Pregnancy outcomes in different stages of systemic lupus erythematosus among Chinese women — a retrospective cohort study

Objectives: To analyze the outcomes of pregnancies and risk factors in Chinese women with different stages of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Material and methods: A total of 55 conceptions in 52 patients with SLE between Jan 2007 and Jan 2019 were retrospected systematically from a general hospital graded 3A in China. Medical records provided us a good way to retrieve the clinical parameters and lab data of patients.Results: Pregnant women with SLE activity had significant hyperimmunoglobulin, hypocomplement, low platelet counts, high erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein and 24-h urine protein. Hydroxychloroquine had been used to reduce the rates of SLE activity in pregnant women. Logistic regression analysis showed low platelet counts, hypocomplement and 24-h urine protein were significantly correlated with fetal loss. Compared to those in stable stage, the active SLE patients have more risks of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, thrombocytopenia, lupus nephritis and placental infarction, and have worse fetal outcomes, including the higher rate of fetal loss, preterm and asphyxia neonatorum.Conclusions: Different stages of SLE during pregnancy are closely related to maternal and fetal outcomes. It is imperative to provide SLE women with pregnancy consultation and regular multispecialty care

Developmental trajectories of reading development and impairment from ages 3 to 8 years in Chinese children

Early prediction of reading disabilities in Chinese is important for early remediation efforts. In this 6-year longitudinal study, we investigated the early cognitive predictors of reading skill in a statistically representative sample of Chinese children from Beijing.Two hundred sixty-one (261) native Chinese children were administered seven language-related skills over three years between the ages of 3 and 6 years. Performances on these skills were then examined in relation to subsequent word reading accuracy and fluency. Individual differences in developmental profiles across tasks were then estimated using growth mixture modeling.Four developmental trajectories were classified – the typical (control), catch-up (with low initial cognitive performances but adequate subsequent reading), literacy-related-cognitive-delay (with difficulties in morphological awareness, phonological awareness, and speeded naming and subsequent word recognition), and language-delay (relatively low across all tasks) groups.Findings suggest that the combination of phonological awareness, rapid naming and morphological awareness are essential in the early prediction of later reading difficulties in Chinese children.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79090/1/j.1469-7610.2010.02311.x.pd

Paramagnetic behaviour of silver nanoparticles generated by decomposition of silver oxalate

Silver oxalate Ag2C2O4, was already proposed for soldering applications, due to the formation when it is decomposed by a heat treatment, of highly sinterable silver nanoparticles. When slowly decomposed at low temperature (125 °C), the oxalate leads however to silver nanoparticles isolated from each other. As soon as these nanoparticles are formed, the magnetic susceptibility at room temperature increases from -3.14 10-7 emu.Oe-1.g-1 (silver oxalate) up to -1.92 10-7 emu.Oe-1.g-1 (metallic silver). At the end of the oxalate decomposition, the conventional diamagnetic behaviour of bulk silver, is observed from room temperature to 80 K. A diamagnetic-paramagnetic transition is however revealed below 80 K leading at 2 K, to silver nanoparticles with a positive magnetic susceptibility. This original behaviour, compared to the one of bulk silver, can be ascribed to the nanometric size of the metallic particles

MiR-503-5p functions as an oncogene in oral squamous cell carcinoma by targeting Smad7

Background. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common oral malignancy. Previous studies indicated that the level of miR-503-5p was upregulated in OSCC tissues. However, the mechanism by which miR-503-5p regulates the proliferation and invasion of OSCC cells remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the role of miR-503-5p during the progression of OSCC. Methods. The level of miR-503- 5p in Tca8113 cells was detected using RT-qPCR assay. In addition, CCK-8, transwell assays and flow cytometry assays were conducted to detect cell viability, migration, invasion and apoptosis, respectively. Meanwhile, the dual luciferase reporter assay was applied to explore the interaction between miR-503-5p and Smad7 in Tca8113 cells. Results. Overexpression of miR-503-5p significantly promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of Tca8113 cells, while downregulation of miR- 503-5p markedly inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion of cells. In addition, knockdown of miR-503-5p obviously induced the apoptosis of Tca8113 cells via increasing the levels of Bax and cleaved caspase 3, and decreased the expression of Bcl-2. Moreover, SMAD family member 7 (Smad7) was identified as a direct binding target of miR-503-5p in Tca8113 cells. Overexpression of miR-503-5p significantly downregulated the levels of Smad7 and E-cadherin, but upregulated the levels of N-cadherin and MMP-9 in Tca8113 cells. Conclusion. These results indicated that miR-503-5p might act as an oncogene in OSCC cells by targeting Smad7. Therefore, miR-503-5p might act as a novel and potential therapeutic target for the treatment of OSC

Original Article Transcutaneous electric acupoint stimulation at Jiaji points reduce abdominal pain after colonoscopy: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract: Background: Transcutaneous electric acupoint stimulation (TEAS) at Jiaji acupuncture points has therapeutic potential for relieving viscera pain and opioid-related side effects. This prospective, randomized, triple-blinded, placebo-controlled trial was to investigate the efficacy of TEAS on abdominal pain after colonoscopy. Methods: Consecutive outpatients with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I or II underwent selective colonoscopy were randomly assigned into two groups for either TEAS or sham pretreatment. The primary outcomes were the incidence of abdominal pain after colonoscopy. The secondary outcomes included the incidence of abdominal distension, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), duration of PACU stay, and patient's satisfaction and acceptance. Results: Among the 229 patients analyzed, fewer occurrence of post-procedural abdominal pain (11.4% vs 25.2%, P = 0.007) and distension (1.8% vs 7.8%, P = 0.032) were observed in TEAS group, when compared with the sham group. The duration of PACU stay was significant shortened in TEAS group (P < 0.001). Meanwhile, patients' satisfaction score to medical service was higher (P < 0.001), and their acceptance to colonoscopy was improved (P = 0.011). Conclusion: Pretreatment with TEAS can reduce post-procedural discomfort, provide more efficient medical resources utilization, and improved patient's satisfaction and colonoscopy acceptance

Dexmedetomidine Ameliorate CLP-Induced Rat Intestinal Injury via Inhibition of Inflammation

The aim was to verify that dexmedetomidine (DEX) can attenuate CLP-induced intestinal injury via inhibition of inflammation. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly allocated into Sham group and the other three CLP model groups, in terms of different treatments: placebo, DEX, and yohimbine plus DEX (DEX + YOH) groups. Pathology examination was conducted with HE stain. To identify differences among groups, the levels of DAO, and D-lactate in serum were measured by spectrophotometry, and the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in serum and organ were measured by ELISA. The expressions of occludin and TLR4 in tissue were detected by Western blot. The survival rate of an additional group of animals within 7 d was recorded. In DEX group, mortality was lower, histology change was minor, DAO, and D-lactate levels were reduced, and occludin expression was increased; the expressions of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and TLR4 were also decreased in DEX group. These results indicated that acute intestinal injury induced by CLP was mitigated by DEX treatment. However, these effects of DEX were significantly attenuated by yohimbine in DEX + YOH group. Our study indicated the protective effects of DEX on CLP-induced injury, which may be associated with the inhibition of inflammation via modulating TLR4 pathway and can be blocked by yohimbine

Using Artificial Neural Network to Investigate Physiological Changes and Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles and Cadmium Uptake by Brassica Napus Plants

Heavy metals and emerging engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are two current environmental concerns that have attracted considerable attention. Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2NPs) are now used in a plethora of industrial products, while cadmium (Cd) is a great environmental concern because of its toxicity to animals and humans. Up to now, the interactions between heavy metals, nanoparticles and plants have not been extensively studied. The main objectives of this study were (i) to determine the synergistic effects of Cd and CeO2NPs on the physiological parameters of Brassica and their accumulation in plant tissues and (ii) to explore the underlying physiological/phenotypical effects that drive these specific changes in plant accumulation using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) as an alternative methodology to modeling and simulating plant uptake of Ce and Cd. The combinations of three cadmium levels (0 [control] and 0.25 and 1 mg/kg of dry soil) and two CeO2NPs concentrations (0 [control] and 500 mg/kg of dry soil) were investigated. The results showed high interactions of co-existing CeO2NPs and Cd on plant uptake of these metal elements and their interactive effects on plant physiology. ANN also identified key physiological factors affecting plant uptake of co-occurring Cd and CeO2NPs. Specifically, the results showed that root fresh weight and the net photosynthesis rate are parameters governing Ce uptake in plant leaves and roots while root fresh weight and Fv/Fm ratio are parameters affecting Cd uptake in leaves and roots. Overall, ANN is a capable approach to model plant uptake of co-occurring CeO2NPs and Cd

Influence of biochar on the remediation of cadmium-contaminated soil in an Eisenia fetida–Solanum nigrum system

Biochar, plants, and earthworms have good remediation effects on cadmium (Cd)-contaminated soils. However, few studies have combined all three technologies to explore the treatment of Cd-contaminated soils. This study investigated the effect of corn straw biochar addition (1% and 5% mass ratios) on soil Cd treatment in an Eisenia fetida–Solanum nigrum system. The addition of corn straw biochar increased soil pH, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and soil organic carbon (SOC); adding 5% (w/w) biochar under Cd stress resulted in significant increases (P < 0.05) of soil pH, TN, TP, and SOC. Adding 5% (w/w) biochar under Cd stress increased Cd enrichment by E. fetida and S. nigrum and significantly reduced the soil total and available Cd contents (P < 0.05). The addition of biochar increased the metallothionein content of E. fetida, which functions to resist Cd stress in high-Cd environments (P < 0.05); with the addition of 5% (w/w) biochar, the metallothionein content was 1.55 times higher than in the 1% (w/w) biochar treatment, at 23.78 ng L−1. Adding 5% (w/w) biochar significantly increased the Cd enrichment coefficient and transfer coefficient values of S. nigrum under high-Cd stress (P < 0.05), reaching 7.37 and 1.89, respectively. Adding 5% (w/w) biochar significantly reduced the exchangeable and acid-soluble fraction of Cd, increased the oxidizable fraction, reduced Cd bioavailability, and mitigated physiological damage (P < 0.05). The present study demonstrated that adding biochar to the E. fetida–S. nigrum system could effectively reduce the soil Cd pollution level, providing a new method and scientific guidance for the remediation of heavy metal-polluted soil

Off-Label and Off-NCCN Guidelines Uses of Antineoplastic Drugs in China

Background: To evaluate off-label and off-NCCN guidelines uses of antineoplastic drugs in a major Chinese hospital.Methods: Totally 1122 patients were selected from July to December 2011. Then, the off-label and off-NCCN guidelines uses of antineoplastic drugs were analyzed.Results: In 798 of 1122 patients (71.12%), drugs were used for off-label. In 317 of 1122 patients (28.25%), the drugs were prescribed for off-label and off-NCCN guidelines. 2591 medical orders for 1122 patients, 1051/2591 (40.56%) medical orders were off-label; 445/2591(17.17%) medical orders were off-label and off-NCCN guidelines. In 445 off-label and off-NCCN medical orders, 399 (89.66%) were unapproved indications, 38 (8.54%) were unapproved drug concentration and 12 (2.70%) were unapproved route of administration. Percentage of off-label and off-NCCN guidelines drug uses in male was higher than that in female (21.92% vs. 11.39%, P<0.01). Compared with other lines of treatment, percentage of off-label and off-NCCN guidelines drug uses in postoperative adjuvant was the smallest (P<0.01) and percentage in three or multi-line treatments was the highest (P<0.01). The pancreatic cancer possessed the highest percentage (38.74%) of off-label and off-NCCN guidelines drug uses among all types of cancer (P<0.01).Conclusion: Off-label uses of antineoplastic drugs are generally common in China hospitals based on NCCN guidelines. The fact suggests that anti-tumor treatment was relatively standard in China. Off-label and off-NCCN guidelines drug uses were mainly for individual treatment. Doctors should fully consider the adverse drug reaction, contraindication, cautions and increase the drug security monitoring. Uncorrected drug concentration should be avoided for drug ris