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Background: In recent years, fracture liaison services (FLS) have been applied for hip fractures; however, their effectiveness remains uncertain. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of FLS in patients with hip fractures. Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Data sources: Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Ebsco, Ovid, Web of Science, Medline, CNKI, Wangfang, and Vip were searched from their date of inception to March 2023. Two researchers screened the literature based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, evaluated the quality, extracted data, and conducted a meta-analysis using ReviewManager 5.4. Results: After screening, 12 randomised controlled trials (RCT) including 2136 patients were used in the meta-analysis. The primary outcomes were hip function rate of recurrent fracture, medication adherence, and degree of weakness. FLS improved hip function in patients with hip fractures [MD = 9.37, 95 % CI (7.69, 11.06), P

Objective • Wound healing is delayed because of swelling after upper limb fracture, and the traditional rehabilitation device used in physical therapy cannot flexibly adjust the fixation. This study aims to evaluate the effect of the designed elbow joint airbag protection device used in patients with upper arm fractures. Methods • This is a quasi-randomized controlled trial. From November 2022 to March 2023, 70 hospitalized patients with unilateral upper arm fractures were recruited from a general tertiary hospital in eastern China. The patients were divided into an experimental group and a control group according to the random number table at 1:1. Among them, 35 patients who received elbow joint airbag protection for post-traumatic limb swelling were assigned to the experimental group, and the other 35 patients were assigned to the control group. The degree of swelling regression, a score of resting pain, and patient comfort level was compared between the two groups. Results • The waiting time from swelling to allowing for surgery and pain score at rest were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group (P<.05 and P<.001 respectively). The comfort score of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group (P < .05), and these differences were statistically significant. Conclusions • The elbow joint airbag protection can significantly reduce the waiting time for surgery, lessen the degree of swelling regression, reduce the pain in patients’ hands caused by swelling, and significantly improve the comfort level. Hence, it is worth promoting in the clinical practice of orthopedic nursing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliable simulation of wind patterns that form under stable weather conditions is vital to prevent air pollution. Here, we investigated how different physical parameterization schemes impact surface wind simulations over the coastal regions of North China using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with a horizontal resolution of 0.5 km. We performed 640 ensemble simulations using multiple combinations of 10 planetary boundary layer (PBL), 16 microphysics (MP), and four longwave/shortwave (LW/SW) radiation schemes. Model performance was evaluated using measurements from weather station observations. These data show that WRF model can reproduce the temporal variation of wind speed and direction to a high degree of accuracy. The simulated wind speed is most sensitive to the PBL schemes, followed by LW/SW radiation schemes and MP schemes, while wind direction is less sensitive to variation of the physical parameterizations. Among all PBL schemes, the MYJ scheme shows the strongest correlation with observation data, while the YSU scheme had the smallest model bias. A combined Dudhia and RRTM scheme and MYDM7 scheme show the best model performances out of all LW/SW radiation and MP schemes, respectively. Our results show that the interactions among physical components also play an important role in wind simulations. Further investigations indicate that land type has a profound influence on model sensitivity. For example, for the weather stations located in coastal regions. The MYNN scheme showed the highest correlation among all PBL schemes, while LES and YSU has the smallest model errors, the RRTMG and Goddard schemes showed the highest correlations and smallest biases out of all LW/SW radiation schemes. Our results indicate the roles that various parameterization schemes play in wind simulations under stable weather conditions, and provide a valuable reference for further research in this region and in other locations around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The association between epidermal growth factor (EGF) gene +61A/G polymorphism (rs4444903) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) susceptibility has been widely reported, but the results were inconsistent. To clarify the effect of this polymorphism on HCC risk, a meta-analysis was performed. Methods: The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Chinese BioMedical Literature (CBM), Wanfang and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases were systematically searched to identify relevant studies published up to December 2013. Data were extracted independently by two authors. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated to assess the strength of association. Results: A total of 16 studies including 2475 HCC cases and 5381 controls were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, a significantly increased HCC risk was observed under all genetic models (G vs. A: OR = 1.383, P < 0.001, 95% CI: 1.174-1.629; GG vs. GA + AA: OR = 1.484, P < 0.001, 95% CI: 1.198-1.838; GG + GA vs. AA: OR = 1.530, P < 0.001, 95% CI: 1.217-1.924; GG vs. AA: OR = 1.958, P < 0.001, 95% CI: 1.433-2.675; GA vs. AA: OR = 1.215, P = 0.013, 95% CI: 1.041- 1.418). In the subgroup analyses by ethnicity, a significant association with HCC risk was found in Asian populations (G vs. A: OR = 1.151, P = 0.001, 95% CI: 1.056-1.255), European populations (G vs. A: OR = 1.594, P = 0.027, 95% CI: 1.053-2.413, and African populations (G vs. A: OR = 3.599, P < 0.001, 95% CI: 2.550-5.080), respectively. Conclusions: Our study shows that EGF +61A/G polymorphism is significantly associated with the increased HCC risk, especially in Asian populations. Further large-scale and well-designed studies are required to confirm this conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human inducible nitric oxide synthase (hiNOS) gene expression is regulated by transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to determine whether specific microRNA (miRNA) directly regulate hiNOS gene expression. Sequence analysis of the 496-bp hiNOS 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) revealed five putative miR-939 binding sites. The hiNOS 3′-UTR conferred significant posttranscriptional blockade of luciferase activity in human A549, HCT8, and HeLa cells. The hiNOS 3′-UTR also exerted basal and cytokine-stimulated posttranscriptional repression in an orientation-dependent manner. Functional studies demonstrated that transfection of miR-939 into primary human hepatocytes (HCs) significantly inhibited cytokine-induced NO synthesis in a dose-dependent manner that was abrogated by a specific miR-939 inhibitor. MiR-939 (but not other miRNAs) abolished cytokine-stimulated hiNOS protein in human HC, but had no effect on hiNOS mRNA levels. Site-directed mutagenesis of miR-939 bindings sites at +99 or +112 bp in the hiNOS 3′-UTR increased reporter gene expression. Furthermore, intact miR-939 binding sites at +99 or +112 positions were required for posttranscriptional suppression by miR-939. Cytokine stimulation directly increased miR-939 levels in human HC. Transfection of miR-939 inhibitor (antisense miR-939) enhanced cytokine-induced hiNOS protein and increased NO synthesis in vitro in human HC. Finally, cytokine or LPS injection in vivo in mice increased hepatic miR-939 levels. Taken together, these data identify that miR-939 directly regulates hiNOS gene expression by binding in the 3′-UTR to produce a translational blockade. These findings suggest dual regulation of iNOS gene expression where cytokines induce iNOS transcription and also increase miR-939, leading to translational inhibition in a check-and-balance system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human inducible NOS (iNOS) promoter transcriptionally regulated by 5′ flanking region extending 16 kb upstream that contains cytokine-responsive DNA motifs. In this study, we further identified a classic inducible enhancer located between --5 and --6 kb in the hiNOS upstream promoter. This 1 kb promoter sequence functions as a cytokine-inducible enhancer in an orientation- and position-independent manner in human lung A549 and liver AKN1 cells. This DNA enhancer also confers cytokine inducibility to the heterologous thymidine kinase (TK) promoter. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis was applied, and confirmed cytokine-inducible in vivo DNA-protein interactions within this enhancer region. In vivo functional binding of both NF-κB (p65/p50) and Stat-lα at the --5.8 kb human iNOS promoter site was significantly increased in A549 cells after cytokine stimulation, while only Stat-1α bound at the --5.2 kb site. These results identify the --5 to --6 kb promoter region as a classic transcriptional enhancer for the human iNOS gene and provide definitive in vivo evidence of specific NF-κB and Stat-1 nuclear protein binding that mediates transcription of the hiNOS gene under cytokine stimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is associated with profound arginine depletion due to arginase release from injured hepatocytes. The purpose of this study was to determine whether arginase inhibition with Nω-hydroxy-nor-L-arginine (nor-NOHA) would increase circulating arginine levels and decrease hepatic damage during liver I/R injury. The effects of nor-NOHA were initially tested in normal animals to determine in vivo toxicity. In the second series of experiments, orthotopic syngeneic liver transplantation (OLT) was performed after 18 h of cold ischemia time in Lewis rats. Animals were given nor-NOHA (100 mg/kg) or saline before and after graft reperfusion. In normal animals treated with nor-NOHA, there were no histopathological changes to organs, liver enzymes, serum creatinine, or body weight. In the OLT model, animals treated with saline exhibited markedly elevated serum transaminases and circulating arginase protein levels. Nor-NOHA administration blunted the increase in serum arginase activity by 80% and preserved serum arginine levels at 3 h after OLT. Nor-NOHA treatment reduced post-OLT serum liver enzyme release by 50%. Liver histology (degree of necrosis) in nor-NOHA-treated animals was markedly improved compared with the saline-treated group. Furthermore, use of the arginase inhibitor nor-NOHA did not influence polyamine synthesis owing to the decrease in ornithine levels. Arginase blockade represents a potentially novel strategy to combat hepatic I/R injury associated with liver transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the role of the interferon-Jak kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (Stat) 1 pathway for regulation of human inducible nitric oxide synthase (hiNOS) gene transcription. Regulation of hiNOS expression; Identification of cis-acting deoxyribonucleic acid element; Complexity of Stat 1.

Discusses a study which identified the molecular mechanisms accounting for the liver-specific human inducible nitric oxide synthase (hiNOS) gene transcription. Description of the gene; Effort taken to further determine a putative role for AABS element in hiNOS transcription; Fields where LAP overexpression and cotransfection with the hiNOS promoter were examined.

Served as one of general transcription coactivators, p300 plays an important role in mediating gene transcriptional activation. Our previous work demonstrated that human iNOS expression can be highly induced with the cytokine mixture (CM) of TNFα + IL-1β + IFNγ. In this study, we explored the potential function of p300 in the regulation of human iNOS gene expression. Our initial results showed that overexpression of p300 by transient transfection in human A549 lung cells significantly increased the basal and cytokine induced human iNOS promoter activities. Interestingly, p300 activated cytokine induced human iNOS transcription which was completely abrogated by the deletion of an enhancer region between -5 kb and -6 kb in the hiNOS upstream promoter. However, the enhanced basal promoter activity by p300 overexpression still remained high even with the enhancer deletion. Our data suggest that coactivator p300 is capable of up-regulating human iNOS transcription. The transcription machinery responsible for p300 interaction with necessary transcription factors is being further investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]