Epidemiology and Risk Factors of Cervical Spine Injury during Heating Season in the Patients with Cervical Trauma: A Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to describe the epidemiology of cervical spine injury in the patients with cervical trauma and analyze its associated risk factors during the special heating season in North China.

Methods

This cross-sectional study investigated predictors for cervical spine injury in cervical trauma patients using retrospectively collected data of Hebei Provincial Orthopaedic Hospital from 11/2011 to 02/2012, and 11/2012 to 02/2013. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine risk factors for cervical fractures/dislocations or cord injury.

Results

A total of 106 patients were admitted into this study. Of all, 34 patients (32.1%) were treated from 11/2011 to 02/2012 and 72 patients (67.9%) from 11/2012 to 02/2013. The mean age was 41.9±13.3 years old; 85 patients (80.2%) were male and 82 (77.4%) from rural areas. Eighty patients (75.5%) were caused by fall including 45 (42.5%) by severe fall (>2 m). Sixty-five patients (61.3%) of all suffered injuries to other body regions and 32 (30.2%) got head injury. Thirty-one patients (29.2%) sustained cervical cord injury with cervical fractures/dislocations. Twenty-six (83.9%) of cervical cord injury patients were from rural areas and 24 (77.4%) of those resulted from fall including 15 (48.4%) from severe fall (>2 m). Logistic regression displayed that age (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.05–2.07), head injury (OR, 5.63; 95% CI, 2.23–14.26), were risk factors for cervical cord injury and snowing (OR, 8.25; 95% CI, 2.26–30.15) was a risk factor for cervical spine injury due to severe fall (>2 m).

Conclusions

The elder male patients and patients with head trauma are high-risk population for cervical cord injury. As a seasonal factor, snowing during heating season is of note a risk factor for cervical spine injury resulting from severe fall (>2 m) in the patients with cervical trauma in North China.     

Select Dietary Phytochemicals Function as Inhibitors of COX-1 but Not COX-2

Recent clinical trials raised concerns regarding the cardiovascular toxicity of selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors. Many active dietary factors are reported to suppress carcinogenesis by targeting COX-2. A major question was accordingly raised: why has the lifelong use of phytochemicals that likely inhibit COX-2 presumably not been associated with adverse cardiovascular side effects. To answer this question, we selected a library of dietary-derived phytochemicals and evaluated their potential cardiovascular toxicity in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Our data indicated that the possibility of cardiovascular toxicity of these dietary phytochemicals was low. Further mechanistic studies revealed that the actions of these phytochemicals were similar to aspirin in that they mainly inhibited COX-1 rather than COX-2, especially at low doses.     

“微生物学实验”混合式教学实践与评价

生命科学的本科教学中,实验教学是举足轻重的一个部分。本文以"微生物学实验"课程为研究对象,利用互动网站进行线上线下混合式教学,评价学生的学习效果和规律,探索生命科学实验类课程采用混合式教学的效果,并探讨推广可能性。在连续三年的教学实践中,统计分析各维度数据,发现在混合式教学模式下,绝大部分学生都具有主动自学的能力。同时,实验课程中的深度和广度都有所提升。学习规律的监控和综合评价显示,深度学习的学生在各种评价指标中都显著表现优秀。因此,在混合式教学模式下,如何引导学生进行真实有效的深度学习是教师在新教学模式下的重任。     

数字PCR技术及其在检测领域的应用

随着分子生物学技术的不断发展和需求的多样化,用于核酸检测的各种PCR衍生技术应运而生。数字PCR是一种单分子水平的大规模分区扩增定量核酸检测技术。该技术以微腔室/微孔或微滴作为PCR反应器,无需校准物和绘制标准曲线即可实现对样品初始浓度的绝对定量,具有高灵敏度、高特异性和高精确度的特点。本文详细介绍了数字PCR的技术发展史、作用原理以及仪器平台类型,系统阐述了数字PCR在转基因检测、疾病诊断、环境及食品监管等方面的应用概况,并对该技术的应用前景进行了展望,以期对未来数字PCR的开发利用提供参考。     

ATAC-seq在复杂疾病研究中的应用进展

染色质转座酶可及性测序(assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing,ATAC-seq)是利用Tn5转座酶研究染色质可及性的高通量测序技术。ATAC-seq可以在全基因组范围内绘制染色质可及性图谱,揭示转录因子结合位点以及核小体的位置。在医学领域,ATAC-seq技术是研究重大疾病发病机制、药物作用机制、新药研发和生物标志物功能等的新一代有力工具。本文对ATAC-seq技术的优势及其在复杂疾病研究中的应用和前景进行了综述,以期为人类复杂疾病基因表达调控机制等相关研究的开展提供借鉴与参考。     

Structural analysis of glycosaminoglycans from Colla corii asini by liquid chromatography-electrospray ion trap mass spectrometry

Glycoconjugate Journal - Colla corii asini (CCA) made from donkey-hide has been widely used as a traditional animal-based Chinese medicine. Chondroitin sulfate (CS), dermatan sulfate (DS) and...     

Hypoxia induces the activation of hepatic stellate cells through the PVT1-miR-152-ATG14 signaling pathway

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry - Shrm4 is a protein that is exclusively expressed in polarized tissues. The physiological function of Shrm4 in the brain was required to be elucidated. Thus, we...     

Responses of Two Coastal Algae (Skeletonema costatum and Chlorella vulgaris) to Changes in Light and Iron Levels1

Iron (Fe) is essential for phytoplankton growth and photosynthesis, and is proposed to be an important factor regulating algal blooms under replete major nutrients in coastal environments. Here, Skeletonema costatum, a typical red-tide diatom species, and Chlorella vulgaris, a widely distributed Chlorella, were chosen to examine carbon fixation and Fe uptake by coastal algae under dark and light conditions with different Fe levels. The cellular carbon fixation and intracellular Fe uptake were measured via ¹⁴C and ⁵⁵Fe tracer assay, respectively. Cell growth, cell size, and chlorophyll-α concentration were measured to investigate the algal physiological variation in different treatments. Our results showed that cellular Fe uptake proceeds under dark and the uptake rates were comparable to or even higher than those in the light for both algal species. Fe requirements per unit carbon fixation were also higher in the dark resulting in higher Fe: C ratios. During the experimental period, high Fe addition significantly enhanced cellular carbon fixation and Fe uptake. Compared to C. vulgaris, S. costatum was the common dominant bloom species because of its lower Fe demand but higher Fe uptake rate. This study provides some of the first measurements of Fe quotas in coastal phytoplankton cells, and implies that light and Fe concentrations may influence the phytoplankton community succession when blooms occur in coastal ecosystems.     

Identification and Genetic Analysis of a Novel Allelic Variation of <i>Brittle-1</i> with Endosperm Mutant in Maize

Endosperm mutants are critical to the studies on both starch synthesis and metabolism and genetic improvement of starch quality in maize. In the present study, a novel maize endosperm mutant A0178 of natural variation was used as the experimental material and identified and then characterized. Through phenotypic identification, genetic analysis, main ingredients measurement and embryo rescue, development of genetic mapping population from A0178, the endosperm mutant gene was located. The results showed that the mutant exhibited extremely low germination ability as attributed to the inhibited embryo development, and amounts of sugars were accumulated in the mutant seeds and more sugars content was detected at 23 days after pollination (DAP) in A0178 than B73. Employing genetic linkage analysis, the mutant trait was mapped in the bin 5.04 on chromosome 5. Sequence analysis showed that two sites of base transversion and insertion presented in the protein coding region and non-coding region of the mutant brittle-1 (bt1), the adenylate translocator encoding gene involved in the starch synthesis. The single base insertion in the coding region cause frameshift mutation, early termination and lose of function of Brittle-1 (BT1). All results suggested that bt1 is a novel allelic gene and the causal gene of this endosperm mutant, providing insights on the mechanism of endosperm formation in maize.     

Spectral quality of monochromatic LED affects photosynthetic acclimation to high-intensity sunlight of Chrysanthemum and Spathiphyllum

Vertical farming using light-emitting diode offers potential for the early production phase (few weeks) of young ornamental plants. However, once transferred to the greenhouse, the photosynthetic acclimation of these young plants might depend on this initial light regime. To obtain insight about this acclimatization, Chrysanthemum (sun species) and Spathiphyllum (shade species) were preconditioned in growth chambers for 4 weeks under four light qualities: blue (B), red (R), red/blue (RB, 60% R) and white (W) at 100 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹. Monochromatic light (R and B) limited leaf development of both species, which resulted in a lower leaf mass per area when compared to multispectral light (RB for Chrysanthemum, RB and W for Spathiphyllum). R-developed leaves had a lower photosynthetic efficiency in both species. After the light quality pretreatment, plants were transferred to the greenhouse with high-intensity natural light conditions. On the first day of transfer, R and B preconditioned leaves of both species had an inhibited photosynthesis. After 1 week in natural light condition, rapid light curve parameters of Chrysanthemum leaves that developed under B acclimated to sunlight had a similar level than RB-developed leaves unlike R-leaves. Spathiphyllum leaves showed a decrease in maximum electron transport rate and this was most pronounced for the R pretreatment. After 1 month, R-preconditioned Chrysanthemum had the lowest dry mass, while no effects on the dry weight of Spathiphyllum with respect to the pretreatments were observed. Light quality during preconditioning affected the leaf ability to acclimate to natural high light intensities in greenhouse environment.