Insomnia and intestinal microbiota: a narrative review.

Purpose: The intestinal microbiota and insomnia interact through the microbiota-gut-brain axis. The purpose of this review is to summarize and analyze the changes of intestinal microbiota in insomnia, the interaction mechanisms between intestinal microbiota and insomnia and the treatment methods based on the role of microbiota regulation in insomnia, in order to reveal the feasibility of artificial intervention of intestinal microbiota to improve insomnia.

Methods: Pubmed/ Embase were searched through March 2024 to explore the relevant studies, which included the gut microbiota characteristics of insomnia patients, the mechanisms of interaction between insomnia and gut microbiota, and the relationship between gut microbiota and insomnia treatment.

A retrospective analysis of 1600 infertility patients with azoospermia and severe oligozoospermia.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the genetic etiology of male infertility patients.

Method: A total of 1600 male patients with infertility, including 1300 cases of azoospermia and 300 cases of severe oligozoospermia, underwent routine semen analysis, chromosomal karyotype analysis and sex hormone level testing. The Azoospermia factor (AZF) on the Y chromosome was detected using the multiple fluorescence quantitative PCR technique.

Inhibition of astroglial hemichannels ameliorates infrasonic noise induced short-term learning and memory impairment.

As a kind of environmental noise, infrasonic noise has negative effects on various human organs. To date, research has shown that infrasound impairs cognitive function, especially the ability for learning and memory. Previously, we demonstrated that impaired learning and memory induced by infrasound was closely related with glia activation; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

The effects of COVID-19 infection on working memory: a systematic review.

Background: Studies demonstrate that people who have been infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19, have experienced cognitive dysfunction, including working memory impairment, executive dysfunction, and decreased concentration. This review aimed to explore the incidence of working memory impairment and possible concomitant symptoms in the acute phase (< 3 months) and chronic phase (> 6 months) of COVID-19.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the following databases for inception: MEDLINE Pub Med, Cochrane EMBASE, and Web of Science electronic databases.

The risk factors involved in airway mucus plug in children with ADV Pneumonia.

Background: The risk factors for mucus plug in children with adenovirus (ADV) pneumonia.

Methods And Materials: A retrospective analysis was conducted of children diagnosed ADV pneumonia and underwent fiberoptic bronchoscopy admitted to the Xiamen Children's Hospital from September 2018 to September 2021.The patients were divided into a mucus plug group (39 cases) and a non-mucus plug group (53 cases).

Association between MTHFR c.677C>T variant and erectile dysfunction among males attending fertility clinic.

Genetic risk factors have been shown to contribute to the development of sexual dysfunction. However, the role of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase ( MTHFR ) gene variants in the risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) remains unclear. In this study, we recruited 1254 participants who underwent ED assessed by the International Index of Erectile Function-5.

Time-trend analysis of tuberculosis diagnosis in Shenzhen, China between 2011 and 2020.

Objective: To describe the trend of tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis in the migrant city Shenzhen, China, and analyze the risk factors of diagnosis delays.

Methods: Demographic and clinical information of TB patients from 2011 to 2020 in Shenzhen were extracted. A bundle of measures to enhance TB diagnosis had been implemented since late 2017.

Molecular Spectrum of α- and β-Thalassemia among Young Individuals of Marriageable Age in Guangdong Province, China.

Thalassemia is a group of genetically heterogeneous diseases characterized by hemolytic anemia. To investigate molecular characteristics of α- and β-thalassemia among young individuals of marriageable age in Guangdong Province, 24,788 subjects with suspected thalassemia were genetically tested for α- and β-thalassemia by Gap-PCR and reverse dot blot during 2018-2019. For suspected rare thalassemia cases, DNA sequencing was performed to identify rare and unknown thalassemia gene mutations.

Effectiveness of Using Mean Corpuscular Volume and Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin for Beta-thalassemia Carrier Screening in the Guangdong Population of China.

Beta (β)-thalassemia is one of the most common hemoglobinopathies worldwide, creating major public health problems and social burdens in many regions. Screening for β-thalassemia carriers is crucial for controlling this condition. To investigate the effectiveness of mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) for screening β-thalassemia, retrospective data were analyzed for 6,779 β-thalassemia carriers subjected to genetic testing following thalassemia screening in Guangdong province between January 2018 and December 2019.

Quality of and Recommendations for Relevant Clinical Practice Guidelines for COVID-19 Management: A Systematic Review and Critical Appraisal.

The morbidity and mortality of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are still increasing. This study aimed to assess the quality of relevant COVID-19 clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and to compare the similarities and differences between recommendations. A comprehensive search was conducted using electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science) and representative guidelines repositories from December 1, 2019, to August 11, 2020 (updated to April 5, 2021), to obtain eligible CPGs.

Plastic bronchitis associated with adenovirus serotype 7 in children.

Background: Plastic bronchitis is an uncommon but severe respiratory disease characterized by formation of casts in tracheobronchial tree. It can lead to airway obstruction and even respiratory failure.

Case Presentation: Plastic bronchitis is mostly seen in both post-cardiac surgery patients, especially Fontan procedure, and infections including those caused by influenza viruses, Mycoplasma pneumoniae or tuberculosis.

Differential gene expression profile analysis in corticosterone-treated PC12 cells.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a highly prevalent psychiatric disorder that has been ranked as the 4th leading cause of disability worldwide. Past clinical and laboratory evidence has confirmed that abnormalities of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis are involved in MDD development. In this study, we took advantage of corticosterone treatment of PC12 cells as a model to identify genes regulated by HPA-axis hormones.

[Rapid Determination of Dodecylmorpholine in Aqueous Solutions with UV-Vis Spectrophotometry].

A rapid UV-Vis spectrophotometric method was proposed to determine the concentration of DMP in aqueous solutions. The linear concentration range of DMP solution at the range of 250～400 nm is 0.5～70 mmol·L(-1).

[Body mass, energy budget and leptin of mice under stochastic food restriction and refeeding].

Periods of restricted food intake that lead to lower body weight are often followed by rapid regaining of the lost weight after ad libitum refeeding, an event generally known as the "compensatory growth". To explore the physiological mechanisms underlying "compensatory growth", we evaluated a series of energetic parameters (energy intake, energy expenditure, body composition and serum leptin levels) of adult KM mice subjected to three cycles of stochastic food restriction following by ad libitum refeeding (SFR-Re). The results indicated that animals lost their body mass after stochastic food restriction and then regained to the control level after refeeding.

[Chromosome abnormalities and Y chromosome microdeletions in patients with the azoospermia and cryptozoospermia].

Objective: To study the incidence of the chromosome abnormalities and Y chromosome microdeletions in Chinese patients with azoospermia and cryptozoospermia.

Methods: Conventional chromosomal karyotyping was used to analyze the chromosome abnormalities. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples and multiplex polymerase chain reactions (PCR) analyses were performed using specific primers to confirm the presence or absence of Y chromosome microdeletions.

Attenuation of myocardial apoptosis by alpha-lipoic acid through suppression of mitochondrial oxidative stress to reduce diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Background: Cardiac failure is a leading cause of the mortality of diabetic patients. In part this is due to a specific cardiomyopathy, referred to as diabetic cardiomyopathy. Oxidative stress is widely considered to be one of the major factors underlying the pathogenesis of the disease.

Mitochondrial gene mutations and type 2 diabetes in Chinese families.

Background: Numerous mitochondrial DNA mutations are significantly correlated with development of diabetes. This study investigated mitochondrial gene, point mutations in patients with type 2 diabetes and their families.

Methods: Unrelated patients with type 2 diabetes (n = 826) were randomly recruited; unrelated and nondiabetic subjects (n = 637) served as controls.

[High D-glucose alters PI3K and Akt signaling and leads to endothelial cell migration, proliferation and angiogenesis dysfunction].

Objective: To investigate the effects of high D-glucose on migration, proliferation, and angiogenesis of endothelial cells and to make sure whether PI3K and Akt signaling pathway plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic vascular complications.

Methods: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured. D-glucose of the concentrations of 5 mmol/L, 15 mmol/L, and 30 mmol/L and mannitol of the concentrations of 5 mmol/L, 15 mmol/L, and 30 mmol/L were added in to the medium, the migration rate of the cells was measured by wound healing test and the cell proliferation was examined with CellTiter 96 AQ(ueous) One Solution cell proliferation assay.

[Study on the mitochondrial DNA mutations in patients with early-onset diabetes mellitus].

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations in patients with early-onset diabetes in Tianjin, and to explore the relationship between mtDNA mutations and diabetes.

Methods: 348 non-related patients whose age at onset of diabetes was less than 45 years were randomly recruited, and 207 non-related and non-diabetic subjects were enrolled as controls. All their clinical and biochemical data were collected.

HIV-1 Tat-mediated protein transduction of Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase into pancreatic beta cells in vitro and in vivo.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are considered an important mediator in pancreatic beta cell destruction, thereby triggering the development of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. In the present study, we investigated the HIV-1 Tat protein transduction domain-mediated transduction of Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD), which supplies SOD activity exogenously in pancreatic beta cells under oxidative stress. Tat-SOD fusion protein was successfully delivered into insulin-producing RINm5F cells and rat islet cells.

Dexamethasone-induced differentiation of pancreatic AR42J cell involves p21(waf1/cip1) and MAP kinase pathway.

Dexamethasone converts pluripotent pancreatic AR42J cells into exocrine cells expressing digestive enzymes. In order to address molecular mechanism of this differentiation, we have investigated the role of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway and gene expressions of p21(waf1/cip1) and nuclear oncogenes (c-fos and c-myc) during AR42J cell differentiation. Dexamethasone markedly increased the intracellular and secreted amylase contents as well as its mRNA level.