Clinical effectiveness and safety of preoperative oral carbohydrate loading in patients with diabetes: A systematic review.

Background: The effectiveness and safety of preoperative oral carbohydrate (POC) for people with diabetes remain controversial.

Methods: We systematically reviewed studies comparing POC to fasting or placebo in elective surgery for diabetic adults, focusing on gastric volume, postoperative complications, hospital stay, and glycemic control.

Results: Fourteen studies (n = 1870 patients) were included.

The effect of perineural dexamethasone on nerve injury and recovery of nerve function after surgery: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: While numerous studies have examined the influence of perineural dexamethasone on nerve block duration, its potential impact on postoperative nerve injury has not been adequately addressed.

Objective: This study aims to elucidate the effect of perineural dexamethasone on nerve injury and nerve function recovery after surgery.

Design: A prospective randomized double-blinded trial.

The effect of different nerve block strategies on the quality of post-operative recovery in breast cancer patients: A randomized controlled study.

Objective: To compare the effects of three types of ultrasound-guided nerve blocks on post-operative recovery quality in patients undergoing modified radical mastectomy for unilateral breast cancer.

Methods: In this randomized double-blinded trial (chictr.org.

Precise Molecular Engineering of Type I Photosensitizer with Aggregation-Induced Emission for Image-Guided Photodynamic Eradication of Biofilm.

Biofilm-associated infections exert more severe and harmful attacks on human health since they can accelerate the generation and development of the antibiotic resistance of the embedded bacteria. Anti-biofilm materials and techniques that can eliminate biofilms effectively are in urgent demand. Therefore, we designed a type I photosensitizer (TTTDM) with an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) property and used F-127 to encapsulate the TTTDM into nanoparticles (F-127 AIE NPs).

The Hypolipidemic and Antioxidant Activity of Wheat Germ and Wheat Germ Protein in High-Fat Diet-Induced Rats.

Background: So far, no articles have discussed the hypolipidemic effect of wheat germ protein in in vivo experiments. Objective: In this study, we investigated the effects of wheat germ protein (WGP, 300 mg/kg/day) and wheat germ (WG, 300 mg/kg/day) on cholesterol metabolism, antioxidant activities, and serum and hepatic lipids in rats fed a high-fat diet through gavage. Methodology: We used 4-week-old male Wistar 20 rats in our animal experiment.

Genome-Wide Association Study Reveals the Genetic Basis of Five Quality Traits in Chinese Wheat.

Bread wheat is a highly adaptable food crop grown extensively around the world and its quality genetic improvement has received wide attention. In this study, the genetic loci associated with five quality traits including protein content (PC), gluten content (GC), baking value (BV), grain hardness (HA), and sedimentation value (SV) in a population of 253 Chinese wheat grown in Inner Mongolia were investigated through genome wide association mapping. A total of 103 QTL containing 556 SNPs were significantly related to the five quality traits based on the phenotypic data collected from three environments and BLUP data.

Methane Alleviates Acetaminophen-Induced Liver Injury by Inhibiting Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, and Apoptosis through the Nrf2/HO-1/NQO1 Signaling Pathway.

Acetaminophen- (APAP-) induced hepatic injury is an important clinical challenge. Oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) contribute to the pathogenesis. Methane has potential anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiapoptotic properties.

Diagnostic accuracy of transient elastography (FibroScan) in detection of esophageal varices in patients with cirrhosis: A meta-analysis.

Aim: To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of FibroScan (FS) in detecting esophageal varices (EV) in cirrhotic patients.

Methods: Through a systemic literature search of multiple databases, we reviewed 15 studies using endoscopy as a reference standard, with the data necessary to calculate pooled sensitivity (SEN) and specificity (SPE), positive and negative LR, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and area under receiver operating characteristics (AUROC). The quality of the studies was rated by the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy studies-2 tool.

[An overview of surveillance of avian influenza viruses in wild birds].

Wild birds (mainly Anseriformes and Charadriiformes) are recognized as the natural reservoir of avian influenza viruses (AIVs). The long-term surveillance of AIVs in wild birds has been conducted in North America and Europe since 1970s. More and more surveillance data revealed that all the HA and NA subtypes of AIVs were identified in the wild ducks, shorebirds, and gulls, and the AIVs circulating in wild birds were implicated in the outbreaks of AIVs in poultry and humans.

Investigation of avian influenza infections in wild birds, poultry and humans in Eastern Dongting Lake, China.

We investigated avian influenza infections in wild birds, poultry, and humans at Eastern Dongting Lake, China. We analyzed 6,621 environmental samples, including fresh fecal and water samples, from wild birds and domestic ducks that were collected from the Eastern Dongting Lake area from November 2011 to April 2012. We also conducted two cross-sectional serological studies in November 2011 and April 2012, with 1,050 serum samples collected from people exposed to wild birds and/or domestic ducks.

Monitoring avian influenza A(H7N9) virus through national influenza-like illness surveillance, China.

In China during March 4-April 28, 2013, avian influenza A(H7N9) virus testing was performed on 20,739 specimens from patients with influenza-like illness in 10 provinces with confirmed human cases: 6 (0.03%) were positive, and increased numbers of unsubtypeable influenza-positive specimens were not seen. Careful monitoring and rapid characterization of influenza A(H7N9) and other influenza viruses remain critical.

Characteristics of hospitalized cases with influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 infection during first winter season of post-pandemic in China.

Background: Influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 (2009 H1N1) re-circulated as the predominant virus from January through February 2011 in China. National surveillance of 2009 H1N1 as a notifiable disease was maintained to monitor potential changes in disease severity from the previous season.

Methodology/principal Findings: To describe the characteristics of hospitalized cases with 2009 H1N1 infection and analyze risk factors for severe illness during the 2010-2011winter season in China, we obtained surveillance data from hospitalized cases with 2009 H1N1 infection from November 2010 through May 2011, and reviewed medical records from 701 hospitalized cases.

[Risk factors for influenza A (H1N1)-associated pneumonia on hospitalized people less than 18 years old in China, 2009-2010].

Objective: To describe the epidemiological and clinical features of hospitalized people less than 18 years old with influenza A (H1N1)-associated pneumonia and associated risk factors.

Methods: Through Chinese Reporting System of Influenza A (H1N1), children aged under 18 years who were hospitalized with laboratory confirmed influenza A (H1N1), case report forms and related information on pneumonia were collected between 1 September 2009 and 4 July 2010. Epidemiological and clinical characteristics including demographics, underlying chronic diseases, treatment, complications and clinical outcome etc.

[Epidemiological characteristics on the clustering nature of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in China].

Objective: To study the epidemiological characteristics on the clustering nature of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in China.

Methods: Time and place distribution of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 on the nature of clustering through data from Public Health Emergency Management Information System were described.

Results: As of August 10, 2010, 2773 pandemic (H1N1) 2009 clusters, a total of 77 363 cases (including 20 deaths) were reported in the mainland of China.

Neferine inhibits cultured hepatic stellate cell activation and facilitates apoptosis: A possible molecular mechanism.

Neferine is a major alkaloid component of "Lian Zi Xin", embryos of the seeds of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertner, Nymphaeaceae. Previous studies have shown that neferine has an inhibitory effect on pulmonary fibrosis through its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activities and inhibition of cytokines and NF-κB. However, it is unknown whether neferine also has an inhibitory effect on liver fibrosis through inhibition of TGF-β1 and collagen I and facilitation of apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells.

Role of the lateral hypothalamus in modulating responses of parabrachial gustatory neurons in the rat.

The lateral hypothalamus (LH) receives projections from the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) gustatory neurons and sends efferent projections to the PBN. To examine if the LH is involved in modulating activity of gustatory neurons in the PBN, we examined the effects of electrical stimulation and electrolytic lesions of the LH on the response of PBN gustatory neurons, using extracellular recording techniques. Among 45 PBN taste neurons recorded, 60% were affected by LH stimulation and 73% were affected by LH lesions.

Intragastric administration of evodiamine suppresses NPY and AgRP gene expression in the hypothalamus and decreases food intake in rats.

Evodiamine (Evo), an alkaloidal component extracted from the fruit of Evodiae fructus (Evodia rutaecarpa Bentham, Rutaceae), decreases the body weight of rats through a poorly defined mechanism. The hypothalamus is one of the areas in the brain linked to the control of food intake and energy expenditure. We postulate that Evo mediates this activity by modulating feeding-related peptides in the hypothalamus.

[Effects of heroin exposure on the expression of caspase 3 in prefrontal lobe cortex, hippocampus and nucleus accumbens].

Aim: To investigate the expression of caspase 3 in the brain regions related to addiction, learning and memory in mice prenatally exposed to heroin and to ascertain whether postnatal apoptotic mechanism participates in neurobehavioral teratogenicity induced by maternal heroin abuse.

Methods: A mouse model was established by administration of diacetylmorphine (heroin, purity 98.5%, product ID No.

Inhibitory responses of parabrachial neurons evoked by taste stimuli in rat.

In the present study, the responses of inhibitory gustatory neurons in the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) to four basic taste stimuli NaCl, HCl, quinine HCl (QHCl) and sucrose were examined using single-unit recording technique in anesthetized rats. A total of 18 inhibitory taste neurons in the PBN were obtained. Spontaneous firing rates of these inhibitory neurons were 0.