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ObjectiveTo observe changes in blood pressure (ΔBP) and explore potential risk factors for high ΔBP among nurses working in a negative pressure isolation ward (NPIW).MethodsData from the single-center prospective observational study were used. Based on a routine practice plan, female nurses working in NPIW were scheduled to work for 4 days/week in different shifts, with each day working continuously for either 5 or 6 h. BP was measured when they entered and left NPIW. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess potential risk factors in relation to ΔBP ≥ 5 mm Hg.ResultsA total of 84 nurses were included in the analysis. The ΔBP was found to fluctuate on different working days; no significant difference in ΔBP was observed between the schedules of 5 and 6 h/day. The standardized score from the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) was significantly associated with an increased risk of ΔBP ≥ 5 mm Hg (odds ratio [OR] = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.00–1.24). Working 6 h/day (vs. 5 h/day) in NPIW was non-significantly related to decreased risk of ΔBP (OR = 0.70), while ≥ 2 consecutive working days (vs. 1 working day) was non-significantly associated with increased risk of ΔBP (OR = 1.50).ConclusionThis study revealed no significant trend for ΔBP by working days or working time. Anxiety was found to be significantly associated with increased ΔBP, while no

Background Although carotid artery stenting achieves definite benefits, it carries a higher rate of embolization compared with carotid endarterectomy. The incidence of embolization may be related to plaque stability. Purpose To assess for any relationship between plaque characteristics and cerebral emboli following carotid artery stenting. Material and Methods Sixty-three patients with severe carotid stenosis underwent carotid artery stenting. They were divided into two groups according to whether new ischemic lesions were detected on diffusion-weighted imaging after carotid artery stenting. We evaluated the types and locations of calcification in plaques and extent of calcification. We then assessed for a correlation between each of these factors and occurrence of new lesions on diffusion-weighted imaging after carotid artery stenting. Results The locations of calcification, percentage of plaque enhancement, and the number of plaques with irregular surface or ulceration were significantly different between the two groups. A peripheral position of calcification (close to the adventitia), enhancing plaques, and plaques with irregular surfaces or ulceration were statistically significant predictors of intracerebral embolization after carotid artery stenting. No significant differences in type of plaque or degree of calcification were found between two groups. Conclusion Peripheral calcification, enhancing plaques, and plaques with irregular surfaces were risk factors for intracerebral embolization after carotid artery stenting. These plaque characteristics should be considered when choosing the optimal treatment for patients.

ObjectivesHyperuricaemia has been reported to be significantly associated with risk of obesity. However, previous studies on the association between serum uric acid (SUA) and body mass index (BMI) yielded conflicting results. The present study examined the relationship between SUA and obesity among Chinese adults.MethodsData were collected at Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital in Guangzhou City, China, between January 2010 and December 2018. Participants with ≥2 medical check-up times were included in our analyses. Physical examinations and laboratory measurement variables were obtained from the medical check-up system. The high SUA level group was classified as participants with hyperuricaemia, and obesity was defined as BMI ≥28 kg/m2. Logistic regression model was performed for data at baseline. For all participants, generalised estimation equation (GEE) model was used to assess the association between SUA and obesity, where the data were repeatedly measured over the 9-year study period. Subgroup analyses were performed by gender and age group. We calculated the cut-off values for SUA of obesity using the receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) technique.ResultsA total of 15 959 participants (10 023 men and 5936 women) were included in this study, with an average age of 37.38 years (SD: 13.27) and average SUA of 367.05 μmol/L (SD: 97.97) at baseline, respectively. Finally, 1078 participants developed obesity over the 9-year period. The prevalence of obesity was approximately 14.2% for high SUA level. In logistic regression analysis at baseline, we observed a positive association between SUA and risk of obesity: OR=1.84 (95% CI: 1.77 to 1.90) for per-SD increase in SUA. Considering repeated measures over 9 year for all participants in the GEE model, the per-SD OR was 1.85 (95% CI: 1.77 to 1.91) for SUA and the increased risk of obesity were greater for men (OR=1.45) and elderly participants (OR=1.01). In subgroup analyses by gender and age, we observed significant associations between SUA and obesity with higher risk in women (OR=2.35) and young participants (OR=1.87) when compared with men (OR=1.70) and elderly participants (OR=1.48). The SUA cut-off points for risk of obesity using ROC curves were approximately consistent with the international standard.ConclusionsOur study observed higher SUA level was associated with increased risk of obesity. More high-quality research is needed to further support these findings.

This study aimed to investigate whether the finger skin temperature (FST) after cold provocation (10 °C, 10 min) is as a useful indicator for assisting in the diagnosis of vibration-induced white finger (VWF) in a group of polishers in a subtropical environment. Ninety male vibration-exposed metal polishers (30 patients and 60 controls) from the Guangdong Province in Southern China were recruited. The FSTs at 30, 20, 10, and 0 min before cold water immersion (FSTpre-30, FSTpre-20, FSTpre-10, and FSTbaseline) and 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 min after immersion (FST0, FST5, FST10, FST15, FST20, FST25, and FST30) were measured on the index, middle, and ring fingers of both hands. During the first 20-min adaptation period, there was a significant increase in FST in three fingers on both hands in the two groups. In contrast, there were no significant differences between FSTpre-10 and FSTbaseline. Furthermore, FSTpre-30, FSTpre-20, FSTpre-10, and FSTbaseline of the three fingers in both hands did not differ significantly. During recovery, the indicators FST5–0, FST10–0, R5, and R10 for the index finger of the left hand in patients were lower than for the controls. Among the various indicators, the absolute recovery rate, FST5–0, at 5 min after immersion was identified as the best diagnosis indicator with a sensitivity of 76.7% and specificity of 70.0% when applied to the index finger of the left hand. The cold water immersion test as applied in a subtropical environment can have a fair discriminating ability for diagnosing VWF.

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a major cause leading to chronic bone and muscle pain. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has been applied in treating KOA in recent years. Methods: From April 2016 to April 2017, 82 patients were diagnosed with KOA that received ESWT were selected as the ESWT group. The treatment parameters were as follows, 2.0 bar, 0.25 mJ/mm2, and 8 Hz/s for twice a week for 4 weeks continuously. In addition, 104 patients receiving oral administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) from April 2015 to April 2016 were also selected as the NSAIDs group. At 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks upon the completion of treatment, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) were adopted to evaluate the changes in pain and function of patients in both groups. For the ESWT group, the 50-m quick walk time and gait analysis were applied to observe the functional recovery at 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks upon the completion of treatment; meanwhile, patients were followed up by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 24 weeks upon the completion of treatment, so as to observe the cartilage changes. Results: Differences in VAS, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after treatment were statistically significant compared with that before treatment (4.59 ± 0.5, P

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of nailfold capillaroscopy associated with hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Methods In total, 113 male gold miners were recruited: 35 workers who were chronically exposed to vibration and developed vibration-induced white finger were defined as the HAVS group, 39 workers who were exposed to vibration but did not have HAVS were classified as the vibration-exposed controls (VEC) group, and 39 workers without vibration exposure were categorised as the non-VEC (NVEC) group. Video capillaroscopy was used to capture images of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th fingers of both hands. The following nailfold capillary characteristics were included: number of capillaries/mm, avascular areas, haemorrhages and enlarged capillaries. The experiments were carried out in the same winter. All characteristics were evaluated under blinded conditions. Results Significant differences in all morphological characteristics existed between the groups (p

Mitochondrial DNA sequences transferred to the nucleus give rise to the socalled nuclear mitochondrial DNA (numt). In the GenBank database, 244 numts have been found in six orders of birds (Anseriformes, Columbiformes, Falconiformes, Charadriiformes, Galliformes and Passeriformes). Sequences alignment (NCBI-BLASTN) was carried out with mitochondrial and corresponding nuclear genome sequences in nine vertebrate species. The sequences with high homology were considered as numts. The number of numts ranged from 15 in chicken to 159 in chimpanzee. The sequences of numts in macaque, chimpanzee, and human spanned 100% of the entire mammalian mitochondrial genome. The reconstructed frequency of the mitochondrial gene transferred to the nucleus demonstrated that the rRNA genes had high frequencies than other mitochondrial genes. Using the RepeatMasker program, the transposable elements were detected in the flanking regions of each numt. The results showed that less than 5% of the flanking sequences were made up of repetitive elements in chicken. The GC content of 5′- and 3′-flanking regions of numts in nine species was less than 44%. The analysis of the flanking sequences provided a valuable understanding for future study on mechanism of mitochondrial gene transfer to the nucleus and the site of numt integration.

Herpes zoster (HZ) exists widely in China and most cases occur among old people, but no epidemiology information of HZ was available. We aimed to investigate the epidemiology characteristics of HZ among adults aged 50 and over in Guangdong, China. A total of 34 counties/districts were randomly selected in Guangdong, and 7149 residents aged 50 and over were investigated by local CDC professionals using accidental sampling method. There were 247 respondents having had HZ before; the lifetime prevalence of HZ among people aged 50 and above in study area was 3.46%. The prevalence in females was higher than that in males. Pearl River Delta had the highest prevalence (5.29%), while Northern Guangdong had the lowest (1.87%). The annual incidence in the year 2013, 2012 and 2011 was 5.8, 3.4 and 4.1 per 1000 person-years, respectively. Detailed investigation of HZ cases showed that all cases meted the definition of HZ and had at least 1 typical symptom. 40% cases had suffered post-herpetic neuralgia. 75.9% cases had sought aid from hospital and 9.1% of them had been hospitalized. People who sought aid from hospital had more serious level of neuralgia. The epidemiology features of HZ in Guangdong were consistent with the current findings in other countries. The results of this study can provide baseline epidemiology information of HZ for further studies.