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To explore the usefulness of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte count ratio (NLR), procalcitonin (PCT), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) for the severity assessment of bacterial sepsis.

Abstract Background Pneumoconiosis, a chronic disease stemming from prolonged inhalation of dust particles, stands as a significant global burden of occupational diseases. This study aims to investigate the survival outcomes of pneumoconiosis patients in Huangshi city, China, while also evaluating the disease burden on afflicted patients. Methods Data for this study were sourced from the Huangshi Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Survival analyses of pneumoconiosis patients were conducted employing life tables and the Kaplan-Meier method. The Cox proportional hazards models were deployed to identify factors influencing pneumoconiosis patients’ survival duration. Competing risks models were employed to confirm the validity of the model outcomes. Additionally, in the disease burden assessment, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were computed for various demographic groups and time frames. Results A total of 5,641 pneumoconiosis cases, diagnosed in Huangshi City, Hubei Province between 1958 and 2021, were incorporated into the cohort analysis. The probability of mortality and the risk ratio increased with advancing age. Notably, the median survival time of stage III pneumoconiosis patients was significantly shorter compared with those in stages I and II. The Cox proportional hazards model and competing risks analyses underscored several significant factors influencing survival time, including dust exposure duration (HR = 1.197, 95% CI: 1.104–1.298), age at first diagnosis (HR = 3.149, 95% CI: 2.961–3.349), presence of silicosis (HR = 1.378, 95% CI: 1.254–1.515), and stage II-III pneumoconiosis (HR = 1.456, 95% CI: 1.148–1.848). Cumulatively, DALYs amounted to 7,974.35 person-years, with an average of 1.41 person-years. The period between 2000 and 2019 witnessed the highest disease burden. Conclusion Our findings highlight the urgent need for improved prevention, earlier detection, and more effective management strategies for the occupational pneumoconiosis population. This study not only underscores the persistent issue of pneumoconiosis in industrial environments but also serves as a crucial call to action for policymakers and healthcare providers.

To evaluate the ovarian reserve (OR) in women with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), especially SLE-associated APS, and to determine the association between OR and clinical and laboratory parameters.

Abstract Background Recent studies have shown that umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells have an anti-aging effect in ovaries, but the cellular and molecular mechanisms of HA-MSC ovarian anti-aging remain to be studied. Therefore, we conducted a 10X Genomics single-nucleus transcriptome sequencing experiment on the ovaries of macaque monkeys after HA-MSC treatment. Methods The results of cell subgroup classification were visualized by 10X Genomics single nuclear transcriptome sequencing. The aging model of hGCs was established, and the migration ability of the cells was determined after coculture of HA-MSCs and aging hGCs. The genes screened by single nuclear transcriptional sequencing were verified in vitro by qPCR. Results Compared with the aging model group, the number of cell receptor pairs in each subgroup of the HA-MSC-treated group increased overall. Treatment with 200 μmol/L H2O2 for 48 h was used as the optimum condition for the induction of hGC senescence. After coculture of noncontact HA-MSCs with senescent hGCs, it was found that HA-MSCs can reverse the cell structure, proliferation ability, senescence condition, expression level of senescence-related genes, and expression level of key genes regulating the senescence pathway in normal hGCs. Conclusions HA-MSC therapy can improve the tissue structure and secretion function of the ovary through multiple cellular and molecular mechanisms to resist ovarian aging. In vitro validation experiments further supported the results of single-cell sequencing, which provides evidence supporting a new option for stem cell treatment of ovarian senescence.

Alysiinae Leach is a species-rich subfamily in Braconidae, of which several species play an important role in biological control. The monotypic genus Eurymeros tumespiraculum Bhat, 1980 was discovered in Tibet and Yunnan provinces for the first time, representing the first record of the genus Eurymeros Bhat, 1980 (Braconidae, Alysiinae) in China.The rare genus Eurymeros Bhat, 1980 (Braconidae, Alysiinae) and its only known species, E. tumespiraculum Bhat, 1980, are newly recorded from China. The morphological variation of the Chinese specimens is described and illustrated.

Abstract Objective Recent studies indicated that transmembrane protein 40 (TMEM40) is associated with several types of cancers but is not clear in cervical cancer (CC). The study aimed to examine the role of TMEM40 in CC and related mechanisms. Methods The expression of TMEM40 in CC tissues and cell lines was studied with western blot and real-time quantitative RT-PCR. The effect of TMEM40 on proliferation was evaluated by CCK-8, EdU and colony formation assay. The migration, invasion, cell cycle and apoptosis of CC cells were studied with wound healing, transwell assays and flow cytometry. Tumor growth was evaluated in vivo using a xenogenous subcutaneously implant model. Results The results revealed that the TMEM40 elevation in CC tissues and cell lines was closely correlated with tumor size and lymph node metastasis in clinical patients. Upregulation of TMEM40 with OE-TMEM40 vector promoted the invasion, migration and proliferation, inhibited the apoptosis and led to distinct S cell cycle arrest in CC cell lines. Silencing TMEM40 with shRNA inhibited the invasion, migration and proliferation, promoted apoptosis and led to a G0/G1 cell cycle arrest in CC cell lines. Silence of TMEM40 downregulated the expression of c-MYC, Cyclin D1, matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), but in contrast, activated p53 and several apoptosis related proteins such as p53, Caspase-3, Caspase-9 and PARP1. In addition, TMEM40 silencing dramatically decreased tumor growth in mice models. Conclusion The present study demonstrates that TMEM40 upregulation can be a potential prognostic biomarker and contribute to CC development.

Abstract Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent syndrome in the intensive care unit (ICU). AKI patients with kidney function recovery have better short-term and long-term prognoses compared with those with non-recovery. Numerous studies focus on biomarkers to distinguish them. To better understand the predictive performance of urinary biomarkers of renal recovery in patients with AKI, we evaluated C–C motif chemokine ligand 14 (CCL14) and two first-generation biomarkers (cell cycle arrest biomarkers and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin) in two ICU settings. Methods We performed a prospective study to analyze urinary biomarkers for predicting renal recovery from AKI. Patients who developed AKI after ICU admission were enrolled and urinary biomarkers including tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2), insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7), CCL14, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) were detected on the day of AKI diagnosis. The primary endpoint was non-recovery from AKI within 7 days. The individual discriminative ability of CCL14, [TIMP-2] × [IGFBP7] and NGAL to predict renal non-recovery were evaluated by the area under receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC). Results Of 164 AKI patients, 64 (39.0%) failed to recover from AKI onset. CCL14 showed a fair prediction ability for renal non-recovery with an AUC of 0.71 (95% CI 0.63–0.77, p

Objective To explore the prevalence of osteoporosis in adult women in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and to analyze the influencing factors. Methods Totally 1 333 adult women from 4 regions of Inner Mongolia were selected by stratified cluster random sampling method from July 2014 to December 2015. Questionnaire survey, physical examination and laboratory testing were conducted. Calcaneal bone mineral density was measured by dry ultrasound bone mineral density analyzer. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression were used to analyze the influencing factors of osteoporosis in adult women. Results The prevalence of osteoporosis in adult women in Inner Mongolia was 7.88% (standardized rate 8.56%). Logistic regression analysis showed that the protective factors of osteoporosis prevalence included young age, high intensity of physical exercise and high height (P＜0.05), while menopause was an independent risk factor for osteoporosis (P＜0.05). Conclusions The osteoporosis of adult women in Inner Mongolia is closely related to age, physical exercise, menopause and body height.

The present work provides an online Bench II-IRMS technique for the measurement of stable chlorine isotope ratio, which is used to measure the δ37Cl of 38 groundwater samples from the Karst and Quaternary aquifers in Anyang area. The regional distribution and signature of δ37Cl value are characterized on the base of isotopic data. The results suggest that the δ37Cl value of Quaternary groundwater decreases with increasing Cl− concentration, and has no correlation with δ18O and δD values, but closely correlates with the depth to water table. The fractionation mechanism of the chlorine isotope is expounded according to the type of groundwater. The δ37Cl value of karst water is generally positive, which is relevant to the dissolution of evaporite (gypsum mine), and may be caused by the mixing of groundwater and precipitation. The groundwater of Quaternary unconfined aquifer is mainly recharged by precipitation, and the δ37Cl value of groundwater is generally negative. The δ37Cl value of groundwater in Quaternary confined aquifer is more negative with increasing the depth to water level and elevated Cl− concentration, which is possible to result from the isotope fractionation of ion filtration. The groundwater with inorganic pollutants in Quaternary unconfined aquifer has generally a positive δ37Cl value.