The influence of humic acid on the toxicity of nano‐ZnO and Zn2+ to the Anabaena sp.

This study explored the effects of humic acid (HA) on the toxicity of ZnO nanoparticles (nano‐ZnO) and Zn²⁺ to Anabaena sp. Typical chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, including effective quantum yield, photosynthetic efficiency and maximal electron transport rate, were measured by a pulse‐amplitude modulated fluorometer. Results showed that nano‐ZnO and Zn²⁺ could inhibit Anabaena sp. growth with the EC₅₀ (concentration for 50% of maximal effect) of 0.74 ± 0.01 and 0.3 ± 0.01 mg/L, respectively. In the presence of 3.0 mg/L of HA, EC₅₀ of nano‐ZnO increased to 1.15 ± 0.04 mg/L and EC₅₀ of Zn²⁺ was still 0.3 ± 0.01 mg/L. Scanning electron microscopy observation revealed that HA prevented the adhesion of nano‐ZnO on the algae cells due to the increased electrostatic repulsion. The generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species and cellular lipid peroxidation were significantly limited by HA. Nano‐ZnO had more damage to the cell membrane than Zn²⁺ did, which could be proven by the malondialdehyde content in Anabaena sp. cells. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 30: 895–903, 2015.     

The application of the Chinese version of the Body Image Disturbance Questionnaire in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

This study aimed to translate the Body Image Disturbance Questionnaire (BIDQ) into Chinese and evaluate its reliability and validity in a sample of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Following the translation and revision of the Chinese version of the BIDQ, 169 patients with SLE were chosen as respondents to test the questionnaire''s reliability and validity. We tested the content''s validity through expert group evaluation. It is structural validity was examined through exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, and reliability was evaluated using Cronbach''s α and test-retest reliability.The Chinese version of the BIDQ showed a content validity of .92. A two-factor structure was revealed by exploratory factor analysis, which explained 67.83% of the variance and proved by confirmatory factor analysis. Its overall Cronbach''s α was .82 (P < .001), and the Cronbach''s α for each item ranged from .76 to .83. The test-retest reliability was .82, with the Cronbach''s α for each item ranging from .76 to .84.Thus, adequate reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the BIDQ were demonstrated for use in patients with SLE.     

Carbon dioxide: the cause of devastating stroke without hemodynamic compromise during laparoscopic nephrectomy with injury of the inferior vena cava: A case report

Rationale:Carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum in laparoscopic surgery can bring about occult perioperative cerebral infarction, advancing our understanding of the causes of severe postoperative delayed recovery.Patient concerns:Here, we report the case of a 35-year-old woman who underwent a right renal tumor resection in our institution, during which a raised pneumoperitoneum pressure (from 15 to 20 mm Hg) was adopted by the surgeon to prevent errhysis and to help stop the bleeding. Despite an accidental minor tearing of the inferior vena cava, vital signs remained stable throughout the procedure, and no obvious abnormality was observed in either end tidal carbon dioxide values or blood gas analysis. However, the patient unexpectedly suffered delayed recovery after the operation, presenting incomplete left hemiplegia and a positive Babinski sign.Diagnoses:Perioperative stroke was diagnosed by anesthesiologists, after excluding the effects of anesthesia. Cerebral hemorrhage was excluded, as no obvious abnormality was found in the density of brain parenchyma in the emergency computed tomography examination, and a digital subtraction angiography showed no abnormal thrombosis. Further magnetic resonance diagnosis led us to consider diffuse gas embolisms to be the cause of this acute stroke; a right echocardiography revealed that a patent foramen ovale (PFO) may account for the global cerebral gas embolisms.Interventions:The patient received neuroprotective drugs (Vinpocetine, Edaravone, and Xingnaojing, which are commonly used as a standard of care in China), antiplatelets and other symptomatic treatments, plus dexamethasone to relieve edema. A contrast-enhanced echocardiography of the right heart was performed, the results of which were consistent with the sonography of a PFO.Outcomes:The patient was hospitalized for 14 days and eventually discharged after recovery. At the latest follow-up in August 2019, the patient recovered without residual neurological sequelae.Lessons:Our results emphasize the need for vigilance regarding adverse cardiovascular and neurological events caused by carbon dioxide gas embolisms when encountering the inadvertent situation of vessels rupturing. Timely monitoring of paradoxical gas embolism by transoesophageal echocardiography is necessary and can avert the risk of severe complications. Urgent consideration should be given to stopping pneumoperitoneum and switching to laparotomy for hemostasis so that the patient can obtain the best benefit–risk ratio.     

Comparison between acupuncture and antidepressant therapy for the treatment of poststroke depression: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:In this paper, a systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to compare the efficacies of acupuncture and antidepressant therapy for the treatment of poststroke depression (PSD).Methods:The research team searched RCTs published on PubMed; Medline; Cochrane library; Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI); Wanfang; Embase; Scopus, and Sinomed from their respective establishments to January 2019. We evaluated the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) scores, Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS) scores, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores, and total clinical efficacy using fixed effects models.Results:Fourteen RCTs, representing a total of 1124 patients, were studied. Results showed that acupuncture was more effective in improving HAMD scores at 3 weeks after administration (mean difference [MD] = −1.17, 95%CI = −2.18 to −0.16), at 4 weeks (MD = −4.44, 95% CI = −5.64 to −3.23), at 6 weeks (MD = −1.02, 95% CI = −1.68 to −0.36), and at 8 weeks (MD = −4.33, 95% CI = −4.96 to −3.70). Similarly, acupuncture more dramatically decreased NIHSS scores (MD = −2.31, 95% CI = −2.53 to −2.09), and TESS scores (MD = −4.70, 95% CI = −4.93 to −4.48) than conventional Western medicinal therapy. Further, the total clinical efficacy in the acupuncture group was significantly higher than in the antidepressants group (risk ratio [RR] = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.08–1.21).Conclusions:The results of this study suggest that acupuncture not only can reduce the severity of PSD, but also has significant effects on decreasing the appearance of other adverse events.     

Emerging Technologies to Increase Ligand Binding Assay Sensitivity

Ligand binding assays (LBAs) have been the method of choice for protein analyte measurements for more than four decades. Over the years, LBA methods have improved in sensitivity and achieved larger dynamic ranges by using alternative detection systems and new technologies. As a consequence, the landscape and application of immunoassay platforms has changed dramatically. The introduction of bead-based methods, coupled with single molecule detection standardization and the ability to amplify assay signals, has improved the sensitivity of many immunoassays, in some cases by several logs of magnitude. Three promising immunoassay platforms are described in this article: Single Molecule Counting (SMC™) from Singulex Inc, Single Molecule Arrays (Simoa™) from Quanterix Corporation, and Immuno-PCR (Imperacer®) from Chimera Biotec GmbH. These platforms have the potential to significantly improve immunoassay sensitivity and thereby address the bioanalytical needs and challenges faced during biopharmaceutical drug development.KEY WORDS: immunoassays, Immuno-PCR (Chimera Biotec GmbH), ligand binding assay (LBA), sensitivity, Single Molecule Array (Quanterix Corporation), Single Molecule Counting (Singulex Inc)     

Machine learning to identify immune-related biomarkers of rheumatoid arthritis based on WGCNA network

Clinical Rheumatology - This study was designed to identify the potential diagnostic biomarkers of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to explore the potential pathological relevance of immune cell...     

Basal sympathetic predominance in periodic limb movements in sleep with obstructive sleep apnea

Because the impact of periodic limb movements in sleep (PLMS) is controversial, no consensus has been reached on the therapeutic strategy for PLMS in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). To verify the hypothesis that PLMS is related to a negative impact on the cardiovascular system in OSA patients, this study investigated the basal autonomic regulation by heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. Sixty patients with mild‐to‐moderate OSA who underwent polysomnography (PSG) and completed sleep questionnaires were analysed retrospectively and divided into the PLMS group (n = 30) and the non‐PLMS group (n = 30). Epochs without any sleep events or continuous effects were evaluated using HRV analysis. No significant difference was observed in the demographic data, PSG parameters or sleep questionnaires between the PLMS and non‐PLMS groups, except for age. Patients in the PLMS group had significantly lower normalized high frequency (n‐HF), high frequency (HF), square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of difference between adjacent NN intervals (RMSSD) and standard deviation of all normal to normal intervals index (SDNN‐I), but had a higher normalized low frequency (n‐LF) and LF/HF ratio. There was no significant difference in the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Short‐Form 36 and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale between the two groups. After adjustment for confounding variables, PLMS remained an independent predictor of n‐LF (β = 0.0901, P = 0.0081), LF/HF ratio (β = 0.5351, P = 0.0361), RMSSD (β = ?20.1620, P = 0.0455) and n‐HF (β = ?0.0886, P = 0.0134). In conclusion, PLMS is related independently to basal sympathetic predominance and has a potentially negative impact on the cardiovascular system of OSA patients.     

抑郁障碍住院老年患者的躯体症状及治疗后转归的1年随访

目的:探讨抑郁障碍老年患者的急性期躯体症状特征及治疗后转归,分析相关因素,为临床实践中提高对老年患者躯体症状的鉴别和处理提供依据。方法:纳入符合疾病和有关健康问题的国际统计分类第十次修订本(ICD-10)中"抑郁发作、单次或复发性抑郁障碍"诊断标准的住院老年患者(≥60岁)69例,62例完成12个月随访。分别在基线、治疗2周末、治疗4周末及12个月末随访时用汉密顿抑郁量表(HAMD)、汉密顿焦虑量表(HAMA)评估病情,躯体化症状自评量表的躯体化因子(SSS-S)评估躯体症状的严重程度;12个月末随访时增加了简明精神状态检查表(MMSE)评估认知功能和功能大体评定量表(GAF)评估社会功能。结果:本组患者抑郁发作期躯体症状发生率100%,胃肠道症状(91%)、头晕头痛(65%)、心血管症状(58%)等最常见;SSS-S评分在治疗2周末和4周末与基线相比均有明显下降[(13.6±3.2),(12.4±2.8)vs.(17.1±4.8),P0.05]。分层线性模型分析显示SSSS评分改善与HAM A评分改善以及躯体病影响生活程度正向相关;康复期躯体症状残留与焦虑程度正向关联(OR=2.13,P0.05),与抑郁程度、认知功能和社会功能水平无关联。结论:抑郁障碍住院老年患者在急性期存在丰富的躯体症状,有效抗抑郁治疗后躯体症状随着抑郁病情改善而减轻,康复期仍有躯体症状残留。躯体病影响生活的程度和焦虑症状是躯体症状的影响因素。