Search

Background Microalbuminuria is a sensitive indicator of early renal microvascular damage and an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Previous studies have shown that long-term chronic inflammation plays an important role in the occurrence and development of microalbuminuria. However, the correlation between blood inflammatory markers and microalbuminuria has been less frequently reported. Objective To investigate the correlation of systemic immune inflammatory index (SII) and systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI) with microalbuminuria in a middle-aged and elderly physical examination population. Methods This was a cross-sectional study in which 2 105 medical examiners over the age of 40 years who underwent health check-ups from April to July 2023 at the Department of Health Medicine, General Hospital of the Eastern Theatre of Operations were selected as study subjects. The study subjects were divided into two groups based on the urinary microalbumin/urinary creatinine ratio (UACR) values: the non-microalbuminuric group (1 857 cases, UACR0.05) ; age, BMI, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, 2 h blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, triglycerides, homocysteine, glomerular filtration rate erythrocyte sedimentation rate, SII, and SIRI levels were higher in the microalbuminuria group than those in the non-microalbuminuria group, and high density lipoprotein cholesterol level was lower than that in the non-microalbuminuria group (P

By designing the orthogonal experiment of resistance spot welding process, the range of spot welding process parameters of Q & P980 galvanized high-strength steel was determined, meanwhile the microstructure characterization and the mechanical properties analysis of the welding joint were carried out. The results show that the microstructure of nugget zone is mainly staggered lath martensite, whereas the microstructure of HAZ is composed of lath martensite, residual austenite and ferrite. The maximum average width of martensite lath in incompletely quenched zone is 4.86 μm.The microhardness test exhibits that the hardness value of the welding joint shows a "W"-shaped symmetrical distribution. The peak hardness appears in the fine-grain zone, which is 559HV, while the minimum hardness appears in the incompletely quenched zone, which is 338HV. The incompletely quenched zone shows obvious softening phenomenon. The room temperature tensile tests of the welding joints are carried out, and the peak value of maximum tension-shear load is 27.92 kN. The fracture morphology shows typical dimples, which belongs to ductile fracture.Since the melting point of zinc is lower than that of the steel matrix, the zinc layer is prior to melting and penetrates downward along the grain boundary of the matrix at the welding joints, and then the liquid metal embrittlement cracks can be observed obviously.

Objective To design an eye model that can simulate the fundus for teaching direct ophthalmoscopy and to evaluate its effectiveness. Methods Using 3D(3-dimensional) printing materials to creat an eye model and then randomly organized 92 eight-year medical students into two groups: group A (model training group) and group B (traditional training group). After training, real patients were invited to test the student for maximum time of 120 seconds for each student. That recorded the ability of the students to clearly see the optic disk and the time spend to determine the cup-to-disk ratio and whether the students were correct. Results Fourty-three students in group A (93.48%) successfully saw the fundus while 21 students in group B(45.65%) saw the fundus. The difference between the two groups was 47.83% and the 95% confidence interval was 29.59%-66.07% (P＜0.001). The median time to see the fundus was 29 seconds in group A; the 95% confidence interval was 23-45 seconds. Based on the lower limit of the 95% confidence interval, it was estimated that at least 80 seconds was required in group B. The P value of the log-rank test was ＜0.001. It proved that the operation in group A is significantly faster than that of group B. Conclusions This 3D-printed eye model significantly improved the students' learning interest, learning efficiency. This method should be shared by other medical institutions to train students in ophthalmoscopy.

Objective To explore the application value of artificial intelligence (AI) based retinal microvascular analysis in the diagnosis of diabetes retinopathy (DR), diabetes nephropathy (DN) and other diabetes complications. Methods From January to December 2022, 305 subjects from the Health Medicine Department and Endocrine Department of the Eastern Theater Command General Hospital of PLA were divided into healthy control group (n = 119), diabetes without DR group (n = 100), and diabetes with DR group (n = 86) according to the condition of diabetes and its complications. The group of diabetes with DR was further divided into the group without DN (n = 50) and the group with DN (n = 36). Clinical data, laboratory test indicators, and fundus photography results of all the subjects were collected. Independent sample t-test, Kruskal Wallis H-test, and logistic regression analysis were used for data analysis. Results There were statistically significant differences in FBG, 2hPBG, HbA1c, central retinal artery equivalent (CRAE), and retinal arteriovenous ratio (AVR) among the three groups (all P < 0.05). In patients with diabetes complicated with DR, there were statistically significant differences in the history of diabetes, total number of bleeding, total area of exudation, maximum area of exudation and total number of exudation between non-DN group and DN group (all P < 0.05). There was correlation between retinal microvascular indicators and diabetic retinopathy. When the total area of retinal hemorrhage, total area of exudation, and maximum area of exudation increased, the risk of diabetic retinopathy increased. Conclusion AI-based retinal microvascular analysis has value in providing prompt indication and assisting with the diagnosis of complications in diabetic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palm vein recognition, as a new infrared biometrics technology, has become one of the research hotspots in the field of biometric recognition because of its advantages of high security and liveness detection. In recent years, a great deal of research in this field has promoted the development of palm vein recognition technology by introducing deep learning methods. In order to grasp the latest research status and development direction in the field of palm vein recognition, data acquisition and the mainstream algorithms of data pre- processing are classified and summarized, and the latest progress of palm vein recognition based on deep learning is classified and elaborated in terms of palm vein feature representation, network design and optimization, and lightweight network. In view of the bottleneck of single-modal recognition, the correlation algorithms of multimodal and multi- feature fusion recognition are analyzed and compared. The difficulties and challenges of current research on palm vein recognition are discussed, and the future development trends are prospected and summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodegradable material is a kind of polymer material which has no pollution to the environment. It has been used in food packaging, medical treatment, agriculture and other industries. However, the production cost of biodegradable materials is high and the physical properties are defective, which affects their wide application in various fields. The types and properties of biodegradable materials are reviewed. The advantages and disadvantages of spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and chromatography and mass spectrometry in the identification of biodegradable materials are compared. It is pointed out that the material characterization of biodegradable materials and the analysis methods of impurities are the key research contents, so as to provide reference for the material analysis of biodegradable materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To study the effect of tetrandrine (TET) on oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line Tca8113 and its influence against the expression of β-catenin.Methods CCK-8 method was used to detect the effect of TET on Tca8113 by different dose and time. Western blot assay was used to detect the expression of β-catenin after treatment by TET meanwhile the distribution of the β-catenin treated by TET was detected by the immunofluorescence method.Results With the increasing dose of TET, the inhibition rate against Tca8113 was raising (P < 0.05). The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of TET against Tca8113 was 64 μmol/L. With this concentration, the inhibition rate against Tca8113 exhibited a time-dependent manner. The results of western blot revealed that the expression of β-catenin was significantly inhibited after treatment by TET (P < 0.05). The results of immunofluorescence method showed that the β-catenin protein mainly located at nucleus in Tca8113, while after treatment by TET, the β-catenin protein mainly located at cellular membrane and cytoplasm in a diffused distribution manner.Conclusion Our data suggest that TET can inhibit the cell growth of oral squamous cell carcinoma, and influence the cellular distribution of β-catenin protein in tumor cells.

In view of shortcomings of a lot of transmission line, complicated construction, poor reliability and high cost by use of traditional detection method of remote switch, a design scheme of intelligent detection system for remote switch based on 1-wire was proposed. The system uses DS2405 1-wire device and C8051F single-chip microcomputer to constitute 1-wire sensor network with 128 switches and can detect open/close state of switch directly. The practical application showed that the system has advantages of simple circuit, strong anti-interference and high reliability.

Golden pomelo is delicious and nutritious and has gained great popularity. Golden pomelo will generate bitter taste with the extension of storage time, which seriously affect the development of the related industry. To explore the reason behind, the present work used Meizhou's golden pomelos the research object to investigate the source of bitterness. After grading, the content of titratable acid, soluble solids content, maximum adhesion force, limonin content, nomilin content, naringin content were simultaneously determined by methods such as the random forest method. The results showed that the soluble solids content was extremely significant and positive correlated (R=0.78) with sensory scores. Nomilin (R=-0.69) content and naringin (R=-0.59) content were significantly and negatively correlated with sensory scores. The bitterness source of the golden pomelo after a long-term storage was closely related to its soluble solids content. This study can provide a certain theoretical basis for the research on debittering of golden pomelo and rapid assessment of the fruit quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural gas hydrate has the advantages of large reserves, wide distribution and clean combustion. In recent years, it has attracted a wide spread attention. In order to realize the safe and efficient exploitation of natural gas hydrate, it is necessary to systematically evaluate the mechanical stability of hydrate-bearing sediments. In this paper, the methane hydrate-bearing sediments with 40% porosity were remoulded firstly, and a series of triaxial compression tests were performed based on the laboratory mechanics experimental equipment under the conditions of different confining pressures. The strength and deformation characteristics of the sediments during hydrate dissociation were obtained, and the corresponding stress-strain curves were drawn. The results showed that the decomposition of natural gas hydrate can lead to the reduction of the sediments strength. In addition, based on the experimental data and the Duncan-Chang constitutive model, considering the influence of confining pressure and the dissociation time, a constitutive model of the sediment samples in the process of decomposition was constructed. This model could well simulate the stress-strain relationship of the sediments during the hydrate dissociation, providing the theoretical references to evaluate the stability of gas hydrate reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characteristic strength is a key mechanical property index for structural wood materials used in building structures, which should be determined according to requirements of confidence level and number of specimens contained in sample. Due to lack of determination method and predicted calculation formula for characteristic strength in current GB 50005-2003 'Chinese code for design of timber structures', the coefficient or the order statistic value of characteristic strength is usually directly copied from foreign standard. In order to develop and improve the determination method for characteristic strength and to reasonably determine the characteristic strength, the confidence values under different coefficients of variation were analyzed by parametric and non-parametric methods in which the normal random sample was selected. Based on the analysis results by parametric method, relationships between the coefficient of characteristic strength and confidence level, number of specimens was obtained; while, based on that by non-parametric method, relationships between the order statistic value, confidence level and number of specimens were also obtained. The fitting formulas of the coefficient of characteristic strength and of the order statistic value were constructed. The analysis results of an example indicate that the calculation results by the fitting formulas are in good agreement with the actual results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to conventional message schedule in factor graph model of LDPC-BICM (low density parity-check coded Bit-Interleaved Coded Modulation) system, a novel nonparametric message update schedule is proposed to get a good trade-off between the performance and complexity. From a global perspective, a message update schedule with sparse channel estimation is designed by selecting different kinds of combination of the outer and inner iteration. And a partial selective message update schedule is designed from the local iterative decoding perspective by choosing proper comparison rule and threshold. In addition, a channel message update schedule is presented to prevent particle impoverishment and improve channel estimation precision by combining Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) particle filters (PF) into max-sum rule. Simulation results illustrate effectiveness and performance superiority of the proposed schedule compared to conventional schedule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-quality and efficient material procurement import link is a necessary condition to ensure the normal work of teaching and research. Through the workflow optimization, changing previous vertical mode to horizontal sufficiently, process period is shorten. With our foreign trade agency management system exclusively developed, managing processing time of all aspects, and efficiency of the implementations are significant improved. System provides progress inquiry and file download functions, which give user great convenience. Due to the scientific management and strict assessment, service quality and efficiency of foreign trade agency are improved radically. In the premise of ensuring the safety of funds and material quality, the efficiency of procurement are ultimately improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, many universities are using traditional manual way to purchase reagents and consumptive materials, which cause long procurement cycle and high procurement costs. Therefore, it is necessary to centralize procurement of reagents and consumptive materials with the help of network. From innovating traditional procurement mode and improving procurement management, using the method of centralized bidding and e-commerce procurement, we can shorten procurement cycle, reduce procurement costs, and achieve maximum benefit. The centralized procurement network of reagents and consumptive materials which according to centralized procurement management process of universities has established a management information system and centralized procurement system. The user orders online goods and setting the time and place of delivery that can reduce the cost of procurement and improve purchasing efficiency, avoid all sorts of integrity risk and also provide data for users to use reagent consumables, then the reagents and consumptive materials purchase, use and disposal can be scientific, networked and fine management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to explore the impact of governmental low-carbon environmental policy on manufacturing/remanufacturing technology choice and to promote resources recycling and reusing, an automotive parts manufacturing/ remanufacturing system dynamics model of technology choice with the consideration of government incenting low carbon policy like carbon tax and subsidies is built. Based on simulation analysis of carbon tax and subsidies scenarios, we find that it is necessary to strengthen the government environmental policy enforcement to guide and promote the auto parts companies to choose low-carbon remanufacturing technology and to promote the development of China's automobile manufacturing industry. Among them, the combination of carbon taxes and subsidies policy may be a good policy to lead enterprises to choose remanufacturing. But the remanufacturing industry in China is just at the preliminary stage, the government need to strengthen environment conservation education and to standardize the recycling market in order to speed up the healthy development of Chinese auto parts remanufacturing industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classic rough set theory solves problems by means of indiscernibility relation, but it is powerless to resolve the sequencing classification problems in which qualitative attributes, quantitative attributes and criteria exist at the same time. In view of this situation, classic rough set theory is extended, and then a decision analysis method based on the extended rough set theory is proposed. This method replaces the indiscernibility relation in original rough set theory with the indiscernibility-similarity-dominance relation and achieves rough approximation of knowledge. An example study shows that the method can effectively resolve the above mentioned problems and can deal with inconsistence in decision table. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classic rough sets theory is based on the equivalence relation and not used to applicate incomplete information system. In order to extend the rough sets theory, an improved rough set model based on valued tolerance relation and prior probability obtained out of incomplete information system was presented. As a part of the model, an attribute reduction algorithm applicated incomplete information system was proposed. This algorithm takes the null set as the beginning, does not need core calculating, can save time and space, and simplify the solving process as well. Finally, the model and the attribute reduction algorithm are verified under an incomplete information system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fourier transform infrared spectrometer was used to measure the emissivity of natural surface objects in Shuixigou coalfield fires area of Xinjiang. The smooth spectral iterative method was used to separate the temperature and emissivity, and the accurate temperature and emissivity of the surface objects were obtained. The thermal infrared emissivity spectral characteristics of seven typical types natural surface objects were analyzed, and five ASTER thermal infrared bands were selected to conduct the data simulation. The results show that: 1 The characteristics of thermal infrared emissivity spectrum show distinct differences in wavelength range of 8 ~ 13 µ m, especially in 8. 5 ~ 10,11.3 and 12~13 µm. Therefore these bands can be used as identifying characteristics of different bands; 2 Emissivity spectrum shows a characteristic difference at five ASTER thermal infrared bands it is practically useful in the process of using remote sensing images to extract information for surface objects in coalfield fires areas; 3 The emissivity can provide surface temperature retrieval with a precise parameter, so as to improve precision of temperature retrieval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small reservoirs in the Yangtze River are large in quantity and widely distributed, which have important ecological and economic benefits. It is of great significance to explore the response law of small reservoir water quality to environmental variables for improving reservoir water quality. Based on the measured water quality data of 36 small reservoirs in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, combined with the measured water quality data, using correlation analysis, redundancy analysis, and other research methods, we divided the environmental variables into three categories:landscape configuration index, landscape composition index, and reservoir characteristic index, and explored their impact on the change in water quality index. The research results showed that:① farms were the main source of NO 3 - -N, TN, and TP, and residential land was the main source of TP. Paddy, forest land, and wasteland had positive effects on the retention and purification of N and P in reservoirs. ② The LPI of farms was significantly positively correlated with the concentrations of TN and NO 3 - -N in the reservoir, and the paddy and forest were significantly negatively correlated with the concentrations of NO 3 - -N and TN in the reservoir. The PD of farms was positively correlated with TP. The LPI was negatively correlated with TP content. ③ The correlation between average reservoir depth and reservoir water quality was the strongest. Reservoir capacity, reservoir average depth, and reservoir LSI had significant positive effects on water quality improvement. ④ Among the environmental variables of the reservoir, landscape configuration index had the highest explanatory rate (24%), followed by that of the reservoir characteristics index (11%) and landscape composition index (9%). Watershed factors were the key factors (55%), and internal factors (19%) also had a significant influence on reservoir water quality. The research results can provide a theoretical basis for controlling water quality degradation of small reservoirs by managing and optimizing the landscape characteristics of reservoirs.

Objectives: Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) has recently been investigated as a new inflammatory marker in many inflammatory diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus and immunoglobulin A vasculitis. However, there were very few reports regarding the clinical role of PLR in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis. This study was thus undertaken to investigate the relationship between inflammatory response and disease activity in Chinese patients with myeloperoxidase-anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA) associated vasculitis. Furthermore, we evaluated whether PLR predicts the progression of end stage of renal disease (ESRD) and all-cause mortality., Methods: The clinical, laboratory and pathological data, and the outcomes of MPO-ANCA associated vasculitis patients were collected. The Spearman correlation coefficient was computed to examine the association between 2 continuous variables. Cox regression analysis was used to estimate the association between PLR and ESRD or all-cause mortality., Results: A total of 190 consecutive patients with MPO-ANCA associated vasculitis were included in this study. Baseline PLR was positively correlated with CRP ( r =0.333, P <0.001) and ESR ( r =0.218, P =0.003). PLR had no obvious correlation with Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS). Patients having PLR≥330 exhibited better cumulative renal survival rates than those having PLR<330 ( P =0.017). However, there was no significant difference in the cumulative patient survival rates between patients with PLR≥330 and those with PLR<330 at diagnosis ( P >0.05). In multivariate analysis, PLR is associated with the decreased risk of ESRD ( P =0.038, HR=0.518, 95% CI 0.278 to 0.963). We did not find an association between PLR with all-cause mortality using multivariate analysis (HR=1.081, 95% CI 0.591 to 1.976, P =0.801)., Conclusions: PLR is positively correlated with CRP and ESR. Furthermore, PLR may independently predict the risk of ESRD.

The transcription of eukaryotic genes is regulated by both proximal promoters and distal enhancers. Some promoters also have enhancer activity. NOXA and BCL2 are pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic members of the BCL2 family of protein, respectively. Our previous study has found that the NOXA gene promoter and the BCL2 gene promoter interact at the level of three-dimensional chromatin structure. Moreover, the NOXA gene promoter region displays histone modifications characteristic of both promoters and enhancers. This study aimed to explore whether and when the NOXA promoter could act as an active enhancer to regulate BCL2 expression. Based on the apoptosis model of MCF-7 cells induced by camptothecin, we used chromosome conformation capture (3C), quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and the luciferase reporter gene technology to demonstrate that the NOXA promoter could function as an active enhancer and physically interact with the BCL2 promoter through chromatin looping. The regulatory properties of the NOXA promoter were closely related to the strength of the apoptosis stimulation. Under weak apoptotic stimulation (1 μmol/L camptothecin treatment), the NOXA promoter mainly functioned as an enhancer; with the enhancement of apoptotic stimulation (10 μmol/L camptothecin treatment), the NOXA promoter activity increased and mainly regulated the expression of the gene itself to promote apoptosis. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) confirmed that the dynamic changes of the promoter activity and enhancer activity in the NOXA promoter region are consistent with its histone modification marks. This study provides new clues for further exploring the mechanism underlying cooperative response of BCL2 family member to apoptosis stimuli.

Objectives: To investigate the clinic-pathological characteristics, prognosis and its risk factors for antineutrophil cytoplasimc antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV)., Methods: The basic information and clinic-pathological characteristics of AAV patients, who was diagnosed from January 2010 to January 2018 in Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, were retrospectively collected. The renal survival and patient survival were regular followed up, and their clinical pathological, prognosis data and risk factors for renal were analyzed., Results: Among 269 AAV patients, 225 patients (83.64%) were microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), 33 patients (12.27%) were granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), and 11 patients (4.09%) were eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA). Male-to-female ratio was almost 1∶1 for MPA (147/122), but GPA and EGPA was more frequent among man. The medium time from disease onset to diagnosis was 64.0 (32.5, 148.5) days, 65 patients (24.16%) were diagnosed within 30 days. A total of 94.67% patients had kidney involvement in MPA patients, which was significantly higher than that in patients with GPA (63.63%), but ear, nose, and throat manifestations were more frequent in GPA patients. The 1-year kidney survival rates of GPA and MPA patients in this study were 75% and 59.3%, respectively. The 1-year death rates were 16.7% and 16.9%, respectively. The multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that the low platelet level, low globulin level, low immunoglobin G, and high serum creatinine level were independent risk factors for the 1-year renal survival rate in AAV patients. Multiple factor logistic regression analysis showed that the serum creatinine level was an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality., Conclusions: MPA is the priority in the AAV patients. The proportion of patients with advanced end-stage renal disease and mortality is still high, and the early diagnosis and treatment in time is crucial for the improvement of prognosis for AAV.

Objective: To investigate the clinical value of the prostate small extracorporeal protein (PSEP) level in the urine in evaluating the therapeutic effect on chronic prostatitis (CP)., Methods: Totally 188 CP patients were treated with minocycline and Ningmitai Capsules in our hospital and regularly returned for follow-up examination from November 2017 to November 2018. Based on the results of treatment after 4 and 8 weeks of medication, we divided the patients into a cured, an effective and an ineffective group and compared the contents of PSEP in the urine samples of the three groups of patients before and after treatment., Results: Compared with the baseline, the PSEP content in the urine after 4 weeks of medication was decreased in the cured group (n = 20) (［3.63 ± 3.81］ vs ［1.16 ± 0.41］ ng/ml, P < 0.05), effective group (n = 85) (［4.13 ± 4.05］ vs ［2.97 ± 2.89］ ng/ml, P > 0.05) and ineffective group (n = 83) (［4.72 ± 2.98］ vs ［3.74 ± 1.31］ ng/ml, P > 0.05), and so was that after 8 weeks of treatment in the cured group (n = 48) (［3.72 ± 3.51］ vs ［0.89 ± 0.37］ ng/ml, P < 0.05), effective group (n = 106) (［4.37 ± 3.93］ vs ［1.83 ± 0.71］ ng/ml, P < 0.05) and ineffective group (n = 34) (［4.61 ± 3.59］ vs ［3.58 ± 1.15］ ng/ml, P > 0.05)., Conclusions: The PSEP level in the urine can be used as an index for clinical evaluation of the therapeutic effect on chronic prostatitis.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of icariin (ICA) on early β-defensin-2 and T cell subsets in rats after tracheotomy., Methods: A total of 54 SPF male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a normal control group (group A), a model group (group B), and a model+ICA treatment group (group C), with 18 rats in each group. A tracheotomy intubation model of the B and C group was prepared. After 6 h of surgery, ICA intervention was given to group C. Groups A and B were given the same amount of normal saline. Lung tissue, alveolar lavage fluid and peripheral blood were taken at 24 h, 72 h and 168 h, respectively. The expression of rat β-defensin-2 mRNA in lung tissue was detected by RT-PCR. The content of β-defensin-2 in alveolar lavage fluid and peripheral blood serum was detected by ELISA. The content of peripheral blood T cell subsets (CD3 + , CD4 + , CD8 + ) was detected by flow cytometry, and the ratio of CD4 + /CD8 + was calculated., Results: After tracheotomy, the levels of β-defensin-2 mRNA and β-defensin-2 in lung tissue from the group B were increased significantly at 24 h, then they were decreased gradually, and decreased most significantly at 168 h ( P <0.05). The content of β-defensin-2 in peripheral blood of group B decreased gradually, and the content of β-defensin-2 in 168 h was significantly lower than that in 24 h ( P <0.05), but there was no significant difference between group B and group A ( P >0.05). The level of CD3 + T cells in peripheral blood was significantly lower than that in the group A ( P <0.05), but their was no significant difference in CD4 + and CD8 + T cells compared with group A ( P >0.05). After ICA intervention in group C: lung tissue, alveolar lavage fluid, peripheral blood serum β-defensin-2 content, and peripheral blood CD3 + and CD4 + T cell levels were gradually increased, significantly higher than those in the group B ( P <0.05). CD8 + T cell level was significantly lower than that in the group A at 24 h ( P <0.05), the CD4 + /CD8 + ratio was significantly higher at 168 h than those in the group A or B (both P <0.01)., Conclusions: ICA can improve the early lung immune function in rats with tracheotomy, which might be related to up-regulation of β-defensin-2 in lung tissue and alveolar lavage fluid, concomitant with increases in CD3 + and CD4 + T cells and CD4 + /CD8 + ratio in peripheral blood while reduction in CD8 + cells.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of lycopene in the treatment of BPH with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS)., Methods: Totally, 127 BPH patients with LUTS were treated with oral lycopene tablets at 500 mg bid in the Department of Andrology of Jinling Hospital from January 2018 to January 2019. At 8 and 16 weeks of medication, we compared the IPSS, quality of life (QOL) score, prostate volume, PSA level, maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), postvoid residual urine volume (PVR) and the incidence of adverse reactions before and after treatment., Results: A total of 120 patients completed the treatment. Compared with the baseline, significant improvement was observed after 8 weeks of medication in the IPSS (［18.42 ± 4.59］ vs ［14.13 ± 4.51］, P < 0.01) and QOL score (［4.34 ± 1.37］ vs ［3.14 ± 1.25］, P < 0.01), and even more significant at 16 weeks in the IPSS (［18.42 ± 4.59］ vs ［10.29 ± 3.61］, P< 0.01), QOL score (［4.34 ± 1.37］ vs ［2.17 ± 1.35］, P < 0.01), PSA (［3.87 ± 3.14］ vs ［2.90 ± 3.07］ μg/L, P < 0.01), Qmax (［10.62 ± 2.08］ vs ［14.15 ± 3.66］ ml/s, P < 0.01) and PVR (［35.88 ± 15.33］ vs ［18.36 ± 13.09］ ml, P < 0.01), but there was no statistically significant difference in the prostate volume before and after treatment (［39.85 ± 10.22］ vs ［38.16 ± 10.12］ ml, P > 0.05), and no adverse reactions in any of the patients., Conclusions: Lycopene has a good therapeutic effect on BPH with LUTS, which can significantly improve the patients' quality of life without causing adverse reactions.

With the development of image-guided surgery and radiotherapy, the demand for medical image registration is stronger and the challenge is greater. In recent years, deep learning, especially deep convolution neural networks, has made excellent achievements in medical image processing, and its research in registration has developed rapidly. In this paper, the research progress of medical image registration based on deep learning at home and abroad is reviewed according to the category of technical methods, which include similarity measurement with an iterative optimization strategy, direct estimation of transform parameters, etc. Then, the challenge of deep learning in medical image registration is analyzed, and the possible solutions and open research are proposed.

Krüppel-like factors (KLFs) are a group of transcription factors characterized with three C2H2 zinc fingers at C-terminus. The N-termini of KLFs are highly variable and usually work as a transcriptional regulatory domain. The N-termini of KLFs may also bind to cofactors and change the transcriptional regulation abilities of KLFs. KLFs play important roles in the differentiation and phenotype maintenance of various cells. Additionally, KLFs are involved in the regulation of human physiological processes and in the occurrence and development of the diseases. There are 18 kinds of KLFs identified in human genome. The current reports show that several KLFs regulate the development and functions of the three kinds of muscle tissues in humans and animals. In cardiac muscle, KLF4, KLF10, KLF11 and KLF15 are involved in the negative regulation of cardiac hypertrophy. In addition, KLF6 is involved in the regulation of cardiac fibrosis. KLF13 regulates cardiac muscle development during the embryonic period. In vascular smooth muscle, the post-translated modification of KLF4 is regulated by positive factors of cell proliferation and differentiation and plays important roles in the regulation of the vascular smooth muscle phenotype. In addition, KLF5 promotes vascular smooth muscle proliferation, while KLF8 and KLF15 inhibit vascular smooth muscle proliferation. In skeletal muscle, KLF2, KLF3, KLF4, KLF10 and KLF15 are involved in the regulation of skeletal muscle development. Notably, KLF15 influences the energy metabolism in three kinds of muscle tissues. In conclusion, several KLFs may have the same regulatory mechanism in two or three kinds of muscle tissues. In the same kind of muscle tissue, the synergistic and sequential regulation among KLFs may occur and be important for the development and function regulation of muscle tissues. In this review, we summarize the research progress on the functions and mechanism of KLFs in cardiac muscle, smooth muscle, and skeletal muscle. It also provides references for the further understanding of the functions of KLFs in muscle tissues and reveals the molecular mechanisms of muscle-related diseases.

Objective: To investigate the status of vascular access in hemodialysis patients in our center.
 Methods: The general information of hemodialysis patients and types and complications of vascular access at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from April 2015 to April 2016, were retrospectively analyzed.
 Results: Among 258 prevalent patients, 87.60% of them had arteriovenous fistula (AVF), while 12.40% showed tunneled cuffed catheter. Of the 61 incident patients, 80.33% of them initiated dialysis with a non-tunneled and non-cuffed catheter, 8.19% with an AVF, 9.84% with a tunneled cuffed catheter, and 1.64% with needle puncture. The types of AVF access included 76.55% of wrist radiocephalic fistula, 7.08% of mid-forearm cephalic fistula, 11.06% of elbow brachiocephalic fistula, and 5.31% of antecubital fistula and transposed basilic fistula. Seventy-seven (34.07%) patients with AVF suffered complications and wherein aneurysms accounted for 24.34%.
 Conclusion: In maintenance hemodialysis patients, autologous AVF is the prevalent vascular access. In the beginners for dialysis, non-tunneled and non-cuffed catheter are their choice. Additional efforts and incentives may be necessary to improve vascular access during the initiation of hemodialysis.

Objective: To investigate the values of combination of urinary liver-type fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in early diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiac surgery in children., Methods: A total of 97 children with congenital heart disease undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery were enrolled. Serum and urine samples were collected before and after surgery. Levels of serum creatinine (Scr), urinary L-FABP, and urinary NGAL from AKI group (n=18) and non-AKI group (n=79) were measured, and the postoperative dynamic changes in these markers were compared between the two groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under ROC curve (AUC) were used to assess the values of these markers alone or in combination in the prediction of postoperative AKI., Results: The levels of urinary L-FABP and NGAL in the AKI group were significantly higher than those in the non-AKI group at 2 and 6 hours after surgery, and the changes in their concentrations were earlier than Scr. The AUCs of urinary L-FABP alone in predicting AKI at 2 and 6 hours after surgery were 0.921 and 0.896 respectively, and those of urinary NGAL alone were 0.908 and 0.928 respectively. Those of their combination were 0.942 and 0.929 respectively., Conclusions: Urinary L-FABP and NGAL significantly increase in the early stage of AKI after cardiac surgery in children, which are significantly earlier than the changes in Scr. They can be used to predict the occurrence of AKI in the early stage. A combination of the two biomarkers can further improve the accuracy of diagnosis.

Objective: To investigate the levels of Th1/Th2 cytokines in peripheral blood of patients with primary immune thrombocytopenic purpura(ITP) before and after treatment and their clinical significance., Methods: Ninety-eight cases of ITP were treated with glucocorticoid(GC), then were divided into 2 groups: effectively treated group and uneffectively treated group according to efficacy of treatment, 40 healthy persons confirmed by health examination were selected and enrolled in control group. The levels of Th1 cytokines(IFN-γ,TNFα,IL-2) and Th2 cytokines(IL-4,IL-5,IL-10) were detected by cytometric bead array before and at 4 weeks, 3 and 6 months after treatment and the relationship among detected indexes was analyzed., Results: Before treatment with glucocorticoid, the levels of Th1 type cytokines were in 98 patients with ITP were higher and the levels of Th2 type cytokines were lower, compared with the healthy controls(P<0.05). The IL-2/IL-4 ratio was significantly higher than that of healthy controls(P<0.05). After treatment, the levels of Th1 type cytokines in effectively treated group were significantly decreased and the levels of Th2 type cytokines were significantly increased, compared with level before treatment(P<0.05). The IL-2/IL-4 ratio was significantly decreased after treatment for 6 months, compared with that before treatment(1.05±0.43 vs 2.53±0.72)(P<0.05), but the level of Th1 or Th2 type cytokines did not obviously changed., Conclusion: Peripheral blood Th1 and Th2 cells express abnormally in ITP patients, ITP is a Th1 dominated disease; the change of IL-2/IL-4 ratio before and after treatment correlated with the prognosis of ITP patients, displaying clinical significance for ITP individual therapy.

Objective: To investigate the effect and mechanism of berberine in attenuating PM2. 5-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells EA. hy926 injury., Methods: The samples of fine particulate matter( PM2. 5) were collected and made into suspension. Different concentrations of PM2. 5( 0,20,200,400 mg / L) were added into EA. hy926 cells for 24 h. The viability of EA. hy926 cells was detected by MTT assay, and apoptosis of EA. hy926 cells was detected by flow cytometry, the expressions of p-ERK1 /2,BAX and BCL-2 in the EA. hy926 cells were measured by Western blot,the contents of IL-6,TNF-α were measured by ELISA, the content of MDA, and the activities of SOD and LDH in the EA. hy926 cells culture supernatant were measured, respectively. Different concentrations of berberine( 10,50,100 μmol / L) and PD98059( 20 μmol / L) was added into the EA. hy926 cells to observe the effect of berberine., Results: Compared with control group,PM2. 5 decreased the viability in a dose dependent manner, and significantly upgraded the protein levels of p-ERK1 /2 and BAX / BCL-2 ratio,PM2. 5 increased the apoptosis of EA. hy926 cells, and increased the contents of IL-6,TNF-α and MDA, increased the activity of LDH, and decreased SOD activity in the EA. hy926 cells( P < 0. 05). Compared with PM2. 5 group, berberine increased the viability of EA. hy926 cells in a dose dependent manner,PM2. 5 significantly downgraded the protein levels of p-ERK1 /2 and BAX / BCL-2 ratio, and decreased the apoptosis of EA. hy926 cells, decreased the contents of IL-6,TNF-α and MDA, and decreased the activity of LDH, and increased SOD activity in the EA. hy926 cells( P < 0. 05)., Conclusion: Berberine attenuates PM2. 5-induced EA. hy926 cells injury by inhibiting ERK1 /2 pathway.

To investigate the effect and the mechanism of puerarin in attenuating PM2.5-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (EA.hy926) injury, the samples of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) were collected and made into suspension. Different concentrations of PM2.5 (0,20, 200, 400 mg•L⁻¹) were used to contaminate EA.hy926 cells for 24 h. The cells survival rate was detected by MTT assay; cells apoptosis of EA.hy926cells was detected by flow cytometry; the protein levels of p-ERK1/2, Bax and Bcl-2 were detected by Western blot; the contents of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), malonaldehyde (MDA), and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) were measured by ELISA. Puerarin at different concentrations (10, 50, 100 μmol•L⁻¹) or a specific inhibitor of ERK1/2 pathway PD98059 (20 μmol•L-1) was added into the EA.hy926 cells to observe the intervention effect and mechanism of puerarin. Compared with the control group, PM2.5 reduced the cells survival rate, up-regulatedp-ERK1/2 protein level and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in a dose dependent manner to promote apoptosis; increased the contents of TNF-α, IL-6 and MDA, the activity of LDH, but decreased SOD activity in the EA.hy926 cells (P<0.05). Compared with PM2.5 group, puerarin increased the cells survival rate, down-regulated p-ERK1/2 protein level and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in a dose dependent manner to inhibit the apoptosis; decreased the contents of TNF-α, IL-6 and MDA, the activity of LDH, but increased SOD activity in the EA.hy926 cells (P<0.05). The results indicated that puerarin could attenuate PM2.5-induced EA.hy926 cells injury via the inhibition of ERK1/2 pathway., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.)

Due to the advantages in genetic manipulation, mice have become one of the most commonly used mammalian models for the study of mechanisms underlying myopia development. However, the vast majority of laboratory mouse strains are incapable of synthesizing melatonin, a neurohormone that may play an important role in myopia generation in humans. The present study investigated refractive development profiles in the CBA/CaJ mouse, a strain proficient in melatonin, and determined whether and how its refractive development could be affected by form-deprivation. Eccentric infrared photoretinoscopy revealed that this animal could be stably refracted, and the refractive error underwent developmental changes, which increased with age in the hyperopic direction and eventually got stable approximately 9 weeks after birth. The absolute values of refractive error in CBA/CaJ mice were larger than those of age-matched C57BL/6 mice, whereas the time points when refractive error reached steady state were similar between the two strains. Five weeks of form-deprivation applied to 3-week-old CBA/CaJ mice by translucent occluder wear caused a significant myopic shift in refractive error, indicating that this strain could be adequately used as a myopia model.

Objective: To understand the fast plasma glucose (FPG) level and the epidemiologic characteristics of diabetes in ethnic Han residents of Guizhou province., Methods: The survey was conducted among the ethnic Han residents aged 20-80 years, who were selected through multi stage cluster sampling in Guizhou. Basic laboratory test, physical examination were performed for each subject., Results: A total of 2 967 subjects were surveyed. The average FPG level was 5.21 mmol/L for urban residents and 5.03 mmol/L for rural residents, (P<0.001) and the average FPG level was higher in males than in females (5.23 mmol/L vs. 5.09 mmol/L, P=0.003). The FPG level increased with age (P<0.001). In urban residents, the standardized prevalence of diabetes was 6.01% (crude prevalence: 7.45%), higher in males than in females (P<0.001) and increased with age. In rural residents, the standardized prevalence of diabetes was 3.47% (crude prevalence: 3.77%) and increased with age, but there was no sex specific difference in diabetes prevalence. The awareness rate of self diabetes status was 56.59%, the treatment rate was 84.47% and the plasma glucose control rate was 41.38%. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that risk factors for diabetes included being male, older than 40 years, family history of diabetes, frequent physical exercise, hypertension, high triglycerid level., Conclusion: The prevalence of diabetes was high in ethnic Han residents in Guizhou, the differences in diabetes prevalence between urban area and rural area was statistical significant. More than half of the patients' FPG level had not been under control after treatment. The awareness rate of self diabetes status, the treatment rate and the control rate of diabetes should be improved.

Objective: To evaluate the morphology of optic nerve and retina in the model of the rat non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (rNAION)., Methods: Experimental study. Thirty-six SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: 6 for naïve group, 3 for laser group, 3 for Rose Bengal (RB) group and 24 for rNAION group. After rNAION was induced by RB and laser, the retina and optic nerve were observed by Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) staining and the optic nerve was investigated by transmission electron microscope and toludidine blue staining at different time points., Results: With these methods, significant changes were only found in the RB-laser induced eyes. The damage only occurred in the retinal ganglion cell (RGC) layer without any loss of the other layers of retina in the rNAION. Toludine blue-stained optic nerve showed that there was a loss of axons centrally and largely intact axons were spared in the peripheral nerve. More and more degenerative axons were observed with the transmission electron microscope as time went on., Conclusions: The morphological changes of HE staining, toludine blue staining and transmission electron microscopic finding were consistent with each other. The results made a contribution to further study.