The therapeutic potentials of probiotics in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains controversial, with the only existing systematic review on this topic published in 2015. Results from new trials have become available in recent years. We therefore conducted an updated systematic review, to assess the efficacy of probiotics in relieving behavioral symptoms of ASD and gastrointestinal comorbidities. Our review includes two randomized controlled trials, which showed improvement of ASD behaviors, and three open trials, all which exhibited a trend of improvement. Four of these trials concluded from subjective measures that gastrointestinal function indices showed a trend of improvement with probiotic therapy. Additional rigorous trials are needed to evaluate the effects of probiotic supplements in ASD.

Raidoprotective 105 (RP105) was first discovered on the surface of mouse B cells and it has been demonstrated that RP105 can function as an inflammatory regulator in cardiovascular disease (CVD), such as myocardial ischemic reperfusion injury (MI/RI), atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction (MI). As a member of Toll-like receptor (TLR) homolog which is capable of regulating toll-like receptor (TLR4) signaling pathway, RP105 is implicated in various biological processes. Mounting evidence suggests that RP105 regulates the function of TLR4 and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling pathways. Here, we review the effect of RP105 on CVD through regulating TLR4/PI3K signaling pathways.

Preeclampsia (PE) remains a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality in obstetrics worldwide. No effective treatments to reduce its incidence and severity in clinical practice are currently available. A variety of hypotheses have been generated aiming to explain the origins of PE, notably being the genetic predispositions and placental dysfunction. As regard to placental dysfunction, much progress has been made in basic research and several potential therapeutic targets have been identified. This review will discuss in detail the potential therapeutic targets in PE models including uteroplacental blood flow, oxidative stress, vasoactive factors and inflammation/immune response, and introduce the evolving technologies for placental research nowadays.

With the intensification of the aging process of the world, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which is the main type of senile dementia, has become a primary problem in the present society. Lots of strategies have been used to prevent and treat AD in animal models and clinical trials, but most of them ended in failure. Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) contain a variety of monomer compositions which have been separated and identified. Among of the monomer compositions, notoginseng saponin Rg1 (Rg1) accounts for 20% of the cultivation of panax notoginseng roots. And now PNS have been reported to be widely used to treat cardio-cerebrovascular diseases and have neuroprotective effects to restrain the β-amyloid peptide (Aβ)25–35-mediated apoptosis. Moreover, it is reported that PNS could accelerate the growth of nerve cells, increase the length of axons and promote synaptic plasticity. Whether Rg1 can ameliorate the cognitive impairment and the underlying mechanism has not been elucidated. To study the preventive effect of Rg1 on cognitive impairment and the possible mechanism, we established the cognitive impairment model in rats through Aβ_1–42 (2.6 µg/µL, 5 µL) injection and then treated the rats with Rg1 (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) administered intragastrically for 4 weeks. We observed that Aβ_1–42 could induce spatial learning and memory deficits in rats. Simultaneously, Aβ_1–42 injection also resulted in the reduced neuron number in cornuammonis 1 (CA1) and dentate gyrus (DG) of hippocampus, as well as the increased level of hyperphosphorylated β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) at Thr668 site with up-regulation of β-APP cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) and presenilin 1 (PS1) and down-regulation of a disintegrin and metalloprotease domain-containing protein 10 (ADAM10) and insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE). Administration of Rg1 effectively rescued the cognitive impairment and neuronal loss, and inhibited the β-secretase processing of APP through reducing APP-Thr668 phosphorylation and BACE1/PS1 expression, and increasing the expression of ADAM10 and IDE. We concluded that Rg1 might have neuroprotective effects and could promote learning and memory ability, which might be a viable candidate in AD therapy probably through reducing the generation of Aβ and increasing the degradation of Aβ.

The relationship of metabolic syndrome (MS) and its components with incident chronic kidney disease (CKD) and rapid decline of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was investigated. A total of 10 140 patients participating in the epidemiological study (Risk Evaluation of Cancers in Chinese Diabetic Individuals, REACTION) of risk factors of type 2 diabetes in China were followed up for 3 years, with MS being diagnosed by adult treatment panel III (ATPIII) combined with waist circumference in Asian population and renal function being evaluated by eGFR <60 mL·min⁻¹(1.73 m²⁾⁻¹ and rapid decline of eGFR ≤30%. The results showed that as compared with the non-MS group, the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of CKD and rapid decline of eGFR were 1.64 (OR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.20–2.25, P<0.05) and 1.23 (OR: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.05–1.43, P<0.05) respectively in MS group. With the increase in the number (0, 1, 2, 3 and ≥4) of MS components, the prevalence of CKD was 1.42%, 1.44%, 2.80%, 3.42%, and 4.03% (P<0.001), respectively. The ORs of incident CKD were 1.67 (OR: 1.67; 95% CI: 1.22–2.27, P<0.05) for high TG, 1.50 (OR: 1.50; 95% CI: 1.10–2.05, P<0.05) for low HDL-C, and 1.39 (OR: 1.39; 95% CI: 1.02–1.91, P<0.05) for hyperglycemia. The risk for developing incident CKD was higher in the group with the highest HOMA-IR than in the group with the lowest HOMA-IR (OR: 1.83; 95% CI: 1.16–2.89, P<0.05). It is suggested that MS is an independent risk factor for incident CKD. The occurrence and development of CKD is closely related to insulin resistance.

Discontinuation of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy after achieving a persistent deep molecular response (DMR) is an urgently needed treatment goal for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients and has been included in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines (version 2.2017) for CML. Indeed, various studies have confirmed the feasibility of discontinuing TKI therapy. In this study, we analyzed data from 45 CML patients who had discontinued TKI therapy. Univariate analysis was performed to predict factors that were potentially related to treatment-free remission (TFR) and identify the differences between early relapse and late relapse. Out of the 45 patients, 20 exhibited molecular relapse after a median follow-up of 18 months (range, 1–54 months), and the estimated TFR at 24 months was 40%. The univariate analysis revealed that a high Sokal score and interruptions or dose reductions during TKI treatment were the only baseline factors associated with poor outcomes. Our results indicate that TKI discontinuation could be successfully put into practice in China.

Distinguishing between aplastic anemia (AA) and hypoblastic myelodysplastic syndrome (hMDS) with a low percentage of bone marrow (BM) blasts (<5%) can be difficult due to the overlap in clonality and a spectrum of genetic alternations between the two subtypes of diseases. However, due to recent advances in DNA sequencing technology, both spectrum and frequency of mutations can be accurately determined and monitored by next-generation sequencing (NGS) at initial diagnosis and during immunosuppressive therapy (IST) in patients with AA or hMDS. This improvement in acquiring a patient’s genetic status and clonal evolution can provide more proper, precise, and on-time information to guide disease management, which is especially helpful in the absence of traditional morphologic/cytogenetic evidence.

This study evaluated the significance of serum D-Dimer for predicting survival of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We analyzed the clinical data from 113 patients who were newly diagnosed with DLBCL at Tongji Hospital from January 2012 to January 2016. The results indicated that there were higher levels of D-Dimer in DLBCL patients with the following characteristics: stage III/IV, lymphocyte monocyte ratio (LMR) <2.27, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) > upper limit of normal (ULN), albumin (ALB) < 35 g/L, and anemia. After the first chemotherapeutic regimen, D-Dimer was significantly decreased concomitantly with LDH. Cox univariate regression analysis showed that the overall survival (OS) was negatively affected by the following factors: age > 60 years, stage III/W, LDH > ULN, LMR < 2.27, anemia and D-Dimer > 0.92. Multivariate analysis showed that only LDH > ULN (P=0.038) and age > 60 years (P=0.047) were independent adverse prognostic factors. However, it was suggested that D-Dimer could be regarded as a marker of high tumor burden and a potential prognostic screening tool for patients with DLBCL, not otherwise specified (NOS).

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) inhibitors are novel in cancer therapy nowadays. HDAC6-selective inhibitors exert advantageous effects due to higher selectivity and less toxicity. We explored the anti-tumor effect and the molecular mechanism of cay10603, a potent HDAC6 inhibitor in Burkitt’s lymphoma cells. Our study revealed cay10603 inhibited the proliferation of Burkitt’s lymphoma cell lines, and induced caspase-dependent apoptosis. Cay10603 inhibited the expression of CDKs and cyclins to impede cell cycle progression in both Burkitt’s lymphoma cell lines. Cay10603 also showed the additive effect with vp16 notably. Our data presented the promising anti-tumor effect of cay10603 in the Burkitt’s lymphoma therapy.

Few effective treatments for chronic Keshan disease have been available till now. The efficacy of long-term selenium supplementation in the treatment of chronic Keshan disease with congestive heart failure is inconclusive. This study aimed to determine whether selenium supplementation is associated with a decreased risk of cardiac death in chronic Keshan disease with congestive heart failure by ten years of follow-up. A retrospective long-term follow-up analysis was performed on a monitored cohort consisting of 302 chronic Keshan disease patients with a mean age of 40.8±11.4 years. Of the 302 chronic Keshan disease patients, 170 (56.3%) were given selenium supplementation until the end point of follow-up. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to identify the independent predictors of cardiac events. Our results showed that during the follow-up, there were 101 deaths of patients with chronic Keshan disease in the selenium supplementation group (101/170, 59.4%) and 98 in non-selenium supplementation group (98/132, 74.2%). Multivariate analyses suggested that selenium supplementation was associated with a decreased risk of cardiac death (HR 0.39, 95% CI 0.28–0.53) after adjustment for baseline age, sex, cigarette smoking, family history of Keshan disease, body mass index (BMI), heart rate, electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities, blood pressure, initial cardiothoracic ratio, left ventricular ejection fractions (LVEF) and whole-blood selenium concentration. Our ten-year follow-up analysis indicated that selenium supplementation, specifically combined with the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and beta blocker therapy, improved the survival of patients with chronic Keshan disease with congestive heart failure. BMI, selenium deficiency, male, combined ECG abnormalities, LVEF, and fast heart rate increased the risk of cardiac events.

Summary]This study aimed to test the effects of five single nucleotide polymorphisms within SLC2A9 on uric acid level in a special ethnic population, the Uygurs in Xinjiang, China. According to our inclusion and exclusion criteria, Uygur adults from Xinjiang constituted the study population. There were 1053 Uygur adults with hyperuricemia and 1373 normal Uygur adults who served as controls. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms within SLC2A9 (rs938557, rs7679916, rs7349721, rs13101785, and rs13137343) were selected with the HapMap dataset and TaqMan assays. We found that, in normouricemia group, rs938557 was significantly correlated with uric acid (β=11.39±3.74, P=0.0024) adjusting for age, gender and BMI; rs7679916 and rs13137343 were marginally associated with uric acid concentration (β=5.77±3.09, P=0.0626; β= 5.99±3.08, P=0.0520). In the hyperuricemia group, no SNP was found to possibly influence uric acid concentration. None of these SNPs showed significant association with hyperuricemia after controlling for age, gender and BMI. There were significant or marginal correlations between certain single nucleotide polymorphisms in the SLC2A9 region and uric acid concentration in Uygur normouricemia samples. In turn, some of these single nucleotide polymorphisms in SLC2A9 may increase the risk of hyperuricemia.

Previous studies reported the association between interleukin-6 (IL-6) -174G/C gene polymorphism and the risk of diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DN). However, the results remain controversial. In the present study, we conducted a meta-analysis to further examine this relationship between IL-6-174G/C gene polymorphism and T2DN. Three databases (PubMed, SinoMed and ISI Web of Science) were used to search clinical case-control studies about IL-6-174G/C polymorphism and T2DN published until Apr. 14, 2018. Fixed- or random-effects models were used to calculate the effect sizes of odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Moreover, subgroup analysis was performed in terms of the excretion rate of albuminuria. All the statistical analyses were conducted using Stata 12.0. A total of 11 case-control studies were included in this study, involving 1203 cases of T2DN and 1571 cases of T2DM without DN. Meta-analysis showed that there was an association between IL-6-174G/C polymorphism and increased risk of T2DN under the allelic and recessive genetic models (G vs. C: OR=1.10, 95%CI 1.03–1.18, P=0.006; GG vs. CC+GC: OR=1.11, 95%CI 1.02–1.21 P=0.016). In the subgroup analysis by albuminuria, a significant association of IL-6-174G/C polymorphism with risk of T2DN was noted in the microalbuminuria group under the recessive model (OR=1.54, 95% CI 1.02–2.32, _P=0.038). In conclusion, this meta-analysis suggests that IL-6-174G/C gene polymorphism is associated with the risk of T2DN.

Parathyroidectomy is useful for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) caused by chronic renal failure. The following three types of parathyroidectomy can be performed: subtotal parathyroidectomy, total parathyroidectomy and total parathyroidectomy plus autologous transplantation (tPTX+AT). Each of the three types of surgery has advantages and disadvantages. The present study retrospectively analyzed the efficacy of tPTX+AT for the treatment of SHPT over 1 year. Thirty-seven patients who were diagnosed with secondary nephrogenic hyperparathyroidism and treated with tPTX+AT were selected between September 2014 and October 2016 and followed up for 1 year. Their average age was 66.5±46.0 years, and the average time of dialysis was 48.1±8.2 months. The patients’ conditions, including the levels of intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) and bone metabolism, were compared preoperatively and 1 and 7 days and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery. In addition, the postoperative complications, pathological data, SHPT recurrence and prognosis were examined. The results showed that the postoperative level of ostalgia and cutaneous pruritus significantly decreased in the patients. An inspection of the parathyroid tissues during the operation confirmed the presence of parathyroid gland hyperplasia with no carcinoma detected. Three patients with hoarseness recovered within 1 month, and 1 patient with unilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve injury improved after 6 months of voice training. Compared to the preoperative condition, the postoperative serum iPTH, serum calcium and serum phosphate levels were significantly decreased (P<0.001), and these differences remained significant 12 months after surgery. Compared to the preoperative condition, the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) concentration was decreased on postoperative day 1 (P<0.05), but no differences were observed on day 7 or at 1 month (P>0.05). The ALP levels continuously decreased at 3, 6 and 12 months (P<0.01). In conclusion, tPTX+AT significantly improves the quality of life and serum biomarker levels of these patients. The convenient surgical removal of the hyperplastic parathyroid gland for postoperative recurrence supports tPTX+AT as the recommended treatment for relevant patients.

The prognosis of small cell thyroid carcinoma (SCTC) in a large cohort has not been well reported in the literature. In this study, we analyzed the mortality of SCTC, in comparison to medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) and anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC), based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute, to determine the prognosis of SCTC. Information regarding patients with a diagnosis of MTC, ATC, or SCTC, between 2004 and 2013, was acquired from the SEER database. Patient survival curves were assessed by Cox proportional hazards regression analyses, Kaplan-Meier analyses, and log-rank tests. In a Kaplan-Meier analysis of the entire cohort of thyroid cancer patients, cancer-specific survival declined sharply for patients with SCTC, but it declined more modestly for patients with MTC. The cancer-specific survival was not significantly different between SCTC and ATC. Unadjusted Cox regression analysis showed that SCTC had a higher cancer-specific mortality than MTC but a similar prognosis as ATC. SCTC showed a higher cancer-specific mortality than MTC and ATC after adjustments for various confounding factors. SCTC was found to have a more highly lethal clinical course than MTC and had a similar death rate to ATC. Therefore, we recommend that aggressive, radical treatment like surgery or radiation should be performed for these patients.

Non-anatomical liver resection with appropriate resection margin is regarded as a potential curative treatment for selected major hepatic carcinoma due to preserving maximal normal liver, especially in cirrhotic patients. But occurrence of cutting surface related complications becomes a main challenge. From June 2010 to June 2016, 448 patients with major hepatic carcinoma received non-anatomical liver resection in our liver surgery center. After excluding 66 cases that were incongruent with the purpose of study, 235 patients undergoing transparenchymal compressing suture (TCS) to “not good” cutting surface were allocated as study group; 147 patients with exposed surface (ES) were matched as control group. The characteristics of postoperative drainage, postoperative hepatic and renal functions, hospital days, and outcomes were collected retrospectively. We further compared cutting surface related complications under different levels of liver cirrhosis between the two groups. Compared with ES group, patients in TCS group had a decreased incidence of cutting surface related complications (14.3% vs. 6.8%, P=0.011) and a decreased probability of interventions for cutting surface related complications (8.2% vs. 3.4%, P=0.042). TCS application was much more effective to prevent cutting surface related complications in patients with moderate and severe cirrhosis (5.4% vs. 15.8%, P=0.003). Postoperative hepatic and renal function, hospital days and mortality did not differ between the two groups. In conclusion, TCS decreases the probability of cutting surface related complications and postoperative interventions for related complications, especially in patients with moderate and severe cirrhosis.

This observational study included 21 patients at remarkably high risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), characterized by more than 30 follicles measuring ≥11 mm in diameter on trigger day and/or pre-trigger peak estradiol exceeding 10 000 pg/mL, which was also the feature of women with established severe early OHSS followed by gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) trigger and freeze-all policy that previously have been reported. All patients received a second dose of GnRHa 12 h after the first GnRHa trigger combined with administration of GnRH antagonist at 0.25 mg/day for a period of 3 days from the day of oocyte retrieval onwards. The in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes may be preferable compared with a bolus of GnRHa trigger and none of the included patients developed moderate-to-severe OHSS. Moreover, patients’ symptoms, reproductive hormone levels and ultrasound findings were improved significantly. This new strategy seems to be efficacious and could be a further supplement of GnRHa trigger with or without applying freeze-all strategy to completely prevent early-onset moderate to severe OHSS, especially for the patients characterized by ≤30 follicles measuring ≥11 mm in diameter on trigger day and/or pre-trigger peak estradiol exceeding 10 000 pg/mL. Further studies should be performed to compare this regimen with conventional methods of OHSS prevention.

In our previous study, we found that Shoutai pills could improve the embryo implantation rate as well as the levels of estrogen, progesterone and estrogen receptor in rats with stimulated ovulation. However, the mechanism is not clear. This study was designed to investigate the effect of Shoutai pills on the levels of Th1 and Th2 cytokines in rats with stimulated ovulation and the mechanism. The rat model of stimulated ovulation was established by combined injection of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). Then the rats were randomly divided into model group (M), Shoutai pills group (S), progesterone group (P) and normal group (N). All the pregnant rats were treated from the first day. The S and P groups were administrated with gavage of Shoutai pills and injection of progesterone respectively, and N and M groups were given the same volume of normal saline and distilled water respectively. After treatment for 7 days, the animals were executed for serum and uterine tissues. The ELISA method was adopted to detect the contents of Th1 cytokines [interferon-γ (INF-γ), interleukin-2 (IL-2)] and Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-6, IL-10). The expression of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and leukemia inhibitory factor receptor (LIFR) was detected by Western blotting and real-time PCR. As compared with N group, the expression levels of IFN-γ and IL-2 in M group were significantly increased, and those of IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, LIF and LIFR were significantly decreased (P<0.05). As compared with M group, the levels of IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, LIF and LIFR in S group were significantly increased (P<0.05), and those of IFN-γ and IL-2 were significantly decreased (P<0.05). It was suggested that Shoutai pills can increase the levels of IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, LIF and LIFR as well as reduce the levels of INF-γ and IL-2 in rats with stimulated ovulation. The Shoutai pills may improve endometrial receptivity and promote embryo implantation by maintaining the balance of Th1/Th2 cytokines.

Although little is known about the current situation regarding autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in mainland China, psychiatric disorders are common among Chinese mothers of preschool children with ASD. Previous studies showed ASD child’s behavioral symptoms, maternal anxiety, and maternal depressive symptoms were associated with overall parenting stress in northern China. In the present study, we retrospectively analyzed medical records at the hospital related to neuropsychiatric symptoms, parenting stress and social support in mothers of children with ASD from southern China. A total of 80 mothers of children with ASD were screened. Among them, 34 mothers were in low-functioning ASD group (L-ASD group) and 46 mothers were in high-functioning ASD group (H-ASD group). Identification of the ASD cases was confirmed with a Revised Autism Diagnostic Inventory. Neuropsychiatric symptoms, parenting stress and social support were measured by neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI), parenting stress index short form (PSI-SF), and multi-dimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS). Total mean score of the NPI in the L-ASD group was significantly higher than that in the H-ASD group (P<0.01). The subscale scores of NPI, including depression, anxiety, apathy, irritability, agitation, night time behavior disturbances and change in appetite were significantly higher in the L-ASD group than those in the H-ASD group (P<0.01 or P<0.05). Meanwhile, the total PSI-SF scores and the scores of parental distress (PD), parental-child dysfunctional interaction (PCDI) and difficult child (DC) in the L-ASD group were significantly higher than those in the H-ASD group (P<0.01 or P<0.05). The total score of MSPSS was also higher in the L-ASD group than in the H-ASD group (P<0.01). This study goes further to show the neuropsychiatric symptoms and parenting stress are significantly higher in mothers of children with ASD, and more social supports are needed for mothers of children with ASD from southern China, especially for mothers of children with low-functioning ASD.

Neurogenesis and angiogenesis can improve the neurologic function after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) plays an important role in neurogenesis and angiogenesis. In this study, a rat model of autologous blood-induced ICH was used to evaluate the effect of LIF on the neurogenesis and angiogenesis following ICH. After ICH, LIF-positive neurons and dilated vessels were detected in the peri-hematomal region. It was found that LIF levels increased significantly and peaked 14 days after ICH induction. Double immunofluorescence confirmed that LIF was expressed in neurons and endothelial cells. ICH also led to increases of doublecortin (DCX)- and von Willebrand factor (vWF)-positive cells as well as proliferation of cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)+/DCX+ and PCNA+/vWF+ nuclei. All these ICH-induced increases were significantly attenuated by exogenous LIF infusion. These data suggested that LIF was a negative regulator of neurogenesis and angiogenesis after ICH.

LaminB1, a major component of the nuclear lamina, is a potent regulator of cellular proliferation and senescence and also known to be essential for neuronal migration and brain development. However, the expression patterns of LaminB1 in the rat cochleae are still not fully revealed. Utilizing immunofluorescence, Western blotting, and quantitative real-time PCR, we identified the distribution and expression of LaminB1 in the rat cochleae. Immunofluorescence staining indicated that LaminB1 was mainly localized in the auditory hair cells (HCs), spiral ganglion cells (SGC), stria vascularis (STV, including spiral ligament), Reissner’s membrane (RM), and limbus laminae spiralis (LLS). Western blotting analysis illustrated that the distribution of LaminB1 in rat cochleae was characterized by tissue specificity. The LaminB1 protein was expressed more in SGC and basilar membrane (BM) than in STV. Meanwhile, the mRNA expression of LaminB1 displayed difference in cochlear tissues. These observations preliminarily revealed the expression patterns of LaminB1, providing a theoretical basis for further study on the role of LaminB1 in auditory function.

The change of vocal function after vocal fold dehydration due to dryness was discussed along with the treatment effect of different atomizing agents. Forty-eight staffs from The Central Hospital of Wuhan were recruited. All volunteers breathed dry air for vocal fold dehydration. After dry air inhalation, the subjects were randomly divided into four groups, with 12 cases each. Three groups were treatment groups, receiving 0.9% normal saline (IS), 5% hypertonic saline (HS) and double-distilled water (SW) atomizing inhalation therapy, respectively, and the last group was the control group without treatment. Voice data were collected for all subjects before and immediately after dry air inhalation using the Multi-Dimensional Voice Program (MDVP) system. Atomizing inhalation therapy was given 10 min after dry air inhalation, and voice data were collected using MDVP system at the following time points after atomizing inhalation treatment: 5 min, 20 min, 35 min, 50 min, 65 min, 80 min, 95 min, 110 min. In the control group, voice data were collected at the same time points and compared with those of treatment groups. The vocal function parameters collected before and after dry air inhalation as well as after treatment were subjected to test using SPSS 16.0 software. In the four groups, jitter (fundamental frequency perturbation), shimmer (amplitude perturbation), and amplitude perturbation quotient (APQ) were significantly increased after dry air inhalation (P<0.05). In IS, HS and SW groups, after atomizing inhalation treatment, there was an obvious reduction in jitter, shimmer and APQ, showing significant differences as compared with those after dry air inhalation (P<0.05). Moreover, these parameters were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The jitter, shimmer and APQ in the IS group were significantly lower than those in the HS and SW groups (P<0.05). We are led to a conclusion: Vocal fold dehydration induced by dryness can reduce the stability of voice; such decreased voice stability can be improved by atomizing inhalation therapy; without proper treatment, voice stability caused by vocal fold dehydration cannot heal spontaneously; of three atomizing agents namely, IS, HS and SW, IS had the best treatment effect for decreased voice stability caused by vocal fold dehydration.

This longitudinal study aims to analyze the different modes of the maxillary and mandibular tooth displacement in subjects, who were aged 12.5–17.5 years (150–210 months), with untreated normal (Class I) occlusion. Longitudinal lateral cephalograms for a set of 10 subjects (7 females and 3 males) at consecutive annual time points were selected and monitored. Data were analyzed on the basis of the superimpositions of serial tracings of lateral cephalograms on stable anterior cranial base, the anatomies of the maxillary and mandibular structures. The horizontal and vertical displacements of the first molar and incisor were assessed by t-test. The local and the secondary tooth displacements with growth contributed to the total horizontal and vertical displacements of the molars and incisors of the subjects. In the total tooth displacement, the horizontal growth of maxilla and mandible had the same contribution as the local tooth displacements. The vertical maxillary growth played a smaller role than the local drift, and mandibular remodeling went in a reverse direction with the local tooth drift. The first molars moved more forward than the incisors in the upper and lower arches. Both the upper and lower first molars showed forward tipping. The analysis of tooth displacement may be utilized in making orthodontic treatment plan, including anchorage or torque control.

Despite growing attention to patients’ safety worldwide, no data were available on the impact of adverse respiratory events (AREs) on post-anesthesia care and post-operation care in China. This study evaluated the occurrence of AREs, the impact of AREs on length of stay (LOS) in post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and postoperative time in hospital, and PACU cost and inpatient healthcare costs. A retrospective, matched-cohort study was conducted by prospectively collecting the data of 159 AREs in PACU during 2016–2017 in an university hospital in China. Records were reviewed by pre-trained, qualified nurses and/or anesthesiologists. The incidence and the impact of AREs were analyzed. The LOS in PACU and postoperative time in hospital and the costs in PACU and inpatient healthcare costs were also obtained. Results showed that there were 253 AREs involving 156 patients. Hypoxia (n=141, 55.73%) and respiratory depression (n=70, 27.67%) were the most common AREs. Measurement data including body mass index (BMI) (22.85±4.36 vs. 22.32±3.83), duration of procedure (138.47±77.33 min vs. 137.44±72.33 min), duration of anesthesia (176.35±82.66 min vs. 174.61±78.08 min), LOS (16.53±10.65 days vs. 16.57±9.56 days), inpatient healthcare costs ($9465.57±9416.33 vs. $8166.51±5762.01), and postoperative LOS (11.26±8.77 days vs. 11.19±8.30 days) showed no significant differences between ARE and matched groups (P>0.05). Duration (81.65±54.79 min vs. 38.89±26.09 min) and costs ($31.99±17.80 vs. $18.72±8.39) in PACU were significantly different in ARE group from those in matched group (P<0.001). Proportion of patients with prolonged stay in PACU was significantly higher in ARE group than in matched group (18.59% vs. 1.28%), with an odds ratio (after matching) of 17.58 (95% CI=4.11 to 75.10; P<0.001). The AREs that occurred during the immediate postoperative period in PACU increased the incidence rate of prolonged stay, delayed the PACU stay, and increased the costs in PACU, resulting in the need of higher levels of postoperative care than anticipated, but the postoperative LOS and inpatient healthcare costs were unchanged.

A host of studies found waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) having higher diagnostic value than other abdominal obesity anthropometric indicators for metabolic disorders. But the cut-off points are still not consistent. This study was aimed to explore the optimal cut-off point of WHtR in Chinese population and identify the association between WHtR and cluster of metabolic risk factors. In total, 13379 Han adults (7553 men and 5726 women) from over 40 institutions who took physical examination in Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University between January 2014 and January 2015 were involved in this cross-sectional study. Subjects with two or more components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) were considered to have multiple risk factors. Optimal cut-off points of WHtR for cluster of metabolic risk factors were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The optimal cut-off points of WHtR were 0.51 for men and 0.49 for women. People with elevated WHtR had higher levels of metabolic risk factors. And the prevalence of individual and clusters of 5 risk factors were all higher among WHtR-defined abdominal obesity people than in normal subjects. The optimal cut-off points of WHtR were 0.51 for men and 0.49 for women. In conclusion, people with elevated WHtR are susceptible to cluster of metabolic risk factors.

Calcium carbonates are commonly administered as supplements for conditions of calcium deficiency. We report here pharmacokinetic characteristics of a novel formulation, calcium carbonate compound granules (CCCGs), forming complexes of calcium carbonate and calcium citrate in water. CCCGs were compared to a kind of commonly-used calcium carbonate D3 preparation (CC) in the market in 5-week-old mice that had been treated with omeprazole, to suppress gastric acid secretion, and in untreated control mice. The results showed that: (1) CCCGs had better water solubility than CC in vitro; (2) In control mice, calcium absorption rates after CCCGs administration were comparable to those after CC administration; (3) Inhibition of gastric acid secretion did not affect calcium absorption after CCCGs, but moderately decreased it after CC; (4) The presence of phytic acid or tannin did not affect calcium absorption rates after CCCGs but did for CC; and (5) In normal mice, CCCGs did not inhibit gastric emptying and intestinal propulsion, and did not alter the gastrointestinal hormones. The results suggest that CCCGs may be therapeutically advantageous over more commonly used calcium supplement formulations, particularly for adolescents, because of their stable calcium absorption characteristics and their relatively favorable adverse effect profile.

Since X-linked chronic granulomatosis disease (X-CGD) exhibits no specific clinical symptoms at an early stage, early diagnosis is difficult and depends predominantly on neonatal screening. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore routine biomarkers for X-CGD in children and provide clues for early diagnosis. The cases of 10 children with X-CGD diagnosed at Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from 2013 to 2016 and 122 Chinese children with X-CGD reported in the literature were summarized. Serum biomarkers and clinical symptoms at acute infection were organized. A total of 132 children with X-CGD were enrolled in this study. For 55.8% of the patients, the diagnosis was delayed more than one year after the onset of the first symptoms because no typical clinical symptoms manifested. Children with X-CGD at an acute infection stage showed three recurrent signs in terms of serum biomarkers: (1) the total number of white blood cells (especially N%) was increased significantly, accompanied by anemia in some cases; (2) C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were increased significantly; and (3) most of the patients exhibited very high serum IgG levels (>12 g/L). Diagnosis of X-CGD at an early age is difficult because of its nonspecific clinical features. Our study suggested children with X-CGD suffering acute infection show increases in three typical serum biomarkers, which can provide clues for early diagnosis.