Targeting neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease:from mechanisms to clinical applications

Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by sustained neuroinflammation leading to memory loss and cognitive decline.The past decade has witnessed tremendous efforts in Alzheimer’s disease research;however,no effective treatment is available to prevent disease progression.An increasing body of evidence suggests that neuroinflammation plays an important role in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis,alongside the classical pathological hallmarks such as misfolded and aggregated proteins(e.g.,amyloid-beta and tau).Firstly,this review summarized the clinical and pathological characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease.Secondly,we outlined key aspects of glial cell-associated inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis and provided the latest evidence on the roles of microglia and astrocytes in Alzheimer’s disease pathology.Then,we revealed the double-edged nature of inflammatory cytokines and inflammasomes in Alzheimer’s disease.In addition,the potential therapeutic roles of innate immunity and neuroinflammation for Alzheimer’s disease were also discussed through these mechanisms.In the final section,the remaining key problems according to the current research status were discussed.

A METHOD OF PREPARING SPHERICAL NANO-CRYSTAL CELLULOSE WITH MIXED CRYSTALLINE FORMS OF CELLULOSE Ⅰ AND Ⅱ

A new kind of nano-crysta cellulose (NCC) prepared from natural cotton fiber has been obtained by the method ofacid hydrolysis. Compared to most other nanophase materials that derive from inorganic materials, our products are preparedfrom natural cotton fibers. The products are of spherical shape with mixed crystal forms of cellulose I and II. The preparationconditions determine the properties of the products. Prior treatment is a critical procedure. The properties of the products arealso strongly affected by such conditions as the kinds of acids used, the ratio of the acid mixture, the acid concentration, theultrasonic agitation time and hydrolysis temperature. The number average molecular weight of NCC is determined by gelpermeation chromatography (GPC). The particle size and shape were determined by transmission electron microscopy(TEM). X-ray diffraction was used to detect the crystallinity and average crystallite size of the panicle.

Sarcopenia in geriatric patients from the plateau region of Qinghai- Tibet: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND Sarcopenia is an age-related decline in skeletal muscle mass,which depends on an assessment of muscle strength and muscle mass.It has been reported that the prevalence of sarcopenia in non-hospitalized elderly people was 9.0%-18.5%in the lowland plains.However,epidemiological investigations of sarcopenia in plateau regions are limited.The city of Xining in Qinghai Province(altitude 2260 m)is the sole point of access to the Qinghai-Tibet plateau.We hypothesized that the diverse ethnicities or dietary habits of the people living in the plateau may influence the prevalence of sarcopenia.AIM To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of sarcopenia in geriatric patients from the Qinghai-Tibet plateau region.METHODS From October to December 2018,150 hospitalized geriatric patients(72.4±5.60 years)from Xining City(altitude 2260 m)in Qinghai Province were recruited.Collected data included demographics,history of fall,nutritional status,self-care ability,depression,handgrip,muscle mass,and 6-m gait speed.Sarcopenia was diagnosed based on the 2014 criteria of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia.RESULTS The overall rate of sarcopenia was 20%(8.7 and 11.3%in men and women,respectively).Binary logistic regression analysis indicated that widowhood and a history of falling were associated with sarcopenia,while higher body mass index and beef and mutton consumption were protective.CONCLUSION The prevalence of sarcopenia in hospitalized geriatric patients in the Qinghai-Tibet plateau region was higher than that in the plain region and in non-hospitalized geriatric people(reported elsewhere).Specific cultural features of the region,including ethnicity,brewed tea and ghee consumption,were not significantly associated with sarcopenia.Higher body mass index and consumption of beef and mutton were protective,while patients who were widowed or with a history of falling were at increased risk.

Health care worker occupational experiences during the COVID-19 outbreak:A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND Health care workers treating coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)patients experience burnout and stress due to overwork and poor working conditions.AIM To investigate the work experiences of frontline health care workers in Wuhan city and Qinghai province,China,during the COVID-19 outbreak.METHODS In this cross-sectional descriptive study,a self-reported questionnaire was designed to evaluate work experiences of medical staff throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.A total of 178 health care workers responded to the questionnaire between February 19 and 29,2020.Higher questionnaire dimensional score confirmed dimensional advantage.RESULTS Of all dimensions evaluated by this questionnaire,the occupational value dimension had the highest mean score of 2.61(0.59),followed by the support/security dimension score of 2.30(0.74).Occupational protection scored lowest at 1.44(0.75),followed by work environment at 1.97(0.81).The social relationships dimension had an intermediate score of 2.06(0.80).Significant differences in working conditions were observed across hospital departments,with the fever ward scoring lowest.Total scores also differed significantly across workplaces;the fever outpatient department scored lowest(P<0.01).This phenomenon was likely due to the fact that work in the fever outpatient department,where many patients present to hospital,necessitates constant contact with a large number of individuals with insufficient provision of resources(such as protective equipment and social support).Medical workers in the fever outpatient department were burdened with a fear of COVID-19 infection and a lower sense of professional value as compared to workers in other hospital departments.Medical staff in Wuhan worked longer hours(P<0.01)as compared to elsewhere.The mean support/security dimension score was higher for tertiary hospital as compared to secondary hospital medical staff as well as for Wuhan area as compared to Qinghai region staff(P<0.01).Staff in Wuhan had a lower mean work environment score as compared to staff in Qinghai(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Medical staff treating COVID-19 patients in China report poor occupational experiences strongly affected by work environment,occupational protection and social relationships.Health care managers must address the occupational needs of medical staff by ensuring a supportive and safe work environment.

Comparison of the prevalence of sarcopenia in geriatric patients in Xining based on three different diagnostic criteria

BACKGROUND Sarcopenia is an age-related decline in skeletal muscle mass,which depends on an assessment of muscle strength and muscle mass.The diagnostic definition of sarcopenia varies by region.AIM To determine the optimal diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia in a plateau population.Cut off values for the components of diagnostic algorithms for sarcopenia in plateau populations should consider altitude.METHODS One hundred and fifty subjects aged>60 years attending a tertiary comprehensive hospital in the city of Xining(elevation:2260 m)between October and December 2018 were enrolled.Handgrip strength,muscle mass,and physical performance were measured.Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia(AWGS)2019 criteria,Beijing criteria,and Lasha criteria.RESULTS Across diagnostic criteria,there were significant differences in the prevalence of sarcopenia in the overall population and stratified by gender.The prevalence of sarcopenia measured by the AWGS 2019 or Lasha criteria was significantly higher in female compared to male subjects.In males,the prevalence of sarcopenia measured by the Beijing criteria was significantly higher in subjects who identified as Han compared to Minority.In females,there were no significant differences in the prevalence of sarcopenia by ethnicity according to any criteria.CONCLUSION The Lasha criteria provided a lower prevalence of sarcopenia(males,8.7%;females,22.41%;overall,14%)and were able to differentiate between males and females.The Lasha criteria are likely most appropriate for detection of sarcopenia in this plateau population.We recommend the Lasha criteria for detection of sarcopenia in Xining.

2019 Chinese expert consensus statement on diagnosis and treatment of syphilis

Syphilis,caused by Treponema pallidum subsp pallidum(T.pallidum),is a chronic,systemic human disease transmitted through sexual contact.The incidence and prevalence of syphilis is still high in China.[1]To guide the prevention measures and management of this disease,we renew the guidelines on diagnosis and treatment of syphilis[Supplementary file,http://links.lww.com/CM9/A292].Manifestations and diagnosis of all stages of syphilis are presented in Table 1,and management in Table 2.

National Guidelines on Diagnosis and Treatment of Gonorrhea in China (2020)

Gonorrhea is one of the main sexually transmitted diseases in China.It mainly affects the genitourinary tract,and its clinical manifestations vary from asymptomatic to complicated types.The diagnosis of gonorrhea should be based on the patient's epidemiologicai history,clinical manifestations,and laboratory examination results.Treatment should be prompt and standardized and should involve the recommended treatment regimens.Patients should be appropriately followed up after treatment.The antimicrobial resistance of gonococcal isolates has become a severe problem of clinical concern.In order to provide technical guidance of the diagnosis and treatment of gonorrhea for health care workers,the authors developed the guidelines based on the version of 2014,which will be of important in the standardizing medical care of gonorrhea,and further facilitating control and prevention of the disease.

Syndiotactic Polymerization of Styrene and Copolymerization with Ethylene Catalyzed by Chiral Half-sandwich Rare-earth Metal Dialkyl Complexes

The syndiotactic polymerization of styrene（St） and the copolymerization of St with ethylene（E） were carried out by using a series of chiral half-sandwich rare-earth metal dialkyl complexes（Cp^x＊） as the catalysts. The complexes are Ln（CH2SiMe3）2（THF）（1-4： Ln = Sc（1）, Ln = Lu（2）, Ln = Y（3）, Ln = Dy（4）） bearing chiral cyclopentadienyl ligand containing bulky cylcohexane derivatives in the presence of activator and AliBu3. For the St polymerization, a high activity up to 3.1 × 10^6 g of polymer mol Ln^-1·h^-1 and a high syndiotactic selectivity more than 99% were achieved. The resulting syndiotactic polystyrenes（sPSs） have the molecular weights（Mn） ranging from 3700 g·mol^-1 to 6400 g·mol^-1 and the molecular weight distributions（Mw/Mn） from 1.40 to 5.03. As for the copolymerization of St and E, the activity was up to 2.4 × 10^6 g of copolymer mol Sc^-1·h^-1·MPa^-1, giving random St-E copolymers containing syndiotactic polystyrene sequences with different St content in the range of 15 mol%-58 mol%. These results demonstrate that the bulky cyclopentadienyl ligands of the chiral half-sandwich rare-earth metal complexes effectively inhibit the continued insertion of St monomers into the（co）polymer chain to some extent in comparison with the known half-sandwich rare-earth metal complexes.

Crevice Corrosion of Several Supper Stainless Steels in the Simulated LT-MED Environment

Susceptibility and morphological characteristics of crevice corrosion for SS316, SS904L, SS254sMo and SS2507 in thesimulated low-temperature multi-effect distillation environment were investigated by cyclic polarization test, scanningelectron microscope and laser microscope. The results show that the crevice corrosion resistance of four kinds of stainlesssteel is ranked as SS254sMo ≈ SS2507 〉 SS316 〉 SS904L. There are ＂cover＂ structures over the edge of active crevicecorrosion regions of SS904L, SS254sMo and SS2507, but SS316 is an exception. Galvanic corrosion characteristicsappeared in the crevice of duplex supper stainless steel SS2507.

Biofilm Alterations on the Stepwise Acquisition of Fluconazole-resistant Candida Albicans Isolates

Objectives:By assessing and comparing the phenotypic changes on the stepwise acquisition of fluconazole resistant Candida albicans isolates,we could find and describe the relationship between drug resistance and biofilm formation ability in a series of clonal strains.Methods:We performed antifungal susceptibility of five drugs(fluconazole,itraconazole,voriconazole,caspofungin and amphotericin B)to further verify the antifungal activity of the six isolates in vitro.Then we combined hyphal formation assay,cell surface hydrophobicity test positively related to adherence ability,and biofilm assays in vitro to observe and compare the phenotypic characteristics of our six clonal strains.Results:Biofilm capability is enhanced for four drug-intermediate strains,whereas the initial susceptible strain and the final resistant strain are both poor in adherence,hyphal growth and biofilm formation.Conclusions:It was suggested that the biofilm formation ability were not absolutely related to the degree of fluconazole resistance.