Bariatric surgeries and cardiac structure and function: Systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Background: Obesity, a global health problem, is causally implicated in the development of cardiovascular disease. Bariatric surgeries are effective treatment options for obesity; however, the effectiveness of different bariatric surgeries on cardiac structure and function is not fully understood. We undertook a systematic review and network meta-analysis to comprehensively assess this effectiveness.

Application of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in the etiological diagnosis of refractory pneumonia in children.

Objective: Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) was used to analyze the etiological distribution of refractory pneumonia in children. We compared its efficacy in pathogen diagnosis against traditional methods to provide a basis for clinical adjustment and treatment.

Methods: A total of 60 children with refractory pneumonia treated at the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Children's Hospital Affiliated with the Capital Institute of Paediatrics, from September 2019 to December 2021 were enrolled in this study.

Microwave Ablation versus Surgical Resection for US-detected Multifocal T1N0M0 Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: A 10-Center Study.

Background Microwave ablation (MWA) is currently under preliminary investigation for the treatment of multifocal papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and has shown promising treatment efficacy. Compared with surgical resection (SR), MWA is minimally invasive and could preserve thyroid function. However, a comparative analysis between MWA and SR is warranted to draw definitive conclusions.

Coagulation Function and Type 2 Diabetic Kidney Disease: A Real-World Observational Study.

Objectives: Type 2 diabetic kidney disease (DKD), a chronic microvascular complication of diabetes, may exhibit a complex interrelation with coagulation function. This study is aimed at elucidating the association between coagulation function and DKD.

Methods: This was a real-world observational study conducted in Beijing, involving 2,703 participants.

Association between serum complements and kidney function in patients with diabetic kidney disease.

Objective: We aimed to explore the association between serum complements and kidney function of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in Chinese patients.

Methods: This is a retrospective study involving 2,441 participants. DKD was diagnosed according to the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) categories.

Association between anemia-related biomarkers and the adequacy of peritoneal dialysis in Chinese patients with chronic kidney disease.

The study aimed to examine the association of three anemia-related biomarkers with the adequacy of peritoneal dialysis (PD) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study included 127 PD patients. The total Kt/V urea (Kt/V) was calculated according to the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI) guidelines.

[Influencing Factors and Prediction Model of Performance of Needle Visualization in Fine Needle Aspiration of Thyroid Nodules].

Objective To investigate the influencing factors and establish a model predicting the performance of needle visualization in fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of thyroid nodules. Methods This study prospectively included 175 patients who underwent FNA of thyroid nodules in the Department of Ultrasound in China-Japan Friendship Hospital and compared the display of the needle tips in the examination of 199 thyroid nodules before and after the application of needle visualization.We recorded the location,the positional relationship with thyroid capsule,ultrasonic characteristics,and the distribution of the soft tissue strip structure at the puncture site of the nodules with unclear needle tips display before using needle visualization.

Association between thyroid hormones and diabetic kidney disease in Chinese adults.

Objective: We aimed to explore the association between thyroid hormones and different stages of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in Chinese adults.

Methods: This is a retrospective study involving 2,832 participants. DKD was diagnosed and classified according to the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) categories.

[Spatial variability of soil water content in field of Guanzhong Plain, Northwest China].

To clarify the spatial variability of soil water content at field scale, a reasonable sampling method was established to support precision irrigation in the field. Soil samples were collected from Caoxinzhuang experimental area in Yangling District, Shaanxi Province at seven different dates. The spatial variation of soil water content in different soil layers of 0-60 cm were analyzed with classical statistics and geostatistics methods.

Yield and gas exchange of greenhouse tomato at different nitrogen levels under aerated irrigation.

Significant global warming increases over the last century have resulted in recent research focused on practices to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Agricultural management practices, such as nitrogen (N) fertilization and aerated irrigation (AI), have significantly increased crop yields by improving soil water and fertilizer availability, and have been widely adopted in recent years. However, the interactive impact of different growing seasons and management practices in the greenhouse on GHG emissions is unclear.

[Effects of aerated irrigation on CO and NO emission from protected melon soils under different nitrogen application levels].

To reveal the effects of coupling nitrogen (N) application and aerated irrigation on soil CO and NO emission, and their relationship with soil temperature and moisture, an experiment was conducted in greenhouse melon fields by using the method of static chamber/gas chromatography to determine the CO and NO emissions of different nitrogen rates under aerated irrigation. There were two irrigation factors (AI: aerated irrigation; CK: conventional irrigation) and three N levels (N: 0; N: 150 kg·hm, the traditional nitrogen application rate was 2/3; N: 225 kg·hm, traditional nitrogen application rate). The results showed that soil CO and NO emissions in AI treatment were higher than those in CK, but no significant difference was observed between the two irrigation methods.

Association of and Polymorphisms with Risk of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease under genetic control. Growing evidences support the genetic predisposition of HLA-DRB1 gene polymorphisms to SLE, yet the results are not often reproducible. The purpose of this study was to assess the association of two polymorphisms of HLA-DRB1 gene (HLA-DR3 and HLA-DR15) with the risk of SLE via a comprehensive meta-analysis.

Significance of NLDA, the commixed index of inflammation, immune responses, hemostasis, and nutrition, for predicting metastatic non-small cell lung cancer prognosis and metastases.

Purpose: This study aimed to take a comprehensive review of the hematological indexes and discover a novel, comprehensive, and economical index for prognostic prediction.

Results: The predictive prognostic model revealed that an elevated value of NLDA (NLDA = neutrophil count/lymphocyte count × D-dimer count/albumin) was an independent risk factor for one-year adverse prognosis (hazard ratio = 3.038; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.

[Effect of biochar addition on soil evaporation.].

In order to determine the rational amount of biochar application and its effect on soil hydrological processes in arid area, soil column experiments were conducted in the laboratory using three biochar additions (5%, 10% and 15%) and four different biochar types (d<0.25 mm bamboo charcoal, 0.25 mm View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Silencing of osterix expression by siRNA inhibits aldosterone‑induced calcification of vascular smooth muscle cells in mice.

The process of vascular calcification shares numerous similarities with that of skeletal mineralization and involves the deposition of hydroxyapatite crystals in arteries and cardiac valves. However, the underlying cellular mechanism remains to be fully elucidated. Microarray analysis in the present study demonstrated that greater than 2,000 genes were upregulated during the calcification of murine vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), of which osterix (OSX) and integrin‑binding sialoprotein (IBSP) were the most significantly differentially expressed genes.

[Influences of micro-irrigation and subsoiling before planting on enzyme activity in soil rhizosphere and summer maize yield.].

In order to explore the influences of micro-irrigation and subsoiling before planting on enzyme activity in soil rhizosphere and summer maize yield, an orthogonal experiment was carried out with three factors of micro-irrigation method, irrigation depth, and subsoiling depth. The factor of irrigation method included surface drip irrigation, subsurface drip irrigation, and moistube-irrigation; three levels of irrigation depth were obtained by controlling the lower limit of soil water content to 50%, 65%, and 80% of field holding capacity, respectively; and three depths of deep subsoiling were 20, 40, and 60 cm. The results showed that the activities of catalase and urease increased first and then decreased, while the activity of phosphatase followed an opposite trend in the growth season of summer maize.

Apocynin attenuates oxidative stress and cardiac fibrosis in angiotensin II-induced cardiac diastolic dysfunction in mice.

Aim: To investigate whether apocynin, a NADPH oxidase inhibitor, produced cardioproteictive effects in Ang II-induced hypertensive mice, and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: C57BL/6 mice were subcutaneously infused Ang II for 4 weeks to mimic cardiac remodeling and fibrosis. Concomitantly the mice were administered apocynin (100 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1)) or/and the aldosterone receptor blocker eplerenone (200 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1)) via gavage for 4 weeks.

A meta-analysis of apolipoprotein E gene ε2/ε3/ε4 polymorphism for gallbladder stone disease.

Background: Numerous studies have investigated the relationship between apolipoprotein (Apo) E gene polymorphisms and gallbladder stone disease (GSD) across ethnic populations; however, the results are often inconsistent. This meta-analysis aims to comprehensively evaluate the influence of a common ε2/ε3/ε4 polymorphism in Apo E gene on the risk of gallbladder stone disease.

Method: Data were analyzed using the RevMan software (V5.

Reduced serum levels of vasostatin-2, an anti-inflammatory peptide derived from chromogranin A, are associated with the presence and severity of coronary artery disease.

Aims: We here investigated the endothelial effects of the chromogranin A-derived peptide vasostatin-2 and its relation to coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods And Results: We assessed the impact of recombinant vasostatin-1 and vasostatin-2 on tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα)-, angiotensin II-, and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL)-induced expression of adhesion molecules in human arterial endothelial cells. Vasostatin-1 and vasostatin-2 levels were examined in coronary endarterectomy specimens (n= 23), atherosclerotic aortas (n= 16), non-significant-atherosclerotic internal mammary arteries (n= 30), and non-atherosclerotic aortas (n= 10), as well as in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from severe CAD patients (n= 50) and healthy volunteers (n= 21).

[Effects of rhizosphere soil permeability on water and nutrient uptake by maize].

Aimed to better understand the significance of soil microenvironment in crop growth, a pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of rhizosphere soil permeability on the water and nutrient uptake by maize. Under three irrigation levels (600, 400, and 200 ml per pot), three treatments of soil aeration (no tube aeration as the control, tube aeration every two days, and tube aeration every four days) were installed, and the physiological indices of maize were measured. Under the same irrigation levels, soil aeration increased the plant height, leaf area, chlorophyll contents, promoted nutrient adsorption and increased root vitality markedly.

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene polymorphisms associated with susceptibility to high altitude pulmonary edema in Chinese railway construction workers at Qinghai-Tibet over 4 500 meters above sea level.

Objective: To examine whether the polymorphisms of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene are associated with the susceptibility to high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) in Chinese railway construction workers at Qinghai-Tibet where the altitude is over 4 500 m above sea level.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted including 149 HAPE patients in the construction workers and 160 healthy controls randomly recruited from their co-workers, matching the patients in ethnicity, age, sex, lifestyle, and working conditions. Three polymorphisms of eNOS gene, T-786C in promoter, 894G/T in exon 7, and 27bp variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) in intron 4, were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and confirmed with DNA sequencing.

Haplotype-based association of regulator of G-protein signaling 5 gene polymorphisms with essential hypertension and metabolic parameters in Chinese.

Background: A recent genome-wide linkage study mapped blood pressure (BP)-related loci on human chromosome 1q and identified the regulator of G-protein signaling 5 (RGS5) as a candidate for regulation of BP. Thus, we assessed the relationship between RGS5 genetic polymorphisms and essential hypertension (EH) in Chinese.

Methods: A total of 906 patients with EH and 894 age- and gender-matched normotensive (NT) controls were enrolled.

Genetic interaction of Hsp70 family genes polymorphisms with high-altitude pulmonary edema among Chinese railway constructors at altitudes exceeding 4000 meters.

Background: High-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) is thought of as an independent clinical disorder with a constitutional or genetic component in its etiology. We focused on 5 common polymorphisms within HSPA1A (rs1043618 and rs1008438), HSPA1B (rs1061581 and rs539689) and HSPA1L (rs2227956) of Hsp70 family to explore their potential interaction upon susceptibility to HAPE in Chinese.

Methods: A total of 148 HAPE patients and 483 matched controls were recruited during the construction of Qinghai-Tibet railway from 2001 to 2006.

Family-based analysis of apelin and AGTRL1 gene polymorphisms with hypertension in Han Chinese.

Objective: Apelin and AGTRL1 (angiotensin receptor-like 1), elements of a newly identified pathway with a role in counter regulating the renin-angiotensin system, have been implicated in blood pressure regulation. This study aims to assess whether the apelin and AGTRL1 genetic polymorphisms might contribute to essential hypertension or its related phenotypes.

Methods: We recruited 1015 Han Chinese from 248 families with essential hypertension.