ObjectiveFat infiltration has been shown to be closely related to muscle mass loss and a variety of muscle diseases. This study proposes a method based on phase-angle electrical impedance tomography (ΦEIT) to visualize the electrical characteristic response caused by muscle fat infiltration, aiming to provide a new technical means for early non-invasive detection of muscle mass deterioration. MethodsThis study was divided into two parts. First, a laboratory pork model was constructed to simulate different degrees of fat infiltration by injecting1 ml or 2 ml of emulsified fat solution into different muscle compartments, and the phase angle images were reconstructed using ΦEIT. Second, a human experiment was conducted to recruit healthy subjects (n=8) from two age groups (20-25 years old and 26-30 years old). The fat content percentage η_fat of the left and right legs was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and the phase angle images of the left and right calves were reconstructed using ΦEIT. The relationship between the global average phase angle Φ_M and the spatial average phase angle Φ_Mi of each muscle compartment and fat infiltration was further analyzed. ResultsIn the laboratory pork model, the grayscale value of the image increased with the increase of η_fat and Φ_M showed a downward trend. The results of human experiments showed that at the same fat content percentage, the Φ_M of the 26-30-year-old group was about 20%-35% lower than that of the 20-25-year-old group. The fat content percentage was significantly negatively correlated with Φ_M. In addition, the M₂ (soleus) compartment was most sensitive to fat infiltration, and the spatial average phase angles of the M₂ (soleus), M₃ (tibialis posterior and flexor digitorum longus), and M₄ (tibialis anterior, extensor digitorum longus, and peroneus longus) compartments all showed significant inter-group differences. ConclusionΦEIT imaging can effectively distinguish different degrees of fat infiltration, especially in deep, small or specially located muscles, showing high sensitivity, demonstrating the potential application of this method in local muscle mass monitoring and early non-invasive diagnosis.

Sepsis is a condition characterized by organ dysfunction resulting from the systemic inflammatory response triggered by an infection. Excessive inflammation and immunosuppression are intertwined, and severe cases may even develop into multiple organ failure. Studies have shown that indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1-mediated tryptophan metabolism is involved in the occurrence and development of sepsis, and elevated plasma kynurenine levels and Kyn/Trp ratios are early indicators of sepsis development. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive summary of the role of IDO1 in the acute inflammatory phase of sepsis, late immunosuppression, and organ damage. This includes its regulation of inflammatory state, immune cell function, blood pressure, and other aspects. Additionally, we analyze preclinical studies on targeted IDO1 drugs. An in-depth understanding and study of IDO may help to understand the pathogenesis and clinical significance of sepsis and multiple organ damage from a new perspective and provide new research ideas for exploring its prevention and treatment methods.

Objective To observe the effect of parecoxib sodium combined with dexmedetomidine preemptive analgesia on postoperative analgesia in patients with modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer.Methods Patients who underwent modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer were randomly divided into control group and treatment group based on simple binary randomization by random number table method.In the control group,"0.05 mg·kg-1 midazolam+1.0-1.5 mg·kg-1 propofol+0.4 μg·kg-1sufentanil citrate+0.15 mg·kg-1 phenylsulfonyl cisatracurium"was used for induction and maintenance of anesthesia.In the treatment group,the induction and maintenance of anesthesia was performed with the protocol of"parecoxib sodium 40 mg+dexmedetomidine 0.5 μg·kg-1·h-1)continuous pumping"on the basis of control group,and mechanical ventilation was performed by tracheal intubation 5 min after induction.The effect of pre-analgesia,postoperative sedation,hemodynamic indexes,surgical improvement indexes and application safety were observed by groups.Results There were 46 patients in each group.Pain visual analogue scores at 6,12 and 24 h in treatment group were 2.09±0.72,4.17±1.07 and 4.07±1.05,lower than those in control group,which were 2.61±1.03,4.76±1.27 and 4.65±1.11,the differences were statistically significant(all P＜0.05).The Ramsay sedation scores of the treatment group and the control group at 6 h after surgery were(2.85±0.62)and(2.11±0.73)points,respectively;the sedation scores of Ramsay at 12 h were 1.41±0.28 and 1.06±0.15,respectively.At 24 h,the sedation scores of Ramsay were 1.15±0.18 and 0.64±0.13,respectively,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).HR and MAP of treatment group and control group at T2 and T3 were significantly lower than those at T1 and T0(P＜0.05),there were no difference in HR and MAP between treatment group and control group at T2 and T3(P＜0.05).Operation time,recovery time after operation and intraoperative blood loss in treatment group were significantly lower than those in control group,and the differences were statistically significant(all P＜0.05).The success rate of 12-hour postoperative analgesia in test group and control group was 82.61％(38 cases/46 cases)and 63.04％(29 cases/46 cases),respectively,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).The adverse drug reactions in treament group and control group mainly included bradycardia,headache,dizziness and nausea,and the incidence of adverse drug reactions in treatment group and control group were 13.04％(6 cases/46 cases)and 8.70％(4 cases/46 cases),respectively,the difference was no statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion Parecoxib sodium combined with dexmedetomidine preemptive analgesia has significantly improved analgesia and sedative effects in modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer,can prolong sedation and analgesia time,and stably control the perioperative hemodynamics of patients.

Infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria attaching to medical devices pose significant challenges to public health,and as such development of anti-adhesion and bactericidal surfaces with long-term performance is of practical importance.In this study,polydopamine(PDA),silver nanoparticles(AgNPs)and PDA were sequentially deposited on the glass substrate,and then polysulfobetaine methacrylate(PSBMA),a zwitterionic polymer,with a loop conformation was grafted onto the PDA surface to construct PAP-PSBMA-loop,a dual-functional antibacterial coating combining bacterial adhesion-resistance and photothermal sterilization properties.Due to the robust antifouling ability of the zwitterionic polymer and the excellent photothermal conversion ability of PDA and AgNPs,PAP-PSBMA-loop coating demonstrated excellent resistance to bacterial adhesion and sterilization performance under near-infrared(NIR)irradiation.After 7 days of incubation with bacteria,the coating surface exhibited a low bacterial coverage of 1.7%,and was able to suppress biofilm formation effectively and kill>99%of the bacteria that managed to adhere upon exposure to NIR irradiation.

Helicobacter pylori(HP),a well-established carcinogenic factor,is implicated in the pathogenesis of gastric ulcer,gastric cancer,and other related diseases.Recent studies have unveiled a significant association between HP infection and an increased prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD).Furthermore,it has been observed that eradication of HP can ameliorate metabolic disorders and relieve NAFLD.Some studies have explored the possible mechanism,which may be related to energy metabolism disorder and gut microbiota imbalance caused by HP.This review outlined the current research status regarding the association between HP and NAFLD,as well as elucidated the potential mechanisms through which HP promoted the onset and progression of NAFLD.

The purpose of this study was to identify the tick species native to Xindi Township,Yumin County,Xinjiang,China.Preliminary morphological identification of parasitic ticks collected from animals in the area was conducted with an ultra-depth of field three-dimensional VHX 600 digital stereo microscope.Total DNA of the ticks was extracted,amplified by PCR based on the COI and ITS2 gene loci,and the posi-tive PCR products were sequenced.The sequence were a-ligned with reference sequences from the NCBI database were aligned with the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool.A genet-ic phylogenetic tree was generated with the neighbor-joining method of MEGA 7.0 software to determine the evolutionary biological characteristics of ticks.Morphological identification showed that the ticks collected from Xindi Township of Yu-min County were consistent with the characteristics of Hya-lomma asiaticum.An evolutionary tree based on the COI and ITS2 gene sequences showed that the ticks collected in this study were clustered with known H.asiaticum sequences.The PCR products of COI and ITS2 were sequenced and compared,which confirmed that the collected tick species were H.asiaticum,in agreement with the morphological and molecular biological results.These findings help to clarify the distribution of ticks in Xindi Township of Xinjiang,and provide basic data for the analysis of tick genetic and evolutionary characteristics,as reference for surveillance and control of ticks in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Objective:To analyze the influence of digital skills mastery on life satisfaction among middle-aged and elderly adults and explore the underlying mechanism.Methods:Using the latest empirical data,this study employs latent category analysis,ordered logistic regression,generalized propensity score matching,generalized structural equation model,and KHB decomposition.Results:Internet users are classified into basic survival,practical life,and advanced mastery types based on their digital skills;Higherlevels of digital skills mastery significantly improve life satisfaction,though the effect plateaus after initial gains;social connection effect and health information effect positively,while negative experience effect negatively,mediate this relationship,with health information effect contributing the most to the mediating effect.Conclusions:Higher levels of digital skills mastery can improve life satisfaction among middle-aged and elderly adults,but it presents a'double-edged sword'effect.Expanding network coverage,enhancing digital skills,and improving the digital environment are essential to better integrate middle-aged and elderly adults into the digital society and mitigate negative impacts.

This study aims to investigate the effects of baicalein(BAI) on lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced human microglial clone 3(HMC3) cells, with a focus on suppressing inflammatory responses and elucidating the potential mechanism underlying the therapeutic effects of BAI on ischemic stroke via modulating the cAMP-PKA-NF-κB/CREB pathway. The findings have significant implications for the application of traditional Chinese medicine in treating cerebral ischemic diseases. First, the safe dosage of BAI was screened, and then an inflammation model was established with HMC3 cells by induction with LPS for 24 h. The cells were assigned into a control group, a model group, and high-, medium-, and low-dose(5, 2.5, and 1.25 μmol·L~(-1), respectively) BAI groups. The levels of superoxide dismutase(SOD) and malondialdehyde(MDA) in cell extracts, as well as the levels of interleukin-1β(IL-1β), IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), and cyclic adenosine monophosphate(cAMP) in the cell supernatant, were measured. Western blot was performed to determine the expression of protein kinase A(PKA), phosphorylated cAMP-response element binding protein(p-CREB), and nuclear factor-kappa B p65(NF-κB p65). Hoechst 33342/PI staining was employed to assess cell apoptosis. High and low doses of BAI were used for treatment in the research on the mechanism. The results revealed that BAI at the concentrations of 10 μmol·L~(-1) and below had no impact on normally cultured HMC3 cells. LPS induction at 200 ng·mL~(-1) for 24 h reduced the SOD activity and increased the MDA content in HMC3 cells. However, 5, 2.5, and 1.25 μmol·L~(-1) BAI significantly increased the SOD activity and 5 μmol·L~(-1) BAI significantly decreased the MDA content. In addition, BAI ameliorated the M1 polarization of HMC3 cells induced by LPS, as indicated by cellular morphology. The results of ELISA demonstrated that BAI significantly lowered the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and cAMP in the cell supernatant. Western blot revealed that BAI up-regulated the protein levels of PKA and p-CREB while down-regulating the expression of NF-κB p65. Hoechst 33342/PI staining results indicated that BAI mitigated the apoptosis of HMC3 cells. Overall, the results indicated that BAI had protective effects on the HMC3 cells induced by LPS, and could inhi-bit inflammatory response and improve cell apoptosis, which might be related to the regulation of the cAMP-PKA-NF-κB/CREB pathway.
Humans ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Microglia ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Interleukin-6/metabolism* ; Lipopolysaccharides/pharmacology* ; Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases/metabolism* ; Superoxide Dismutase/metabolism*

COVID-19 has been prevalent for three years. The virulence of SARS-CoV-2 is weaken as it mutates continuously. However, elderly patients, especially those with underlying diseases, are still at high risk of developing severe infections. With the continuous study of the molecular structure and pathogenic mechanism of SARS-CoV-2, antiviral drugs for COVID-19 have been successively marketed, and these anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs can effectively reduce the severe rate and mortality of elderly patients. This article reviews the mechanism, clinical medication regimens, drug interactions and adverse reactions of five small molecule antiviral drugs currently approved for marketing in China, so as to provide advice for the clinical rational use of anti-SARS-CoV-2 in the elderly.

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