Background Oral exposure to metals/metalloid elements in drinking water may be harmful to human health. Objective To assess potential health risks of oral exposure to 9 metals/metalloids in drinking water in Zibo City of Shandong Province from 2019 to 2023, and provide reference for the development of local drinking water management policies. Method From 2019 to 2023, a total of 1178 drinking water samples were collected from 261 rural water monitoring sites and 14 urban water monitoring sites in 8 districts and counties of Zibo City. The US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) four-step health assessment model was used to evaluate the health risks of oral exposure to 9 metals/metalloids in drinking water for adults. Results A total of 1178 water samples were collected, including 561 urban water samples and 617 rural water samples; 769 samples of tap water and 409 samples of finished water; 634 samples collected in wet season and 544 in dry season. The median carcinogenic risk (CR) of arsenic exposure in drinking water for adults was 3.53×10⁻⁵, and the median hazard quotient (HQ) was 7.85×10⁻². The HQs of arsenic and zinc showed an upward trend in recent years, while the HQ of aluminum showed a downward trend. The stratified analysis results showed that there was no statistically significant difference in the CR of arsenic between males and females or between urban water and rural water. The CR of arsenic in dry season was higher than that in wet season, and the CR of arsenic in tap water was higher than that in finished water (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the HQs of 9 metals/metalloids in drinking water between males and females. The HQs of aluminum, copper, arsenic, selenium, and cadmium in tap water were higher than those in finished water (P<0.05). In dry season, the HQs of aluminum, manganese, copper, zinc, arsenic, and selenium were higher than those in wet season (P<0.05). The HQs of aluminum, copper, zinc, cadmium, and lead in urban water were higher than those in rural water (P<0.05). Conclusion The overall health risks of 9 metal/metalloid pollutants in drinking water in Zibo City are lower than the maximum acceptable risk recommended by the US EPA, and suggest an acceptable level and no significant harm to adult health. The health risk of arsenic is relatively high and should be given priority by relevant departments in drinking water risk management.

Objective:To evaluate the effect and influencing factors of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog (GnRHa) combined with recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) on the improvement of adult height in girls with idiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 60 girls with ICPP who were diagnosed with idiopathic central precocious puberty and received drug treatment at the Children′s Healthcare Institution of Hunan Children′s Hospital from January 2015 to December 2019. They were divided into GnRHa group and GnRHa + rhGH group based on the presence or absence of combined rhGH. Changes in bone age (BA)/age (CA), sex hormones, growth rate (GV), predicted adult height (PAH), year-end height (FAH), height benefit (FAH-PAH), and bone age assessment height standard deviation score (HtSDSBA) were analyzed. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted on the influencing factors of height benefits in children with ICPP.Results:After drug treatment, the peak value, ratio, and BA/CA ratio of sex hormones in 60 ICCP girls all decreased, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The second year growth rate (GV2) of the two groups of patients decreased compared to the first year growth rate (GV1), and the difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in FAH-PAH and △ HtSDSBA between the two groups ( t=4.056, P<0.001, t=-6.238, P<0.001). Pearson correlation analysis results showed that the indicators related to FAH-PAH included CA ( r=-0.477, P<0.01), total treatment period ( r=0.441, P<0.01), pre-treatment PAH ( r=-0.533, P<0.01), and post-treatment HtSDSBA ( r=0.271, P<0.05). Linear regression analysis with height benefit as the dependent variable showed that pre-treatment PAH ( β=-0.674, t=-8.713, P<0.001) and post-treatment HtSDSBA levels ( β=4.362, t=6.223, P<0.001) were independent influencing factors of height benefit in girls with ICPP. The lower the pre-treatment PAH level and the higher the post-treatment HtSDSBA, the greater the height benefit. Conclusions:GnRHa combined with rhGH treatment or GnRHa treatment can improve adult height in ICCP girls, but the combination therapy has better height benefits. For girls with severe PAH damage, GnRHa combined with rhGH treatment should be prioritized.

Objective:To compare the differences of clinical characteristics of temporal lobe epilepsy with bilateral hippocampal sclerosis (TLE-bHS) with those of temporal lobe epilepsy with unilateral hippocampal sclerosis (TLE-uHS).Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed. Forty-eight patients with confirmed TLE-bHS enrolled in Epilepsy Center, Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Medical School of Zhejiang University from January 2013 to January 2022 were chosen, and 101 patients with confirmed TLE-uHS admitted to our hospital at the same time period were selected as controls. Clinical data such as onset age, disease course, past medical history, seizure frequency, anti-seizure medications, video EEG and neuropsychological test results, and outcomes were analyzed.Results:Compared with the TLE-uHS group, the TLE-bHS group had higher male proportion, elder onset age, shorter disease course, higher seizure frequency, more types of past and currently used anti-seizure medications, lower proportion of autonomic nerve with aura, higher proportion of no aura at onset, higher proportion of slow head background movement in video EEG, and lower memory quotient, verbal memory scores and non-verbal memory scores, with significant differences ( P<0.05); the differences in ratio of past medical history and ratio of distributions of regions with interictal epileptiform abnormalities between the 2 groups were statistically significant ( P<0.05): the TLE-bHS group had significantly higher proportion of previous intracranial infection/encephalitis and higher ratio of bilateral temporal epileptiform abnormalities than the TLE-uHS group, while the TLE-uHS group had significantly higher proportion of patients with febrile convulsion history and higher ratio of unilateral temporal epileptiform abnormalities ( P<0.05). Only 10 patients (20.8%) in the TLE-bHS group received non-drug therapy, including anterior temporal lobectomy in 3 patients (Engel grading I in postoperative follow-up for 2 years), neuroregulatory therapy in 4, and ketogenic diet in 4; of the 55 patients (54.5%) in the TLE-uHS group who underwent anterior temporal lobectomy, 48 patients (87.3%) had Engel grading I, 1 patient (1.8%) had grading II, 4 (7.3%) had grading III, and 2 (3.6%) had grading IV after 2 years of follow-up. Conclusion:Differences in onset age, disease course, past medical history, seizure frequency, anti-seizure medications, and video EEG and neuropsychological test results can help to discriminate patients with TLE-bHS or with TLE-uHS.

Objective To establish a solvent desorption inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method for determination of iodine in workplace air. Methods Iodine in workplace air was collected with alkaline activated carbon tube and desorbed with 10.0 mL pure water or 20 mmol/L sodium bicarbonate solution. Rhenium-185 was used as an internal standard for quantification. The sample was determined in standard mode and kinetic energy discrimination collision (KED) mode by ICP-MS. Results In standard mode, iodine showed a good linear range in the concentration of 9.0 to 1 100.0 μg/L, with a correlation coefficient of 0.999 3 and a detection limit of 2.7 μg/L. In KED mode, iodine showed a good linear range in the concentration of 24.3 to 800.0 μg/L, with a correlation coefficient of 0.999 1 and a detection limit of 7.3 μg/L. The average desorption efficiency using pure water ranged from 99.1% to 106.7%, with within-run relative standard deviation (RSD) of 3.1% to 8.0% and between-run RSD of 4.9% to 9.3%. The average desorption efficiency using sodium bicarbonate solution ranged from 96.5% to 105.3%, with within-run RSD of 4.9% to 8.6% and between-run RSD of 2.5% to 9.9%. There were no statistical significant differences in the main effects of desorption solution, ICP-MS detection mode, their interaction on average desorption efficiency and within-run RSD (all P>0.05). Samples could be stored at room temperature for at least 7 days. Conclusion This method is highly sensitive, accurate, and suitable for the determination of iodine in workplace air. The sample pretreatment is simple and rapid.

A new siderophore chelate (1) and 8 known compounds were identified from the liquid co-cultures of the marine-derived Streptomyces sp. IMB18-531 and Cladosporium sp. IMB19-099 by a combination of chromatography methods, including C18 reversed-phase medium pressure chromatography, gel column chromatography and HPLC. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analysis and chemical methods as aluminioxamine E (1), desferrioxamine E (2), ferrioxamine E (3), terragine E (4), capsimicin (5), cyclo(L-prolinyl-L-tyrosine) (6), anthranilic acid (7), (Z)-14-methylpentadec-9-enoic acid (8), and (Z)-hexadec-8-enoic acid (9). Compound 2 showed inhibitory activities against the expression of liver fibrosis related genes COL1A1, MMP2, and TIMP2. Compounds 5, 8, and 9 displayed antibacterial activities against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis and Bacillus subtilis, with MICs of 16-64 μg·mL^-1. Compound 5 showed cytotoxicities against human pancreatic cancer MIA Paca-2 and human colon cancer HT-29 cell lines with IC₅₀ of 2.9 and 6.3 μmol·L^-1, respectively.

Objective: To development the prognostic nomogram for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Methods: Two hundred and ten patients pathologically confirmed as MPM were enrolled in this retrospective study from 2007 to 2020 in the People's Hospital of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, the First and Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, and divided into training (n=112) and test (n=98) sets according to the admission time. The observation factors included demography, symptoms, history, clinical score and stage, blood cell and biochemistry, tumor markers, pathology and treatment. The Cox proportional risk model was used to analyze the prognostic factors of 112 patients in the training set. According to the results of multivariate Cox regression analysis, the prognostic prediction nomogram was established. C-Index and calibration curve were used to evaluate the model's discrimination and consistency in raining and test sets, respectively. Patients were stratified according to the median risk score of nomogram in the training set. Log rank test was performed to compare the survival differences between the high and low risk groups in the two sets. Results: The median overall survival (OS) of 210 MPM patients was 384 days (IQR=472 days), and the 6-month, 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year survival rates were 75.7%, 52.6%, 19.7%, and 13.0%, respectively. Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that residence (HR=2.127, 95% CI: 1.154-3.920), serum albumin (HR=1.583, 95% CI: 1.017-2.464), clinical stage (stage Ⅳ: HR=3.073, 95% CI: 1.366-6.910) and the chemotherapy (HR=0.476, 95% CI: 0.292-0.777) were independent prognostic factors for MPM patients. The C-index of the nomogram established based on the results of Cox multivariate regression analysis in the training and test sets were 0.662 and 0.613, respectively. Calibration curves for both the training and test sets showed moderate consistency between the predicted and actual survival probabilities of MPM patients at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years. The low-risk group had better outcomes than the high-risk group in both training (P=0.001) and test (P=0.003) sets. Conclusion: The survival prediction nomogram established based on routine clinical indicators of MPM patients provides a reliable tool for prognostic prediction and risk stratification.
Humans ; Mesothelioma, Malignant ; Prognosis ; Nomograms ; Retrospective Studies ; Proportional Hazards Models

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical treatment outcomes and the changes of the outcomes over time in extremely preterm twins in Guangdong Province, China. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for 269 pairs of extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks who were admitted to the department of neonatology in 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province from January 2008 to December 2017. According to the admission time, they were divided into two groups: 2008-2012 and 2013-2017. Besides, each pair of twins was divided into the heavier infant and the lighter infant subgroups according to birth weight. The perinatal data of mothers and hospitalization data of neonates were collected. The survival rate of twins and the incidence rate of complications were compared between the 2008-2012 and 2013-2017 groups. RESULTS: Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of severe asphyxia and smaller head circumference at birth (P<0.05). The mortality rates of both of the twins, the heavier infant of the twins, and the lighter infant of the twins were lower in the 2013-2017 group compared with the 2008-2012 group (P<0.05). Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of pulmonary hemorrhage, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage (P-IVH), and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) and a higher incidence rate of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS There is a significant increase in the survival rate over time in extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks in the 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province. The incidences of severe asphyxia, pulmonary hemorrhage, PDA, P-IVH, and NRDS decrease in both the heavier and lighter infants of the twins, but the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia increases. With the improvement of diagnosis and treatment, the multidisciplinary collaboration between different fields of fetal medicine including prenatal diagnosis, obstetrics, and neonatology is needed in the future to jointly develop management strategies for twin pregnancy.
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/epidemiology* ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Extremely Premature ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To explore the construction process of the digital reference crown models, and to initially establish the digital reference crown models of the primary teeth to lay the foundation for the establishment of the standardized crown models and the future related applications of computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacture (CAD/CAM) technology to pediatric dentistry. METHODS: This study randomly selected children who were caries free, aged from 4 to 5 years in several kindergartens of Haidian District of Beijing.Plaster dental models were made for the children after taking complete impressions.The digital dental models were reconstructed by using the three-dimensional (3D) dental model scanner.And then, Geomagic Studio, a 3D reverse engineering software, was employed to extract the single dental crown data, the mesiodistal and buccolingual diameters and the height of the crowns were measured.The object was reduced or enlarged by a numerical factor, and then the size of each dental crown was standardized.A total of 3-5 points features on the crown were created, and all the objects were aligned through the functions of feature-based alignment.Finally, through average-based object creation and smoothing, the digital models of reference crowns of the primary teeth were established. RESULTS: A total of 40 plaster dental models from 16 boys and 26 girls were selected out for our further study.The digital dental models were reconstructed, and the mesiodistal and buccolingual diameters and the height of the crowns were measured by using reverse engineering technology.Comparing the results of using mesiodistal diameter, buccolingual diameter and height as the standards, we chose the mesiodistal diameters of crowns to do the standardization, and successfully established the digital reference models of 20 primary teeth crowns with detailed surface characteristics. CONCLUSION In this study, the digital reference crown models of the primary teeth were established by reverse engineering technology, providing reference value for the standardized crown models and application for clinical practice, scientific research and teaching.Furthermore, this study also contributes to the extensive application of CAD/CAM technology in pediatric dentistry and the development of CAD/CAM dental systems with independent intellectual property rights.
Child ; Computer-Aided Design ; Crowns ; Dental Prosthesis Design ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Software ; Tooth Crown ; Tooth, Deciduous

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and diagnosis of imported malaria before and after malaria elimination in Nanjing City of Jiangsu Province, so as to provide the scientific evidence for formulating the malaria control strategy after malaria elimination. Methods Data pertaining to the epidemic situation and individual investigation of malaria in Nanjing City before (from 2012 to 2016) and after malaria elimination (from 2017 to 2020) were captured from the National Notifiable Communicable Disease Reporting System and the Information System for Parasitic Diseases Control and Prevention and were analyzed statistically. Results A total of 178 malaria cases were reported in Nanjing City from 2012 to 2020, and all were imported cases. There were 99 malaria cases reported before malaria elimination in Nanjing City, including 78 cases with Plasmodium falciparum malaria (78.79%), 5 cases with P. vivax malaria (5.05%), 10 cases with P. ovale malaria (10.10%), 3 cases with P. malariae malaria (3.03%) and 3 cases with mixed infections (3.03%), and 79 malaria cases reported after elimination, including 63 cases with P. falciparum malaria (79.75%), 5 cases with P. vivax malaria (6.33%), 9 cases with P. ovale malaria (11.39%), 2 cases with P. malariae malaria (2.53%). There was no significant difference in the proportion of each type of malaria cases in Nanjing City before and after malaria elimination (χ² =2.400, P > 0.05). Malaria cases mainly acquired Plasmodium infections in African regions, and no significant difference was seen in the proportion of malaria cases returning to Nanjing City from African countries before and after malaria elimination (χ² = 0.093, P > 0.05). The number of malaria cases peaked in Nanjing City in January and during the period from May to July before elimination, and there was no apparent seasonal variation in the distribution of malaria cases after elimination. The proportion of malaria cases living in Nanjing City was significantly greater after malaria elimination than before elimination (72.15% vs. 55.56%; χ² = 5.187, P = 0.023). The proportions of businessmen and international students were both 5.05% before malaria elimination, and increased to 15.19% and 13.92% after elimination, respectively (χ² = 5.229 and 4.229, both P values < 0.05). The percentage of definitive diagnosis of malaria at initial diagnosis was 18.75% in county-level hospitals before malaria elimination and increased to 61.11% after elimination (χ² = 6.275, P = 0.012), while the proportion of malaria cases with definitive diagnoses in county-level hospitals was 4.04% before malaria elimination and increased to 13.92% after elimination (χ² = 5.562, P = 0.018). During the period from 2012 to 2020, the proportion of malaria cases with definitive diagnoses within 1 to 3 days post-admission increased from 27.27% in Nanjing City before malaria elimination to 45.57% after elimination (χ² = 6.433, P = 0.011). Conclusions The epidemic situation of imported malaria remains serious in Nanjing City during the post-elimination stage, and malaria parasite infections predominantly occur in African regions. In addition, there are changes in regional and occupational distributions of malaria cases and the diagnostic capability of malaria increases in county-level hospitals in Nanjing City after malaria elimination. Further improvements in the malaria surveillance system and the diagnostic and treatment capability of malaria in medical institutions at each level are required to consolidate malaria elimination achievements in Nanjing City.

The aim of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of immunoglobulin M (IgM) and G (IgG) antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic people in Wuhan. This was a cross-sectional study, which enrolled 18,712 asymptomatic participants from 154 work units in Wuhan. Pearson Chi-square test,
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antibodies, Viral/blood* ; COVID-19/immunology* ; Carrier State/immunology* ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China/epidemiology* ; Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins/immunology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G/blood* ; Immunoglobulin M/blood* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupations/classification* ; Phosphoproteins/immunology* ; SARS-CoV-2/immunology* ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/immunology* ; Young Adult