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Aims To estimate the cumulative incidence of postoperative endophthalmitis, identify risk factors and determine clinical outcomes in China. Methods Medical records were reviewed for all patients with acute-onset endophthalmitis after cataract surgery from January 2006 to December 2011 at eight eye centres of tertiary care hospitals in China. Results Sixty-six cases of presumed endophthalmitis occurred after 201 757 cataract surgeries, yielding a cumulative incidence of 0.033% (95% CI 0.025 to 0.041). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the risk of endophthalmitis increased with intraoperative communication with vitreous (multivariate OR 9.96; 95% CI 4.54 to 21.84; p<0.001). After a median follow-up of 153 days, best-corrected visual acuity in the affected eye was more than 20/70 in 29/65 (44.6%) patients, and more than 20/40 in 20/65 (30.8%). A predictor of good visual acuity was baseline acuity of counting fingers or better (OR 6.25; 95% CI 2.13 to 18.33). Of 64 cases, 25 (39.1%) were culture positive. Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas species were the most common organisms isolated, accounting for 72.0% of the culture-positive cases (18/25). Two eye centres that used a combination of a high concentration vancomycin (1 mg/0.1 mL intracameral vancomycin injection or 100 mg/mL vancomycin in irrigating solution) and tobramycin as infection prophylaxis achieved a lower incidence of endophthalmitis than other centres (p<0.001). Conclusions The incidence of acute postoperative endophthalmitis after cataract surgery in tertiary care hospitals of China was 0.033%. Intraoperative communication with vitreous was a major risk factor for developing endophthalmitis. Prophylactic use of a high-concentration vancomycin and tobramycin may play a positive role in the prevention of postoperative endophthalmitis after cataract surgery [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often have organ dysfunction and resulting poor quality of life; however, in China little information is available regarding factors that affect their health. Here, the relationship between risk factors, activities and psychological disorders and health of patients with COPD in rural areas of Xuzhou, China was assessed. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 7597 COPD patients randomly selected by place of residence from 24,641 COPD patients who had been identified by screening of the 1.10 million health records of all residents of the target area was carried out to evaluate the relationships between risk factors, activities, psychological disorders and the ADO index (age, dyspnea, and airflow obstruction). The participants were assessed by spirometry and by administering a newly designed face-to-face questionnaire, which included items on general factors, risk factors, activities and psychological disorders. Correlations between the ADO index and the items addressed by the questionnaire were calculated. Results: The mean score of the ADO index was 3.7 ± 1.6. The ADO indices of current smokers, ex-smokers, and non-smokers were 3.9 ± 2.1, 3.7 ± 1.9, and 3.2 ± 1.5, respectively (P < 0.001). The ADO indices of cooks and non-cooks were 4.0 ± 2.2 and 3.5 ± 1.7, respectively (P < 0.001). The correlation coefficient between self-assessment of health status and ADO index was 0.976 (P < 0.001). Only 5.7% of patients reported no limitation of their daily living activities. The correlation coefficient between daily living activities and ADO index was 0.981 (P < 0.001). Only 5.5% of patients reported no limitation of social activities. The correlation coefficient between social activities and ADO index was 0.989 (P < 0.001), between the assessed anxiety score and ADO index 0.972 (P < 0.001), and between the assessed depression score and ADO index 0.989 (P < 0.001). Conclusions: COPD severity was significantly correlated with behavior (especially regarding smoking and cooking with biofuel in confined spaces), physical strength, daily living activities, social activities, anxiety and depression. Comprehensive approaches are required for the prevention and treatment of COPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We previously found that the low frequency magnetic fields (LF-MF) inhibited gastric and lung cancer cell growth. We suppose that exposure to LF-MF may modulate immune function so as to inhibit tumor. We here investigated whether LF-MF can inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of melanoma and influence immune function.Methods: The effect of MF on the proliferation, cell cycle and ultrastracture of B16-F10 in vitro was detected by cell counting Kit-8 assay, flow cytometry, and transmission electron microscopy. Lung metastasis mice were prepared by injection of 2 × 105 B16-F10 melanoma cells into the tail vein in C57BL/6 mice. The mice were then exposed to an LF-MF (0.4 T, 7.5 Hz) for 43 days. Survival rate, tumor markers and the innate and adaptive immune parameters were measured.Results: The growth of B16-F10 cells was inhibited after exposure to the LF-MF. The inhibition was related to induction of cell cycle arrest and decomposition of chromatins. Moreover, the LF-MF prolonged the mouse survival rate and inhibited the proliferation of B16-F10 in melanoma metastasis mice model. Furthermore, the LF-MF modulated the immune response via regulation of immune cells and cytokine production. In addition, the number of Treg cells was decreased in mice with the LF-MF exposure, while the numbers of T cells as well as dendritic cells were significantly increased.Conclusion: LF-MF inhibited the growth and metastasis of melanoma cancer cells and improved immune function of tumor-bearing mice. This suggests that the inhibition may be attributed to modulation of LF-MF on immune function and LF-MF may be a potential therapy for treatment of melanoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cigarette smoking is the major risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). But a fewer smoking cessation measures were conducted in communities for smokers with COPD in China. The aim of our study was to assess the preventive effects of behavioral interventions for smoking cessation and potential impact factors in smokers with COPD in China. Methods: In a randomised controlled smoking cessation trial 3562 patients with COPD who were current smoker were allocated to intervention group received behavioral intervention and control group received the usual care for two years. The primary efficacy endpoint was the complete and continuous abstinence from smoking from the beginning of month 24 to the end of month 30. Participants were followed up at month 48. Results: Continuous smoking abstinence rates from month 24 to 30 were significantly higher in participants receiving behavioral intervention than in those receiving usual care (46.4% vs 3.4%, p < 0.001). Continuous abstinence rates from months 24 to 36 (45.8% vs 4.0%) and months 24 to 48 (44.3% vs 5.1%) were also higher in participants receiving behavioral intervention than in those control group. Family members or family physicians/ nurses smoking were first identified to influence smoking cessation. Conclusions: Behavioral intervention doubled the smoking cessation rate in patients with COPD and was complied well by the general practitioners. The family members and family physicians/nurses smoking were the main risk factors for smoking cessation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in China is very high. This study aimed to assess the vulnerability of COPD patients in rural areas outside Xuzhou City, Jiangsu province, in order to provide helpful guidance for future research and public policies. Methods: The vulnerability of 8,217 COPD patients was evaluated using a face-to-face questionnaire to obtain information on general characteristics, awareness, beliefs, medication usage, acute exacerbation of the disease, and economic burdens. Direct economic burdens were calculated based on the questionnaire, and indirect economic burdens were estimated using local per capita income and life expectancy in 2008. The years of potential life lost were calculated using loss of life years for each age group and multiplying by the number of deaths in a given age group. Results: Of the 8,217 patients, 7,921 (96.4%) had not heard of COPD, and 2,638 (32.1%) did not understand that smoking was a risk factor for COPD. No patients had used inhalers, nebulizer drugs or oxygen therapy, either regularly or sporadically. No patients had undergone pulmonary rehabilitation or surgical treatment, while 4,215 (51.3%) took theophylline to relieve dyspnea, and 3,418 (41.6%) used antibiotics to treat exacerbations. A total of 2,925 (35.6%) patients had been admitted to hospital during the past year because of respiratory symptoms. The average direct and indirect economic burdens on COPD patients were 1,090 and 20,605 yuan, respectively. Conclusions: The vulnerability of patients in rural Xuzhou to COPD was high. Their awareness of COPD was poor, their treatment during both the stable and acute exacerbation stages did not meet standards, and the economic burdens were large. Interventions are therefore needed to improve the prevention and management of COPD in this population. Further studies are required to verify these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often experience depression and anxiety, but little information is available regarding Chinese patients with these conditions. The present study assessed depression and anxiety in Chinese patients with COPD. Methods: A case-controlled study was designed with 1100 patients with COPD enrolled in the case group and1100 residents without COPD and respiratory symptoms selected as the control group. Anxiety and depression in both groups were evaluated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The body mass index, degree of airflow obstruction, dyspnea, and exercise capacity (BODE ) index was used to assess COPD severity. Binary logistic regression models were used to test the association between anxiety and depression. Results: The patients with COPD were more likely than controls to experience depression (cases, HADS 10.5 ± 3.6, prevalence 35.7%; controls, HADS 8.7 ± 2.7, prevalence 7.2%) and anxiety (cases, HADS 10.4 ± 3.1, prevalence 18.3%; controls, HADS 8.6 ± 2.1, prevalence 5.3%). Subjects with anxious and depressive symptoms had poorer health outcomes including a higher BODE index, a shorter 6-minute-walk distance (6MWD), more dyspnea, and a higher St George's respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ) score. The prevalence of anxious and depressive symptoms increased with increasing BODE scores. On the basis of binary logistic regression, the BODE index was significantly correlated with anxiety (OR = 1.47, p < 0.001) and depression (OR = 1.51, p < 0.001). Anxious and depressive symptoms were also associated with several factors including younger age, female sex, higher education level, lower household income and history of smoking. Conclusions: This study confirmed the high prevalence of anxiety and depression in Chinese outpatients with COPD. Patients with COPD who had anxiety and/or depression had a poorer health-related quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of antigen into animals causes antigen-specific T cells to divide and then die. Activated T cell death requires either of the death effector molecules, Bak or Bax. When T cells die, Bak and Bax change their conformations, a phenomenon that is thought to be required for Bak or Bax to drive cell death. Here we show that Bak changes conformation before activated T cells die, as detected by an antibody specific for a peptide near the NH2 terminus of Bak,W but Bax does not change its shape markedly until after the cells are dead, as detected by an antibody specific for a peptide near the NH2 terminus of Bax. This latter finding is also true in activated T cells that lack Bak and are therefore dependent on Bax to die. This result suggests that Bax does not have to adopt its final, completely unfolded form until after the cells are dead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apoptosis in activated T cells in viva requires the proapoptotic BcI-2 family member Bim. We show here that, despite its ability to bind LC8, a component of the microtubule dynein motor complex, most of the Bim in both healthy and apoptotic T cells is associated with mitochondria, not microtubules. In healthy resting I cells Bim is bound to the antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. In activated T cells, levels of Bcl-2 fall, and Bim is associated more with BcI-xL and less with Bcl-2. Our results indicate that in T cells, Bim function is regulated by interaction with Bcl-2 family members on mitochondria rather than by sequestration to the microtubules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the effect of redox imbalance on microvascular permeability and endothelial junctional integrity in culture lung microvascular cells. Several mechanisms for protection against acute respiratory distress syndrome; Technique used to determine the pulmonary microvascular permeability; Effect of intestinal Ischemia-Reperfusion on lung microvascular permeability; Effect of the redox imbalance on lung microvascular permeability.

The immunosuppressive microenvironment is associated with poor prognosis in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC); however, the molecular mechanisms involved are unknown. Among the triggering receptors expressed on myeloid cell (TREM) family, we found that TREM1 expression in PTC was significantly higher than that in normal tissues. TREM1 overexpression was associated with BRAFV600E profiles and advanced tumor stages. Furthermore, TREM1 mRNA expression was negatively correlated with promoter methylation status. Specifically, hypomethylation of CpG site cg06196379 in the TREM1 promoter was related with poor patient disease-free survival (DFS) and a high PTC recurrence rate. Mechanistically, TREM1 was mainly expressed in malignant epithelial cells but not in macrophages in PTC by single-cell analysis. PTC tissues with high TREM1 levels had enhanced infiltration of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and decreased infiltration of CD8+ T cells. Our study confirms that hypomethylation-mediated overexpression of TREM1 in PTC cells promotes an immunosuppressive microenvironment by enhancing Treg infiltration. We recommend the future use of therapeutic strategy targeting TREM1 for the treatment of PTC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Early reperfusion therapy for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is an effective approach to reduce mortality in AMI patients. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is one of the reperfusion therapy modalities, and contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) after PCI has become one of the common causes of AKI. Objective To investigate the risk factors for the development of CI-AKI in AMI patients after PCI, establish a risk prediction model for CI-AKI based on risk factors and evaluate its validity. Methods The clinical data of 1 274 patients who attended the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University diagnosed of AMI and treated with PCI were collected consecutively from 2019 to 2021. According to the chronological order of admission, the included patients were divided into the training group (January 2019 to March 2021, 900 cases) and validation group (April 2021 to December 2021, 374 cases) in a ratio of approximately 7∶3; and divided into the CI-AKI and non-CI-AKI groups according to the diagnostic criteria of CI-AKI. Independent risk factors were screened using univariable Logistic regression analysis, Lasso regression, cross-validation, multivariable Logistic regression analysis, and a nomogram for predicting the risk of CI-AKI was plotted. Their discriminatory power, calibration ability, and clinical application value were evaluated by calculating concordance statistic (C-statistic), plotting calibration curve and decision curve. Results Among the 900 patients in the training group, 109 patients (12.1%) developed CI-AKI after PCI; among the 374 patients in the validation group, 27 patients (7.2%) developed CI-AKI. Multivariable Logistic regression analysis showed that LVEF〔OR=0.903, 95%CI (0.873, 0.934) 〕, platelet distribution width〔OR=1.158, 95%CI (1.053, 1.274) 〕, MPVLR〔OR=1.047, 95%CI (1.016, 1.079) 〕, NHR〔OR=1.072, 95%CI (1.021, 1.124) 〕, Scr〔OR=1.006, 95%CI (1.002, 1.011) 〕, and diuretics〔OR=2.321, 95%CI (1.452, 3.709) 〕 were independent influencing factors for CI-AKI after PCI in AMI patients (P

The purpose of the study was to explore the perceived family of origin influences on career development of women with disabilities (WWDs) in China. A qualitative research method was used to address the research question: How does family of origin influence the career development of WWDs in their childhood, adolescence, and adulthood? Fourteen outstanding WWDs from China were interviewed. A constant comparison method was used to analyze interview transcripts. Six themes emerged from the interview data, including parents' emphasis on education; parents' advocacy; parents exposing participants to all aspects of life; parents' love, care, and support; parents as role models; and siblings' love, care, and support. Implications are discussed in the context of socioeconomic environments in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To analyze the port complications and risk factors associated with the port complications in gastric cancer patients with peritoneal metastasis. Methods The medical records of 323 patients with subcutaneous ports implantation for intraperitoneal chemotherapy were retrospectively analyzed and 261 gastric cancer patients with peritoneal metastasis were included. Port complications and risk factors associated with complications were analyzed. Results There were 59 (22.6%) cases with port complications associated with intraperitoneal chemotherapy in all included 261 cases. Subcutaneous effusion (25 cases, 42.4%) and port infection (16 cases, 27.1%) were the main complications, followed by port rotation (9 cases, 15.3%), partial port wound dehiscence (7 cases, 11.9%), catheter obstruction (1 case, 1.7%) and subcutaneous metastasis (1 case, 1.7%). The median period between port implantation and occurrence of complications was 3.0 months. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score, serum albumin, implantation management optimization and implantation specialized group were independent risk factors for port complications (P

• Development of PPy@MA self-powered humidity sensor. • The novel humidity sensor is characterized with significant voltage output (~105 mV) with constant humidity of RH 98%. • The humidity sensor could be used to monitor human breath and the moisture from human skin. In this study, a self-powered sensor based on polypyrrole modified melamine aerogel (PPy@MA) was developed and evaluated for monitoring constant humidity and flowing moisture. This sensor has a flexible, ultralight and ultraporous structure, and could generate humidity-induced open-circuit voltage from the concentration gradient of the H+ ions. The PPy@MA humidity sensor generated the voltage of 105 mV, when it was placed in an environment with constant humidity of RH 98%. The response and recovery time was 32 s and 13 s, respectively, as the humidity changed between RH 11% and RH 98%. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the self-powered humidity sensor was evaluated by assessing the moisture changes of the human skin, and the moisture from the human breath. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To study the levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen (CA) 199, CA724, CA242, pepsinogen (PG) I, PGII, gastrin-17 (G-17), the PGI/PGII ratio (PGR), as well as the expression of p27 and Ki67, in patients suffering from early gastric cancer and intraepithelial neoplasia and to provide new markers for the diagnosis of early gastric cancer and precancerous lesions., Methods: A retrospective study where the blood serum concentration of CEA, CA199, CA724, CA242, PGI, PGII, G-17 and PGR were tested and also the protein expression of p27 and Ki67 was detected in patients tissues by immunohistochemistry in the Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Center of the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China, from March 2018 to March 2021., Results: Carbohydrate antigen 242 and CA199 levels in tumor tissue significantly differed among the groups. Pepsinogen I levels decreased with increasing disease severity, G-17 levels increased with the aggravation of severity, and p27 expression decreased with the severity., Conclusion: The combination of serum gastric function markers (PGI and G-17) and p27 digestive tumor indices can serve as markers for the diagnosis of early gastric cancer and intraepithelial neoplasia., (Copyright: © Saudi Medical Journal.)