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To explore the impact of the fishing moratorium on fish stocks, some parameters and environmental factors were monitored downstream of Gezhouba Dam in April, June and August of 2013. Fish density and target length were get using hydro-acoustics (DIDSON). The results indicated that the fish density distributions in April, June and August were significantly different. The fish density decreased with time but kept a level that was close and steady in April and June. The average fish density of April was significantly greater than that in August (P

To identify a new regimen to optimize treatment for patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2DM) by short-term continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) alone. Methods. 60 patients with newly diagnosed T2DM were randomized into two groups (n=30 each) and treated for 2 weeks with CSII alone (CSII group) or with CSII plus sitagliptin (CSII + Sig group). The glycemic variability of the patients was measured using a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) for the last 72 hours. A standard meal test was performed before and after the interventions, and the levels of glycated albumin, fasting glucose, fasting C-peptide, postprandial 2 h blood glucose, and postprandial 2 h C-peptide were examined. Results. Compared with the CSII group, the indicators of glycemic variability, such as the mean amplitude of glycemic excursion (MAGE) and the standard deviation of blood glucose (SDBG), were decreased significantly in the CSII + Sig group. The changes before and after treatment in the C-peptide reactivity index (ΔCPI) and the secretory unit of islet in transplantation index (ΔSUIT) indicated a significant improvement in the CSII + Sig group. Conclusions. Add-on therapy with sitagliptin may be an optimized treatment for patients with newly diagnosed T2DM compared with short-term CSII alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the role of CD4⁺ CD25⁺ Foxp3⁺ Treg/CD4⁺ IL-17A(+)Th17 cells and the related cytokines in Graves' ophthalmopathy., Methods: Based on clinical activity scores (CAS), we divided patients with untreated Graves' ophthal- mopathy into active group (AGO group with CAS ≥ 3 (15 cases) and non-active group (NGO group) with CAS<3 (15 cases), with another 15 patients with untreated Graves' disease free of eye symptoms (GD group) and 15 normal subjects as controls. Peripheral venous blood Treg/Th17 cell ratio was determined using flow cytometry. RT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of Treg-specific transcription factor Foxp3 and Th17-specific transcription factor RORγt. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the serum levels of Th17 cell-related cytokines (IL-17A, IL-23, and IL-6) and Treg-related cytokines (TGF-β, IL-10, and IL-35)., Results: Compared with the normal subjects, the patients in GD, NGO, AGO groups all showed significantly increased Th17 cell count (P<0.05), which was the highest in AGO group. RT-PCR results revealed significantly increased RORγt in GD, NGO, and AGO groups, also the highest in AGO group. Serum IL-17A, IL-23, and IL-6 levels all showed significant increments in GD, NGO, and AGO groups (P<0.05), especially in AGO group. Among the Treg-related cytokines, TGF-β and IL-35 levels decreased (P<0.05) but IL-10 increased significantly (P<0.05) in GD, NGO, AGO groups., Conclusion: Decreased immunosuppressive capacity of Treg cells can be an important factor in the pathogenesis of Graves' ophthalmopathy. Th17 cells may also participate in the occurrence and progression of Graves' ophthalmopathy and can serve along with related cytokines as novel indicators of the disease activity. Impaired Treg/Th17 balance may importantly contribute to the occurrence of Graves' ophthalmopathy.