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Qi Meng,1,2,* Jing Yang,1,2 Fei Wang,1,2 Cheng Li,3 Guoyao Sang,4 Hua Liu,1,2 Di Shen,1,2 Jinxia Zhang,1,2 Sheng Jiang,1,2,* Aibibai Yusufu,1,2,* Guoli Du1,2,* 1State Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention and Treatment of High Incidence Diseases in Central Asia, Urumqi, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, People’s Republic of China; 3Laboratory Medicine Diagnostic Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, People’s Republic of China; 4Data Statistics and Analysis Center of Operation Management Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Guoli Du; Aibibai Yusufu, Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, 830000, People’s Republic of China, Email genemagic@126.com; hebibe@163.comPurpose: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aimed to develop and validate a nomogram for predicting the risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) in T2DM in the population of northwestern China.Patients and Methods: The records of 2357 T2DM patients who were treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from July 2021 to July 2022 were reviewed. After some data (n =239) were excluded, 2118 participants were included in the study and randomly divided into a training set (n =1483) and a validation set (n = 635) at a ratio of 3:1. Univariate and stepwise regression analysis was performed to screen risk factors and develop predictive models. The results of logistic regression are presented through a nomogram. The C-index, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration plot, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were employed to verify the distinction, calibration, and clinical practicality of the model.Results: The stepwise logistic regression analysis suggested that independent factors in patients with T2DM combined with CHD were age, gender, hypertension (HTN), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and Uygur, which were associated with the occurrence of CHD. The nomogram demonstrated good discrimination with a C-index of 0.771 (95% CI, 0.741, 0.800) in the training set and 0.785 (95% CI, 0.743, 0.828) in the validation set. The area under curve (AUC) of the ROC curves were 0.771 (95% CI, 0.741, 0.800) and 0.785 (95% CI, 0.743, 0.828) in the training and validation sets, respectively. The nomogram was well-calibrated. The DCA revealed that the nomogram was clinically valuable.Conclusion: A nomogram based on 7 clinical characteristics was developed to predict CHD in patients with T2DM.Keywords: nomogram, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, ethnicity, risk factor

Although voluminous Jurassic ophiolites have been reported along the Bangong–Nujiang Suture Zone (BNSZ), the tectonic setting of ophiolites and the Jurassic evolution history of the Meso-Tethys Oce...

In this study, poly(cyclotriphosphazene-co-piperazine) p(HCCP-co-PIP) nanospheres were prepared. The successful preparation of the p(HCCP-co-PIP) nanospheres was confirmed by FT-IR, SEM, TEM, XRD, ...

Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has become less and less due to the use of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs). Although it may be common to assume that eradication of the virus should improve the survival of HCC patients, large-scale randomized clinical data to support the correlation between viral load and prognosis are still lacking in China. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of antiviral therapy for HCC patients with active HCV infection. Patients and methods We retrospectively enrolled 80 HCC patients with active HCV infection. Active HCV infection was defined as positive for HCV antibody with detectable HCV RNA by polymerase chain reaction. Results Forty-four patients (55.0%) received interferon combined with ribavirin treatment and 23 patients achieved sustained virological response (SVR). The 1-year survival rate in patients who achieved SVR was the highest, followed by those with non-SVR after antiviral treatment, and those without antiviral therapy (1-year survival rate were 91.3%, 88.4%, and 73.1%, respectively, P = 0.012). In the univariate analysis, alcohol intake and alpha-fetoprotein >20 ng/mL were associated with lower overall survival (OS) (P = 0.025 and P = 0.044, respectively), while SVR after antiviral treatment was associated with longer OS (P = 0.016). In the multivariate analysis, only SVR after antiviral treatment was significantly associated with OS (P = 0.014). Conclusion Our results ensured that the elimination of HCV substantially improved OS in HCC patients with active HCV infection, and the prognosis of those patients without antiviral therapy was poor.

Increasing the level of AsA and maintaining proper lignin content will improve the quality of celery (Apium graveolens L.). However, the study on the regulation mechanism of genes related to AsA an...

In order to study the biomechanical properties of the puffer skin, the puffer dorsal and abdominal skin was cut horizontally and lengthways. The mechanical parameters of quasi static axial ...

Purpose Despite selection based on human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression, not all HER2-positive patients benefit from trastuzumab therapy. Recent reports indicate that trastuzumab treatment failure may be associated with immune system dysfunction. We examined the prognostic relevance of the absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) who received trastuzumab combined with chemotherapy. Methods Baseline ALC and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) data from trastuzumab-treated patients with MBC were studied retrospectively, and associations between baseline ALC and clinical characteristics evaluated. Kaplan-Meier analysis and the Cox regression hazard model were applied to assess effects on outcomes. Results Of a total of 68 patients, 19.1% (13/68) had baseline ALCs ≤ 1 G/L. Baseline lymphopenia was correlated with increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and higher NLR. In univariate analysis, higher alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was associated with inferior overall survival (OS) (P = 0.001); higher LDH was associated with inferior progression-free survival (PFS) (P = 0.045) and OS (P = 0.010). We did not observe any differences in objective response rate or disease control rate between patients with lymphopenia and those with normal ALC. Importantly, patients with baseline lymphopenia had inferior PFS (0.60 years vs 1.17 years, P = 0.000009) and OS (1.88 years vs 3.80 years, P = 0.0003). In multivariable analysis, significance of ALCs was retained for lymphopenia (PFS: P = 0.0005; OS: P = 0.016). Conclusion Our data indicate that baseline ALC value of ≤1 G/L is a predictor of poor outcomes, but not of response, in patients with MBC treated with trastuzumab.

The application of online learning and educational technologies in higher education has changed teaching methods, the channels of delivering learning materials, and modes of communication between t...

The book, Towards teaching in public: Reshaping the modern university, provides a wealth of well-structured and expert historical analysis of the development of higher education, and provides ideas...

The purpose of the present study was to explore participants' subsequent emotions and behaviour when they re-encountered their ex-partners on Facebook. A survey of 202 Facebook users aged 16–65 years was conducted using a 79-question online survey to examine users' emotion and behaviour state anxiety, trait anxiety, and severity of depression when their ex-partners reappeared on social networking sites SNS, they received an invitation from an ex-partner to be friends on SNS, and when they saw pictures of ex-partners with current girlfriends or boyfriends. The results indicated that for people who accepted former partners' invitation to be Facebook friends, trait anxiety was more pronounced than for those who did not. Moreover, people who accepted former partners' invitations to become Facebook friends were much more depressed than those who did not. In addition, it is found that gender generates significant differences in the severity of depression. It is worth noting that when people met former partners on Facebook, men were much more depressed than women. However, the way in which participants broke up with ex-partners did not significantly affect their state anxiety, trait anxiety, or the severity of depression. Finally, the participants' cognition of and importance placed on their former relationship resulted in significant differences in trait anxiety. The current study adds to the growing body of literature investigating relationships among SNS users, becoming friends with ex-partners on Facebook, emotions, and behaviour.

Many private vocational schools in Taiwan have taken to enrolling students with lower levels of academic achievement. The authors re-designed a course and conducted a series of quasi-experiments to develop students’ long-term computing skills, and examined the longitudinal effects of web-enabled, problem-based learning (PBL) and self-regulated learning (SRL) on vocational students’ computing skills. Two classes of 76 students in a one-semester course were chosen for this empirical study. These low-achieving students were re-examined for their long-term computing skills 36 months after the course started. The results indicate that students who received web-enabled PBL and SRL had significantly better computing skills in the 36th month than those who received traditional didactic lectures. The authors discuss the implications for schools, and for scholars and teachers engaged in e-learning.

The vocational schools in Taiwan regard professional certifications as a badge of skills achievement. The teaching in this context usually focuses on how to help students enhance their professional skills and pass the certificate examinations, particularly for computing courses. However, due to national education policy, pure online courses are not permitted here and in some other nations. In order to provide an appropriate design and arrangement of blended learning (BL) courses, the authors redesigned a course, integrating web-enabled self-regulated learning (SRL) with variations in online class frequency, and explored their effects on enhancing students' skills of deploying database management system (DBMS) and their thoughts regarding blended course and interventions concerning SRL. Three class sections with a total of 112 students were taken as three distinct groups. The results indicated that students in the group of SRL and BL with five online classes had the highest grades for using DBMS among the three groups, and had very positive thoughts regarding the interventions concerning BL and SRL. The authors also provide suggestions and implications for teachers and schools to adopt innovative teaching methods and technologies, and redesign their courses to help students learn.

Students in the vocational schools in Taiwan largely care little about their grades and do not get involved adequately in their schoolwork. To respond effectively to this challenge of teaching, two cases were studied and compared; one is a class using a traditional method of teaching and the other a class deploying innovative teaching methods of blended learning (BL) with web-mediated self-regulated learning (SRL). The effects of combining BL with SRL on developing students' computing skills in applying database management system (DBMS) to solve authentic problems are encouraging. The students in the case of BL with SRL paid positive attention to this newer teaching method and had a statistically higher rate of passing a certification test than those in the traditional class.

This study explored the effects of web-enabled pedagogies on students' involvement in learning. A series of quasi-experiments were conducted to investigate whether students' involvement increases over time if intervened, respectively, by problem-based learning (PBL), self-regulated learning (SRL), and their combinations. Two classes of 102 first-year students at a vocational school in a one-semester course were chosen for this empirical study. The results were generally supportive. The authors further discuss the implications for schools, scholars, and teachers engaged in e-learning.

In two masked priming experiments with Chinese characters, orthographic priming effects were observed in lexical decision and naming tasks despite the fact that the primes were phonologically unrelated to the target characters. In contrast, phonological priming was found only in naming, a task that explicitly required a vocal response. No additional priming effects were obtained for masked primes that were simultaneously visually similar and phonologically identical to the targets. The data suggest that the recovery of lexical information for Chinese characters does not depend on the prior activation of phonological information.

As organizations face diverse changes, staff members require increasing amounts of information to manage task uncertainty and complexity. Information technology continues to improve. End-users using, developing and establishing application systems-referred to as end-user computing (EUC)-have grown rapidly in organizations. Although EUC can improve an organization's effectiveness, its resistance to control keeps it from bringing the expected benefits and often results in wasted investment. Organizations implementing total quality management (TQM) objectives are those which are boosting quality and effectiveness throughout the organization. The essence of TQM is a convergence management process, while EUC's essence is that of diverging innovation. This paper proposes a framework for managing EUC under TQM, thinking that the TQM strategy can solve the problems and risks produced in EUC. In view of the need for high quality information, implementation of TQM can contribute continuous improvement to E...