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AIM: To analyze the situations of poor vision and the incidence of myopia in adolescents of Chifeng and to explore the factors that affect the occurrence of myopia.METHODS: A multi-stage random sampling method was adopted from September to December in 2019. A total of 2 070 students from primary 4th grade to junior in high school in Chifeng were selected for questionnaire surveys and visual inspections to analyze influencing factors and the occurrence of myopia in the region.RESULTS: Among 2 070 students in this research, the incidence of poor vision was 56.96% and the incidence of myopia was 52.22%. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the risk factors of myopia were senior grade, female, genetic history, loving to eat sweets, fried food, no breakfast, longer time homework and cram school, using mobile devices, having bad eye habits and using eyes for long time once. The protective factors of myopia were no other poor vision, eating fresh fruits, adjusting the height of tables and chairs, doing eye exercises, doing outdoor activities between classes, a one-foot sitting posture, supervising the sitting posture by parents and teachers, less watching TV, increasing outdoor exercise and sleeping time.CONCLUSION: The myopia incidence of adolescents in Chifeng is generally higher. We should actively pay attention to the personal situation of students, improve visual environment inside and outside school, correct bad visual habits, and increase outdoor exercise and sleep time.

Vitamin D3 (VD3) is a steroid hormone that plays pivotal roles in pathophysiology, and 1,25(OH)2D3 is the most active form of VD3. In the current study, the crucial role of VD3 in maintaining energy homeostasis under short-term fasting conditions was investigated. Our results confirmed that glucose-depriving pathways were inhibited while glucose-producing pathways were strengthened in zebrafish after fasting for 24 or 48 h. Moreover, VD3 anabolism in zebrafish was significantly suppressed in a time-dependent manner under short-fasting conditions. After fasting for 24 or 48 h, zebrafish fed with VD3 displayed a higher gluconeogenesis level and lower glycolysis level in the liver, and the serum glucose was maintained at higher levels, compared to those fed without VD3. Additionally, VD3 augmented the expression of fatty acids (FAs) transporter cd36 and lipogenesis in the liver, while enhancing lipolysis in the dorsal muscle. Similar results were obtained in cyp2r1−/− zebrafish, in which VD3 metabolism is obstructed. Importantly, it was observed that VD3 induced the production of gut GLP-1, which is considered to possess a potent gluconeogenic function in zebrafish. Meanwhile, the gene expression of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 1 (pcsk1), a GLP-1 processing enzyme, was also induced in the intestine of short-term fasted zebrafish. Notably, gut microbiota and its metabolite acetate were involved in VD3-regulated pcsk1 expression and GLP-1 production under short-term fasting conditions. In summary, our study demonstrated that VD3 regulated GLP-1 production in zebrafish by influencing gut microbiota and its metabolite, contributing to energy homeostasis and ameliorating hypoglycemia under short-term fasting conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AimTo evaluate the effect of the shunting branch of the portal vein (PV) (left or right) and the initial stent position (optimal or suboptimal) of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS).MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 307 consecutive cirrhotic patients who underwent TIPS placement for variceal bleeding from March 2001 to July 2010 at our center. The left PV was used in 221 patients and the right PV in the remaining 86 patients. And, 224 and 83 patients have optimal stent position and sub-optimal stent positions, respectively. The patients were followed until October 2011 or their death. Hepatic encephalopathy, shunt dysfunction, and survival were evaluated as outcomes. The difference between the groups was compared by Kaplan-Meier analysis. A Cox regression model was employed to evaluate the predictors.ResultsAmong the patients who underwent TIPS to the left PV, the risk of hepatic encephalopathy (P = 0.002) and mortality were lower (P < 0.001) compared to those to the right PV. Patients who underwent TIPS with optimal initial stent position had a higher primary patency (P < 0.001) and better survival (P = 0.006) than those with suboptimal initial stent position. The shunting branch of the portal vein and the initial stent position were independent predictors of hepatic encephalopathy and shunt dysfunction after TIPS, respectively. And, both were independent predictors of survival.ConclusionTIPS placed to the left portal vein with optimal stent position may reduce the risk of hepatic encephalopathy and improve the primary patency rates, thereby prolonging survival.

Eukaryotic DNA replication depends on the primosome – a complex of DNA polymerase alpha (Pol α) and primase – to initiate DNA synthesis by polymerisation of an RNA–DNA primer. Primer synthesis requires the tight coordination of primase and polymerase activities. Recent cryo‐electron microscopy (cryoEM) analyses have elucidated the extensive conformational transitions required for RNA primer handover between primase and Pol α and primer elongation by Pol α. Because of the intrinsic flexibility of the primosome, however, structural information about the initiation of RNA primer synthesis is still lacking. Here, we capture cryoEM snapshots of the priming reaction to reveal the conformational trajectory of the human primosome that brings DNA primase subunits 1 and 2 (PRIM1 and PRIM2, respectively) together, poised for RNA synthesis. Furthermore, we provide experimental evidence for the continuous association of primase subunit PRIM2 with the RNA primer during primer synthesis, and for how both initiation and termination of RNA primer polymerisation are licenced by specific rearrangements of DNA polymerase alpha catalytic subunit (POLA1), the polymerase subunit of Pol α. Our findings fill a critical gap in our understanding of the conformational changes that underpin the synthesis of the RNA primer by the primosome. Together with existing evidence, they provide a complete description of the structural dynamics of the human primosome during DNA replication initiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]