Objective Nowadays, radioactive xenon isotopes, including ^131mXe, ^133mXe, ¹³³Xe, and ¹³⁵Xe, are primarily released into the atmosphere through various reactor operation and major accidents of reactors. To improve the online monitoring capability of xenon in nuclear facilities and their gaseous effluents, a highly sensitive online xenon monitoring system was developed to monitor, warn, and alarm the activity concentration of radioactive xenon. Methods The online monitoring system for radioactive xenon gas in nuclear facilities was established using xenon membrane separation and concentration, xenon high-efficiency selective adsorption, and low-background gamma-ray spectrometry analysis methods. Results Under the operation mode of one-hour sampling and one-hour measuring, the minimum detectable activity concentration of the radioactive xenon online monitoring system for ¹³³Xe was approximately (1.43 ± 0.03) Bq/m³. Conclusion This system can be effectively used for online monitoring of xenon activity concentration in nuclear facilities such as nuclear power plants and isotope production reactors, as well as in gaseous effluents. It helps improve the safety level of personnel, the environment, and nuclear facilities.

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of Ningxin decoction in treating patients with permanent atrial fibrillation(AF)of deficiency of both qi and yin type infected by coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).Methods From February to August 2023,120 patients with permanent AF of deficiency of both qi and yin type infected by COVID-19 were collected from the outpatient clinic of Guang'anmen Hospital South Campus,China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences.Patients were randomly divided into a control group and a treatment group using a random number table method,there were 60 cases in each group,and 1 case fell off in each group,leaving 59 cases in each group.The treatment group was given Ningxin decoction(drug composition:Cassia branch 15 g,Cornus officinalis 15 g,Rehmannia 15 g,Rhodiola rosea 15 g,Ginseng 6 g,Mulberry parasitica 10 g,Coptis coptis 3 g,Salvia miltiorrhiza 12 g,Ligusticum chuanxiong 10 g,Ophiopogon 12 g,and schisandra Vinegar 6 g)using formula granules to rinse with water,twice a day.The control group was given 10 mg of coenzyme Q10 twice a day,and both groups were treated continuously for 4 weeks.The improvements in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)symptoms,including chest pain,dizziness,fatigue,lethargy,palpitations,chest tightness and shortness of breath,insomnia,and excessive dreams before and after treatment in two groups,as well as changes in heart rate variability(HRV)and heart rate deceleration indicators were observed.Results The treatment group showed significant therapeutic effects in improving chest pain,fatigue,palpitations,chest tightness and shortness of breath,there were also improvements in lethargy,insomnia,and excessive dreaming,there was no significant therapeutic effect in improving dizziness.The control group showed significant therapeutic effects in improving palpitations,there were also improvements in chest pain,chest tightness and shortness of breath,while there was no significant therapeutic effect in other aspects.The treatment group showed significantly higher effective rates in improving chest pain,fatigue,lethargy,chest tightness and shortness of breath,insomnia,and excessive dreaming compared to the control group[chest pain:95.45%(42/44)vs.78.57%(33/42),fatigue:83.67%(41/49)vs.31.25%(15/48),lethargy:73.91%(34/46)vs.12.77%(6/47),chest tightness and shortness of breath:88.89%(48/54)vs.63.64%(35/55),insomnia:78.43%(40/51)vs.12.24%(6/49),excessive dreaming:76.09%(35/46)vs.43.75%(21/48),all P<0.05].The standard deviation of all normal to normal RR intervals(SDNN),root mean square of the difference between adjacent NN intervals(RMSSD),standard deviation of all 5-minute RR intervals(SDANN),and percent of NN50 in the total number of NN intervals(PNN50)in both groups after treatment were significantly increased compared to before treatment,and the RMSSD,SDANN,and PNN50 in the treatment group were significantly higher than those in the control group after treatment[RMSSD(ms):28.96±3.59 vs.24.34±2.66,SDANN(ms):108.55±11.80 vs.100.44±13.58,PNN50:7%(6%,7%)vs.5%(5%,6%),all P<0.05].There was no statistically significant difference in heart rate deceleration between the two groups before and after treatment.Conclusion Ningxin decoction has a good effect on the improvement of TCM syndromes and heart rate variability in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation of deficiency of both qi and yin type after being infected by COVID-19.

Objective: Observational studies often report disturbed sleep patterns in individuals with diabetic nephropathy (DN). The possible causal relationship behind these connections remains unknown. This research assessed the possible cause-and-effect relationship between eleven sleep-related characteristics and the risk of developing DN using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study. Methods: This study employed a two-sample bidirectional MR analytical approach. Genetic data for eleven sleep-related characteristics were acquired from the genome-wide association studies (GWAS) database of individuals of European ancestry which involve scanning complete sets of DNA, or genomes. GWAS summary data for DN included 4,111 DN cases and 308,539 controls. Instrumental variables were single nucleotide polymorphisms strongly linked to sleep-related characteristics. The main analysis used the random-effects inverse variance weighted (IVW) approach, with validation through sensitivity testing. Results: MR analysis revealed that a higher genetic predisposition for sleep efficiency reduced the chance of developing DN (odds ratio [OR]: 0.384; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.205–0.717; p=0.003). Genetic susceptibility to DN was associated with a higher likelihood of experiencing more sleep episodes (OR: 1.015; 95% CI 1.003–1.028; p=0.016). Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of these correlations. No significant connections were found between other genetically predicted sleep characteristics and the likelihood of developing DN. Conclusion Our research indicates that a genetic predisposition for better sleep efficiency is linked to a lower risk of developing DN. There is also evidence suggesting that genetic predisposition to DN may directly impact sleep episodes. Further research is needed to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying these findings.

Objective:To investigate the effect of miR-485-5p on cisplatin resistance of colon cancer cells through the PI3K/Akt-PAK1 signaling pathway.Methods:The LoVo/DDP cell lines were constructedand divided into an NC group(without transfection treatment), an miR-485-5p mimics group(transfected with miR-485-5p mimics), an miR-485-5p inhibitors group(transfected with miR-485-5p inhibitors), an IPA-3 group(intervention with IPA-3)and an miR-485-5p mimics+ IPA-3 group(transfection with miR-485-5p mimics andinterventionwith IPA-3), with all given 0, 3, and 5 μmol/L cisplatin treatment.Results:Among the 20 patients, the proportion of negative miR-485-5p detection was 85.0%(17/20), and the proportion of positive detection was 15.0%(3/20); the proportion of negative PAK1 detection was 20.0%(4/20), and the proportion of positive detection was 80.0%(16/20). The expression of miR-485-5p in colon cancer tissue was significantly lower than that in adjacent tissues( P<0.05); the expression of miR-485-5p in the human colon cancer cell lines LoVo, SW620, HCT116, and SW480 was all lower than in normal intestinal mucosal cells( P<0.05); the expression of miR-485-5p in LoVo/DDP was significantly lower than inLoVo( P<0.001). Under the action of 3 μmol/L and 5 μmol/L cisplatin, LoVo/DDP had highercell viability but a lower apoptosis rate than LoVo( P<0.001). The cell survival rate in the miR-485-5p mimics group was significantly lower than that in the miR-485-5p inhibitors group( P<0.001). Compared with the NC mimics group, overexpression of miR-485-5p significantly down-regulated luciferase activity of the wild-type PAK1 reporter gene( P<0.001); P-PI3k, P-Akt and PAK1levels in the miR-485-5p mimics group were significantly lower than in the miR-485-5p inhibitors group( P<0.001); the cell survival rate in the miR-485-5p mimics group, the IPA-3 group and the miR-485-5p mimics+ IPA-3 group was significantly lower than in the NC group( P<0.001)and the cell survival rate in the miR-485-5p mimics+ IPA-3 group was significantly lower than in the miR-485-5p mimics group( P<0.001). Conclusions:Up-regulation of miR-485-5p reverses colon cancer cisplatin resistance through the PI3K/Akt-PAK1signaling pathway, suggesting that overexpression of miR-485-5p or inhibition of the PI3K/Akt-PAK1signaling pathway enhances the therapeutic efficacy of cisplatin in colon cancer.

Objective To compare the characteristics of sleep disorder and its effect on health-related quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) between early-stage and middleand late-stages.Methods One hundred and fifty-one patients collected in our hospital from September 2014 to May 2016 were divided into PD patients at early stage (grading 1-2,n=82) and PD patients at middle-and late-stages (grading 3-5,n=69) according to Hoehn-Yahr (H-Y) grading.Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE),Hamilton Anxiety Rating (HAM-A) scale and Hamilton Depression Rating (HAM-D) scale,Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Ⅲ (UPDRSⅢ),H-Y grading,Non-motor Symptoms Questionnaire (NMS) and Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS) were used to evaluate cognition states,emotion states,movement functions,disease severity,nonmotor symptoms and sleep disturbances of patients from the two groups.The 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39)was used to evaluate the quality of life of PD patients.Results The incidence of sleep disorder in PD patients at middle-and late-stages was significantly higher than that in PD patients at early stage (P＜0.05),and the total scores of PDSS in PD patients at middle-and late-stages were significantly lower than those in PD patients at early stage (P＜0.05).Fragmented sleep (31.7％ and 47.8％) and excessive sleepiness at daytime (38.7％ and 43.5％) were the most common problems in patients from the two groups.Sleep disorder was negatively correlated with duration,and scores of HAM-A,HAM-D,UPDRSⅢ and H-Y grading,while it was positively correlated with MMSE scores in patients from the two groups (P＜0.05).Sleep disorder was negatively correlated with NMS scores and daily levodopa equivalent dose in PD patients at middle-and late-stages (P＜0.05).Multivariate regression analysis indicated that PDSS total scores were negatively correlated with HAMD scores and positively correlated with MMSE scores in all patients (P＜0.05).PDSS total scores were negatively correlated with duration in PD patients at middle-and late-stages (P＜0.05).Sleep disorder was negatively correlated with total scores of PDQ39,mobility,activity of daily living,communication ability and body discomfort in PD patients at middle-and late-stages (P＜0.05).Conclusions The quality of sleep disorder in PD patients at middleand late-stages is worse than that in PD patients at early stage,and the quality of life is further reduced than that in PD patients at early stage.The course of disease has a great influence in sleep disorder of PD patients.

Objective To explore the clinical features,treatment and prognosis of malignant solid tumors in the digestive tract in children and adolescents. Methods Sixty-five children and adolescents with malignant solid tumors in the digestive tract from January 1997 to June 2017 were selected,who were treated at the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University/Henan Cancer Hospital. The tumor site,gender,age,clinical presentations,treatment, follow-up time and their life status by deadline follow-up in 65 children and adolescents were collected respectively, and the clinical features,treatment methods and prognosis were retrospectively analyzed. The follow-up deadline was on December 31,2017. Results The most frequent sites of tumors were liver tumor(36 cases,55. 38%),followed by rectum tumor(11/65 cases,16. 92%),colon tumor(6/65 cases,9. 23%),pancreas tumor(5/65 cases,7. 69%),gas-tric(3/65 cases,4. 62%),esophagus (1/65 cases,1. 54%),gallbladder tumor (1/65 cases,1. 54%),ileum tumor (1/65 cases,1. 54%),and appendix tumor (1/65 cases,1. 54%). The prevalence rate in males and females was 1. 32:1. 00. The age of embryo tumor incidence was smaller,and the age of epithelium cancer incidence was older. The main symptoms included abdominal distension and pain (66. 15%,43/65 cases). Twenty-seven patients (41. 5%, 27/65 cases)was in stageⅣ. Radical and palliative surgery were the main treatment in 50 cases (76. 92%). The 1-year,3-year,5-year overall survival rates were 60. 7%,31. 0%,18. 8%,respectively. The overall survival rate of co-lon and rectal cancer was higher than that of hepatocellular cancer,and the differences were all statistically significant (χ2＝6. 268,P＝0. 012;χ2＝11. 772,P＝0. 001). The overall survival rate of patients who received surgery combined with chemoradiotherapy was the longest and those undergoing chemotherapy only was the shortest,but the differences had no statistical significance among 4 groups of sheer surgery,chemotherapy alone,surgery combined with chemothera-py and surgery combined with chemoradiotherapy(all P＞0. 05). Conclusion The malignant solid tumors in the di-gestive tract in children and adolescents have a poor prognosis. The unspecific presentation makes the diagnosis diffi-cult. It is very important to diagnose early and treat as soon as possible by the combination of surgery,chemotherapy and radiotherapy to improve the overall survival rate.

Objective To explore the application of olfactory assessment and substantia nigra ultrasonography in early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD).Methods Thirty PD patients,admitted to our hospital from March 2015 to March 2017,were served as PD group and 30 healthy subjects were served as control group.Olfactory assessment tool Sniffm Sticks-1 6 and substantia nigra ultrasonography were performed;the sensitivity,specificity and positive predictive value of olfactory assessment,transcranial ultrasonography,and combined measurement for diagnosis of PD were calculated,respectively.Correlations of results of olfactory assessment,transcranial ultrasonography with age,gender,course of disease,and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Ⅲ (UPDRS Ⅲ) scores were analyzed.Results There were 25 PD patients with olfactory test (SS-16) scores≤ 10 and 22 control subjects;the olfactory test (SS-16) scores in PD patients were 7.83±2.23,which were significantly lower as compared with those in control subjects (12.03±1.96,P＜0.05);the incidence of olfactory dysfunction in PD group was 83.33％ and that in control group was 26.67％,with statistical significance (P＜0.05).There were 23 PD patients with area of substantia nigra hyperecho≥ 0.20 cm2 and 26 control subjects;area of substantia nigra hyperecho was (0.22±0.06) cm2 in PD group,which was signfciantly increased as compared with control group ([0.11 ±0.07] cm2,P＜0.05);the incidence of pathological substantia nigra hyperecho in PD group was 76.67％ and that in control group was 13.33％,with significant difference (P＜0.05).The sensitivity of olfactory assessment,transcranial ultrasonography,and combined measurement for diagnosis of PD was 83.33％,76.67％,86.67％,indicating that combined measurement had significantly higher sensitivity that the other two method (P＜0.05).SS-16 scores and area of substantia nigra hyperecho were unrelated with gender,age,duration and UPDRS Ⅲ scores (P＞0.05).Conclusion Combination of olfactory test and substantia nigra hyperecho can improve the diagnosis sensitivity of PD.

Objective To detect the expression levels of metallothionein1 H(MT1 H)in children and adoles-cents osteosarcoma serums,and to analyze its relationship with clinicopathological features,and to explore the effect of MT1 H on cell proliferation of osteosarcoma cells and its mechanism.Methods Enzyme -linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA)was performed to detect the expression of MT1 H in children and adolescents osteosarcoma serums and non-neoplastic disease serums.MT1 H vector was transfected into the osteosarcoma U2OS cells.Reverse transcription -poly-merase chain reaction(RT -PCR)and Western blot were used to detect the expression of the mRNA and protein of MT1 H,respectively.Methylthiazolyldiphenyl -tetrazolium bromide(MTT)was used to detect the cell growth.Western blot was performed to detect the expression of nuclear factor(NF)-κB,and inhibitor of κB (IκB)-αprotein. Results The expressions of MT1 H in osteosarcoma serums and nonneoplastic disease serums was (0.51 ± 0.52)μg/L and (2.17 ±0.78)μg/L,respectively,with a significant difference between the 2 groups(t =-8.966, P <0.05).The expression of MT1 H in stage Ⅰ -ⅡA andⅡB -Ⅲ was (1 .98 ±0.69)μg/L and (2.45 ±0.82)μg/L,respectively,showing a gradual increase depending on clinical staging(t =-2.343,P <0.05).The expressions of MT1 H mRNA and protein were elevated in osteosarcoma U2OS cells after MT1 H vector transfection(all P <0.05). MTT assay showed that,the A value in blank control group,blank vector group,MT1 H vector group were 0.38 ±0.03, 0.36 ±0.03,0.42 ±0.03,respectively,the cell proliferation in the MT1 H vector group was significantly promoted when compared with these in the blank vector group and blank control group(F =4.213,P <0.05)from the third day.West-ern blot showed that,the relative expression of NF -κB in blank control group,blank vector group,MT1 H vector group were 0.56 ±0.05,0.53 ±0.05,0.92 ±0.07,respectively,the relative expression of IκB -αprotein were 0.64 ± 0.06,0.62 ±0.09,0.34 ±0.08,respectively,the expression of NF -κB protein was up -regulated and the expression of IκB -αprotein was down -regulated in the MT1 H vector group when compared with those in the blank vector group and blank control group(F =44.581 ,14.927,all P <0.05).Conclusions The expression of MT1 H is increased in children and adolescents osteosarcoma serums compared with that in nonneoplastic disease serums.The clinical stage is later,the expression of MT1 H is higher.MT1 H promotes cell proliferation through regulating the NF -κB pathway.

Objective To analyze the characterization of cognitive function in Parkinson's disease with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Methods Cognitive function was examined in Parkinson's disease with dementia (PDD) patients ( n = 30) , Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients ( n = 30) and healthy elderly control subjects ( n = 60) . Neuropsychological evaluation contained semantic fluency test, phonemic fluency test, action fluency test, objective and action naming tests. Results In PDD group , the score of semantic fluency test is 9. 33 ±2. 78, 6. 17 ± 1.67 of phonemic fluency test and 7.03 ±2. 34 of action fluency test,it is 6.90 ±2.47, 7.87±2.01,8.30±3. 17 of AD group. The score of objective and action naming tests is 36.33 ±3.39, 17.63 ±2. 17 in PDD group,while AD patients is 33.23 ±3.56 and 22.33 ±2.37. The verbal fluency tests and naming tests were impaired in PDD and AD patients compared with the healthy elderly control group (P ＜ 0. 01 ), phonemic fluency, action fluency and action naming were more impaired in PDD patients compared with the AD group , while semantic fluency and objective naming were more impaired in AD patients (P ＜ 0. 01 ). Conclusions Executive function deficit and naming impairment are found in PDD and AD patients, it shows that PDD is characterized by the addition of cortical dysfunction upon a predominant and progressive fronto-subcortical impairment. There is subcortical dysfunction in AD patients.

AIM: To validate the alternations of flow velocity patterns in the infarct-related artery (IRA) during no-reflow phenomenon in a canine model of acute myocardial ischemia and reperfusion by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TTDE) combined with myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) by means of administration of Albunex. METHODS: Nineteen dogs first underwent 60 min myocardial ischemia and then followed by 60 min,120 min and 180 min reperfusion ( n = 6, 6 and 7, respectively). The perfusion defect area determined by MCE at 60 min myocardial ischemia was regarded as risk area (RAMCE). The perfusion defect area defined by MCE after reperfusion was considered as no-reflow area (NRAMCE). The ratio between NRAMCE and RAMCE ≥ 25 %was regarded as the development of no-reflow phenomenon and the ratio of NRAMCE to RAMCE＜25% was considered as the myocardial reflow. The coronary flow velocity parameters in IRA were determined through TTDE. RESULTS: Two dogs died during experiment and the remaining seventeen dogs completed throughout the procedure.There were seven dogs in reflow group and ten dogs in noreflow group. No significant difference was present in reflow group between at baseline and at 60 min reperfusion in systolic peak velocity (PVs), systolic velocity time integral (VT Is), corrected systolic flow duration (cFDs),diastolic peak velocity (PVd), diastolic velocity time integral (VT Id), corrected diastolic flow duration (cFDd),diastolic deceleration rate (DDR), corrected diastolic deceleration duration (cDDD) (P＞0.05), however, a significant difference was found in no-reflow group between at baseline and at 60 min reperfusion in PVs,VTIs, cFDs, PVd, VTId and cFDd (P＜0.05). The most marked alterations during diastolic phase were the increase of DDR and reduction of cDDD. CONCLUSION: The impaired microvasculature may profoundly affect the coronary flow velocity pattern in the IRA. The increase in microvascular resistance and decrease in coronary perfused pressure can contribute to the changes.Transthoracic Doppler echocardiography combined with MCE has the capability of noninvasive assessment of coronary flow velocity pattern in the IRA during no-reflow phenomenon.