Ambient air pollutants, diabetes and risk of newly diagnosed drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Background: Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB), diabetes and exposure to air pollution are thought to be important threat to human health, but no studies have explored the effects of ambient air pollutants on DR-TB when adjusting diabetes status so far.

Methods: We performed a study among 3759 newly diagnosed TB cases with drug-susceptibility testing results, diabetes status, and individual air pollution data in Shandong from 2015 to 2019. Generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) including three models (Model 1: without covariates, Model 2: adjusted by diabetes status only, Model 3: with all covariates) were applied.

Postnatal length and weight growth velocities according to Fenton reference and their associated perinatal factors in healthy late preterm infants during birth to term-corrected age: an observational study.

Background: Optimum early postnatal growth is critical for early and later health of preterm infants. Postnatal length and weight growth velocities and their associated perinatal factors in healthy late preterm infants without restriction of neonatal complications and nutritional problems have not been widely studied.

Methods: As part of ongoing longitudinal follow-up study of growth and development of preterm infants in Shandong Qianfoshan Hospital in China, 599 healthy late preterm infants without neonatal complications and nutritional problems were sampled from 795 preterm infants born in January 2014 to April 2017.

Salvianolic acid B attenuates mitochondrial stress against Aβ toxicity in primary cultured mouse neurons.

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a featured pathology underlying synaptic injury and neuronal stress in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In recent years, the vicious cycle between mitochondrial deficits and intra-neuronal Redox state imbalance has received considerable attention. In this regard, it is of great interest to determine whether antioxidants could alleviate mitochondrial dysfunction in AD-related conditions.

Rs4705342 polymorphism is involved in the tumorigenesis of HBV positive HCC by altering the binding affinity of HBV induced NF-kB with the promoter region of microRNA-143.

The objective of this study was to explore the role of rs4705342 located in the miR-143 promoter in relation to the control of HBV positive HCC and the underlying molecular mechanism. A luciferase assay was performed to explore the factors which influenced miR-143 transcription activity and the target gene of miR-143. This would further be confirmed by ChIP assay.

Wogonoside alleviates inflammation induced by traumatic spinal cord injury by suppressing NF-κB and NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Wogonoside possesses anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergy and anti-tumor properties. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether wogonoside alleviates spinal cord injury (SCI)-induced inflammation via nuclear factor (NF)-κB and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation. Sprague-Dawley rats were positioned in the jaws of a calibrated aneurysm clip with a closing pressure of 55 g.

Advanced bone age as an indicator facilitates the diagnosis of precocious puberty.

Objective: Diagnosis of central precocious puberty has always been challenging in clinical practice. As an important method in the diagnosis of central precocious puberty, luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone stimulation test is complex and time-consuming. In many cases, clinical traits are inconsistent with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone stimulation test results, therefore not reliable for diagnosis.

Association between metabolic syndrome and chronic kidney disease in a Chinese urban population.

Background: Few studies have examined the relationships between the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the metabolic risk factors in a developing country such as China, where genetic and environmental backgrounds differ from those in Western countries.

Methods: The subjects of this cross-sectional study were the individuals from 18 to 92y. The metabolic syndrome (MetS) was defined based on the criteria of Adult Treatment Panel Third Report (ATP III), but using body mass index (BMI) instead of waist circumference.

Protective effect of extract in rats with adjuvant arthritis.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of extract on rats with adjuvant arthritis (AA) and to determine the underlying mechanism. An AA model was established by injecting Freund's complete adjuvant into the rats. The degree of toe swelling, arthritis index, spleen index, and the expression levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 were measured.

[Efficacy of oxaliplatin plus 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin calcium combined with concurrent radiotherapy for local advanced gastric cancer].

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of r oxaliplatin plus 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin calcium (LV) combined with concurrent radiotherapy in the treatment of local advanced gastric cancer.

Methods: 83 patients with local advanced gastric cancer were randomized into 2 groups. Group I (n = 40) underwent irradiation at the dose of 40 - 45 Gy 5 times a week on the primary tumor and the lymph nodes with the size > or = 10 mm in short axis, and receiving intravenous drip of OXA 85 mg/m2 for 2 h, intravenous injection of LV 200 mg/m2, and then intravenous injection of 5-fu 300 mg/m2, followed by continuous intravenous infusion of 5-fu 500 mg/m2, for 22 h, with 2 weeks as a cycle.