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OBJECTIVE: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is a widely recognized effective bariatric surgery. However, variable weight loss outcomes post-surgery remained a clinical challenge. Currently, there is no established consensus on the factors influencing weight loss failure following LSG. This study aimed to explore the association between preoperative cortisol secretion autonomy and postoperative weight loss in obese patients undergoing LSG. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cohort of 181 patients with simple obesity (BMI ≥ 28 kg/m2 ) who underwent LSG and were followed up for one year was analyzed. Weight loss was measured by the percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL), and cortisol secretion autonomy was evaluated using a 1-mg dexamethasone suppression test (DST). Regression models were used to analyze the correlation between preoperative 1-mg DST results and %EWL one year after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). RESULTS: Cortisol secretion autonomy was significantly lower in the %EWL ≥ 75% group and higher in the %EWL < 75% group, showing a negative correlation with %EWL (R = -0.336, p = 0.001). Logistic regression analysis indicated that high cortisol secretion autonomy was significantly correlated with %EWL < 75% after LSG. The likelihood of %EWL being < 75% was 10.47 times greater in patients with high cortisol secretion autonomy compared to those with low cortisol secretion autonomy (odds ratio 10.472, confidence interval: 1.660-66.048, p = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS: Cortisol secretion autonomy emerges as an independent predictor of weight loss outcomes in Asian patients undergoing LSG. This finding suggests the potential for cortisol secretion autonomy to inform preoperative assessments and personalized treatment strategies in bariatric surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the core components of the fire-fighting water-supply system, the performance of a fire pump directly determines the extent of damage caused by the fire. Compared with conventional pumps, the design requirements of fire pumps not only need to ensure that the head of the pump is at 0Qd, 1.0Qd, and 1.5Qd and its efficiency is at 1.0Qd but also consider the cavitation performance at each flow rate, which presents a greater challenge for the design of high-performance fire pumps. By optimizing the design of a centrifugal fire pump with a specific speed of 24.7, numerical calculations were performed to obtain the best optimized scheme Y4. The results show that at the design flow rate the best optimized scheme improves the efficiency by 9.17% compared with the original scheme, and the head meets the design requirements of the fire pump while avoiding the hump phenomenon. Through a comparative analysis, it was found that the optimized scheme Y4 can reduce the pressure pulsations at the outlet of the pump and improve the cavitation performance at each flow rate. The experiment verifies that the head of the best optimized scheme at the design flow rate is 74.43m, the pump efficiency is 40.22%, and there is no hump in the head curve, which can meet the design and use requirements of the fire pump. The maximum reduction in the outlet pressure pulsations coefficient in the best optimized scheme was 47.12% on average. Compared with the original scheme, the critical net positive suction head (NPSHr) of the best optimized scheme was reduced by 21.5%, 17.6%, 15.7%, and 16.8%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high pressure phase transitions of Mo and Ta were investigated experimentally. More melting temperatures were obtained by shock wave experiments. The measured melting temperature at lowest pressure is still much higher than that of DAC experiments. By measurements of sound velocities of Ta in reverse-impact shock wave experiments, a discontinuity of longitudinal sound velocity against shock pressure at ∼60 GPa was observed. It may be concluded that a solid-solid phase transition exists.

Amorphophallus albus, belonging to the family Araceae, has attracted widespread attention due to its considerable economic and medicinal importance. The natural propagation coefficient of A. albus is very low, which limits application of this crop. In vitro corms can be used for propagation of A. albus and have been proved to be superior over in vitro plantlets. To optimise procedures for in vitro corm production and multiplication, the effects of phytohormones, sucrose concentrations and incubation conditions with desirable phytohormone combinations for callus induction, corm formation and corm growth of A. albus were investigated. The results showed that calli were induced at high frequency from petiole segments on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 1.0 mg l-1α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 1.0 mg l-1 6-benzyladenine (BA). Compact nodular calli were desirable for corm formation, and optimum corm formation was obtained in the presence of 0.5 mg l-1 NAA and 2.0 mg l-1 BA. With this auxin and cytokinin combination, an increase in sucrose concentration from 2% to 6% (wlv) significantly increased the corm formation rate and favoured corm growth, but negative effects occurred at higher sucrose concentrations. By incubating over a range of temperatures from 19°C - 28°C, 22°C produced the largest numbers of corms and highest mean fresh weight of each corm. Short-day (8 h) or long-day (16 h) photoperiods did not affect corm formation and growth significantly, except that corm weight fell under long-day conditions. The multiplication rate of in vitro corms was enhanced by apical meristem wounding. It was possible to store in vitro produced corms at 4°C for as long as 90 d to overcome apical dormancy and accelerate sprouting after planting into soil. This work has established an efficient protocol for multiplication of A. albus through an in vitro corm system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the quantitative value of the T2mapping sequence in evaluating the early glenohumeral joint cartilage injury. Methods: A total of 92 patients with shoulder joint pain who underwent routine sequence and T2mapping sequence scanning in General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University from March 2023 to March 2024 were retrospectively collected as a case group. The patients were classified into tendinitis group, partial tear group and full tear group according to the degree of tendon injury. Another 25 healthy subjects of the same age were selected as the control group. Two physicians divided articular cartilage into upper, middle, and lower subregions in the T2mapping sequence and measured T2 values in each subregion. The intra-observer correlation coefficient (ICC) was employed to evaluate the inter-observer and intra-observer consistency. Independent sample t test was utilized to compare the T2 values of different subregions between the two groups. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the T2 values of different subregions among the groups, and pairwise comparison was conducted using the Bonferroni test. Spearman correlation analysis was conducted to analyze the correlation between the T2 values in different subregions of the articular cartilage and the injury degree of the supraspinatus tendon. Results: There were 44 males and 48 females in the case group, with an age range of 38 to 60 (51.4±5.8) years; there were 32 cases in the tendonitis group, 33 cases in the partial tear group, and 27 cases in the full tear group. There were 11 males and 14 females in the control group, with an age range of 40 to 54 (49.1±3.9) years. The T2 values of the upper, middle, and lower subregions of the glenohumeral articular cartilage in the case group were (37.8±4.9) ms, (39.1±5.9) ms, and (42.1±5.1) ms, respectively, all of which were significantly higher than those in the control group [(29.4±3.3) ms, (31.7±5.0) ms, and (36.3±6.2) ms, respectively] (all P <0.001). Within the supraspinatus tendon full tear group, the T2 values were (40.2±5.7) ms, (41.2±5.4) ms, and (43.4±4.1) ms, respectively, all of which exceeded those in the partial tear group [(38.2±4.3) ms, (38.9±6.5) ms, (43.1±5.1) ms, respectively], which were also higher than those in the tendonitis group [(35.0±3.2) ms, (37.7±5.0) ms, (40.1±4.5) ms, respectively] and the control group [(29.4±3.3) ms, (31.7±5.0) ms, (36.3±6.2) ms, respectively] (all P <0.001). Statistically significant differences in T2 values were observed between different subregions of articular cartilage in both the tendonitis and partial tear groups (all P <0.05); however, no significant differences were found among the upper, middle, and lower subregions in the full tear group ( P =0.140). Furthermore, the T2 values in the upper, middle, and lower subregions of articular cartilage exhibited a positive correlation with the degree of supraspinatus muscle injury ( r =0.693, 0.515, and 0.449, respectively, all P <0.001). Conclusions: The T2mapping sequence can quantitatively assess the degree of articular cartilage damage, and the degree of supraspinatus tendon damage and glenohumeral joint cartilage damage is positively correlated.

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) associated with subclinical Cushing syndrome (SCS). Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University in China. Patients with PA were included between January 2014 and December 2022. According to the results of 1-mg overnight dexamethasone suppression test, the patients were divided into the PA group and PA associated with SCS (PA/SCS) group. The demographic information, hormone levels, and follow-up results were analyzed. Independent sample t -test, chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for data comparison. Results: A total of 489 PA patients were enrolled in this study, of which 109 had PA/SCS (22.3%). Patients with SCS were on average older (54.4±10.7 vs . 47.4±11.0, P <0.001); had a larger proportion of women (69.7%, 76/109 vs . 57.4%, 218/380; P =0.020); and a longer duration of hypertension [96 (36, 180) vs . 60 (12, 120) months, P =0.001] than patients without SCS. There were 215 and 51 patients in the PA group and PA/SCS group, who completed adrenalectomy and follow-up, respectively. The remission rate of autonomous cortisol secretion in the PA/SCS group was 85.3% (29/34). There was no significant difference in the remission rate of autonomous aldosterone secretion among patients between the PA/SCS and PA group (94.1%, 48/51 vs. 94.4%, 203/215; P =1.000), while the clinical remission rate in the PA/SCS group was lower than that in the PA group (39.2%, 20/51 vs. 61.9%, 133/215; P =0.003). Conclusions: SCS is common in PA patients (22.3%), and the clinical remission rate is low. Screening using the 1-mg overnight dexamethasone suppression test is recommended for all patients with PA.

Objective: To investigate the appropriate cut-off for diagnosis of primary aldosteronism (PA) by seated saline suppression test (SSST) based on liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, patients who underwent SSST for suspected PA in the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 2018 to March 2022 were evaluated. Briefly, 300 patients with PA and 119 with essential hypertension (EH) were included. Plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) after SSST was determined by LC-MS/MS. Primary aldosteronism confirmatory testing (PACT) score was used as the reference standard for diagnosis of PA, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to explore the cut-off value. Results: The average age of the PA group was (50.8±10.5) years, and males accounted for 53.00% ( n =159); the average age of the EH group was (49.4±11.2) years, and males accounted for 26.89% ( n =32). The area under the ROC curve of PAC post-SSST was 0.819 (95% CI 0.775-0.862). When 40 pg/ml (110.8 pmol/L) was selected as the appropriate cut-off for diagnosis of PA, the sensitivity was 83.67% (95% CI 78.88%-87.56%) and specificity was 60.50% (95% CI 51.10%-69.21%). Thus, 95.09% (155/163) of patients with unilateral PA could be identified. Conclusion: PAC after SSST determined by LC-MS/MS has high efficacy for diagnosis of PA, and 40 pg/ml is recommended as the appropriate cut-off value.

Objective: To analyze the distribution characteristics of plasma renin concentration (PRC) in patients with aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) and its impact on diagnosis. Methods: In this retrospective case series, clinical data from 200 patients with APA (80 men and 120 women; mean age 45.6 years) in the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from November 2013 to January 2022 were evaluated. PRC was determined by automated chemiluminescence immunoassay. The distribution characteristics of PRC were analyzed, and 8.2 mU/L was used as the low renin cutoff to evaluate whether renin was suppressed. Results: The median PRC was 1.6 mU/L (range, 0.4-41.5 mU/L). There were 116 patients with APA with PRC of ≤2 mU/L, 41 patients with 28.2 mU/L) in 8.0% (16/200) of the patients with APA. And PRC was not suppressed in 2.5% (5/200) of the patients with APA, resulting in a primary aldosteronism negative screening outcome. Conclusions: Although most patients with APA have low PRC, there are a small number (8%) of patients whose PRC has not been fully suppressed, which can lead to missed diagnoses during primary aldosteronism screening. While primary aldosteronism is highly suspected, further investigations are required to determine the diagnosis, even if PRC is not fully suppressed at screening.

Objective: To explore the predictive factors of concurrent bile duct injury following transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 483 HCC patients in relation to TACE postoperative complications. A total of 21 cases of bile duct injury were observed following the TACE procedure. Laboratory data, imaging data, and clinically relevant medical histories were recorded before and after one week following the TACE procedure and follow-up. The χ (2) test, or Fisher's exact probability method, was used for categorical variables. The mean of the two samples was compared using a paired t -test or Wilcoxon rank sum test. The comparison of multiple mean values was conducted using an analysis of variance. Results: Twenty-one cases with bile duct injury had intrahepatic bile duct dilatation, bile tumors, hilar biliary duct stenoses, and other manifestations. 14.3% (3/21) of patients showed linear high-density shadows along the bile duct on a plain CT scan, while 76.2% (16/21) of patients had ALP > 200 U/L one week following TACE procedure, and bile duct injury occurred in later follow-up. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) were significantly increased in all patients following TACE procedure ( t = -2.721, P = 0.014; t = -2.674, P = 0.015; t = -3.079, P = 0.006; t = -3.377, P = 0.003, respectively). Conclusion: The deposition of iodized oil around the bile duct on plain CT scan presentation or the continuous increase of ALP (> 200 U/L) one week following TACE procedure has a certain predictive value for the later bile duct injury.

Objective: To establish and validate a nomogram-based predictive model for idiopathic hyperaldosteronism (IHA). Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with the collected clinical and biochemical data of patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) including 249 patients with unilateral primary aldosteronism (UPA) and 107 patients with IHA, who were treated at the Department of Endocrinology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from November 2013 to November 2022. Plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) and plasma renin concentration (PRC) were measured by chemiluminescence. Stepwise regression analysis was applied to select the key predictors of IHA, and a nomogram-based scoring model was developed. The model was validated in another external independent cohort of patients with PA including 62 patients with UPA and 43 patients with IHA, who were diagnosed at the Department of Endocrinology, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. An independent-sample t test, Mann-Whitney U test, and χ 2 test were used for statistical analysis. Results: In the training cohort, in comparison with the UPA group, the IHA group showed a higher serum potassium level [ M ( Q 1 , Q 3 ), 3.4 (3.1, 3.8) mmol/L vs. 2.7 (2.1, 3.1) mmol/L] and higher PRC [4.0 (2.1, 8.2) mU/L vs. 1.5 (0.6, 3.4) mU/L] and a lower PAC post-saline infusion test (SIT) [305 (222, 416) pmol/L vs. 720 (443, 1 136) pmol/L] and a lower rate of unilateral adrenal nodules [33.6% (36/107) vs. 81.1% (202/249)]; the intergroup differences in these measurements were statistically significant (all P <0.001). Serum potassium level, PRC, PAC post-SIT, and the rate of unilateral adrenal nodules showed similar performance in the IHA group in the validation cohort. After stepwise regression analysis for all significant variables in the training cohort, a scoring model based on a nomogram was constructed, and the predictive parameters included the rate of unilateral adrenal nodules, serum potassium concentration, PAC post-SIT, and PRC in the standing position. When the total score was ≥14, the model showed a sensitivity of 0.65 and specificity of 0.90 in the training cohort and a sensitivity of 0.56 and specificity of 1.00 in the validation cohort. Conclusion: The nomogram was used to successfully develop a model for prediction of IHA that could facilitate selection of patients with IHA who required medication directly.

Objective: To explore the normal ranges of perfusion parameters between cerebral hemisphere, cerebellar hemisphere and brain anatomical subregions (56 pairs) in different gender and age groups with multiple post labeling delay time (Multi-PLD) arterial spin labeling (ASL) imaging. Methods: From November 2020 to December 2020, 42 healthy adult volunteers (Male 25, Female 17) were recruited to perform 7 PLD ASL imaging, including 21 young adults (15 males and 6 females, aged 23-35 years) and 21 seniors (10 males and 11 females, aged 36-74 years). The data was processed offline by Cereflow software to obtain arterial arrival time (ATT) and corrected cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral blood volume (CBV) perfusion parameters. SimpleITK standardization function was used to standardize the calculated perfusion image according to the anatomical automatic labeling (AAL) template. Therefore, CBF, ATT, CBV perfusion values of brain subregions were obtained. Paired samples t test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, independent samples t test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare the differences of perfusion parameters in the cerebral hemisphere, the cerebellar hemisphere, brain subregions depending on side, gender and age. Pearson correlation analysis was used to compare the correlations of perfusion parameters with age. Results: CBF in 62.5% (35/56) subregions and CBV in 44.6% (25/56) subregions were higher in right side than those in left side. ATT in most brain anatomical subregions (16/56) were higher in left side. The CBF [(35.30±8.31) vs. (34.34±7.53) ml·100g -1 ·min -1 , P= 0.021], CBV [(0.47±0.11) vs. (0.45±0.09) ml/100g, P< 0.001], ATT [(1.30±0.10) vs. (1.24±0.11) s, P< 0.001] in left cerebellar hemisphere were higher than that of right side. The CBF (28/56) of cerebral hemisphere, cerebellar hemisphere and brain subregions was higher in females than that in males, while ATT in 83.9% (47/56) subregions was lower than that in males (all P< 0.05). CBV in female subjects was higher only in 5 brain regions (superior occipital gyrus, middle occipital gyrus, inferior occipital gyrus, superior parietal gyrus and cerebelum&#95;7b) (all P< 0.05). In young subjects, CBF in 44.6% (25/56) subregions and CBV in 33.9% (19/56) subregions were higher than those in the senior group (all P< 0.05). The ATT in most subregions in young group were lower than those in senior group, but the difference was statistically significant only in rectus gyrus ( P= 0.026) and paracentral lobule ( P= 0.006). The CBF ( r= -0.430, P= 0.005) and CBV ( r= -0.327, P= 0.035) of cerebral hemisphere were negatively correlated with age. The CBF (24/25, r range:-0.497 --0.343, all P< 0.05) and CBV (16/19, r range:-0.474 --0.322, all P< 0.05) in most subregions were negatively correlated with age, while ATT was positively correlated (gyrus rectus: r= 0.311, P= 0.045; paracentral lobule: r= 0.392, P= 0.010). Conclusions: Multi-PLD ASL imaging could be applied for quantitative analysis of brain perfusion. The perfusion parameters of anatomical subregions are different depending on side, gender, and age.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to re-evaluate the diagnostic value and optimal cutoff point of captopril challenge test (CCT) in diagnosis of primary aldosteronism (PA). Methods: This is a retrospective study. All patients with a high risk for PA underwent screening test, and then proceeded to CCT and fludrocortisone suppression test (FST) on different days. The FST was used as a reference standard for PA. The plasma renin concentration (PRC) and plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) were measured with an automated chemiluminescence immunoassay. Random number method was performed in the patients with unilateral primary aldosteronism (UPA), in order to make the proportion of the analyzed UPA in PA was 35%. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed to compare diagnostic accuracy. Results: A total of 543 patients with 400 PA patients and 143 essential hypertension (EH) patients were enrolled. The diagnostic value of post-CCT PAC was significantly higher than that of the post-CCT plasma aldosterone-renin ratio (ARR), and that of the PAC suppression percentage, respectively. The area under the ROC curve (AUC ROC ) was 0.86 (0.83, 0.89) for PAC, 0.78 (0.74, 0.82) for ARR, and 0.62 (0.56, 0.67) for the PAC suppression percentage (all P <0.01), respectively. The optimal cutoff point of post-CCT PAC for PA was 110 ng/L, in which the sensitivity and specificity were 73.25% and 79.02%, respectively. The diagnostic efficiency of post-CCT PAC was not improved either in combination with PAC suppression percentage or in combination with post-CCT ARR. Conclusions: CCT is a useful test for the confirmation of PA. PAC level of 110 ng/L at 2 h after 50 mg of captopril is recommended as an optimal cutoff point for the diagnosis of PA.

Objective: To analyze the current adherence to imatinib in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) in China and its influencing factors. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted. Study period: from October 1, 2020 to November 31, 2020. Study subjects: GIST patients taking imatinib who were diagnosed and treated in public tertiary level A general hospitals or oncology hospitals; those who had not been pathologically diagnosed, those who never received imatinib, or those who had taken imatinib in the past but stopped afterwards were excluded. The Questionnaire Star online surgery platform was used to design a questionnaire about the adherence to adjuvant imatinib therapy of Chinese GIST patients. The link of questionnaire was sent through WeChat. The questionnaire contained basic information of patients, medication status and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale. Results: A total of 2162 questionnaires from 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities were collected, of which 2005 were valid questionnaires, with an effective rate of 92.7%. The survey subjects included 1104 males and 901 females, with a median age of 56 (22-91) years old. Working status: 609 cases (30.4%) in the work unit, 729 cases (36.4%) of retirement, 667 cases of flexible employment or unemployment (33.3%). Education level: 477 cases (23.8%) with bachelor degree or above, 658 cases (32.8%) of high school, 782 cases (39.0%) of elementary or junior high school, 88 cases (4.4%) without education. Marital status: 1789 cases (89.2%) were married, 179 cases (8.9%) divorced or widowed, 37 cases (1.8%) unmarried. Two hundred and ninety-four patients (14.7%) had metastasis when they were first diagnosed, including 203 liver metastases, 52 peritoneal metastases, and 39 other metastases. One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine patients underwent surgical treatment, of whom 1642 (81.9%) achieved complete resection. The median time of taking imatinib was 25 (1-200) months. Common adverse reactions of imatinib included 1701 cases (84.8%) of periorbital edema, 1031 cases (51.4%) of leukopenia, 948 cases (47.3%) of fatigue, 781 cases (39.0%) of nausea and vomiting, 709 cases (35.4%) of rash, and 670 cases (33.4%) of lower extremity edema. The score of the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale showed that 392 cases (19.6%) had poor adherence, 1023 cases (51.0%) had moderate adherence, and 590 cases (29.4%) had good adherence. Univariate analysis showed that gender, age, work status, economic income, residence, education level, marriage, the duration of taking medication and adverse reactions were associated with adherence to adjuvant imatinib therapy (all P <0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that female (OR=1.264, P =0.009), non-retirement (OR=1.454, P =0.001), monthly income ≤4000 yuan (OR=1.280, P =0.036), township residents (OR=1.332, P =0.005), unmarried or divorced or widowed (OR=1.362, P =0.026), the duration of imatinib medication >36 months (OR=1.478, P <0.001) and adverse reactions (OR=1.719, P =0.048) were independent risk factors for poor adherence to adjuvant imatinib. Among patients undergoing complete resection, 324 (19.7%) had poor adherence, 836 (50.9%) had moderate adherence, and 482 (29.4%) had good adherence. Meanwhile, 55 patients with good adherence (11.4%) developed recurrence after surgery, 121 patients with moderate adherence (14.5%) developed recurrence, 61 patients with poor adherence (18.8%) developed recurrence, and the difference was statistically significant ( P =0.017). Conclusions: The adherence to adjuvant therapy with imatinib in Chinese GIST patients is relatively poor. Females, non-retirement, monthly income ≤4000 yuan, township residents, unmarried or divorced or widowed, the duration of imatinib medication >36 months, and adverse reactions are independently associated with poor adherence of GIST patients. Those with poor adherence have a higher risk of recurrence after surgery. Positive interventions based on the above risk factors are advocated to improve the prognosis of patients with GIST.

Objective: To explore the proportion of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in primary aldosteronism (PA) in Chinese population and compare the clinical characteristics between PA patients with OSA and those without. Methods: A total of 96 patients diagnosed with PA from September 2015 to November 2018 were recruited in this study. OSA was screened by cardio-respiratory polygraphy. According to the apnea hypopnea index (AHI), the patients were divided into PA with OSA group (AHI ≥5 times) and PA without OSA group (AHI<5 times). Results: Among all patients (96), 69 (71.9%) were with OSA, among them 22 patients (22.9%) were with mild OSA, 17 patients (17.7%) were with moderate OSA and 30 patients (31.3%) were with severe OSA. Compared with the patients without OSA, the patients with OSA were elder, and had higher levels of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), creatinine (CR) and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) ( P <0.05), but lower concentrations of plasma aldosterone (PAC), supine aldosterone renin concentration ratio(ARR) and the PAC after the diagnosis test ( P <0.05). Spearman correlation analyses showed that BMI, WC, HC, CR and HbA1c were positively correlated with AHI ( P <0.05), while high-density lipoproteincholesterol (HDL-C), supine-PAC and saline infusion test(SIT)-post PAC were negatively correlated with AHI ( P <0.05). Conclusions: The proportion of OSA in PA patients is relatively high (71.9%). Metabolic abnormalities are more common in PA patients with OSA, indicating that screening for OSA should be carried out routinely in PA patients.

Background and Purpose: Nowadays the mechanism of homosexuality is little known. Few studies have been carried out to explore the brain functional changes of homosexual men during sexual arousal. We used functional MR imaging (fMRI) to determine whether the patterns of brain activation in homosexual and heterosexual men differed during visually evoked sexual arousal., Materials and Methods: To all the subjects (10 homosexual and 10 heterosexual), real-time visual stimulation was provided by 3-minute exposure to 3 types of erotic film: heterosexual couples (F-M), male homosexual couples (M-M), and female homosexual couples (F-F) engaged in sexual activity, during which time fMRI was used to determine the patterns of brain activation. Self-reports of level of sexual arousal were collected immediately afterward., Results: Statistical parametric mapping showed that viewing erotic film excerpts that induced sexual arousal was associated, in both groups, with activation of the middle prefrontal gyrus, bilateral temporal lobe and postcentral gyrus, thalamus, insula, vermis, left precuneus, occipital cortex, parietal cortex, and cerebellum. In homosexual men, the left angular gyrus, left caudate nucleus, and right pallidum were activated; in contrast, heterosexual men showed no activation in these regions. However, heterosexual men showed activation in the bilateral lingual gyrus, right hippocampus, and right parahippocampal gyrus, areas not activated in homosexual men. In both groups, region-of-interest analysis revealed no correlation between the magnitude of amygdala or thalamus activation and the reported level of sexual arousal., Conclusion: Our findings indicate that different neural circuits are active during sexual arousal in homosexual and heterosexual men and may contribute to a better understanding of the neural basis of male sexual orientation.

Aim: To study the electrochemical behavior of ofloxacin at Pt/GC ion implantation modified electrode., Methods: With Pt/GC ion implantation modified electrode as working electrode, the behavior of ofloxacin was studied by voltammetry in 0.40 mol.L-1 KCl solution., Results: A sensitive reductive peak of ofloxacin was obtained by linear sweep voltammetry. The peak potential was -1.35 V (vs SCE). The peak current was proportional to the concentration of ofloxacin over the range of 1.0 x 10(-6)-3.0 x 10(-5) mol.L-1 with the detection limit of 5.0 x 10(-7) mol.L-1. The behavior of reduction wave was studied and applied to determination of ofloxacin in tablets., Conclusion: The reduction process was irreversible. The element composition, atomicity form and depth of distribution at the surface of Pt/GC electrode were determined by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The catalysis behavior and reaction mechanism at Pt/GC modified electrode was also studied.

Objective: To gain a clear idea on the resources of medicinal plant Hypericum in Guizhou., Method: Conducting field investigation and consulting related specimens and data., Result: The distribution, growing environment and medicinal parts of 18 species of Hypericun have been clarified, and a key for their identification is given., Conclusion: A scientific basis for further study of the medicinal plant Hypericum in Guizhou Province has been provided.

In 0.1 mol.L-1 H2SO4 solution, a well-defined reduction wave of barbaloin was obtained by single-sweep osciflopolarography. The peak potential was shown to be -0.75 V (vs SCE). The peak current is proportional to the concentration of barbaloin over the range of 2.0 x 10(-7)-6.0 x 10(-6) mol.L-1. The detection limit is 2.0 x 10(-7) mol.L-1. The voltammetric behaviour of the system was studied by linear sweep and cyclic voltammetry. The adsorption coefficient beta was 1.91 x 10(5). The interaction factor alpha was 1.12. The system is a reversible adsorption wave.