Higher Plasma Potassium Level Reduces 10-Year Cardiovascular Disease Risk Predicted by the Framingham Risk Score among Taxi-Motorbike Drivers Residing and Working in Cotonou, Benin

Hypertension, obesity, smoking, dyslipidemia, and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are the major risk factors for developing cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Recent studies revealed that taxi-motorbike drivers (TMDs) in Cotonou had higher rates of CVD risk factors, but their impacts on cardiovascular events have rarely been studied. The Framingham risk score (FRS) is an algorithm that considers CVD risk factors and estimates the risk of developing CVD in the next 10 years. Our objectives were to assess the 10-year CVD risk predicted by the FRS, and to examine the relationships of 10-year CVD risk with plasma iron and potassium levels among TMDs. We included 134 TMDs (22 - 59 years old) who had no prior diagnosis of CVD or T2D, and not taking medications affecting iron and potassium homeostasis. Conventional cardiovascular risk factors were used to calculate the 10-year CVD risk, which was categorized as low (20%). FRS > 2%, which corresponded to the 75th percentile of FRS distribution in our study population, was used as a cut-off value to classify participants into two groups. Plasma iron and potassium levels were segregated into tertiles and their associations with 10-year CVD risk were quantified by multivariate-adjusted logistic regression to calculate the odd ratios (ORs) to being above the 75th percentile of 10-year CVD risk with the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We found that 62.0% of participants had at least one of cardiovascular risk factors. Approximately 97.8% of TMDs had 10-year CVD risk 4.8 mmol/L led to an 83% risk reduction of having 10-year CVD risk > 2% (OR = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.04 - 0.82, P = 0.027). In conclusion, our findings showed that high plasma potassium levels associate with reduced 10-year CVD risk among TMDs. Interventions focused on monitoring of plasma potassium, particularly in those with existing cardiovascular risk factors, may help prevent CVD.

Proposed Wave Momentum Source for Generating the 22-Year Solar Cycle

For the 22-year solar cycle oscillation there is no external time dependent source. A nonlinear oscillation, the solar cycle must be generated internally, and Babcock-Leighton models apply an artificial nonlinear source term that can simulate the observations—which leaves open the question of the actual source mechanism for the solar cycle. Addressing this question, we propose to take guidance from the wave mechanism that generates the 2-year Quasi-biennial Oscillation (QBO) in the Earth atmosphere. Upward propagating gravity waves, eastward and westward, deposit momentum to generate the observed zonal wind oscillation. On the Sun, helioseismology has provided a thorough understanding of the acoustic p-waves, which propagate down into the convective envelope guided by the increasing temperature and related propagation velocity. Near the tachocline with low turbulent viscosity, the waves propagating eastward and westward can produce an axisymmetric 22-year oscillation of the zonal flow velocities that can generate the magnetic solar dynamo. Following the Earth model, waves in opposite directions can generate in the Sun wind and magnetic field oscillations in opposite directions, the proposition of a potential solar cycle mechanism.

Mid-term survival of the Optimys short stem: A prospective case series of 500 patients

BACKGROUND In recent years,there has been an increase in the number of total hip arthroplasty procedures in the younger patient population.This active group has higher expectations of their prosthesis in comparison to the older population,and there is a greater physical demand for the prosthesis.Short femoral stems were in-troduced to retain proximal bone stock and joint biomechanics and became more common to implant in this specific population.Currently,the long-term survival and functional outcomes of various short stems are still being investigated in different clinics.AIM To determine the 5-year survival of the Optimys hip stem.METHODS This was a prospective multicenter cohort study of 500 patients conducted in two hospitals in the Netherlands.All patients received the Optimys short stem(Mathys Ltd,Bettlach,Switzerland).The primary outcome measure was survival of the hip stem,with revision as the endpoint.The secondary outcome measurements included patient-reported outcome measures(PROMs).Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to calculate the 5-year survival rate.Log-minus-log transformation was performed to calculate the 95%confidence interval(95%CI).Mixed model analyses were performed to assess the course of the PROMs during the 1st 2 years after surgery.Analyses were modeled separately for the 1st and 2nd years to calculate the yearly change in PROMs during both follow-up periods with accompanying 95%CIs.RESULTS The mean age of the total 500 patients was 62.3 years(standard deviation:10.6)and 202 were male(40%).At a median follow-up of 5.5 years(interquartile range:4.5-6.7),7 patients were deceased and 6 revisions were registered,for infection(n=3),subsidence(n=2)and malposition(n=1).This resulted in an overall 5-year survival of 98.8%(95%CI:97.3-99.5).If infection was left out as reason for revision,a stem survival of 99.4%(95%CI:98.1-99.8)was seen.Baseline questionnaires were completed by 471 patients(94%),317 patients(63%)completed the 1-year follow-up questionnaires and 233 patients(47%)completed the 2-year follow-up.Both outcome measures significantly improved across all domains in the 1st year after the operation(P<0.03 for all domains).In the 2nd year after surgery,no significant changes were observed in any domain in comparison to the 1-year follow-up.CONCLUSION The Optimys stem has a 5-year survival of 98.8%.Patient-reported outcome measures increased significantly in the 1st postoperative year with stabilization at the 2-year follow-up.

Evaluation of bacterial contamination and medium-term oncological outcomes of intracorporeal anastomosis for colon cancer:A propensity score matching analysis

BACKGROUND Although intracorporeal anastomosis(IA)for colon cancer requires longer operative time than extracorporeal anastomosis(EA),its short-term postoperative results,such as early recovery of bowel movement,have been reported to be equal or better.As IA requires opening the intestinal tract in the abdominal cavity under pneumoperitoneum,there are concerns about intraperitoneal bacterial infection and recurrence of peritoneal dissemination due to the spread of bacteria and tumor cells.However,intraperitoneal bacterial contamination and medium-term oncological outcomes have not been clarified.abdominal cavity in IA.METHODS Of 127 patients who underwent laparoscopic colon resection for colon cancer from April 2015 to December 2020,75 underwent EA(EA group),and 52 underwent IA(IA group).After propensity score matching,the primary endpoint was 3-year disease-free survival rates,and secondary endpoints were 3-year overall survival rates,type of recurrence,surgical site infection(SSI)incidence,number of days on antibiotics,and postoperative biological responses.RESULTS Three-year disease-free survival rates did not significantly differ between the IA and EA groups(87.2%and 82.7%,respectively,P=0.4473).The 3-year overall survival rates also did not significantly differ between the IA and EA groups(94.7%and 94.7%,respectively;P=0.9891).There was no difference in the type of recurrence between the two groups.In addition,there were no significant differences in SSI incidence or the number of days on antibiotics;however,postoperative biological responses,such as the white blood cell count(10200 vs 8650/mm^(3),P=0.0068),C-reactive protein(6.8 vs 4.5 mg/dL,P=0.0011),and body temperature(37.7 vs 37.5℃,P=0.0079),were significantly higher in the IA group.CONCLUSION IA is an anastomotic technique that should be widely performed because its risk of intraperitoneal bacterial contamination and medium-term oncological outcomes are comparable to those of EA.

A 28-Year Climatological Analysis of Size Parameters for Northwestern Pacific Tropical Cyclones

A 28-year best track dataset containing size parameters that include the radii of the 15.4 m s^-1 winds （R15） and the 25.7 m s^-1 winds （R26） of tropical cyclones （TCs） in the Northwestern Pacific, the NCEP/ NCAR reanalysis dataset and the Extended Reconstructed Sea Surface Temperature （ERSST） dataset are employed in this study. The climatology of size parameters for the tropical cyclones in the Northwestern Pacific from 1977 to 2004 is investigated in terms of the spatial and temporal distributions. The results show that the major activity of TCs in the Northwestern Pacific is from July to October. A majority of TCs lie over the ocean west of 150°E, and a few TCs can intensify to the Saffir-Simpson （S-S） categories 4, 5. Both R15 and R26 tend to increase as the tropical cyclones intensify. The values of R15 and R26 are larger for intense TCs in the Northwestern Pacific than in the North Atlantic generally. Both R15 and R26 peak in October, and before and after October, R15 and R26 decrease, which is different from the case in the North Atlantic. The smaller R15s and R26s occur in a large range over the Northwestern Pacific, while the larger R15s and R26s mainly lie in the eastern ocean from Taiwan Island to the Philippine Islands where many tropical cyclones develop in intense systems. The tropical cyclones with size parameters of R15 or R26 on average take a longer time to intensify than to weaken, and the weak tropical cyclones have faster weakening rates than intensification rates. From 1977 to 2004, the annual mean values of R15 increase basically with year; during the 28-year period, the value of R15 increases by 52.7 kin, but R26 does not change with year obviously.

Predicted 10-year Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Its Association with Sleep Duration among Adults in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region,China

Objective The study aims to predict 10-year cardiovascular disease(CVD)risk and explore its association with sleep duration among Chinese urban adults.Methods We analyzed part of the baseline data of a cohort that recruited adults for health screening by cluster sampling.The simplified Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI)and Framingham 10-year risk score(FRS)were used to measure sleep duration and CVD risk.Demographic characteristics,personal history of chronic diseases,lifestyle factors were collected using a questionnaire.Height,weight,total cholesterol(TC),and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)were also measured.Multiple logistic regression models were performed to explore the association of sleep duration with the predicted CVD risk.Results We included 31,135 participants(median age 44 years,53.02%males)free of CVD,cerebral stroke,and not taking lipid-lowering agents.Overall,14.05%,and 25.55%of participants were at medium and high predicted CVD risk,respectively.Short sleep was independently associated with increased odds of medium to high risk of predicted 10-year CVD among males(OR=1.10;95%CI:1.01–1.19)and increased odds of medium to high and high risk of predicted 10-year CVD among females(OR=1.23;95%CI:1.08–1.40;OR=1.27;95%CI:1.11–1.44).In contrast,long sleep had no association with cardiovascular risk.Conclusion A substantial number of adults free of CVD were at high 10-year CVD risk.Short sleep was associated with increased odds of predicted CVD risk.

Laser-assisted dacryocystorhinostomy in nasolacrimal duct obstruction：5-year follow-up

AIM：To evaluate the long-term sucess rate of laserassisted dacryocystorhinostomy （L-DCR） in patients with nasolacrimal duct obstruction （NDO）.METHODS：Forty-one eyes of forty patients aged between 21-85y （mean 56.7y） who underwent L-DCR for the treatment of NDO were included in this retrospective,non-randomized study. The follow-up time was 72mo.Functional sucess was defined as the disappearance of epiphora under normal conditions and the presence of a patent ostium on lacrimal irrigation. Anatomical success was defined as a patent lacrimal passage on syringing besides continuing epiphora. Surgical failure was defined as persistent epiphora and closed ostium.RESULTS：Twenty-seven of 40 patients （67.5%） were female and 13 of 40 patients （32.5%） were male. The NDO was right-sided in 17 （42.5%） patients and left-sided in 22（55%） patients whereas 1 （2.5%） patient had undergone bilateral surgery. In 11 （27.5%） patients there were additional nasal abnormalities requiring simultaneous surgical approach. The average time for L-DCR was 26.50±4.9min（16-39min） and the average total amount of laser energy used was 287±27.9 J （239-367 J）. At the 5y follow-up, anatomical sucess rate was 75.0%（30 patients） and functional success rate was 65.0%（26 patients）, whereas surgical failure was seen in 25%（10 patients）. Revision of surgery was performed in 10 cases （25.0%）; failure of revision surgery was seen in 2 cases（5.0%）.CONCLUSION： Transcanalicular L-DCR is a reliable and fast procedure in the treatment of NDO. It can be alternative to external DCR which is accepted as the gold standard currently. The functional and anatomical success rate is higher in the first months and years, but still satisfactory at fifth year.

Celebrations for the 50-years anniversary of IFToMM

During the 15th IFToMM World Congress on Mechanism and Machine Science(MMS)in Krakow,Poland on 30 June-4 July 2019,a special opening session has been organized to celebrate the 50-years anniversary o f IFToMM with unveiling of a bronze commemorative plaque,Fig.1.

The Particularity of the Development of Labor Relationship in the 70-Year History of the People’s Republic of China

The past seven decades witnesses a stage marked by"ossification-consolidation-emptiness"as regards domestic labor relationship.It is highly probable that China is to be inaugurated by the stage of"falsification"in forthcoming days.A major cause is rooted in that labor relationship is the output of economic development that would request that labor relationship chime with it.The development course of labor relationship since the founding of PRC explicitly evinces that"flexibility"might be incurred in case labor relationship fails to align with economic development and with demands of marketing competitiveness.It might even propel main bodies of labor relationship to circumvent labor laws,as is verified by prevalence of large-scaled labor dispatching,and of"labor dispatching under the disguise of outsourcing".Lawmakers thus need to further ruminate over degree of tolerance on labor legislation.

Beta-blockers and 1-year clinical outcomes in hospitalized heart failure patients with atrial fibrillation

OBJECTIVE To assess the association between beta-blockers and 1-year clinical outcomes in heart failure(HF)patients with atrial fibrillation(AF),and further explore this association that differs by left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)level.METHODS We enrolled hospitalized HF patients with AF from China Patient-centered Evaluative Assessment of Cardiac Events Prospective Heart Failure Study.COX proportional hazard regression models were employed to calculate hazard ratio of betablockers.The primary outcome was all-cause death.RESULTS Among 1762 HF patients with AF(756 women[41.4%]),1041(56%)received beta-blockers at discharge and 1272(72.2%)had an LVEF>40%.During one year follow up,all-cause death occurred in 305(17.3%),cardiovascular death occurred in203 patients(11.5%),and rehospitalizations for HF occurred in 622 patients(35.2%).After adjusting for demographic characteristics,social economic status,smoking status,medical history,anthropometric characteristics,and medications used at discharge,the use of beta-blockers at discharge was not associated with all-cause death[hazard ratio(HR):0.86;95%Confidence Interval(CI):0.65-1.12;P=0.256],cardiovascular death(HR:0.76,95%CI:0.52-1.11;P=0.160),or the composite outcome of all-cause death and HF rehospitalization(HR:0.97,95%CI:0.82-1.14;P=0.687)in the entire cohort.There were no significant interactions between use of beta-blockers at discharge and LVEF with respect to all-cause death,cardiovascular death,or composite outcome.In the adjusted models,the use of beta-blockers at discharge was not associated with all-cause death,cardiovascular death,or composite outcome across the different levels of LVEF:reduced(<40%),mid-range(40%-49%),or preserved LVEF(≥50%).CONCLUSION Among HF patients with AF,the use of beta-blockers at discharge was not associated with 1-year clinical outcomes,regardless of LVEF.

我国现代学制百年演进历程与改革前瞻

学制作为国家教育制度体系中的重要构成,其改革事关国家教育发展的方向和未来。我国现代学制始创于1902年的壬寅学制,随后经癸卯学制、壬子癸丑学制的探索实践,至1922年颁布的壬戌学制最终确定了我国现代学制的基本框架,并延续使用百年。通过对现代学制百年演进史的梳理和审视,总结出学制改革应坚持科学性、系统性、弹性化、渐进性、合法性和集中性六原则。具体建议为:要依据学生身心发展变化确定学制改革思路;要与基础教育的整体改革相适应;要进行充分的实地调查与研究;要先试点先行,稳步推进;要完善学制的法律制度,于法有据、依法实施;要在政府统一领导下进行学制改革。

A Study on the Application of National Competency Standards(NCS)to 4-year Universities in South Korea—Focused on the Case of K-Univ.-

In South Korea,the vocational education and training institutions,such as the vocational colleges,the vocational high schools,and the vocational training institutions is applying the National Competency Standards(NCS).NCS is function as a key link in development of the human resource development(HRD),linking work,education and training,and qualifications by analyzing and presenting systematically the job demands of the industrial field.The 4-year universities that focus generally on the theoretical studies do not yet have applied NCS in South Korea.However,in the case of 4-year universities,the importance of professional education is emphasized by being derived and independed from more precise the individual science through the advancement of science and technology,and the division of social functions.Therefore,it is desirable to apply NCS to improve the practical expertise of 4-year university students.For this purpose,this study aims to compare the curriculum of national K-University and the NCS contents,and to find out how to apply it to the curriculum of 4-year universities in order to bring about the functions and the characteristics of education and training.

New 5-Year Plan to See Revolutionary Changes

In the next five years,China will place more emphasis on science and technolgy, education,and health care in policy and investment.

Five-Year Survivors of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients with Positive Pleural Lavage Cytology

Background: The pleural lavage cytology (PLC) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients has been reported as a significant prognostic factor. The aim of this study is to clarify the clinicopathological characteristics of 5-year survivors of patients with positive PLC. Methods: Among 401 resected NSCLC patients, 30 (7.48%) patients with positive PLC were reviewed retrospectively. Results: Only 7 of 30 patients (23.3%) survived more than 5-year. There were no differences in age, gender, histology, pT status and pN status between 5-year survivors and non-survivors. On the other hand, the serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level was significantly higher in non-survivors. Among these 5-year survivors, 4 of 7 patients died of NSCLC recurrences more than 5 years after surgery. Remaining 3 patients survived without cancer recurrences. Interestingly these 3 survivors had not received any adjuvant therapies after surgery. Conclusion: None of the 5-year survivor with positive PLC had high serum CEA level. Furthermore 5-year survival did not equal to cure in NSCLC patients with positive PLC.

Embryform 30-year Anniversary Glamored Huangpu River

On the day of December 1st,world-famous lingerie enterprise Embryform Group made big celebrations for its 35-year anniversary starting with a grand lingerie show under the theme of"Miracle of the Body",film star Li Bingbing,famous anchor Shenxing,together with

Emotion Evaluation of Four Generations of Woman from a 104-Year Old Ancestress

Normal aging is associated with declines of perception and cognition. Inversely, emotions seem to be preserved compared to younger adults. Viewing, neutral, dramatic and comic films, emotions were evaluated in four generations of woman from a 104-year old ancestress. At the very old age, from this case report, emotions were differently expressed while arousal was still preserved. A constant emotion of scare was expressed during the viewing of these three films (p 0.001) with significant higher level of disgust (p ≤ 0.01). Only perceptual deficiency cannot explain this difference as cognitive tasks revealed a mild cognitive impairment detected by the Mini Mental State Examination and a substantial impairment on the executive functions by using the Delayed response tasks. These results emphasize that some emotions in a normal aging centenarian are still present, even if not appropriates, and different in comparison to a young adult control group. From this study, it is expected that emotion analysis in old adults viewing selected short films will predict longevity and could discriminate normal processes occurring during normal aging from neurodegenerative diseases.

Sports in China: A 3,000-Year History

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