Objective:To compare the effects of different test meals on postprandial triglycerides and to optimize the standard meal composition and the blood sampling protocol for the oral fat tolerance test.Methods:This study is a prospective, open-label, randomized, cross-over trial. In March 2023, 36 volunteers were recruited in Hebei General Hospital. They underwent a health examination and oral glucose tolerance test. Twenty-six healthy volunteers(11 males and 15 females) were included in this study, with an average age of(39.08±4.56) years. Each volunteer received 75 g protein meal, 75 g fat meal, 700 kcal fixed-calorie high-fat mixed meal, and a high-fat mixed meal with energy adjusted based on 10 kcal/kg body weight. A one-week washout period of regular diet was applied before each trial. Blood was collected at fasting status and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 hours after a meal to detect serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-C), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol(HDL-C), glucose, and insulin. The variations of postprandial metabolic indicators over time following the consumption of different test meals were analyzed. The disparities in postprandial metabolic responses between the two types of mixed meals were compared.Results:The protein meal, fat meal, fixed-calorie high-fat mixed meal, and adjusted-calorie high-fat mixed meal resulted in postprandial triglyceride increases of 22.45%, 115.40%, 77.14%, and 63.63%, and insulin increase of 560.43%, 85.69%, 554.18%, and 598.97%, respectively, and with reductions in total cholesterol, LDL-C, and HDL-C ranging from 5.64%-21.81%, respectively. The blood glucose changed slightly. Changes in metabolic indicators mainly occured within 4 hours. The comparison of the characteristics of postprandial triglycerides between the two high-fat mixed meals showed no statistically significant differences( P>0.05). Conclusion:A standardize protocol with a 700 kcal fixed-calorie high-fat mixed meal as test meal, and blood lipid levels measured at fasting and at 1, 2, 3, and 4 hours after consumption, can serve as an optimized approach for oral fat tolerance test.

Objective To evaluate the myocardial microcirculation function of patients with acute myocardial infarction(AMI)after treatment with myocardial contrast-enhanced ultrasound combined with albumin(ALB)and lipoprotein a[Lp(a)].Methods Ninety-six patients with AMI admitted to our hospital from January 2022 to September 2023 were selected.According to myocardial microcirculation function after treatment,they were divided into a normal function group(56 cases)and a dysfunction group(40 cases).major cardiovascular adverse events were compared between the two groups.major cardiovascular adverse events(MACE),the plateau peak intensity of myocardial contrast ultrasound parameters(A value),the rise rate of microbubble reperfusion(β value),myocardial blood flow(A value×β value),and serum ALB and Lp(a)levels after 48h of treatment were different,so as to determine the evaluation value of myocardial contrast ultrasound,ALB and Lp(a)on myocardial microcirculation function in AMI patients after treatment.Results In the dysfunction group,the parameters A,β,A×β,and serum ALB level,Lp(a)was higher than that in the normal function group(P＜0.05).A,β,A×β,ALB were positively correlated with cardiac function,and Lp(a)was negatively correlated with cardiac function(P＜0.05).CEUS combined with ALB and Lp(a)evaluated the efficacy of myocardial microcirculation in patients with AMI(P＜0.05).The incidence of MACE was higher in the functional group than in the normal functional group(P＜0.05).Conclusion Myocardial contrast-enhanced ultrasound can early evaluate the myocardial microcirculation function in patients with acute myocardial infarction after treatment,and combined with serum ALB and Lp(a),it can improve diagnostic efficacy.

Objective:To investigate the effect of astragaloside Ⅳ on the apoptosis of thyroid cells in Hashimoto's thyroiditis(HT)rats and Ras homolog gene family member A(RhoA)/Rho-associated coiled-coil containing kinase 2(ROCK2)pathway.Methods:The HT rat model was induced by subcutaneous injection of thyroglobulin combined with high iodine drinking water and randomly divided into model group,astragaloside(80 mg/kg)group,Rhosin(RhoA inhibitor,40 mg/kg)group,astragaloside Ⅳ(80 mg/kg)+ Rhosin(40 mg/kg)group(12 rats in each group),another 12 SD rats were selected and drank water normally and injected the same dose of saline subcutaneously as control group.After the drugs were grouped and processed,the serum anti-thyroglobulin antibody(TGAb),anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody(TPOAb)levels and the inflammatory factors IL-6,IL-17,IL-1β contents were measured by ELISA kits;the pathological changes of thyroid tissue in each group were detected by hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining;the apopto-sis rate of rat thyroid cells in each group were detected by TUNEL staining;the expressions of RhoA/ROCK2 pathway proteins in thy-roid tissues of rats in each group were detected by Western blot.Results:Compared with the control group,the thyroid follicles in the model group had abnormal structure,some atrophy or disappearance,disordered arrangement,surrounding inflammatory cell infiltra-tion,and obvious pathological damage to the thyroid tissue,the serum TGAb,TPOAb,IL-6,IL-17 and IL-1β levels,thyroid cell apoptosis rate,and thyroid tissue RhoA and ROCK2 protein expression levels were significantly increased(P<0.05);compared with model group,the pathological damage of the thyroid tissue of rats in the drug intervention group were reduced,the serum TGAb,TPOAb,IL-6,IL-17 and IL-1β levels,thyroid cell apoptosis rate,and thyroid tissue RhoA and ROCK2 protein expression levels were decreased(P<0.05);compared with astragaloside Ⅳ group and the Rhosin group respectively,the pathological damage of the thyroid tissue of rats in the astragaloside Ⅳ+Rhosin group were further reduced,the serum TGAb,TPOAb,IL-6,IL-17 and IL-1β levels,thyroid cell apoptosis rate,thyroid tissue RhoA and ROCK2 protein expression levels were decreased(P<0.05).Conclusion:Astragaloside Ⅳ may down-regulate the expression of RhoA/ROCK2 pathway to reduce the inflammatory injury of thyroid tissue,inhib-it thyroid cell apoptosis,and improve the symptoms of HT in rats.

OBJECTIVES: The use of anticholinergic drugs in the elderly may lead to negative events such as falls, delirium, urinary retention and cognitive decline, and the higher the number of anticholinergic drugs use, the more such negative events occur. This study aims to analyze the risk factors associated with the prescription of total anticholinergic drugs in elderly outpatients and evaluate the rationality of anticholinergic drugs, and to provide a reference for reducing the adverse effects of anticholinergic drugs. METHODS: A list of drugs with anticholinergic activity based on the Beers criteria was established. The basic information (such as age and gender), clinical diagnosis, and medications of elderly outpatient were extracted from hospital electronic medical records, and the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden (ACB) Scale was used to calculate the anticholinergic burden for each patient. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the potential risk factors for the occurrence of problems such as multiple medication and insomnia. RESULTS: A total of 1 840 prescriptions for elderly patients were reviewed. Of these patients, ACB score was more than or equal to 1 in 648 (35.22%) patients. Number of prescription medication (95% CI: 1.221 to 1.336) and insomnia (95% CI: 3.538 to 6.089) were independent factors affecting ACB scores (both P<0.01). Medications for patients of ACB scores were most commonly treated with the central nervous system drugs (such as alprazolam and eszopiclone) and for the cardiovascular system drugs (such as metoprolol and nifedipine). CONCLUSIONS There is a high rate of ACB drugs use in geriatric patients, and the clinical focus should be on multiple medication prescriptions, especially on the central nervous system drugs (such as alprazolam and eszopiclone) and cardiovascular system drugs (such as metoprolol and nifedipine). The prescription review should be emphasized to reduce adverse reactions to anticholinergic drugs in elderly patients.
Humans ; Aged ; Cholinergic Antagonists/adverse effects* ; Outpatients ; Metoprolol ; Alprazolam ; Eszopiclone ; Nifedipine ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Risk Factors

Objective To establish a scoring system based on the preoperative serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and to investigate its value in predicting the prognosis of patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for 154 HCC patients who underwent hepatectomy as the initial treatment in Tianjin First Central Hospital from January 2016 to August 2019. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the optimal cut-off values of serum AFP and ALP; the Kaplan-Meier curve and the log-rank test were used for survival analysis to evaluate the relationship between the AFP-ALP score and disease-free survival (DFS); univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to identify the independent prognostic factors for HCC patients. The independent samples t -test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. Results The ROC curve analysis showed that serum AFP had an optimal cut-off value of 250.0 ng/mL and an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.674 (95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 0.580-0.767) in predicting DFS, while serum ALP had an optimal cut-off value of 95.5 U/L and an AUC of 0.745 (95% CI : 0.652-0.838). The survival analysis showed that high preoperative serum levels of AFP (≥250.0 ng/mL) and ALP (≥95.5 U/L) were significantly associated with the poor prognosis of HCC patients ( P < 0.001). Based on the AFP-ALP score, all HCC patients were further divided into 0-point group (AFP < 250.0 ng/mL and ALP < 95.5 U/L), 1-point group (AFP≥250.0 ng/mL, ALP < 95.5 U/L; or AFP < 250.0 ng/mL, ALP ≥95.5 U/L), and 2-point group (AFP≥250.0 ng/mL and ALP≥95.5 U/L). The survival curves showed that the 0-, 1-, and 2-point groups had a median DFS of 60.0 (56.7-67.3) months, 20.0 (1.4-36.6) months, and 13.0(7.9-18.0) months, respectively, and there were significant survival differences between the three groups ( P < 0.05). Serum AFP-ALP score (1 point vs 0 point: hazard ratio [ HR ]=4.060, 95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 2.050-8.039, P < 0.001; 2 points vs 0 point: HR =4.583, 95% CI : 2.385-8.805, P < 0.001) was an independent prognostic factor for HCC patients. Conclusion The scoring system based on the serum levels of AFP and ALP can effectively identify HCC patients with poor prognosis, and therefore, it might be used as a simple and reliable tool for prognostic assessment in the clinical treatment of HCC.

The application of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated proteins (Cas) can be limited due to a lack of compatible protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) sequences in the DNA regions of interest. Recently, SpRY, a variant of Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9), was reported, which nearly completely fulfils the PAM requirement. Meanwhile, PAMs for SpRY have not been well addressed. In our previous study, we developed the PAM Definition by Observable Sequence Excision (PAM-DOSE) and green fluorescent protein (GFP)‍-reporter systems to study PAMs in human cells. Herein, we endeavored to identify the PAMs of SpRY with these two methods. The results indicated that 5'-NRN-3', 5'-NTA-3', and 5'-NCK-3' could be considered as canonical PAMs. 5'-NCA-3' and 5'-NTK-3' may serve as non-priority PAMs. At the same time, PAM of 5'-NYC-3' is not recommended for human cells. These findings provide further insights into the application of SpRY for human genome editing.
CRISPR-Associated Protein 9/metabolism* ; CRISPR-Cas Systems ; DNA ; Gene Editing/methods* ; Humans ; Streptococcus pyogenes/metabolism*

Objective:To explore the effects of "rain classroom" wisdom teaching on geriatric students′ autonomous learning ability and self-efficacy.Methods:From June to August, 2021, 61 nursing students who practiced in the department of gerontology of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University were selected as research subjects, and divided into experimental group (30 students) and control group (31 students) by random number table method. In the experimental group, wisdom teaching based on "Rain classroom" was carried out at the same time as conventional teaching, while in the control group, conventional teaching was carried out, and the teaching effect was evaluated by the independent learning ability measurement scale and academic self-efficacy scale of nursing students.Results:The score of autonomous learning ability of nursing students in the experimental group was 68.55 ± 11.06, and that in the control group was 74.29 ± 9.16. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( t = -2.01, P<0.05). The academic self-efficacy scores of nursing students in experimental group and control group were 52.27 ± 11.56 and 52.64 ± 9.28 respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The wisdom teaching of "rain classroom" improves the independent learning ability of geriatric nursing students, and attaches importance to the cultivation of self-efficacy of nursing students, and the improvement of self-efficacy needs further research.

Buruli ulcer (BU), caused by

Objective:To observe the clinical effect of pelvic floor ultrasound in the diagnosis and rehabilitation training of postpartum stress urinary incontinence(SUI).Methods:From May 2017 to May 2019, 200 SUI patients and 200 healthy pregnant women in the same period admitted to the First People's Hospital of Huzhou were selected in this study.All the subjects were tested by perineum and pelvic floor ultrasound, and the patients with SUI were instructed to carry out pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation training, the level of rehabilitation training effect was evaluated, and to statistically analyze the difference of pelvic floor ultrasound parameters between the patients with SUI and the healthy women, and the patients with different levels of efficacy.Results:The results of pelvic floor ultrasound in SUI patients were significantly higher than those in healthy women( t=6.536-14.925, all P<0.05). The rate of urinary leakage in SUI patients [88.50%(177/200)] was significantly higher than that in healthy women [10.50%(21/200)](χ 2=243.384, P<0.05). The total effective rate of rehabilitation training was 79.50%(159/200). The bladder neck moving distance, urethra rotation angle, posterior angle of bladder urethra in resting state and posterior angle of bladder urethra in Valsalva state in SUI patients with ineffective rehabilitation training were significantly higher than those in SUI patients with general effective rehabilitation training( t=4.662-12.537, all P<0.05). The formation rate of urethra infundibulum in SUI patients with ineffective rehabilitation training [70.73%(29/41)] was significantly higher than that in SUI patients with effective rehabilitation training [19.50%(31/159)](χ 2=40.744, P<0.05). Conclusion:The rehabilitation training of discoid muscles can effectively relieve the related clinical symptoms of postnatal SUI patients.The detection of pelvic ultrasound has a certain clinical value in the diagnosis of postpartum SUI and evaluation of rehabilitation training effect.

Objective To explore the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and intraluminal contrast in the differential diagnosis of postmenopausal endometrial benign and malignant lesions.Methods The ultrasound data of 90 patients with postmenopausal endometrial lesions diagnosed in our hospital between March 2016 and March 2018 were retrospectively analyzed.According to pathological findings,they were divided into benign group (55 cases) and malignant group (35 cases).The endometrial thickness of endovascular contrast,rise time (RT),time to peak (TTP),base intensity (BI),and peak intensity (PI) of CEUS in two groups were compared.Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) were used to compare the efficacy of different ultrasound parameters in benign and malignant endometrial by using pathology diagnosis as "gold standard".Results The endometrial thickness and PI were significantly higher in the malignant group than those in the benign group (P ＜ 0.05),while the RT and TTP were significantly lower than benign group (P ＜ 0.05),with no statistical difference in BI (P ＞ 0.05).The ROC curve showed that PI has the highest area under curve (AUC) in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant endometrial lesions (AUC =0.983),followed by RT and TTP (AUC =0.889,0.872),and intimal thickness (AUC =0.766).AUC of PI was significantly higher than RT,TTP and intimal thickness (P ＜ 0.05),and the best cut-off point for PI ≥20.23 dB.The sensitivity of PI,RT,and TTP in differentiating benign and malignant endometrial lesions was significantly higher than that in intimal thickness (P ＜ 0.05),whereas the specificity and positive likelihood ratio (+ LR) of PI were significantly higher than those of RT,TTP,and intimal thickness (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Compared with intracavitary ultrasound,CEUS has better diagnostic value in differentiating benign and malignant endometrial tumors.Among them,the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of PI≥20.23 dB are higher.