Effects of urethane on the response properties of visual cortical neurons in young adult and old cats

Previous studies have shown that visual cortical neurons in old mammals exhibit higher spontaneous activity,higher responsiveness to visual stimuli,and lower selectivity for stimulus orientations and motion directions than did neurons in young adult counterparts.However,whether the responsive difference in cortical neurons between young and old animals resulted from different effects induced by anesthetics has remained unclear.To clarify this issue,we recorded the response properties of individual neurons in the primary visual cortex of old and young adult cats while systematically varying the anesthesia level of urethane,a widely used anesthetic in physiology experiments.Our results showed that cumulatively administrating 50 mg and 100 mg of urethane upon the minimal level of urethane required to anesthetize an old or young adult cat did not significantly alter the degree of neuronal response selectivity for stimulus orientations and motion directions nor significantly change the visually-driven response and spontaneous activity of neurons in old and young adult cats.Cumulatively administrating 150 mg of urethane decreased neuronal responsiveness similarly in both age groups.Therefore,urethane appears to exert similar effects on neuronal response properties of old and young adult animals.

Age and Gender-Related Differences in Physical Functions of the Elderly Following One-Year Regular Exercise Therapy

Reports on physical functions during maintenance period of the elderly with cardiac and other serious diseases are limited. This study aims to clarify age and gender-related differences in their physical functions. Participants included 167 elderly individuals (males, 78;mean age, 76.5 years;SD = 6.0 years;females, 89;mean age, 75.5 years;SD = 4.5 years) who participated in a 1-year regular exercise therapy twice a week. The following eight physical function tests were selected: grip strength, 10-m obstacle walking time, one-legged balance with eyes open, sit-ups, sitting trunk flexion, 6-min walk, stepping by sitting position, and a timed up & go (TUG). Two-way analysis of variance was used to examine mean differences by gender and age: young elderly group (aged 65 - 74 years) and old elderly group (aged ≥ 75 years). In the grip strength, sit-ups, 6-min walk, 10-m obstacle walking time, stepping by sitting position, and sitting trunk flexion tests, males were superior in the former four tests, and females were superior in the latter two tests. The young elderly group was superior in all tests except for sit-ups compared with the old elderly group. The balance during one-legged with eyes open test was superior in males compared with females in the young elderly group, but decreased in males in the old elderly group. In conclusion, physical functions of the elderly during maintenance period are different between genders. Muscle strength, muscle endurance, whole-body endurance, and walking ability are superior in males, whereas flexibility and agility are superior in females. The old elderly group was inferior in all the elements of physical function except muscle endurance.

Application of Combined Cycle in Modernized Retrofit of Old Thermal Power Plants

This article expounds the advantages and three schemes of applying combined cycle to the modernized retrofit of old thermal power plants. Through analyzing and comparing technical economics of these three schemes, it is concluded that to use feedwater heating and heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) is suitable for the units with unit capacity below 100 MW, while to use exhaust gas reburning is suitable for units with unit capacity of 125 MW, 200 MW and above.

Environment Promotion and Microclimate Improvement of Old Communities with Combination of Peacetime and Epidemic Situation: A Case Study of Fuguoli Community in Beijing

As the basic unit of a city,community is an important carrier of residents’ healthy life.With the development of society,the environmental status of old communities has been unable to meet the needs of residents’ healthy life,and it is urgent to optimize the community environment.The emergence of novel coronavirus also put forward more strict requirements for the grassroots governance of old communities in China.Taking Fuguoli community in Beijing City as an example,the problems existing in the external environment of old communities were excavated from the perspective of functional requirements,and the distributed green space layout pattern and the dynamic simulation of community microclimate environment was constructed through the method of field survey and numerical simulation.Furthermore,the environmental optimization strategies of old communities with combination of peacetime and epidemic situation were put forward to help the epidemic prevention and control.

Value of elastography point quantification in improving the diagnostic accuracy of early diabetic kidney disease

BACKGROUND Diabetic kidney disease(DKD)is a common complication of diabetes.The patient’s prognosis is poor once DKD progresses to advanced stage.Accurate diagnosis and timely treatment of early DKD are important for improving patient’s prognosis and reducing mortality.AIM To explore the value of elastography point quantification(ElastPQ)in improving the accuracy of early DKD diagnosis.METHODS A total of 69 patients with type 2 diabetes were recruited from Naval Military Medical University Affiliated Gongli Hospital.Patients were divided into early DKD group and medium DKD group according to pathological results and urinary albumin excretion rate(UAER).Another 40 patients with simple diabetes were included as the diabetes group.The baseline data,laboratory diagnostic indicators,and ultrasound indicators for each patient were recorded.The differences of the indicators in the three groups were compared.Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of the development from simple diabetes into early DKD and from early DKD into medium DKD.Receiver operating characteristic analyses of potential indicators in identifying early DKD and medium DKD,and early DKD and simple diabetes were established.RESULTS Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that UAER(P<0.001),renocortical Young's Modulus(YM)(P<0.001),and renal parenchymal thickness(P=0.013)were the independent influencing factors of the development from early DKD into medium DKD.Diabetes duration(P=0.041),UAER(P=0.034),and renocortical YM(P=0.017)were the independent influencing factors of the development from simple diabetes into early DKD.Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated that UAER,renocortical YM,and renal parenchymal thickness were accurate in identifying early DKD and medium DKD[all area under curve(AUC)>0.9].The accuracy of UAER(AUC=0.744),diabetes duration(AUC=0.757),and renocortical YM(AUC=0.782)for the diagnosis of early DKD and simple diabetes were limited.However,the combined diagnosis of UAER,diabetes duration,and renocortical YM was accurate in identifying early DKD and simple diabetes(AUC=0.906),which was significantly higher than any of the three indicators(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION ElastPQ is of great value in the diagnosis of early DKD.When combined with the diabetes duration and UAER,it is expected to diagnose accurately early DKD.

COMPARISON BETWEEN YOUNG AND OLD PATIENTS WITH LUNG CANCER

Objective: To compare the clinical characteristics, histological types, stage at diagnosis and treatment between young (< or =40 years) and older (> or =70 years) patients with lung cancer. Methods: The study was designed as a retrospective review of 808 lung cancer patients referred to the Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital over a 6-year period from 1995 to 2001. Data regarding demographics, presentation symptoms, histology, tumor staging, and treatment modality were obtained from all patients. Results: We found significantly more female patients and adenocarcinoma in the younger group compared with the older patients. Cough was the most common presenting symptom in both the younger and older groups followed by dyspnea, hemoptysis in the older group or chest pain in the younger group. There was no difference in the stage of disease at initial presentation between the younger and older groups. The young patients tended to receive aggressive treatment more readily than the older patients, and the older patients frequently received supportive care only. Conclusion: The female sex and adenocarcinoma were predominant in young patients compared with the older patients. Young patients tended to receive more aggressive treatment and may have better survival.

Factors associated with financial support in old age for young and middle-aged rural residents in China

This study examined the factors associated with financial support in old age from three primary mechanisms-personal savings,family support,and social insurance-to explore the implications for the future development of China's rural social welfare system.Cross-sectional surveys of 1392 young and middle-aged rural residents were conducted in July and August2012.The results showed that while social insurance was increasingly acceptable,personal savings and family support still had fundamental value.Combining the three mechanisms,the rural old-age welfare system presented nontraditional features.China's new rural endowment insurance is discussed as a means to address the need for financial support among the rural aging population.

Impact of the Waves on the Sea Surface Roughness under Uniform Wind Conditions:Idealized Cases for Uniform Winds(Part I)

The effect of the surface gravity waves over sea surface roughness length (z0) is investigated from several idealized numerical experiments with the Wave-Watch-III (WW3) model. The WW3 model is combined with a simplified model to estimate z0, CD, u* and U10 as function of the sea state. The impacts related to the presence of the ocean waves over z0 are obtained from conditions of growing (young waves) and mature seas (old waves). The wave spectrum is obtained from WW3 model for each idealized simulation under uniform wind conditions. Uniform wind experiments range from 15 to 45 m/s. The simplified algorithm determines z0, CD, u* and U10 for cases of young waves, old waves and by the Charnock method. The results show that when the ocean is characterized by young waves, both z0 and CD (drag coefficient) increase while U10 is reduced. In Charnock case, the values of z0, CD and U10 have no dependence with the presence of gravity waves. Experiments using winds higher than 30 m/s result in young waves’ CD values higher than the CD value for old waves. Even for young waves CD values are high for cases of strong winds. The results also show that in experiments using winds higher than 30 m/s the dependence between CD and wave age becomes stronger, which is in accordance with other studies.

Decreased contrast sensitivity of visual cortical cells to visual stimuli accompanies a reduction of intracortical inhibition in old cats

Psychophysical experiments on human and animal subjects have proven that aged individuals show significantly reduced visual contrast sensitivity compared with young adults.To uncover the possible neural mechanisms,we used extracellular single-unit recording techniques to examine the response of V1（primary visual cortex） neurons as a function of visual stimulus contrast in both old and young adult cats（Felis catus）.The mean contrast sensitivity of V1 neurons to visual stimuli in old cats decreased significantly relative to young adult cats,consistent with findings reported in old primates.These results indicate that aging can affect contrast sensitivity of visual cortical cells in both primate and non-primate mammalian animals,and might contribute to the reduction of perceptual visual contrast sensitivity in aged individuals.Further,V1 cells of old cats exhibited increased responsiveness,decreased signal-to-noise ratio,and enlarged receptive field（RF） size compared with that of young adult cats,which indicated that decreased contrast sensitivity of V1 neurons accompanied a reduction of intracortical inhibition during senescence.

cathepsin B与cystatin C在青年及老年人胃癌发生、发展中的意义

目的观察青年及老年人胃癌组织中cathepsin B和cystatin C的表达差异,探讨二者在胃癌侵袭和转移过程中的作用。方法采用免疫组化SP法检测52例青年人及65例老年人胃癌、48例高级别上皮内瘤变、53例正常胃黏膜组织中cathepsin B和cystatin C的表达。结果青年人胃癌组cathespin B的表达水平明显高于老年人胃癌组(P<0.05),两组中cystatin C的表达差异无显著性;cathespin B在胃癌中的表达水平明显高于高级别上皮内瘤变(P<0.01)和正常胃黏膜(P<0.01),且在有淋巴结转移及远处转移组中表达明显增高(P<0.05);cystatin C表达水平在正常胃黏膜中最高,其次为高级别上皮内瘤变,与胃癌组相比差异有显著性(P<0.01);Ⅲ+Ⅳ期胃癌组中cystatin C表达明显低于Ⅰ+Ⅱ期胃癌组(P<0.05);cystatin C与cathespin B表达呈负相关(rs=-0.648,P<0.01)。结论 cathepsin B、cystatin C的表达水平与胃癌的生物学行为密切相关。cathespin B高表达可能是青年人胃癌进展更为迅速的原因之一,对评估患者的预后有一定参考价值。

Effects of bridge combined internal fixation system internal fixation on fracture healing and shoulder joint function in elderly patients with displaced midshaft clavicle fractures

Objective:To compare the clinical therapeutic effect of bridge combined internal fixation system and locking compression plate internal fixation in the treatment of displaced midshaft clavicle fractures by emphatically observing fracture healing and shoulder joint function.Methods:Totally 44 elderly patients with Robinson type 2B displaced midshaft clavicle fractures were included from the Department of Orthopaedics,Shenyang Fourth People's Hospital during February 2016 and December 2018,including 23 males and 21 females,mean age(69.8±10.2)years old.The patients were divided into a bridge combined internal fixation system group(bridge group,n=22)and a locking compression plate internal fixation group(plate group,n=22)according to the internal fixation methods.The operation time,intraoperative blood loss,fracture healing time,and postoperative complications were recorded.At 12 months after surgery,the shoulder joint Constant-Murley score and DASH score were used to assess the recovery of joint function.The serum levels of bone turnover biochemical markers procollagen I N-terminal peptide(P1NP),cross-linked Carboxy-terminal telopeptide of typeⅠcollagen(CTX-I),and osteoblast specific factor(OSF)were measured before and 3 months after surgery.Results:The operation time,intraoperative blood loss and fracture healing time of the bridge group were significantly shorter than those of the plate group(P<0.05).Constant scores and DASH scores in the bridge group were significantly better than those of the plate group at 12 months after surgery(P<0.05).Serum levels of CTX-I was significantly decreased,while the P1NP and OSF were significantly increased compared with before surgery in the both groups(P<0.05),and the changes were more obvious in the bridge group(P<0.05).The incidence of complications was similar between the two groups(P<0.05).Conclusion:Compared with the locking plate system,the bridge combined internal fixation system can effectively improve the operation efficiency,have more benefits on fracture healing,better promote the recovery of patients'function,and reduce the failure rate of internal fixation,thus providing a better choice to treat displaced midshaft clavicle fractures by intraoperative internal fixation.

From I Vecchi E I Giovani to Pirandellian Correspondence:A Glance at an Italy That Is Immutable in Both Its National and Its Family History

The novel I vecchi e i giovani has been the object of numerous critical interpretations,including those of Leonardo Sciascia,Gaetano Trombatore,and Massimo Onofri,in particular.Taking as its starting point Pirandello’s phrase,“la gioventùsacrificata potrebbe dare un crollo a questa oltracotante oppressione dei vecchi e prendersi finalmente uno sfogo e affermarsi vittoriosa”and applying Freudian principles,this work seeks primarily to highlight the autobiographical element that is expressed in the father/son,Luigi/Stefano,and Lando Laurentano/Stefano Landi relationships.

Atlantoaxial pedicle screw fixation for old odontoid fracture combined with atlantoaxial instability

Objective To explore the clinical effect of the trans-atlantoaxial pedicle screw-rod internal fixation and fusion in treatment of old odontoid fracture combined with atlantoaxial instability. Methods The study involved 48 patients with

Therapeutic efficacy and effects of artesunate-amodiaquine and artemetherlumefantrine on malaria-associated anaemia in Nigerian children aged two years and under

Background:Artemisinin-based combination therapies are recommended as first-line treatments for uncomplicated falciparum malaria,but there is little evaluation of their efficacy and effects on uncomplicated malaria-associated anaemia in children aged 2 years and under.Methods:Parasitological efficacy and effects on malaria-associated anaemia were evaluated in 250 malarious children aged 2 years and under,and efficacy was evaluated in 603 malarious children older than two but younger than 5 years of age following treatment with artesunate-amodiaquine(AA)or artemether-lumefantrine(AL).Kinetics of the disposition of parasitaemia following treatment were evaluated using a non-compartment model.Late-appearing anaemia(LAA)was diagnosed using the following criteria:clearance of parasitaemia,fever and other symptoms occurring within 7 days of starting treatment,adequate clinical and parasitological response on days 28–42,haematocrit(HCT)≥30%at 1 and/or 2 weeks,a fall in HCT to<30%occurring at 3–6 weeks,absence of concomitant illness at 1–6 weeks,and absence of asexual parasitaemia detected using both microscopy and polymerase chain reaction(PCR)at 1–6 weeks.Results:Overall,in children aged 2 years and under,the PCR-corrected parasitological efficacy was 97.2%(95%CI 92.8–101.6),which was similar for both treatments.In children older than 2 years,parasitological efficacy was also similar for both treatments,but parasite prevalence 1 day after treatment began was significantly higher,and fever and parasite clearance times were significantly faster in the AA-treated children compared with the AL-treated children.Declines in parasitaemia were monoexponential with an estimated elimination half-time of 1 h.Elimination half-times were similar for both treatments.In children aged 2 years and under who were anaemic at presentation,the mean anaemia recovery time was 12.1 days(95%CI 10.6–13.6,n=127),which was similar for both treatments.Relatively asymptomatic LAA occurred in 11 children(4.4%)aged 2 years and under,the recovery from which was uneventful.Conclusion:This study showed that AA and AL are efficacious treatments for uncomplicated falciparum malaria in Nigerian children aged 2 years and under,and that AA clears parasitaemia and fever significantly faster than AL in children older than 2 years.Both treatments may cause a relatively asymptomatic LAA with uneventful recovery in a small proportion of children aged 2 years and under.Trials registration:Pan African Clinical Trial Registry PACTR201508001188143,3 July 2015;PACTR201510001189370,3 July 2015;PACTR201508001191898,7 July 2015 and PACTR201508001193368,8 July 2015 http://www.pactr.org.

青年与老年结直肠癌C -erbB - 2不同表达与DNA倍体的关系

目的 探讨青年和老年结直肠癌 (CRC)患者C -erbB - 2蛋白的表达与病理学和细胞DNA倍体的关系。方法 采用免疫组化法检测 63例青、老年CRCC -erbB - 2 ,流式细胞学分析青年和部分老年患者的DNA倍体。结果 C -erbB - 2蛋白阳性表达在 31例青年CRC中有 1 4例 (45 .2 % ) ,而 32例老年CRC中仅 4例 (1 2 .2 % ) (P <0 .0 1 ) ;癌的DNA非二倍体发生率青年组为 87.1 % (2 7/ 31 ) ,老年组为 2 8.6 % (4/ 1 4 ) (P <0 .0 0 1 )。在腺癌、高 -中分化、无局部淋巴结转移及浅度浸润的癌中 ,青年组C -erbB - 2蛋白的阳性表达和非二倍体发生率均高于老年组 (P <0 .0 5 ,P <0 .0 0 1 )。结论 青年和老年CRCC -erbB - 2蛋白表达不同与细胞DNA倍体密切相关 。

内生人口结构视角下的人口年龄结构与居民消费率——基于PVAR模型的动态分析

消费是影响国民经济持续增长的重要因素。我国消费不足由来已久并受到了各界的广泛关注,而导致我国居民消费不足、消费率下降的原因很多,其中一个不容忽视的因素就是我国人口结构发生了巨大的变化。基于此,可在生命周期理论基础上,对消费函数进行扩展,对家庭跨期消费选择进行建模,并利用省级面板数据将人口年龄结构内生化,利用面板VAR模型来分析少儿抚养比、老年抚养比、居民消费率与经济增长之间的相互关系。研究结果表明,少儿抚养比的下降与老年抚养比的上升是导致我国居民消费率持续下降的一个重要原因;少儿抚养负担过重不利于经济增长,而老龄化对中国经济并未造成不良影响;随着经济的增长,少儿抚养比会降低,老年抚养比会升高,将出现老龄化过程。因此,为更好地促进居民消费,应由严格控制人口增长的扩大内需向允许人口适度增长的扩大内需转变;挖掘老年人口消费需求,使之成为新的经济增长点;合理开发老年人力资源,探索弹性退体制度。

年轻和老年小鼠脂肪来源干细胞生物学特性对比

背景:脂肪来源干细胞具有抗衰老的作用,但来自不同年龄供者的脂肪来源干细胞是否有区别,还需深入研究。目的:对比老年和年轻小鼠脂肪来源干细胞的生物学特性。方法:分别从8周龄、14周龄C57BL小鼠脂肪组织中提取脂肪来源干细胞,对比分析老年和年轻小鼠脂肪来源干细胞的细胞周期、凋亡、增殖能力的差异,定量PCR和Western blot检测老年和年轻小鼠脂肪来源干细胞衰老相关P21、P27基因和蛋白的表达。结果与结论:与老年小鼠脂肪来源干细胞相比,年轻小鼠脂肪来源干细胞更有活力,形态更规则,凋亡更少,增殖更快,衰老相关P21、P27基因和蛋白表达量更低,说明年轻小鼠脂肪来源干细胞具有更好的抗衰老作用。

基于AHP-SWOT法的医养结合发展策略研究

医养结合是将现代医疗技术和养老保障相结合的一种切实可行的新型养老模式,但其在发展中也面临一些问题和不足。文章采用AHP-SWOT法,从内部优势、内部劣势、外部机会、外部劣势四个维度对我国医养结合养老模式发展进行分析,并在此基础上进行权重计算比较,最后提出医养结合养老模式的发展策略,为进一步推动我国医养结合模式发展提供借鉴和参考。