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The development of light-field imaging principles has provided new insights and directions for diagnostic multi-physical fields. The light-field camera, based on the principles of light-field imaging, captures the angle information of incident light rays, through a micro-lens array between the main lens and the sensor. Researchers have developed various multi-physics diagnostic techniques based on the principles of light-field imaging. Firstly, the light-field particle image velocimetry (LF-PIV) technique was introduced. It utilized a light-field camera to capture particle images of a complex three-dimensional flow field. Applying three-dimensional calibration, reconstruction and cross-correlation algorithms subsequently gene-rated the three-dimensional velocity field. It ensures measurement accuracy while capturing a three-dimensional three-component velocity field. Moreover, it effectively reduces the device size for velocity field measurements within constrained spaces. Secondly, the application of light-field cameras in the field of shape measurements was introduced. The light-field camera can capture three-dimensional point cloud information of the object′s surface by a single camera and a single shot. This not only significantly reduces measurement time but also simplifies imaging equipment, enabling three-dimensional topography measurement of film-cooling holes. Thirdly, applying light-field camera in the field of temperature measurement can simplify spectral separation methods, leading to the streamlining of temperature measurement systems. Finally, the light-field multi-physics diagnostic technology was summarized, and the endoscopic light-field and meta-lens-based light-field diagnostic technology was prospected.

In human body, the endocrine system, nervous system and immune system jointly shoulder the important responsibility of life support. Hormones are the material basis for coordination of endocrine system. Steroid hormones, also known as steride hormone, belong to a large category of hormones. The synthesis process of steroid hormones takes cholesterol as the precursor. Through the participation of various metabolic enzymes, steroid hormones are synthesized in the human adrenal cortex, mitochondria of placental cells, smooth Endoplasmic reticulum and gonads, producing 21C, 19C or 18C-backbones with different chemical structures. According to pharmacological effects, steroid hormones are mainly divided into progestogens, corticosteroids and sex hormones, which play an important role in regulating human growth, development, reproduction and maintaining the stability of human body environment. In clinical practice, the level of steroid hormones is used as diagnostic indicator for adrenal and psychiatric diseases. Therefore, accurate determination of steroid hormone content is very important. Steroid hormones in the human body can be detected using various methods, such as radioimmunoassay, chemiluminescence immunoassay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS), and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Mass spectrometry has obvious advantages in terms of detection sensitivity and accuracy compared with immunoassay. GC-MS has been the main technique for steroid analysis due to its high specificity, wide analyte coverage, and sufficient sensitivity. However, the samples need to be derivatized, and the experimental processes are tedious. LC-MS/MS has the inherent advantages of high sensitivity and specificity, and has a high-throughput characteristic, thus it is an ideal tool for routine diagnosis. At present, common pretreatment techniques for serum samples include protein precipitation, liquid-liquid extraction, and solid phase extraction. Some new pretreatment methods have emerged in recent years, such as dispersed liquid-liquid extraction, ultrasonic-assisted extraction, and supramolecular extraction. Each pretreatment technique has its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, solid phase extraction (SPE) can achieve good recovery but requires more time and economic factors. In selection of pretreatment methods, the physical and chemical properties of analytes, the characteristics of matrices, the simplicity and durability of method establishment, and time, reliability, and cost required should be comprehensively considered. This article reviewed the application of LC-MS/MS in the determination of endogenous steroid hormones, especially in sample pretreatment, chromatographic and mass spectrometric conditions, so as to provide more accurate basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment based on steroid hormones.

Objective To detect the expressions of X-box binding protein 1 unspliced （xbp1u） and X-box binding protein 1 spliced （xbp1s） mRNA in peripheral blood CD19+B cells of patients with lupus nephritis （LN） and healthy subjects and explore the clinical significance of XBP1 in LN patients. Methods The expression levels of xbp1u and xbp1s in peripheral blood CD19+B cells of 65 LN patients and 30 healthy controls were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR）. And the ratio of CD19−CD138+plasma cells/CD19+B cells in peripheral blood was detected by flow cytometry. Results The expression level of xbp1u mRNA in CD19+B cells of active LN group （0.078±0.034） was higher than that in control group（0.035±0.011）（P＜0.05） and in stable group（0.049±0.016）（P＜0.05）. The expression level of xbp1s mRNA in CD19+B cells of active LN group（0.076±0.037）was higher than that in control group（0.022±0.010）（P＜0.05） and stable group（0.043±0.017）（P＜0.05）. The ratio of CD19−CD138+ plasma cells /CD19+B cells in LN group（0.059±0.024）was significantly higher than that in control group （P＜0.01） and stable group （0.073±0.036）（P＜0.05）; XBP1 expression in LN patients was correlated positively with the ratio of CD19−CD138+ plasma cells/CD19+B cells （r value = 0.138 & 0.036）, positively with anti-ds-DNA antibody and systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index（SLEDAI）score （r value = 0.417 & 0.058） and negatively with hemoglobin and complement C3 （r value = −0.559 & −0.219）. Conclusion The expressions of xbp1u and xbp1s mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of LN patients in active group are higher than those in healthy group. Both are correlated positively with SLEDAI score and anti-DS DNA antibody. The expression of XBP1 is up-regulated in B cells of LN patients and it is significantly correlated with plasma cells. It implies that XBP1 may participate in the pathogenesis of LN through promoting the differentiation of B cells.

Background Problems existing in the operation of a family doctor team, such as unclear work content, inappropriate division of labor, and assigning a team member to a position below his true potential, restrict the overall development of the family doctor team. Objective To perform a standardized workload-based analysis of the services delivered by the family doctor team in a central urban community health institution in Shanghai, to understand the major factors associated with the development of the family doctor team, and to provide guidance for the improvement of the work pattern of the team. Methods The family doctor team of Xietu Subdistrict Community Health Center, Xuhui District, Shanghai was selected during July to Novermber 2021. The service projects, parameters of standardized workload and the number of services carried out by the team between August and September 2019, and between August and September 2021 were collected, respectively. The team services were analyzed from three aspects: 1. dividing the team services into essential medical services and public health services according to the nature of the service items, then calculating the total amount of standardized workload and total time used in performing the two kinds of services; 2. dividing the team services into five parts (involving community-based mobilization, screening, diagnosis, intervention and follow-up) according to the idea of integration of medical and preventive services, then calculating the total amount of standardized workload and total time used in performing each part; 3. using the TOPSIS method to comprehensively evaluate the value of all service items included in community-based mobilization, screening and follow-up. Results The standardized workload of the team in delivering public health services increased to 16 961 in August 2021 from 11 486 in August 2019, and increased to 18 089 in September 2021 from 10 433 in September 2019, demonstrating an average increase of 59.9%. Pearson correlation analysis showed that the standardized workload involved in delivering essential medical services had no correlation with that involved in delivering public health services (r=-0.72, P=0.27). The total amount of standardized workload of the five parts of community health work was ranked as follows in a descending order: community-based diagnosis, community-based follow-up, community-based intervention, community-based mobilization, and community-based screening. The total standardized workload and total time used of the latter three were relatively less. According to TOPSIS evaluation results, 13 projects such as updating health records of patients with chronic diseases, follow-up management of patients with hypertension or diabetes, and information maintenance of contracted residents can be considered to be outsourced or to reduce the execution labor cost. Conclusion The family doctor team has not yet formed an effective work model to deliver integrated medical and preventive services, which leads to excessive waste of human resources in the implementation of public health services that need not to be performed by family doctors, affecting the delivery of essential medical services. It is suggested to strengthen the training of professional skills related to community-based interventions for family doctors, and increase relevant facilities and equipment, optimize the allocation of human resources in all parts of community health work, mainly reducing the implementation cost of community-based mobilization, screening and follow-up.

With the deepening of research in oral microbiomics, an important relationship between changes in the oral microbiome and orthodontic treatment has been found. Orthodontic treatment will have an impact on the oral and systemic microbiome. The presence of oral appliances can change the quantity and quality of the oral microbiometo and increase the risk of oral and even systemic diseases in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment. Compared with fixed orthodontic treatment, clear aligners will not have a harmful impact on the structure of the oral microbiome, which is more conducive to maintain oral health during the orthodontic treatment process. In addition, different bracket types and materials can lead to different changes in the oral microbiome, and the occurrence and development of orthodontic-related diseases, such as white spot lesions, dental caries, gingivitis and periodontitis, are also related to changes in the oral microbiome. At present, the role of the oral microbiome in the process of orthodontic treatment needs to be further studied. Whether a change in the oral microbiome caused by orthodontic treatment can be restored after orthodontic treatment is still uncertain and needs more research. This paper reviews the research progress on the application of microbiomics in orthodontics, including the impact of fixed appliances and clear aligners on the microbiome and the relationship between orthodontic-related diseases and the oral microbiome.

Enamel demineralization is one of the most common adverse reactions to orthodontic treatment. The existence of orthodontic appliances affects oral hygiene maintenance, which easily leads to plaque accumulation and oral flora dysbiosis, and cariogenic bacteria produce acid to cause enamel demineralization. It not only affects aesthetics but may develop into caries and endanger oral health. Therefore, enamel demineralization has become an urgent problem. Nanoparticles generally refer to solid particles with diameters of 1 to 100 nm and have unique physicochemical properties that provide a new strategy for preventing enamel demineralization during orthodontics. Reviewing the relevant literature, nanoparticles used for the prevention of enamel demineralization in orthodontics may be classified into antibacterial, remineralization and carrier-type nanoparticles according to their functions. Most research was performed on the application of nanoparticles to modify orthodontic adhesives for enhancement of antibacterial or remineralization properties, but some studies also focused on the modification of orthodontic appliances with nanoparticles for surface coating or overall doping to provide antimicrobial properties. The advantage of these two approaches is that they are not dependent on patient compliance. Nanoparticle-modified fluoride varnishes and nanocarriers loaded with antimicrobial or remineralization agents may be used to promote oral health care in orthodontic patients, which have a sustained preventive effect but depend on the cooperation of the patient. It was indicated that the small size effect of nanoparticles provides better performance, but there may be certain safety issues, and there is still some influence on the physicochemical properties of the modified materials themselves. These issues must be further explored. Although there are some limitations in the current studies, nanoparticles are expected to play an important role in the prevention of enamel demineralization during orthodontics in the future.

Focusing on the problems of poor scalability,the random selection of primary nodes,and high network overhead in the practical-Byzantine-fault-tolerant consensus algorithm,this paper proposes a Byzantine-fault-tolerant consensus algorithm based on credit evaluation mechanism.First of all,the system sets different roles for the nodes in the cluster and assigns different permissions to the nodes according to different roles,so that the nodes with different permissions can enter and exit the network dynamically.Secondly,the voting mechanism and follow-the-satoshi algorithm based on credibility are designed to ensure the security and fairness of the election.Finally,in the aspect of the consensus process,an optimized two-stage Byzantine-fault-tolerant consensus is proposed to reduce the network overhead in the PBFT consensus process.Experiments show that the consensus algorithm based on the credit evaluation mechanism proposed in this paper has the characteristics of high dynamic,election security,and low cost compared with the PBFT algorithm which is suitable for the alliance chain.

Background Although the early behavioral symptoms of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) are prominent, early diagnosis for bvFTD is difficult due to confusion with other mental disorders, and lack of sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic criteria, etc. In this paper, we summarized the important reviews in recent years and analyzed the clinical characteristics of bvFTD patients to improve the detection of early symptoms in bvFTD. Methods Twenty-three possible or probable bvFTD patients were diagnosed according to International Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia Criteria Consortium (FTDC). Self-designed questionnaires designed by Shanghai Mental Health Center were used to collect sociodemographic data and general information of patients. Their clinical characteristics were summarized, including abnormal behaviors, cognitive impairment, psychotic symptoms and other symptoms. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR) were used to make neuropsychological tests and compare with similar overseas studies (control group, N = 66). Results Eleven male patients and 12 female patients were included in our study. Compared with control group, the average age of onset [(50.83 ± 11.55) years vs. (57.00 ± 10.00) years; t = 3.863, P = 0.000] and average age of diagnosis [(53.22 ± 11.55) years vs. (61.00 ± 9.00) years; t = 13.423, P = 0.000] of bvFTD patients were smaller. The study showed that bvFTD patients had more apathy or indolence [95.65% (22/23) vs. 65.15% (43/66); χ2 = 8.057, P = 0.005], loss of sympathy or empathy [95.65% (22/23) vs. 33.33% (22/66); χ2 = 26.499, P = 0.000], while patients in control group showed more derepression behavior [98.48% (65/66) vs. 52.17% (12/23); χ2 = 27.514, P = 0.000] and continuous, stiff, obsessive and/or ritualized behavior [95.45% (63/66) vs. 30.43% (7/23); adjusted χ2 = 39.159, P = 0.000]. For cognitive impairment, bvFTD patients presented apraxia [69.56% (16/23) vs. 22.73% (15/66); χ2 = 16.484, P = 0.000] and executive dysfunction [82.61% (19/23) vs. 59.09% (39/66); χ2 = 4.156, P = 0.041]. In psychotic symptoms, patients in control group showed hallucination and delusion [33.33% (22/66) vs. 4.35% (1/23); χ2 = 7.477, P = 0.006]. Conclusions While the behavioral symptoms of bvFTD patients are varied, memory disorder can be one of the primal symptoms. Compared with similar foreign studies, the different composition of behavior symptoms of our bvFTD patients may be caused by cultural differences among evaluators in the understanding of some clinical symptoms in patients. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2017.11.010

本研究針對525 位學校教育人員、學生家長與民間團體代表進行全國性問卷調查，以瞭解其對於我國品德教育實施現況與問題及面臨十二年國教課程改革之看法。結果顯示：一、品德教育在各教育階段採多元但隨機方式實施，其中個人品德修養與團體規範的教育成效尚佳，但較缺乏公民意識與道德思辨能力之養成；二、品德教育實施之主要困難來自媒體與家庭負面影響，以及師生未予以積極重視；三、受試者對於應著重的品德核心價值與道德議題有所共識；四、單獨設科為多數教育人員與家長期望之品德課程模式；五、十二年國教品德教育須強化的配套措施含師資、教材、網路資源、行政支援與親職教育等。最後，根據分析結果，本研究提出相關的討論與初探性的建議。 A national survey of 525 educators, parents, and civic groups was conducted to determine their perception of the status quo of character and moral education in Grades 1 to 12 as well as their suggestions for the curriculum reform of 12-year basic education. The results indicate that (1) the implementation of character and moral education is diverse and nonsystematic, (2) negative influences of media and family and the ignorance of teachers and students are among the major difficulties in implementing moral and character education, (3) a consensus on the core values and moral issues that should be addressed in 12-year basic education has been attained, (4) most educators and parents prefer that character and moral education be taught as a timetabled subject, and (5) accompanying measures related to the implementation of 12-year basic education include teacher education, instructional materials, Internet resources, administrative support, and parent education. Finally, the results are discussed, and preliminary recommendations for character and moral education in 12-year basic education are proposed.

Objective·To investigate the relation of HRAS proto-oncogene (HRAS) polymorphism in rs11246176 with schizophrenia and therapeutic response to atypical antipsychotics in the Chinese Han population. Methods·A total of 460 schizophrenia patients with acute attack (case group) and 386 healthy controls (control group) were recruited. The patients were treated with atypical antipsychotics and followed up for 26 weeks. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were used to evaluate the patients' conditions at the time of enrollment, and 13 weeks and 26 weeks after enrollment respectively. The reduction rates at 26th week were calculated as the standard for drug efficacy (the reduction rate ≥50% was considered effective, and < 50% was considered ineffective), and then the patients were divided into the responder group and the non-responder group. The peripheral blood samples were collected to extract DNA. Rs11246176 was genotyped by using TaqMan assays. SHEsis software and SNPstats software were used to compare the frequency distributions of alleles, genotypes, and genotypes under different genetic models between the case group and the control group as well as between the responder group and the non-responder group. In addition, expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis was used to explore the difference in HRAS expression in the brain among different rs11246176 genotypes. Results·There were no significant differences in the distribution of allelic and genotypic frequencies between the case group and the control group (P>0.05). The frequency of A allele in the responder group was higher than that in the non-responder group (P=0.010). The frequency of AA and AG genotypes in the responder group was higher than that in the non-responder group (P=0.040). The reduction rate of PANSS of the patients with AA or AG genotype 26th week was significantly higher than that of the patients with GG genotype (P=0.010). Furthermore, the brain eQTL analysis revealed that in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of normal Caucasians and African Americans, the HRAS mRNA expression level of the AA genotype was the highest, followed by the AG genotype and the GG genotype in the order (P= 0.000). Conclusion·Rs11246176 polymorphism in HRAS gene is not associated with the occurrence of schizophrenia in the Chinese Han population, but may be related to therapeutic response to atypical antipsychotics. A allele carriers may have better response to atypical antipsychotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lean management can eliminate wastage in work settings. Observational methods were adopted to determine the medical supplies in a Mobile e-Nursing Cart that had no fixed position, no clear indication, too many items, and no fixed quantity, resulting in wastage during work processes and inventory level difficulties. This management approach facilitates the reduction of wastage associated with e-Nursing Cart use, and has a goal of reducing the manpower wastage and inventory levels by 50% and achieving a work satisfaction level of 80%. Key solutions are developing related processes on medical supply items and quantities, designing boxes for medical supplies, and planning the placement of items. After the implementation of the evaluation, 91.6% of manpower wastage and 81% of inventory costs were reduced, resulting in a work satisfaction level with e-Nursing Cart use of 88%. Thus, this evaluation effectively reduces waste and enhances colleague satisfaction, and can provide a reference to reduce clinical burdens and costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objective To study the characteristics of fatigue and the correlation between fatigue and other symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods According to Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), 100 PD patients enrolled in this study were divided into fatigue group (FSS > 4 score, N = 58) and non- fatigue group (FSS ≤ 4 score, N = 42). Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale III (UPDRS III), revised Hoehn-Yahr stage and modified Webster score were used to investigate the severity of motor symptom. Non- Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were adopted to measure the severity of non-motor symptom. In addition, UPDRSII was used to evaluate the activities of daily living and 39-Item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) was used to measure life quality of PD patients, respectively. Results There were 58 out of 100 PD patients having fatigue symptom, namely the occurrence rate of fatigue was 58%. The occurrence rate of daytime nap (χ² = 16.256, P = 0.000), fatigue (χ² = 84.639, P = 0.000), lack of interest (χ² = 10.705, P = 0.001), lack of passion (χ² = 9.350, P = 0.002), depression (χ² = 9.350, P = 0.002), anxiety/panic (χ² = 4.625, P = 0.032), emotional apathy (χ² = 22.032, P = 0.000), anhedonia (χ² = 18.247, P = 0.000), poor memory (χ² = 4.366, P = 0.037), urgency of urination (χ² = 5.774, P = 0.016), frequency of micturition (χ² = 5.774, P = 0.016), hard in sex life (χ² = 3.877, P = 0.049), and decreased sense of smell or taste (χ² = 5.360, P = 0.021) were significantly higher in PD patients of fatigue group than those in non-fatigue group. UPDRS III scores (t = 6.374, P = 0.000), revised Hoehn-Yahr stage (Z = - 3.345, P = 0.001), modified Webster score (t = 6.819, P = 0.000), NMSS (t = 2.923, P = 0.011), HAMD (Z = - 2.451, P = 0.014), HAMA (t = 5.417, P = 0.000), ESS (Z = - 2.116, P = 0.034), UPDRS II (Z = - 3.115, P = 0.002) and PDQ - 39 (Z = - 2.696, P = 0.007) were significantly higher in PD patients of fatigue group than those in non - fatigue group. Spearman rank correlation analysis indicated that FSS scores had high positive correlation with modified Webster score (rs = 0.622, P = 0.000) and NMSS (rs = 0.611, P = 0.000), moderate positive correlation with duration (rs = 0.582, P = 0.000), UPDRS III (rs = 0.573, P = 0.000), revised Hoehn-Yahr stage (rs = 0.542, P = 0.000), HAMD (rs = 0.505, P = 0.000), HAMA (rs = 0.477, P = 0.000), ESS (rs = 0.474, P = 0.000), PSQI (rs = 0.410, P = 0.000), UPDRS II (rs = 0.559, P = 0.000) and PDQ-39 (rs = 0.578, P = 0.000), and low negative correlation with MMSE (rs = - 0.258, P = 0.000). Conclusions The occurrence of fatigue in PD is high, which has interaction effect with other symptoms of PD, consequently affecting the life quality of PD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Although the early behavioral symptoms of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) are prominent, early diagnosis for bvFTD is difficult due to confusion with other mental disorders, and lack of sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic criteria, etc. In this paper, we summarized the important reviews in recent years and analyzed the clinical characteristics of bvFTD patients to improve the detection of early symptoms in bvFTD. Methods Twenty-three possible or probable bvFTD patients were diagnosed according to International Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia Criteria Consortium (FTDC). Self-designed questionnaires designed by Shanghai Mental Health Center were used to collect sociodemographic data and general information of patients. Their clinical characteristics were summarized, including abnormal behaviors, cognitive impairment, psychotic symptoms and other symptoms. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR) were used to make neuropsychological tests and compare with similar overseas studies (control group, N = 66). Results Eleven male patients and 12 female patients were included in our study. Compared with control group, the average age of onset [(50.83 ± 11.55) years vs. (57.00 ± 10.00) years; t = 3.863, P = 0.000] and average age of diagnosis [(53.22 ± 11.55) years vs. (61.00 ± 9.00) years; t = 13.423, P = 0.000] of bvFTD patients were smaller. The study showed that bvFTD patients had more apathy or indolence [95.65% (22/23) vs. 65.15% (43/66); χ²=8.057, P = 0.005], loss of sympathy or empathy [95.65% (22/23) vs. 33.33% (22/66); χ²=26.499, P = 0.000], while patients in control group showed more derepression behavior [98.48% (65/66) vs. 52.17% (12/23); χ=27.514, P = 0.000] and continuous, stiff, obsessive and/or ritualized behavior [95.45% (63/66) vs. 30.43% (7/23); adjusted χ²=39.159, P = 0.000]. For cognitive impairment, bvFTD patients presented apraxia [69.56% (16/23) vs. 22.73% (15/66); χ²= 16.484, P = 0.000] and executive dysfunction [82.61% (19/23) vs. 59.09% (39/66); χ²=4.156, P = 0.041]. In psychotic symptoms, patients in control group showed hallucination and delusion [33.33% (22/66) vs. 4.35% (1/23); χ²=7.477, P = 0.006]. Conclusions While the behavioral symptoms of bvFTD patients are varied, memory disorder can be one of the primal symptoms. Compared with similar foreign studies, the different composition of behavior symptoms of our bvFTD patients may be caused by cultural differences among evaluators in the understanding of some clinical symptoms in patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To compare the microbial compositions and diversities in soils of different forest ages and types in Baotianman forest, Henan Province, China, genomic DNA of forest soils was extracted for amplifying the 16S rRNA V4 hyper variable region by PCR and sequencing by Illumina MiSeq. The BIPES, UCHIME and QIIME were employed to analyze the soil bacterial community. It was shown that 60 phyla were identified, with Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia representing the most dominant lineages and accounting for 29%, 18.5% and 10% of all sequences, respectively. At the genus level, 1209 genera were identified, the most abundant phylotypes were DA101 (6.3%), Acidobacteria-2 (5.9%), Candidatus Solibacter (2.9%) and Candidatus Nitrososphaera (2.6%). Different forest age and type soil samples had unique compositions and specific high and rare genus. Forest type and age both impacted the soil microbial community structure, and the influence of the former was stronger than the latter. The soil microbial diversity of the 80-year-old Quercus aliena forest was the lowest among all age and type forest soil samples. Soil pH, soil nitrogen and organic carbon contents were the most important factors affecting soil bacterial community structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examines the genetic variation of avian nephropathogenic infectious bronchitis virus (NIBV) isolated in Shaanxi province, China. The study amplifies, clones, and sequences S1, M, and N genes of four isolates to determine the variation of IBV. Results show that the mutated epidemic IBV strains in the province is considered the leading cause of immunization failure.

Modern historians have paid much attention to the fact that the Song court reached peaceful agreements with their two primary rival regimes-the Khitan and the Tangut. They generally argue that the main factor producing this result was the anti-military inclination of Song civil officials. This historical explanation coincides with a traditional concept that the Song dynasty was a monarchy that fostered the civil side of government over the military. After Emperor Shenzong inherited the throne in 1067, however, the situation significantly changed. Adopting aggressive policies, Shenzong launched a series of expeditions to the western and southern frontiers. Although the death of Shenzong temporarily stopped military actions, Emperor Zhezong renewed war against the Tangut after he effectively controlled the court, and his successor Emperor Huizong continued this aggressive policy. Military expeditions inspired huge debates in the court, and became an important factor influencing political developments. This article focuses on the factors causing the Song leaders to adopt aggressive policies through analyzing the writings of literati. Although living in relatively peaceful conditions, some literati in the early Renzong period were alarmed over the potential crisis in the frontiers. Later, the Tangut war (1038-1044) further caused civil elites to engage in military learning and army command. To solve the military threat, certain leading bureaucrats, such as Fan Zhongyan and Han Qi, sought to recapture the previous territories of the Han and Tang dynasties, which later justified the expansion policy. In the Renzong and Yingzong periods, some officials continued to submit proposals to conquer the .Tangut and Vietnam, but these failed to be approved by the court. The ascent of Emperor Shenzong in 1067 eventually provided the support which bellicose officials needed, and started a series of military actions. Thus, the interest of civil officials in military expansion was a crucial factor producing the change of foreign policy in the late Northern Song. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article first describes some educational phenomena in Taiwan, including: Life Education becoming a new and important learning area from primary to senior high schools in the Official Curriculum, and more and more teachers integrating Life Education into Moral Education in daily school life. Then, the article argues that in order to enhance the motives of students' moral practice, the teacher should sensitively respond to students' needs of moral sentiments in everyday school life. The educational process is a process of feeling and learning of caring relationships (i.e., being cared for, caring for self, and caring for others). There is a dynamic relation among moral sentiments, moral ideals, and moral commitments for response. When students get integrating self-image from the inside, and connect moral sentiments to the outside, they could fulfill the motives of moral praxis. Finally, the article affirms that integrating the ethics of care into Life Education instruction is a good way to enhance the moral sentiments of students, and in turn to enhance the motives of moral practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In orthodontic and orthognathic practice, cephalometric analysis is an integral tool throughout the clinical process. However, as landmark identification is still unautomated, both the conventional and semiautomated approaches are open to considerable subjectivity and could be time-consuming for inexperienced clinicians. Deep learning (DL), a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) technique, is highly effective in image recognition. In recent years, many studies have focused on the application of DL in cephalometric analysis, including automated landmark detection, automated diagnosis, cervical vertebral maturation stage determination, adenoid hypertrophy analysis and upper airway identification. Studies show that DL can effectively improve the efficiency of cephalometric analysis. In most studies, the accuracy of DL can reach more than 80%, and its difference from the gold standard is clinically acceptable, demonstrating good potential for future applications. However, most studies are limited to landmark detection, and the broadness and richness of the training dataset are limited. Future studies should broaden the research scope, improve the algorithm, elevate the richness of the datasets, and combine DL with other AI algorithms to improve its accuracy, stability and generalizability.

The purpose of this paper was to analyze the history of character and moral education (CME) during the past 65 years in Taiwan to form a complete image of CME and provide suggestions for the formulation and implementation of the 12-Year Basic Education Curriculum Guidelines. Concretely, the researchers reviewed the documents and literature of CME and divided the history from 1949 to 2014 into three phases - the Martial Law Phase, the Post-Martial Law Phase, and the 9-Year Curriculum Phase. During the Martial Law Phase, although CME was taught as a stand-alone subject, it played a role in transmitting political ideology. During the Post-Martial Law Phase, the goal was to implement a student-centered curriculum, but the period was too short to achieve total transformation. During the 9-Year Curriculum Phase, CME was omitted from the Curriculum Guidelines and replaced by the ‘Character and Moral Education Improving Project’ proclaimed by the Ministry of Education. As a result, CME was passively infused into the curriculum during this phase. Finally, the researchers proposed several suggestions as follows: The centrality of CME should be emphasized in the National Curriculum Guidelines to correspond to the public’s expectations and current international trends. Concrete contents of CME should be actively incorporated into the Curriculum Guidelines of each learning area in order to ensure effective integration and applicable transformation. Also, CME should be fully implemented in the 12-Year Basic Education Plan and include values of social justice and multiple developmental strategies.

This study proposed nitrogen addition experiments to analyze the effects of exogenous nitrogen addition on soil fungal diversity in alpine meadow. All the experiments were performed in degraded alpine meadow with two different slopes (gentle slope and steep slope) in Guoluo Prefecture of the Sanjiangyuan Region, and the sequence and analysis of ITS of soil fungi were performed using MiSeq PE250 sequencing technology. Comparative analysis was carried out with three nitrogen addition levels on soil fungal diversity in degraded grassland with different slopes, which included low nitrogen (LN, 2 g·m -2 ), middle nitrogen (MN, 5 g·m -2 ), and high nitrogen (HN, 10 g·m -2 ). The results showed that:① the distribution groups of fungi in the soil were Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Mortierellomycota, and Glomomycota, and the dominant bacteria was Ascomycota. ② The dominant genera were Mortierella and Archaeorhizomyces , and there were no differences in response to different slopes and nitrogen addition levels. ③ A total of 95 genera ( Gibberellum , Preussia , etc.) were identified and significantly differed between two different slopes ( P <0.05). ④ Bacteria with a relative abundance less than 1% had significant differences in nitrogen addition at different levels on the same slope ( P <0.05). 5 In addition, the analyses of α and β diversities showed that soil fungal community structure was stable under different slopes and nitrogen addition levels. Exogenous nitrogen supplementation significantly improved the relative abundance of non-dominant fungal communities without destroying soil fungal community structure.

Objective: To explore the predictors of hematologic responses of non-transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia (NTDT) to thalidomide., Methods: 33 patients with NTDT who treated with thalidomide in the 923rd Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force of the People's Liberation Army from May 2016 to June 2019 were included in the study. The basic data, hematological indexes, degree of treatment response and genetic background of the patients were analyzed., Results: The baseline fetal hemoglobin (HbF) level of main responders (MaR) was significantly higher than that of minor responders (MiR) and no responders (NR) (P=0.001). And the baseline HbF level was positively correlated with hemoglobin increment after treatment (r=0.601). Genetic background analysis showed that the frequencies of the genotype CT of HBG2 rs7482144 (P=0.031), the genotypes CT/CC (P=0.030) and the minor allele C (P=0.015) of HBS1L-MYB rs9399137, the genotypes AT/TT (P=0.030) and the minor allele T (P=0.028) of HBS1L-MYB rs4895440, the genotypes AG/GG (P=0.030) and the minor allele G (P=0.028) of HBS1L-MYB rs4895441 (P=0.030) in MaR group were significantly higher than those in MiR and NR groups. Comparing the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the above indicators to predict the main response, the results demonstrated that the predictive value of baseline HbF level was significantly better than rs7482144 (0.91 vs 0.72, P=0.003), rs9399137 (0.91 vs 0.74, P=0.022), rs4895440 (0.91 vs 0.74, P=0.023) and rs4895441 (0.91 vs 0.74, P=0.023), but there was no significant difference in the predictive value between combined single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (0.91 vs 0.88, P=0.658）and baseline HbF combined SNPs (0.91 vs 0.97, P=0.132). The AUC value of baseline HbF predicting the efficacy of thalidomide as the main response was 0.91, the cut-off value was 27.4%, the sensitivity was 100%, and the specificity was 58.3% (P=0.001)., Conclusion: The hematologic response of NTDT to thalidomide is variable and complex. Compared to genetic background, baseline HbF may be a simpler and more efficient tool to predict efficacy response.

MiSeq sequencing technology was used to investigate the bacterial compositions and diversities of active patch, non-active patch, recovered patch, and healthy alpine meadows so as to understand the changes in soil bacterial community diversity during altitude change and alpine meadow degradation. The relationship between bacterial diversity and environmental factors was analyzed using redundancy analysis (RDA). The results showed that the dominant bacterial phyla in the soil included Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota, and Acidobacteriota in the study areas. The dominant bacterial genera that were identified via the MiSeq were RB41, Sphingomonas, and Bradyrhizobium. The relative abundance of these genera decreased with altitude increase and increased with the restoration progress of degraded patches but was significantly lower than that in the alpine meadow ( P <0.05). The abundance of functional bacteria related to carbon fixation in degraded patches was higher than that in the healthy alpine meadow. The bacterial Chao1 index and species number in different types of degraded patches were significantly higher than those in the alpine meadow ( P <0.05). The results of the RDA suggest that biological soil crust coverage and total nitrogen were the main influencing factors on dominant bacterial phyla at the altitude of 4013 m. Biomass, total nitrogen, and pH had a great influence on the dominant bacterial phyla at the altitude of 4224 m. Biomass and total potassium significantly affected the distribution of bacterial genera at the altitude of 4013 m. Sedge coverage and available nitrogen were the main influencing factors on bacterial dominant genera at the altitude of 4224 m. Biological soil crusts and pH had a great influence on bacterial diversities. The bacterial influence factors varied greatly at different altitude areas. Therefore, we should not only pay attention to the effect of alpine meadow degradation but also consider the effect of altitude in the study of bacterial diversity changes.

Objective: To compare the clinical efficacy, survival, and prognosis of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) with new drug chemotherapy in the treatment of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) in the new drug era., Methods: The clinical data of 149 patients with NDMM treated with new drug induction regimen in Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from January 2012 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Twenty-four patients who received ASCT were in ASCT group, and 125 patients who did not receive ASCT were in non-ASCT group. The median follow-up time was 43 (1-90) months. The propensity score matching (PSM) method was used to balance confounding factors, then depth of response, overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS) between the two groups were compared and subgroup analysis was performed., Results: After matching, the covariates were balanced between the two groups. Fifty-one patients (15 cases in ASCT group and 36 cases in non-ASCT group) were included. ASCT patients had a better complete response (CR) rate than non-ASCT patients receiving maintenance therapy (93.3% vs 42.3%, P=0.004), while there were no statistical differences in deep response rate and overall response rate (ORR) between the two groups (93.3% vs 65.4%, P=0.103; 93.3% vs 96.2%, P=1.000). Before matching, the 3 and 5-year PFS rate and median PFS (mPFS) in ASCT group and non-ASCT group were [89.6% vs 66.5%, P=0.024; 69.8% vs 42.7%; non-response (NR) vs 51.0 months], and the 3 and 5-year OS rate and median OS (mOS) were (100% vs 70.6%, P=0.002; 92.3% vs 49.6%; NR vs 54.0 months). After matching, the 3 and 5-year PFS rate and mPFS in ASCT group and non-ASCT group were (83.6% vs 61.7%, P=0.182; 62.7% vs 45.7%; NR vs 51.0 months), the 3 and 5-year OS rate and mOS were (100% vs 65.6%, P=0.018; 88.9% vs 46.9%; NR vs 51.0 months). Subgroup analysis showed that patients with mSMART 3.0 high risk stratification, the 3-year PFS rate and mPFS in ASCT group and non-ASCT group were (83.3% vs 41.5%, P=0.091; NR vs 34.0 months), and the 3-year OS rate and mOS were (100% vs 41.5%, P=0.034; NR vs 34.0 months). Patients with mSMART 3.0 standard risk stratification, the 3-year PFS rate and OS rate in ASCT group and non-ASCT group were (83.3% vs 76.8%, P=0.672; 100% vs 87.2%, P=0.155). The 3-year PFS and OS rate in MM patients who achieved deep response within 3 months after transplantation compared with non-ASCT patients who achieved deep response after receiving maintenance therapy were (83.1% vs 56.7%, P=0.323; 100% vs 60.5%, P=0.042), and the 3-year PFS and OS rate in patients who achieved overall response in both groups were (83.1% vs 62.5%, P=0.433; 100% vs 68.1%, P=0.082). After matching, Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that mSMART 3.0 risk stratification and ASCT were independent prognostic factors for OS., Conclusion: In the new drug era, ASCT can increase CR rate and prolong OS of NDMM patients. ASCT patients who are mSMART 3.0 high risk stratification or achieved deep response within 3 months after transplantation have better OS than non-ASCT patients receiving new drug chemotherapy. ASCT and mSMART 3.0 risk stratification are independent prognostic factors for OS in NDMM patients.

MiSeq sequencing technology was used to analyze the microbial community diversity of soil in alpine wetlands to understand the degradation processes and environmental factors in these areas. The results showed that the severity of soil degradation changed the species diversity of soil microorganisms at the level of OTUs, and grass patches contained more species than frozen-thawing patches. The soil fungi species of OTUs changed significantly. The diversity indexes of bacteria (between the frozen-thawing patches and the grass patches) were higher than that of fungi. The dominant microbial species were consistent among different degradation stages. The dominant species of bacteria and fungi were Proteobacteria and RB41, and Ascomycota and Mortierella , respectively. The abundance of dominant microorganisms was significantly between un-degraded and heavily degraded areas, except for RB41 ( P <0.05). The dominant microorganisms in the grass patches were more sensitive than those in the frozen-thawing patches. It was found that the main factors affecting the microbial community structure of soil were water content, organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon, microbial biomass nitrogen, and sedge coverage. Microbial diversity may decrease in heavily degraded alpine wetlands. Thus, the frozen-thawing patches and sedge species should be first protected, and the supplements of soil water content, soil organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon, and nitrogen should be strengthened for alpine wetland restoration.

TIGIT is an inhibitory receptor containing T cell immunoglobulin and immune receptor protein tyrosine inhibitory motif domain. It shows high expression level on the surface of immune cells in tumor patients and plays an inhibitory role by binding to corresponding ligands, CD155 and CD112. Studying the mechanism of inhibitory effect of TIGIT and the way to block it shows a great significance in the immunotherapy of tumor. In this review, the structure of TIGIT molecule and its inhibitory effect on immune cells(including NK cells and T cells) were introduced, the expression level and the newest research advance of TIGIT molecule in lymphoma,multiple myeloma,leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome were reviewed and summarized briefly, so as to provide reference for the further study of TIGIT and the application of TIGIT inhibitors in hematological malignancies.

Objective: To analyze the relevant data, including medical history, treatment and nursing of one cysticercosis patient with multiple foci in Baise City, so as to provide the evidence for improving the treatment and nursing of cysticercosis in the future., Methods: The data of diet history, diagnosis, treatment and nursing of the patient were collected and analyzed., Results: The patient was a permanent resident in a cysticercosis high endemic area and had a definite history of eating measly pork. The combination of clinical manifestations and auxiliary examinations of the patient confirmed that he was suffered from cysticercosis with multiple foci. After the patient was firstly administered the antiparasitic treatment of cysticercosis (praziquantel), he had status epilepticus. However, with the close cooperation between physicians and nurses, his illness obviously improved and 35 days later, he discharged., Conclusions: The physicians and nurses should pay much attention to the changes of illness of the patients with cysticercosis, especially the cysticercosis patients with multiple foci in the antiparasitic treatment of cysticercosis, so as to avoid cerebral herniation due to the increased intracranial pressure.

Objective: To establish a machine learning model based on gut microbiota for predicting the level of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) metabolism in vivo after choline intake to provide guidance of individualized precision diet and evidence for screening population at high risks of cardiovascular disease., Methods: We quantified plasma levels of TMAO in 18 healthy volunteers before and 8 h after a choline challenge (ingestion of two boiled eggs). The volunteers were divided into two groups with increased or decreased TMAO level following choline challenge. Fresh fecal samples were collected before taking fasting blood samples for amplifying 16S rRNA V4 tags, and the PCR products were sequenced using the platform of Illumina HiSeq 2000. The differences in gut microbiata between subjects with increased and decreased plasma TMAO were analyzed using QIIME. Based on the gut microbiota data and TMAO levels in the two groups, the prediction model was established using the machine learning random forest algorithm, and the validity of the model was tested using a verified dataset., Results: An obvious difference was found in beta diversity of the gut microbota between the subjects with increased and decreased plasma TMAO level following choline challenge. The area under the curve (AUC) of the model was 86.39% (95% CI: 72.7%-100%). Using the verified dataset, the model showed a much higher probability for correctly predicting TMAO variation following choline challenge., Conclusion: The model is feasible and reliable for predicting the level of TMAO metabolism in vivo based on gut microbiota.

Illicit drugs have been recognized as a group of emerging pollutants.Based on previous research,procedures to pre-treat wastewater including SPE column,pH of water samples,and processes of washing,acidifying and re-dissolving were compared.It was found that the best recovery was achieved when wastewater was adjusted to pH=2 and Oasis MCX column was used.It was not necessary to flush the loaded column or to acidify the eluate prior to evaporation using nitrogen steam.After evaporation,it is recommended to redissolve the evaporated samples using 200 μL acetonitrile and 100 μL acetonitrile+100 μL 5 mmol·L -1 ammonium acetate in Milli-Q water for HILIC-UPLC-MS/MS and C18-UPLC-MS/MS,respectively.After comparing retention times,limit of detection,limit of quantification,recoveries,and matrix effects of HILIC and C18 methods,C18-UPLC-MS/MS was chosen.Influent and effluent samples from 12 wastewater treatment plants in Beijing were analyzed using the optimized method for validation.The validated methods set a firm foundation to apply the sewage-based epidemiology to monitor illicit drug abuse in China.

Concentrations of ketamine (KET) and its metabolite, norketamine (NK) in sewage water and surface water in Beijing were examined by HPLC-MS/MS. Samples were collected from all the thirteen sewage treatment plants in the urban area and four rivers flowing through the city. Average influent concentrations of KET and NK in 2013 summer ranged from -1 and -1 , respectively. The calculated loads of KET and NK ranged from (0.1±0.0) to (8.6±2.4) mg·(1000 inh·d) -1 and (0.3±0.1) to (3.2±1.1) mg·(1000 inh·d) -1 , respectively. The removal rate during treatment was low and even negative at some plants for KET and NK. KET was widely detected in surface waters (-1 ), whereas NK was below MQL in all surface water samples. Concentration of KET in Tonghui River was higher than those in most of the STPs, indicating direct disposal of KET and/or direct discharge of sewage into the river.

Diabetes and cancer are two major chronic diseases with tremendous impact on human health worldwide. Clinical and basic studies demonstrate that diabetes can promote carcinogenesis and tumor progression. High insulin and high insulin-like growth factor are considered to be the major risk factors for cancer. Chronic inflammation and aberrant metabolism also participate in cancer development. It is noteworthy that therapies used for treatment of diabetes may increase or decrease the risk of cancer. Revealing the mechanisms that connect diabetes to cancer will be crucial for prevention and treatment of diabetes-related cancers.

Objective: To analyze the distribution of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) in healthy adults with different risk factors and explore its association with gut microbiota., Methods: We collected fasting blood samples and fresh fecal samples from 181 subjects without atherogenesis in the carotid arteries. Plasma TMAO levels of the subjects were determined using stable isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The fecal DNA was extracted, and the 16S rRNA V4 tags were amplified and sequenced by Illumina HiSeq 2000. The association between TMAO and classical cardiovascular risk factors were analyzed. Gut microbial community structure was analyzed with QIIME, and LEfSe was used to identify the biomarkers., Results: The median (IQR) TMAO level was 2.66 (1.96-4.91) µmol/L in the subjects. TMAO level was significantly correlated with body mass index and operational taxonomic units (OTU). Individuals with high TMAO levels were found to have abundant Clostridiales, Phascolarctobacterium, Oscillibacter, and Alistipes but less abundant Anaerosprobacter., Conclusion: Chinese subjects have in general low levels of TMAO. TMAO levels are not significantly correlated with the classical cardiovascular risk factors or the gut microbial structures.

Autophagy is an important homeostatic cellular recycling mechanism responsible for degrading injured or dysfunctional subcellular organelles and proteins in all living cells. The process of autophagy can be divided into three relatively independent steps: the initiation of phagophore, the formation of autophagosome and the maturation/degradation stage. Different morphological characteristics and molecular marker changes can be observed at these stages. Morphological approaches are useful to produce novel knowledge that would not be achieved through other experimental methods. Here we summarize the morphological methods in monitoring autophagy, the principles in data interpretation and the cautions that should be considered in the study of autophagy.

Autophagy is an active research area in the biomedical field as its role has been identified in many physiological and pathological processes. Accordingly, there is a growing demand to identify, quantify and manipulate the process accurately. Meanwhile, there is great interest in identifying compounds that modulate autophagy because they may have applications in the treatment of a variety of autophagy-related diseases. In this review, we summarize the current status of autophagy screening systems to facilitate identification of autophagy modulators.

There is no radical cure for essential thrombocythemia currently. Professor SUN Xue-mei has extensive clinical experience in treating it by combined therapy of Chinese and Western medicine. In this paper, authors tried to summarize her experience from guiding ideology and therapeutic points. Authors insisted on the direction of integrative medicine on the basis of syndrome differentiation, paying attention to psychological counseling,and applied individual treatment in clinics.

To compare the microbial compositions and diversities in soils of different forest ages and types in Baotianman forest, Henan Province, China, genomic DNA of forest soils was extracted for amplifying the 16S rRNA V4 hyper variable region by PCR and sequencing by Illumina MiSeq. The BIPES, UCHIME and QIIME were employed to analyze the soil bacterial community. It was shown that 60 phyla were identified, with Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia representing the most dominant lineages and accounting for 29%, 18.5% and 10% of all sequences, respectively. At the genus level, 1209 genera were identified, the most abundant phylotypes were DA101 (6.3%), Acidobacteria-2 (5.9%), Candidatus Solibacter (2.9%) and Candidatus Nitrososphaera (2.6%). Different forest age and type soil samples had unique compositions and specific high and rare genus. Forest type and age both impacted the soil microbial community structure, and the influence of the former was stronger than the latter. The soil microbial diversity of the 80-year-old Quercus aliena forest was the lowest among all age and type forest soil samples. Soil pH, soil nitrogen and organic carbon contents were the most important factors affecting soil bacterial community structure.

Microbiome is a novel research field related with a variety of chronic inflamatory diseases. Technically, there are two major approaches to analysis of microbiome: metataxonome by sequencing the 16S rRNA variable tags, and metagenome by shot-gun sequencing of the total microbial (mainly bacterial) genome mixture. The 16S rRNA sequencing analyses pipeline includes sequence quality control, diversity analyses, taxonomy and statistics; metagenome analyses further includes gene annotation and functional analyses. With the development of the sequencing techniques, the cost of sequencing will decrease, and big data analyses will become the central task. Data standardization, accumulation, modeling and disease prediction are crucial for future exploit of these data. Meanwhile, the information property in these data, and the functional verification with culture-dependent and culture-independent experiments remain the focus in future research. Studies of human microbiome will bring a better understanding of the relations between the human body and the microbiome, especially in the context of disease diagnosis and therapy, which promise rich research opportunities.

Objective: To explore the correlation between syndrome types of late-onset acne female patients and constitutions of Chinese medicine (CM)., Methods: A questionnaire was performed in 365 late-onset acne female patients and 135 healthy subjects (as the control) using Professor WANG Qi's. methods and Standards for Chinese Medical Constitutions Classification., Results: Their CM constitutions were sequenced as damp-heat constitution, yin-deficiency constitution, balanced constitution, yang-deficiency constitution, blood-stasis constitution, qi-stagnation constitution, qi-deficiency constitution, phlegm-damp constitution, inherited special constitution, with statistical difference when compared with those of the control group ( χ2 = 85.206, P < 0.01). In the 365 female late-onset acne patients, 114 (31.23%) were with Chongren imbalance syndrome, 108 (29.59%) were with blood stasis or coagulated phlegm syndrome, 83 (22.74%) were with dampness heat syndrome, and 60 (16.44%) were with wind heat syndrome. There was statistical difference in CM constitution distributions among different CM syndrome types (χ2 = 105.671, P < 0.01). The distribution of CM medical constitutions was different between the two groups. Biased constitutions were often seen in the patient group, while balanced constitution was often seen in the control group. Binary Logistic regression analysis indicated that influencing factors covered sweet food, light diet, roasted food, coffee, stress, work pressure, and family pressure. Of them light diet was one protective factor, while the rest were adverse factors., Conclusion: The etiology and syndrome types of female late-onset acne female patients were associated with CM constitution.

Objective: To evaluate the related factors of upper urinary tract deterioration in spinal cord injured patients., Methods: Medical records of spinal cord injured patients from Jan.2002 to Sep.2009 were retrospectively reviewed. All the patients were divided into the upper urinary tract deterioration group and non-deterioration group according to the diagnostic criteria. Indexes such as demographic characteristic (gender, age), spinal cord injury information (cause, level, completeness), statuses of urinary tract system (bladder management, urine routine, urine culture, ultrasound, serum creatinine, fever caused by urinary tract infection) and urodynamics information(bladder compliance, bladder stability, bladder sensation, detrusor sphincter dyssynergia, detrusor leak point pressure, maximum cystometric capacity, relative safe bladder capacity, maximum flow rate, maximum urethra closure pressure) were compared between the two groups.Then Logistic regression analysis were performed., Results: There was significantly difference between the two groups in spinal cord injury level(χ(2) = 8.840, P = 0.031),bladder management(χ(2) = 11.362, P = 0.045), urinary rutine(χ(2) = 17.983, P = 0.000), fever caused by urinary tract infection(χ(2)= 64.472, P = 0.000), bladder compliance(χ(2) = 6.531, P = 0.011), bladder sensation(χ(2) = 11.505, P = 0.009), maximum cystometric capacity(t = 2.209, P = 0.043), and detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia(χ(2) = 4.247, P = 0.039). The multiple-factor non-conditional Logistic regression analysis showed that bladder management (OR = 1.114, P = 0.006), fever caused by urinary tract infection(OR = 1.018,P = 0.000), bladder compliance (OR = 1.588, P = 0.040) and detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia(OR = 1.023, P = 0.034) were the key factors of upper urinary tract deterioration in spinal cord injured patients., Conclusion: Urinary tract infection, lower bladder compliance, detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia and unreasonable bladder management are the risk factors of upper urinary tract deterioration in spinal cord injured patients.

Autophagy is an important homeostatic cellular recycling mechanism responsible for degrading injured or dysfunctional cellular organelles and proteins in all living cells. Aging is a universal phenomenon characterized by progressive deterioration of cells and organs due to accumulation of macromolecular and organelle damage. Growing evidences indicate that the rate of autophagosome formation and maturation and the efficiency of autophagosome/lysosome fusion decline with age. Dysfunctional autophagy has also been observed in age-related diseases. Autophagy disruption resulted accumulation of mutated or misfolded proteins is the essential feature of neurodegenerative disorders. However, in cancers, fibroproliferative diseases or cardiovascular diseases, autophagy can play either a protective or destructive role in different types of disease, and even in different stages of the same disease. The review will discuss the cellular and molecular mechanisms of autophagy and its important role in the pathogenesis of aging and age-related diseases, and the ongoing drug discovery strategies for therapeutic intervention.

TLR2 activity plays an important role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, tumor carcinogenesis and cardio-cerebrovascular diseases. To establish a TLR2 receptor-based cell screening model, NF-kappaB promoter-driven luciferase reporter plasmids were transfected into human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293) stably expressing human TLR2 and co-receptors CD14, TLR1 and TLR6. Single clones were then isolated and characterized. Using this screening system, a human TLR2-binding peptide C8 was obtained from the Ph.D.-7 Phage Display Peptide Library through biopanning and rapid analysis of selective interactive ligands (BRASIL). The binding characteristic of C8 with human TLR2 was evaluated by ELISA, flow cytometry and immunofluorescence. The NF-kappaB luciferase activity assay showed that C8 could activate the TLR2/TLR1 signaling pathway and induce the production of cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-6. In conclusion, the TLR2 receptor-based cell screening system is successfully established and a new TLR2-binding peptide is identified by using this system.