Search

Abstract Objective Although some studies have linked smoking to mortality after out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs), data regarding smoking and mortality after OHCAs have not yet been discussed in a meta-analysis. Thus, this study conducted this systematic review to clarify the association. Methods The study searched Medline-PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane libraries between January 1972 and July 2022 for studies that evaluated the association between smoking and mortality after OHCAs. Studies that reportedly showed relative risk estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were included. Results Incorporating a collective of five studies comprising 2477 participants, the analysis revealed a lower mortality risk among smokers in the aftermath of OHCAs compared with non-smokers (odds ratio: 0.77; 95% CI 0.61–0.96; P

The concept of sepsis has recently evolved from one of a ‘systemic inflammatory response syndrome caused by infection’ to a ‘severe, potentially fatal organic dysfunction caused by an inadequate or imbalanced host response to infection’. Organ dysfunction is closely related to sepsis. Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is the most serious outcome of sepsis, often leading to a poor prognosis. However, specific drugs for sepsis and MODS caused by sepsis remain undetermined, and the fatality rate is relatively high. Under the guidance of modern medicine, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has gained a wealth of experience in the prevention and treatment of sepsis and plays a key role via the effects of its numerous components, pathways and targets. This study used ‘Sepsis’, ‘Organ dysfunction’ and ‘Traditional Chinese medicine’ as strategies for searching the databases of Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, PubMed and The Web of Science. This paper presents an overview of the current status of TCM component formulations for preventing and treating sepsis with MODS to provide a theoretical basis for clinical treatment and drug development.

The tropical Asian and Australasian floras have a close relationship, and is a vital distribution pattern of seed plants worldwide. As estimated, more than 81 families and 225 genera of seed plants distributed between tropical Asia and Australasia. However, the evolutionary dynamics of two floras were still vague. Here, a total of 29 plant lineages, represented the main clades of seed plants and different habits, were selected to investigate the biotic interchange between tropical Asia and Australasia by integrated dated phylogenies, biogeography, and ancestral state reconstructions. Our statistics indicated that 68 migrations have occurred between tropical Asia and Australasia since the middle Eocene except terminal migrations, and the migration events from tropical Asia to Australasia is more than 2 times of the reverse. Only 12 migrations occurred before 15 Ma, whereas the remaining 56 migrations occurred after 15 Ma. Maximal number of potential dispersal events (MDE) analysis also shows obvious asymmetry, with southward migration as the main feature, and indicates the climax of bi-directional migrations occurred after 15 Ma. We speculate that the formation of island chains after the Australian–Sundaland collision and climate changes have driven seed plant migrations since the middle Miocene. Furthermore, biotic dispersal and stable habitat may be crucial for floristic interchange between tropical Asia and Australasia.

Introduction Hip fracture is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality, especially among the elderly. Current evidence on the association between cigarette smoking and mortality in hip-fracture patients is controversial. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on this association. Methods The databases Medline/PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched for studies that estimated the effect of smoking on the risk of mortality in hip-fracture patients. Pooled analyses were conducted of the associations, expressed in relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Heterogeneity was assessed using the I 2 statistic. Study quality was assessed by the modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) and publication bias was evaluated by a funnel plot, Begg’s and Egger’s tests. Subgroup analyses were performed by study design, race/ethnicity, age ≥60 years, smoking status, and follow-up period. Results A total of six articles involving 3739 hip-fracture patients were included in the meta-analysis. Our results indicate that ever-active smoking was significantly associated with an increased risk of death in hip-fracture patients (pooled RR=1.26; 95% CI: 1.08–1.46). In further subgroup analysis, the risk of death was significantly higher in ever-active smokers than in never smokers in White participants (pooled RR=1.23; 95% CI: 1.05–1.44) and elderly aged ≥60 years (pooled RR=1.19; 95% CI: 1.01–1.40), with no significant association in Asian participants (pooled RR=1.42; 95% CI: 0.95–2.11). Current smokers had more risk of death than never smokers (pooled RR=1.26; 95% CI: 1.08–1.46). The association was significant in follow-up periods of ≤1 year (pooled hazard ratio, HR=1.34; 95% CI: 1.05–1.71), 3 years (pooled HR=1.22; 95% CI: 1.05–1.43), and 5 years (pooled HR=1.26; 95% CI: 1.08–1.46). Conclusions Cigarette smoking is associated with an increased risk of mortality in hip-fracture patients, especially in elderly patients aged ≥60 years, current smokers, and White participants. With the extension of follow-up period, the effect on mortality of smoking is profound and lasting.

C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) is an Oort cloud comet with an orbital period of ∼5895 yr. Starting in 2020 March, its nucleus underwent disintegration. In order to investigate the gas and dust properties of C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) during its disintegration, we obtained long-slit spectra at 3600–8700 Å and BVRI multiband images with the Xinglong 2.16 m Telescope in 2020 April. Our observations revealed that C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) exhibited strong emission bands of CN, C _2 , C _3 , and NH _2 , which are superimposed on a dust-scattering continuum, typical of cometary spectra in the optical. The production rates of CN, C _2 , and C _3 derived using the Haser model and the corresponding C _2 /CN and C _3 /CN ratios suggest that C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) is a “typical” Oort cloud comet under the A’Hearn classification, although it appears less dusty, as revealed by the Af ρ quantities. Its dust-scattering reflectivity is slightly red, with a gradient of ∼5% per 10 ^3 Å. We model the reflectivity gradient in terms of porous dust and find that the red color is accounted for by porous dust.

We present the discoveries of two giant plants orbiting the red-giant-branch star HD 112570 and the red-clump star HD 154391, based on the radial-velocity (RV) measurements from the Xinglong station and Okayama Astrophysical Observatory. Spectroscopic and asteroseismic analyses suggest that HD 112570 has a mass of 1.15 ± 0.12 M _☉ , a radius of 9.85 ± 0.23 R _☉ , a metallicity [Fe/H] of −0.46 ± 0.1, and $\mathrm{log}\,g$ of 2.47 ± 0.1. With the joint analysis of RV and Hipparcos-Gaia astrometry, we obtain a dynamical mass of ${M}_{{\rm{p}}}={3.42}_{-0.84}^{+1.4}\ {M}_{\mathrm{Jup}}$ , a period of $P={2615}_{-77}^{+85}$ days, and a moderate eccentricity of $e={0.20}_{-0.14}^{+0.16}$ for the Jovian planet HD 112570 b. For HD 154391, it has a mass of 2.07 ± 0.03 M _☉ , a radius of 8.56 ± 0.05 R _☉ , a metallicity [Fe/H] of 0.07 ± 0.1, and $\mathrm{log}\,g$ of 2.86 ± 0.1. The super-Jupiter HD 154391 b has a mass of ${M}_{{\rm{p}}}={9.1}_{-1.9}^{+2.8}\ {M}_{\mathrm{Jup}}$ , a period of $P={5163}_{-57}^{+60}$ days, and an eccentricity of $e={0.20}_{-0.04}^{+0.04}$ . We found that HD 154391 b has one of the longest orbital periods among those ever discovered orbiting evolved stars, which may provide a valuable case in our understanding of planetary formation at wider orbits. Moreover, while a mass gap at 4 M _Jup seems to be present in the population of giant stars, there appear to be no significant differences in the distribution of metallicity among giant planets with masses above or below this threshold. Finally, the origin of the abnormal accumulation near 2 au for planets around large evolved stars ( R _⋆ > 21 R _☉ ), remains unclear.

Background Smoking kills more than 27,000 people each year. In 2009, amendment of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act came into effect with expanded ban of smoking including all public indoor places and some public outdoor places, prohibition of all types of promotion, and a raise in tobacco taxation. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of this amendment on smoking rate and health inequality. Methods Data were drawn from the Taiwan Adult Smoking Behavior Survey (TASBS) conducted under a nationally representative cross-sectional study with telephone interviews from 2004 to 2016. Probability proportional to size (PPS) sampling and post-stratification were used to better represent the characteristics of the population. The annual sample size is approximately 15,000-26,000 persons. Results The adult smoking rate declined from 21.9% in 2008 to 15.3% in 2016, indicating a 30.3% decline in smoking rate and a reduction in the number of smokers by approximately 810,000 within 8 years. The speed of reduction in this period was more remarkable than that experienced in 4 years before the amendment. Among different subgroups, the reduction was more significant in males aged 18-29 and 65 or over than those aged 30-64, and people of lowest level of education (junior high or lower) than those of higher education. Conclusions Implementation of the amended Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act has managed to remarkably reduce both smoking rate itself and inequality in smoking rates. However, continued efforts are needed to achieve the goal of a 30% relative reduction in smoking rate by 2025 set by the World Health Organization (WHO), decreasing the adult smoking rate from 20% in 2010 to 14% in 2025.

Background Smoking kills more than 27,000 people each year in Taiwan. This study aims to demonstrate the significant progress with Taiwan MPOWER performances and compare achievements with OECD and other Asian countries. Methods Assessment data from Taiwan's laws and regulations, a comprehensive health surveillance system, and research database and reports, with WHO MPOWER performance rating indicators. Results The adult smoking rate declined from 21.9% in 2008 to 15.3% in 2016, indicating a 30.3% decline in smoking rate and a decrease in the number of smokers by approximately 810,000 within 8 years. Taiwan has protected over 90% of the population from smoke-free environments by enforcing the law in eliminating second hand smoke in public areas, and promoted the recognition of tobacco hazards to youth especially via campus activities, official websites, Facebook, and YouTube. It´s worth noting that Taiwan is the 2 nd country to carry out the ordinance of smoke-free parks and national parks around the world. Assisting over 110,000 smokers since 2012 in quitting smoking successfully by providing the Second Generation Smoking Cessation Program and other services such as Quitline, cessation classes and cessation counseling. Over 40% of smokers attempt to quit after Taiwan enacted health warning labels on tobacco packs. The Health Promotion Administration has worked with the National Communications Commission (NCC) to establish the guideline that anti-tobacco textual messages are required to add on Radio and TV programs, reminding people of tobacco harming. Conclusions Taiwan gains five 1 st performance (Monitoring, Smoke-free environments, Cessation programmes, Anti-tobacco mass media campaigns, Bans on advertising, promotion and sponsorship) while compared to OECD and other Asian countries (New Zealand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Thailand, Taiwan China, etc.), and ranks among the best with Singapore, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia. Continued efforts are needed to raise the health warnings and taxations in the future.

Background According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report, e-cigarette use is doubling from 2008 to 2012 among adolescents. In Taiwan, e-cigarettes contain nicotine are controlled under Pharmaceutical Affairs Act since 2009, but it will violate Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act if e-cigarettes are in the form of tobacco products. This study aims to demonstrate the prevalence of e-cigarette use and reasons for trying e-cigarettes among adolescents. Methods Data were drawn from the Taiwan Global youth tobacco survey (Taiwan GYTS) conducted under a school-based and cross-sectional study from 2014 to 2016. The annual sample size is approximately 45,000 persons. Results Although tobacco use by adolescents has declined substantially over the past few years, the prevalence of e-cigarette use by junior and senior high school students has risen from 2.0% and 2.1% in 2014 to 3.7% and 4.8% in 2016 respectively, both nearly doubling within this three years. 44.1% of junior high school students and 29.4% of senior high school students who have never used any tobacco product have tried e-cigarettes. “Friends are using them” and “The flavor or smell is better” are the two major reasons for trying e-cigarettes among adolescents. Our findings also show that e-cigarette use by adolescents is influenced by the views on conventional tobacco use from parents and friends. Conclusions Facing the rapid development of e-cigarettes, Taiwan's governments have cooperated with each other to comprehensively block hazards from e-cigarettes by border seizure and inspection, source tracking, channel inspection, monitoring and management, education broadcasting and cessation guidance, etc. Taiwan's Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act is now in the process of amending to regulate e-cigarettes under two laws - Pharmaceutical Affairs Act and Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act - with the prohibitions on import, manufacture, and sale, persons under the age of eighteen shall not use e-cigarettes is also prohibited.

OBJECTIVE: X-linked dominant hypophosphatemia (XLH) is the most prevalent form of inherited rickets/osteomalacia in humans. The aim of this study was to identify PHEX gene mutations and describe the clinical features observed in 6 unrelated Chinese families and 3 sporadic patients with hypophosphatemic rickets/osteomalacia. METHODS: For this study, 45 individuals from 9 unrelated families of Chinese Han ethnicity (including 16 patients and 29 normal phenotype subjects), and 250 healthy donors were recruited. All 22 exons and exon-intron boundaries of the PHEX gene were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and directly sequenced. RESULTS: The PHEX mutations were detected in 6 familial and 3 sporadic hypophosphatemic rickets/osteomalacia. Altogether, 2 novel mutations were detected: 1 missense mutation c.1183G>C in exon 11, resulting in p.Gly395Arg and 1 missense mutation c.1751A>C in exon 17, resulting in p.His584Pro. No mutations were found in the 250 healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our study increases knowledge of the PHEX gene mutation types and clinical phenotypes found in Chinese patients with XLH, which is important for understanding the genetic basis of XLH. The molecular diagnosis of a PHEX genetic mutation is of great importance for confirming the clinical diagnosis of XLH, conducting genetic counseling, and facilitating prenatal intervention, especially in the case of sporadic patients.

Low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 2 gene (LRP2) is located next to the genomic region showing suggestive linkage with both hip and wrist bone mineral density (BMD) phenotypes. LRP2 knockout mice showed severe vitamin D deficiency and bone disease, indicating the involvement of LRP2 in the preservation of vitamin D metabolites and delivery of the precursor to the kidney for the generation of 1α,25(OH)(2)D(3). In order to investigate the contribution of LRP2 gene polymorphisms to the variation of BMD in Chinese population, a total of 330 Chinese female-offspring nuclear families with 1088 individuals and 400 Chinese male-offspring nuclear families with 1215 individuals were genotyped at six tagSNPs of the LRP2 gene (rs2389557, rs2544381, rs7600336, rs10210408, rs2075252 and rs4667591). BMD values at the lumbar spine 1-4 (L1-4) and hip sites were measured by DXA. The association between LRP2 polymorphisms and BMD phenotypes was assessed by quantitative transmission disequilibrium tests (QTDTs) in female- and male-offspring nuclear families separately. In the female-offspring nuclear families, rs2075252 and haplotype GA of rs4667591 and rs2075252 were identified in the nominally significant total association with peak BMD at L1-4; however, no significant within-family association was found between peak BMD at the L1-4 and hip sites and six tagSNPs or haplotypes. In male-offspring nuclear families, neither the six tagSNPs nor the haplotypes was in total association or within-family association with the peak BMD variation at the L1-4 and hip sites by QTDT analysis. Our findings suggested that the polymorphisms of LRP2 gene is not a major factor that contributes to the peak BMD variation in Chinese population.