resorption becomes greater than bone formation, resulting in bone mass loss and poor bone structure. The disability or fatality caused by its complications has become a global public problem. As mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) are important molecules that maintain and regulate cellular energy balance, they are closely related to bone metabolism. In clinical practice, traditional Chinese medicine has demonstrated obvious advantages in prevention and treatment of OP. However, there has not been enough comprehensive or systematic summary of the researches into the regulatory mechanisms of this signaling pathway in the treatment of OP by traditional Chinese medicine. Therefore, this paper expounds on the effects of single traditional Chinese herb and compound traditional Chinese herbs on the regulatory mechanisms of MAPK signaling pathway in bone metabolism so that a theoretical basis can be provided for future basic and clinical researches in the prevention and treatment of OP.

Objective:To explore the curative effects of ultrathin anterolateral femoral flap in one-stage split-finger repair of palmar combined with multiple finger wounds.Methods:A retrospective observational study was conducted. From October 2016 to June 2018, 20 patients with wounds on palms and multiple fingers who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to Zhengzhou First People's Hospital, including 15 males and 5 females, aged 18 to 77 years. After debridement, the wound area was 8 cm×4 cm-17 cm×12 cm. The wound was repaired by ultrathin anterolateral femoral flap with area of 9 cm×5 cm to 19 cm×13 cm. According to the wound condition of finger, the finger division was performed in one stage, and the length-to-width ratio of the split-finger flap was 2.0:1.0-2.5:1.0. During the surgery, the descending branches of lateral circumflex femoral artery and accompanying vein of flap were anastomosed end-to-end to the radial artery and vein in the recipient area, respectively, and the anterolateral femoral cutaneous nerve of flap was bridged with the superficial branch of radial nerve in the recipient area. The wounds in the donor area of flap in 14 patients were sutured directly, the wounds in the donor area of flap in 3 patients were repaired by relay superficial iliac circumflex artery perforator flap, and the wounds in the donor area of flap in 3 patients were covered by free trunk medium-thick skin graft. The survival of flap, occurrence of vascular crisis and other complications, and healing of wounds in the donor area of flap were recorded. The appearance of flap, scar hyperplasia in the donor and recipient areas and the patients' satisfaction with the shape and function of the donor and recipient areas were followed up. In 1 year after surgery, the two-point discrimination distance of the flap was measured, and the recovery of hand function was evaluated by the trial standard for the evaluation of the functions of the upper limbs of the Hand Surgery Society of the Chinese Medical Association.Results:The flaps of 17 patients survived without vascular crisis or other complications after surgery. The flap of 1 patient had poor blood circulation and partial necrosis, and the wound was healed 14 days after dressing change and grafting of split-thickness skin graft from head. Two patients had mild cyanosis at the margin of flap after surgery, which disappeared spontaneously 5 days later. Incisions at donor site, relay flaps, and skin grafts of all patients survived well. After surgery, the color and texture of flap were basically the same as that of the normal skin of hand, and linear scars were observed in the donor and recipient areas. The patients were satisfied with the recovery of appearance and function of donor and recipient areas. After 1 year of follow-up, the patients' hand sensory function recovered well, the two-point discrimination distance of flap was 4-6 mm, and the recovery of hand function was evaluated as excellent in 18 cases and good in 2 cases.Conclusions:The ultrathin anterolateral femoral flap in repairing the palmar combined with multiple finger wounds in one-stage split-finger can significantly reduce the number of surgeries and improve the function and beauty of the hand, so it is worthy of clinical promotion.

Objective:To explore the effects of free gracilis muscle flap combined with sural nerve transfer for reconstruction of digital flexion and sensory function of hand in patient with severe wrist electric burn.Methods:A retrospective observational study was conducted. From January 2017 to December 2020, 4 patients with wrist high-voltage electric burn admitted to the Department of Burns of the First People's Hospital of Zhengzhou and 4 patients with wrist high-voltage electric burn admitted to the Department of Hand Surgery of Beijing Jishuitan Hospital met the inclusion criteria, including 6 males and 2 females, aged 12 to 52 years. They were all classified as type Ⅱ wrist high-voltage electric burns with median nerve defect. In the first stage, the wounds were repaired with free anterolateral thigh femoral myocutaneous flap. In the second stage, the free gracilis muscle flap combined with sural nerve transplantation was used to reconstruct the digital flexion and sensory function of the affected hand in 3 to 6 months after wound healing. The cut lengths of muscle flap and nerve were 32 to 38 and 28 to 36 cm, respectively. The muscle flap donor area and nerve donor area were both closed and sutured. The survival condition of gracilis muscle flap and sural nerve, the wound healing time of recipient area on forearm, the healing time of suture in muscle flap donor area and nerve donor area were observed and recorded after operation, and the recovery of donor and recipient areas was followed up. In 2 years after operation, the muscle strength of thumb and digital flexion and finger sensory function after the hand function reconstruction were evaluated with the evaluation criteria of the hand tendon and nerve repair in the trial standard for the evaluation of functions of upper limbs of Hand Surgery Society of Chinese Medical Association.Results:All the gracilis muscle flap and sural nerve survived successfully after operation. The wound healing time of recipient area on forearm was 10 to 14 days after operation, and the healing time of suture in muscle flap donor area and nerve donor area was 12 to 15 days after operation. The donor and recipient areas recovered well. In the follow-up of 2 years after operation, the muscle strength of thumb and digital flexion was evaluated as follows: 4 cases of grade 5, 3 cases of grade 4, and 1 case of grade 2; the finger sensory function was evaluated as follows: 4 cases of grade S3 +, 2 cases of grade S3, and 2 cases of grade S2. Conclusions:For patients with hand dysfunction caused by severe wrist electric burn, free gracilis muscle flap combined with sural nerve transplantation can be used to reconstruct the digital flexion and sensory function of the affected hand. It is a good repair method, which does not cause great damage to thigh muscle flap donor area or calf nerve donor area.

Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infected with Delta variant, so as to provide further references for clinical diagnosis and treatment.Methods:A real-world study was conducted to analyze the characteristics of 166 COVID-19 patients infected with Delta variant at Guangzhou Eighth People’s Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University.Results:The study enrolled 5 asymptomatic cases, 123 non-severe cases (mild and moderate type), and 38 severe cases (severe and critical type). Among these patients, 69 (41.6%) were male and 97 (58.4%) were female, with a mean age of 47.0±23.5 years. Thirty-nine cases (23.5%) had received 1 or 2 doses of inactivated vaccine. The incidence of severe COVID-19 cases was 7.7% in 2-doses vaccinated patients, which was lower than that of 11.5% in 1-dose and 26.8% in unvaccinated patients. The proportion of severe cases in 2 dose-vaccinated patients was 7.7%, which was lower than that of 11.5% in 1-dose vaccinated patients and 26.8% in unvaccinated patients, but the difference was not significant ( P>0.05). The most common clinical symptom was fever (134 cases, 83.2%), and 39.1% of cases presented with high-grade fever (≥39 °C); other symptoms were cough, sputum, fatigue, and xerostomia. The proportion of fever in severe cases was significantly higher than that of non-severe cases (97.4% vs. 76.4%, P<0.01). Similarly, the proportion of severe cases with high peak temperature (≥39 ℃) () was also higher than that of non-severe cases (65.8% vs. 30.9%, P<0.01). The median minimal Cycle threshold (Ct) values of viral nucleic acid N gene and ORFlab gene were 20.3 and 21.5, respectively, and the minimum Ct values were 11.9 and 13.5, respectively. Within 48 h of admission, 9.0% of cases presented with decreased white blood cell counts, and 52.4% with decreased lymphocyte counts. The proportions of increased C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, interleukin 6, and interleukin 10 were 32.5%, 57.4%, 65.3%, and 35.7%, respectively. The proportions of elevated C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A and interleukin-6 in severe cases were significantly higher than those in non-severe cases ( P<0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that older age and higher peak temperature were associated with a higher likelihood of severe cases ( OR>3, 95% CI: 2-7, P<0.01). In terms of treatment, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) was used in 97.6% of non-severe cases and 100% in severe cases. Other treatments included respiratory and nutritional support, immunotherapy (such as neutralizing antibodies and plasma of recovered patients). The median times from admission to progression to severe cases, of fever clearance, and of nucleic acid conversion were 5 days, 6 days and 19 days, respectively. No deaths were reported within 28 days. Conclusions:The symptoms of Delta variant infection in Guangzhou are characterized by a high proportion of fever, high peak temperature, long duration of fever, high viral load, a long time to nucleic acid conversion, and a high incidence of severe cases. The severe cases exhibit a higher percentage of elderly patients, a longer duration of fever and have a higher fever rate and a higher hyperthermia rate than non-severe cases. Age and hyperthermia are independent risk factors for progression to severe disease. The combination of TCM and Western medicine can control the progression of the disease effectively.

Objective:To compare the efficacy of fusion and non-fusion hybrid operation with Dynesys system with the traditional fusion operation with rigid instrumentation in the patients with multi-segment lumbar degenerative disease.Methods:A total of 30 patients with multi-segment lumbar degenerative disease who were subjected to operation from January 2017 to October 2019 in Shenzhen People's Hospital were included in the study. There were 13 males and 17 females, age: 60.8±13.2 years, range: 25 to 83 years. 28 patients with two segments, 1 with three segments, and 1 with four segments. The patients were divided into two groups, i.e the hybrid operation group (13 cases, 9 males and 4 females, average age: 56.6 years, range: 25 to 83 years) versus the traditional fusion group (17 cases, 4 males and 13 females, average age: 63.9 years, range: 46 to 80 years). The main outcome measures were visual analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI), range of motion (ROM), adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) and complications.Results:There were no statistically significant differences in operation data, such as operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage volume and length of hospitalization, between the two groups. There were no significant differences for ROM in the surgical segments between the two groups before operation (hybrid group and traditional group were 9.6°±4.9° vs. 8.9°±6.1°, t=0.341, P=0.736, respectively). However, after 12 months follow-up, the ROM disappeared in the traditional group and was partially preserved in the hybrid group, with statistically significant differences (hybrid group and traditional group were 5.4°±2.7° vs. 0°, t=9.104, P=0.001, respectively). There was a statistical difference in intervertebral disc height between the two groups at 12 months post-operation, though no statistical difference was found before operation (8.8±1.9 mm vs. 10.5±1.7 mm, t=2.927, P=0.006). There was no statistically significant difference in the intervertebral disc height of the upper adjacent vertebrae between the two groups before and after operation. There were statistically significant differences in ODI scores before operation (63.4%±11.0% vs. 71.3%±9.2%, t=2.146, P=0.041), and 12 months post-operation (17.2%±2.1% vs. 15.5%±2.3%, t=2.091, P=0.046), while no statistical difference was found in VAS scores. Conclusion:The fusion and non-fusion hybrid operation with Dynesys system has comparable clinical efficacy with the traditional fusion operation with rigid instrumentation in the treatment of multisegment lumbar degenerative disease. Meanwhile, the hybrid surgery can preserve the motion of surgical segments and provide a dynamic stability of the vertebral body. The hybrid surgery can be used as a new surgical method for multi-segment lumbar degenerative disease.

Objective To analyze the clinical value of transforaminal endoscopic minimally invasive surgery for the treatment of recurrent lumbar disc herniation.Methods Strictly included in the criteria,47 patients diagnosed with recurrent lumbar disc herniation who was treated unsuccessfully with conservative treatment were selected from our department from May 2011 to December 2015.There were 31 males and 16 females,with an average age of 43.45 ±3.37 years old (29-62 years old).There were L3,4 section in 4 cases,L4,5 section in 32 cases,and L5S1 section in 11 cases.The interval between the first operation and the reoperation was between 10 and 185 months,with an average of 49 months.In the first operation,there were 11 cases of posterior intervertebral disc endoscopy (MED) surgery,and 36 cases of decompression of vertebral disc nucleus pulposus surgery.Take a prone position under local anesthesia percutaneous puncture intervertebral foramen in the endoscopic minimally invasive surgery,intraoperative decompression of vertebral canal and nerve root canal,removal of intervertebral disc nucleus pulposus tissue,explore and release nerve root.The Oswestry disability index (ODI),visual analogue scale (VAS) and improved Macnab standard were used to assess the efficacy of the operation.Operation segments intervertebral height change,lumbar power X-ray slice of intervertebral Angle was measured according to preoperative and last follow-up of lumbar lateral X-ray observation,and lumbar spine motion (the range of motion,ROM) was calculated.Results All cases were successfully performed,no open surgery,and all cases were followed up.The average surgical blood volume was 10.3± 2.7 ml,the operation time was 63.5±11.6 min,no nerve root injury,dural injury,cerebrospinal fluid leakage,muscle strength decline,secondary obstruction,lumbar instability or other serious complications occurred.The follow-up time was from 18 to 52 months,with an average of 35.5±5.1 months.The preoperative ODI 51.35± 15.29 decreased to 3.31 ±2.17 at the last postoperative follow-up,the preoperative VAS score 8.11 ± 1.05 decreased to (1.03± 0.81) at the last postoperative follow-up,and the difference was statistically significant (P ＜ 0.05).As to the last follow-up evaluation of curative effect,according to the modified MacNab method,the fine rate was 87.2％;At the time of the last follow-up,surgery intervertebral disc height of front and rear section before and after surgery had no significant differences (P ＞ 0.05),the motion of operation segmental lumbar (the range of motion,ROM) had no significant difference (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Under the premise of strict control of surgical indications,the clinical efficacy of minimally invasive surgery for the treatment of recurrent lumbar disc herniation is reliable.The transforaminal approach does not affect the stability of the spine.The operation has the advantages of small trauma,fewer complications,and is safe and effective.

Objective To investigate the effect of the Shaofu zhuyu decoction on the changes of the body writhing behavior,inflammatory reaction and COX-2 expression of the rats with the primary dysmenorrhea. Methods Fifty SD female rats were randomly divided into blank control group,model control group,high,middle and low dose of Shaofu zhuyu decoction groups,10 in each group.Dysmenorrhea rat model was established by treating with estradiol benzoate and oxytocin.Effect of Shaofu zhuyu decoction of different doses on writhing behavior,changes of endometritis cells and COX-2 expression in uterine smooth muscle of dysmenorrhea rats were observed. Results In the model control group,latency of the body writhing behavior was shortened and the total score was high,many inflammatory cells (especially for neutrophils) infiltrated in endometrium and uterine smooth muscle,immunohistochemistry showed that brown granules were found in the cytoplasm of smooth muscle cells of uterus,and COX-2 expression was positive in uterine smooth muscle cells.As compared with the model control group,writhing latency increased,total score decreased in both the high and middle dose of Shaofu zhuyu decoction groups,and infiltration of a small number of inflammatory cells was seen in the endometrium and smooth muscle(P<0.01);COX-2 expression was decreased (P<0.01) especially for the high dose of Shaofu zhuyu decoction group.As compared with the model control group,the latency of the low dose of Shaofu zhuyu decoction group was significantly increased,and the total score was decreased(P<0.01),but there was no significant difference in inflammatory cell infiltration and COX-2 expression (P>0.05). Conclusion A potential mechanism by which Shaofu zhuyu decotion treats primary dysmenorrhea may be related with alleviating pain,inhibiting inflammatory responses,and down-regulating expression of COX-2.