Prediction of complications associated with general surgery using a Bayesian network.

Background: Numerous attempts have been made to identify risk factors for surgery complications, but few studies have identified accurate methods of predicting complex outcomes involving multiple complications.

Methods: We performed a prospective cohort study of general surgical inpatients who attended 4 regionally representative hospitals in China from January to June 2015 and January to June 2016. The risk factors were identified using logistic regression.

Retinal microvasculature is a potential biomarker for acute mountain sickness.

Increased cerebral blood flow resulting from altered capillary level autoregulation at high altitudes leads to capillary overperfusion and then vasogenic cerebral edema, which is the leading hypothesis of acute mountain sickness (AMS). However, studies on cerebral blood flow in AMS have been mostly restricted to gross cerebrovascular endpoints as opposed to the microvasculature. This study aimed to investigate ocular microcirculation alterations, the only visualized capillaries in the central neural system (CNS), during early-stage AMS using a hypobaric chamber.

Associations of Monocytes and the Monocyte/High-Density Lipoprotein Ratio With Extracranial and Intracranial Atherosclerotic Stenosis.

Although the monocyte/high-density lipoprotein ratio (MHR) has been shown to be a potential marker of inflammatory of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, there are few studies on its relationships with the degree of intracranial and extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis and the stenosis distribution. In total, 271 patients were admitted for digital subtraction angiography (DSA) examination and were classified into a non-stenosis group and a stenosis group. (1) The two groups were compared and the arteries were categorized according to the degree of intracranial or extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (if ≥two branches were stenotic, the artery with the most severe stenosis was used).

Compared with the monocyte to high-density lipoprotein ratio (MHR) and the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), the neutrophil to high-density lipoprotein ratio (NHR) is more valuable for assessing the inflammatory process in Parkinson's disease.

Background: The inflammatory response plays essential roles in the pathological process and prognosis of Parkinson's disease (PD). This research investigated the predictive value of the neutrophil to high-density lipoprotein ratio (NHR), neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and monocyte to high-density lipoprotein ratio (MHR) for PD.

Methods: Patients with PD (n = 98) were divided into three groups according to disease duration: < 6 years (n = 55), 6-10 years (n = 29) and > 10 years (n = 14).

Developing a toolbox for identifying when to engage senior surgeons in emergency general surgery: A multicenter cohort study.

Background: Having a senior surgeon present for high-risk patients is an important safety measure in emergency surgery, but 24-h consultant cover is not efficient. We aimed to develop a user-friendly toolbox (risk identification, outcome prediction and patient stratification) to support when to involve a senior surgeon.

Materials And Methods: We included 11,901 general surgery patients (10.

The effect of traditional Tibetan guozhuang dance on vascular health in elderly individuals living at high altitudes.

To evaluate the effect of dance on vascular-related factors and cerebral hemodynamics in elderly individuals in Qinghai-Tibetan plateau regions (mean altitude ≥2,300 m). Thirty elderly individuals, who practiced traditional Tibetan Guozhuang dance or did not, were enrolled, respectively. Serum PGC-1α, HCY, FSTL-1, VEGF and HIF-1α were measured by ELISA assays.

Hypoxic preconditioning ameliorated neuronal injury after middle cerebral artery occlusion by promoting neurogenesis.

Objectives: Sequelae of stroke were mainly caused by neuronal injury. Oxygen is a key factor affecting the microenvironment of neural stem cells (NSCs), and oxygen levels are used to promote NSC neurogenesis. In this study, effects of intermittent hypoxic preconditioning (HPC) on neurogenesis were investigated in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO).

Targeted Sequencing of Genomic Repeat Regions Detects Circulating Cell-free Echinococcus DNA.

Background: Echinococcosis is a chronic zoonosis caused by tapeworms of the genus Echinococcus. Treatment of the disease is often expensive and complicated, sometimes requiring extensive surgery. Ultrasonographic imaging is currently the main technique for diagnosis, while immunological analysis provides additional information.

Intraocular Pressure Changes of Healthy Lowlanders at Different Altitude Levels: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

High altitude, characterized by hypobaric hypoxia, low temperature, and intensive ultraviolet radiation, is identifiably one of the examples of scientific enquiry into aviation and space analogs. However, little is known about the ocular physiological response, especially intraocular pressure (IOP) changes at high altitude. This study aimed to systematically review of high altitude exposure on IOP for healthy lowlanders with unoperated eyes.

Longitudinal observation of intraocular pressure variations with acute altitude changes.

Background: Higher intraocular pressure (IOP) is a major risk factor for developing glaucoma, and the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. High altitude (HA) may be involved in IOP, but the reported results were conflicting. Ascent to HA directly by plane from low altitude regions is an acute, effortless exposure.

Hypoxic preconditioning relieved ischemic cerebral injury by promoting immunomodulation and microglia polarization after middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats.

Objectives: This study was designed to investigate whether immunomodulation and Microglia polarization is involved in the anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effect induced by hypoxic preconditioning (HPC) in the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) brain injury model.

Methods: Longa method, (neurological disability status scale) NDSS method and TTC staining were used to evaluate the degree of cerebral infarction injury under different treatments (Sham, HPC, MCAO and co-treatment with HPC and MCAO). Western blot was used to detect expression profiles of apoptosis and related factors of neurological function.

Key Issues in the Development of an Evidence-Based Stratified Surgical Patient Safety Improvement Information System: Experience From a Multicenter Surgical Safety Program.

Surgery is still far from being completely safe and reliable. Surgical safety has, therefore, been the focus of considerable attention over the last few decades, and there are a growing number of national drives to improve it. There are also a number of large surgical complication reporting systems and system-based interventions, both of which have made remarkable progress in the past two decades.

Effect of a risk-stratified intervention strategy on surgical complications: experience from a multicentre prospective study in China.

Objectives: To develop a risk-stratified intervention strategy and evaluate its effect on reducing surgical complications.

Design: A multicentre prospective study with preintervention and postintervention stages: period I (January to June 2015) to develop the intervention strategy and period II (January to June 2016) to evaluate its effectiveness.

Setting: Four academic/teaching hospitals representing major Chinese administrative and economic regions.

Epidemiology of Dementia in Elderly Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients Living in China's Northwestern High-Elevation Area.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of oxygen and cholinesterase inhibitor (donepezil) therapy on dementia in patients with age-exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in China's northwestern high-altitude area. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 145 patients with acute exacerbation of COPD admitted to the Gerontology Department of the First People's Hospital of Xining City were initially retrospectively screened. From among these 145 patients, we selected 33 cases with dementia and 33 patients without dementia through use of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog), and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Scale evaluated before, 7 days after, and at the end of the treatment after 3 months.

Value of using the international classification of functioning, disability, and health for stroke rehabilitation assessment: A multicenter clinical study.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) in stroke rehabilitation assessment in China and to identify correlations between the ICF and several commonly used clinical assessment instruments for stroke.In total, 52 hospitals and 5 premier rehabilitation and neurology research centers participated in this cross-sectional multicenter clinical study. A total of 2822 stroke patients admitted to a neurology or rehabilitation department of a participating medical center between July 2012 and June 2014 were included.

Retinal vessel oxygen saturation and vessel diameter in healthy individuals during high-altitude exposure.

Purpose: To assess changes of retinal vessel oxygen saturation and vessel diameter in healthy individuals during high-altitude exposure.

Methods: Retinal oxygen saturation and vessel diameter were obtained at sea level (SL, 40 m) and high altitude (HA, 3681 m) on 17 healthy individuals from Beijing (six males, 28.06 ± 8.

Brazilian Green Propolis Prevents Cognitive Decline into Mild Cognitive Impairment in Elderly People Living at High Altitude.

Background: Systemic inflammation is known as a risk factor of cognitive decline.

Objective: To investigate the effects of propolis on cognitive decline and systemic inflammation in elderly people living at high altitude.

Methods: Sixty participants (average 72.

The plasma level changes of VEGF and soluble VEGF receptor-1 are associated with high-altitude pulmonary edema.

Hypoxia-induced plasma levels of VEGF and sFlt-1 are responsible for increased vascular permeability occurred in both brain and pulmonary edema. Currently, it remains unclear the exact roles of VEGF and sFlt-1 in High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) pathogenesis. In this study, plasma levels of VEGF and sFlt-1 from 10 HAPE and 10 non-HAPE subjects were measured and compared.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor mediates peripheral nerve injury-induced hypersensitivity by curbing dopaminergic descending inhibition.

Our previous works disclosed the contributing role of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and dopaminergic inhibition by lysine dimethyltransferase G9a/Glp complex in peripheral nerve injury-induced hypersensitivity. We herein propose that the proinflammatory cytokine MIF participates in the regulation of neuropathic hypersensitivity by interacting with and suppressing the descending dopaminergic system. The lumbar spinal cord (L-SC) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) are two major locations with significant upregulation of MIF after chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve, and they display time-dependent changes, along with a behavioral trajectory.

Identification of the Functional Autophagy-Regulatory Domain in HCLS1-Associated Protein X-1 That Resists Against Oxidative Stress.

HCLS1 Associated Protein X-1 (HAX1) promotes cell survival through attenuation of the damaged signals from endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria, which are known as prominent intracellular compartments for the autophagic process under stress conditions. This study investigates whether autophagy can be upregulated in response to HAX1 overexpression and identifies the functional motif in HAX1 responsible for the autophagic induction. Autophagosome accumulation, mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm), and apoptosis were assessed in HEK293 cells post transduction with full-length or truncated HAX1-encoding genes, while empty vector-transduced cells served as control.

Threshold Effect of G9a/Glp on Peripheral Nerve Injury Induced Hypersensitivity.

Background: Previous studies disclosed the pivotal role of methyltransferase complex G9a/Glp in the pathogenesis of neuropathic hypersensitivity induced by peripheral nerve injury. We observed that higher dose of G9a inhibitor improved nociceptive behavior, but the lower dose worsened pain. The aim of this study is to extensively observe the differential effect of various dosages of G9a/Glp inhibitors on nerve injury-induced allodynia.

The Neuroprotective Effects of Brazilian Green Propolis on Neurodegenerative Damage in Human Neuronal SH-SY5Y Cells.

Oxidative stress and synapse dysfunction are the major neurodegenerative damage correlated to cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We have found that Brazilian green propolis (propolis) improves the cognitive functions of mild cognitive impairment patients living at high altitude; however, mechanism underlying the effects of propolis is unknown. In the present study, we investigated the effects of propolis on oxidative stress, expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc), the critical factors of synapse efficacy, using human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells.

Paracrine effect of CXCR4-overexpressing mesenchymal stem cells on ischemic heart injury.

It has been reported that CXCR4-overexpressing mesenchymal stem cells (MSC ) can repair heart tissue post myocardial infarction. This study aims to investigate the MSCCX4-derived paracrine cardio-protective signaling in the presence of myocardial infarction. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were divided into 3 groups: MSC only, MSC , and CXCR4 gene-specific siRNA-transduced MSC.

Cerebral vasoconstriction reactions and plasma levels of ETBR, ET-1, and eNOS in patients with chronic high altitude disease.

The aim of the present study was to examine cerebral vasoconstriction in patients with chronic high altitude disease [cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR)], and to evaluate differences in alterations of brain vascular contractile reactivity of chronic mountain sickness (CMS) patients and healthy controls. Alterations of endothelin (ET) and its receptor, as well as endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) levels in the plasma were examined to determine the cerebral reservation capacities in CMS patients. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound and carbon dioxide analysis methods were used to detect the CVR variances.