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Objective To investigate the association of long-term changes in body mass index, waist circumference, and waist-to-height ratio with the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the older population. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study in Jiangsu Province, China. Data from 593 participants who were aged ≥60 years were analyzed. The hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards model. Results Over a median follow-up period of 5.08 years, 70 participants (11.80%) developed type 2 diabetes mellitus. Compared with participants with persistently normal body mass index, waist circumference, and waist-to-height ratio, those in whom these parameters changed from normal to abnormal and those in whom these parameters were persistently abnormal had a significantly higher risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus, with adjusted hazard ratios of 2.11 (95% confidence interval: 1.05–4.26) and 2.37 (95% confidence interval: 1.21–4.63) for body mass index, 2.75 (95% confidence interval: 1.16–6.51) and 2.32 (95% confidence interval: 1.29–4.16) for waist circumference, and 2.24 (95% confidence interval: 1.14–5.91) and 4.11 (95% confidence interval: 2.21–7.68) for waist-to-height ratio, respectively. Conclusion Long-term changes in obesity-related anthropometric indicators are strongly associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the older population.

Background To compare proprioception recovery after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) with a hamstring tendon autograft versus the artificial Ligament Advanced Reinforcement System (LARS). Material and methods Forty patients (9 females, 31 males) with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture were enrolled in this prospective study. Patients were randomized to two groups, 1) ACLR using a hamstring tendon autograft ( n  = 20) or 2) ACLR using artificial LARS ( n  = 20). Proprioception was assessed with knee joint position sense (JPS) passive-passive test at 45° and 75° flexions, with the contralateral healthy knee as a control baseline to calculate the JPS error. Knee JPS absolute error was used as the main outcome variable and defined as the absolute difference between the reproduction and target angles. Results JPS error in both groups at 3 months after ACLR was significantly higher than that at 12 months. However, no significant difference in JPS error was detected between the LARS and autograft groups at either 3 or 12 months after ACLR. Analyzing JPS data by grouping patients according to whether ACLR was performed more or less than 1 year following injury regardless of graft type showed a statistically significant difference between the groups at 3 months, but not at 12 months, after ACLR. Patients receiving the graft within 1 year of injury had a lower JPS error than those receiving the graft more than 1 year after injury at 3 months. No complications were associated with either ACLR method. Conclusion ACLR with a hamstring tendon autograft or LARS artificial graft is similarly safe and effective for recovering knee proprioception.

Background/Aims: This study investigated the effect of mechanical stress on tendon-bone healing in a rabbit anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction model as well as cell proliferation and matrix formation in co-culture of bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and tendon cells (TCs). Methods: The effect of continuous passive motion (CPM) therapy on tendon-bone healing in a rabbit ACL reconstruction model was evaluated by histological analysis, biomechanical testing and gene expressions at the tendon-bone interface. Furthermore, the effect of mechanical stretch on cell proliferation and matrix synthesis in BMSC/TC co-culture was also examined. Results: Postoperative CPM therapy significantly enhanced tendon-bone healing, as evidenced by increased amount of fibrocartilage, elevated ultimate load to failure levels, and up-regulated gene expressions of Collagen I, alkaline phosphatase, osteopontin, Tenascin C and tenomodulin at the tendon-bone junction. In addition, BMSC/TC co-culture treated with mechanical stretch showed a higher rate of cell proliferation and enhanced expressions of Collagen I, Collagen III, alkaline phosphatase, osteopontin, Tenascin C and tenomodulin than that of controls. Conclusion: These results demonstrated that proliferation and differentiation of local precursor cells could be enhanced by mechanical stimulation, which results in enhanced regenerative potential of BMSCs and TCs in tendon-bone healing.

Background Low levels of mcr‐1 were detected in Escherichia coli from wastewater samples across the world; hence, further monitoring and management of accumulation of mcr‐1‐positive bacteria in wastewater are urgently recommended. Objectives In this study, we have reported the detection of E. coli strains carrying the colistin resistance gene mcr‐1 in slaughterhouse wastewater discharged into Dawen river. Methods Twenty samples were collected aseptically and subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, multilocus sequence typing and antibiotic resistance tests. Conjugation tests were also performed. Results The screening results showed a positive rate of 20% (4/20), which suggested that the mcr‐1 gene had polluted the environment of the river. The mcr‐1 gene had successfully transferred from the donor to recipient cells, which showed the possibility of horizontal transfer of mcr‐1 and subsequently, the formation of multidrug resistant bacteria in the river. Conclusions Our findings demonstrated a high occurrence of colistin‐resistant E. coli carrying the mcr‐1 gene on transferrable plasmids in slaughterhouses and indicated their dissemination into river. Large‐scale cross‐border cooperation would be required for the effective control of the spread of antibiotic‐resistant bacteria. Large‐scale cross‐border cooperation would be required for the effective control of the spread of antibiotic‐resistant bacteria. Our findings demonstrated the high occurrence of colistin‐resistant E. coli carrying mcr‐1 on transferrable plasmids in slaughterhouses and indicated their dissemination into river.

The beef cattle rumen is a heterogenous microbial ecosystem that is necessary for the host to digest food and support growth. The importance of the rumen microbiota (RM) is also widely recognized for its critical roles in metabolism and immunity. The level of health is indicated by a dynamic RM distribution. We performed high-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene to compare microbial populations between rumens in beef cattle with or without doxycycline treatment to assess dynamic microbiotic shifts following antibiotic administration. The results of the operational taxonomic unit analysis and alpha and beta diversity calculations showed that doxycycline-treated beef cattle had lower species richness and bacterial diversity than those without doxycycline. Bacteroidetes was the predominant phylum in rumen samples without doxycycline, while Proteobacteria was the governing phylum in the presence of doxycycline. On the family level, the top three predominant populations in group qlqlwy (not treated with doxycycline) were Prevotellaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Ruminococcaceae, compared to Xanthomonadaceae, Prevotellaceae, and Rikenellaceae in group qlhlwy (treated with doxycycline). At the genus level, the top predominant population in group qlqlwy was unidentified_Prevotellaceae. However, in group qlhlwy, the top predominant population was Stenotrophomonas. The results revealed significant RM differences in beef cattle with or without doxycycline. Oral doxycycline may induce RM composition differences, and bacterial richness may also influence corresponding changes that could guide antibiotic use in adult ruminants. This study is the first to assess microbiota distribution in beef cattle rumen after doxycycline administration.

Molecular mechanisms underlying bladder dysfunction in ischemia, particularly at the protein and protein modification levels and downstream pathways, remain largely unknown. Here we describe a comparison of protein sequence variations in the ischemic and normal bladder tissues by measuring the mass differences of the coding amino acids and actual residues crossing the proteome. A large number of nonzero delta masses (11,056) were detected, spanning over 1295 protein residues. Clustering analysis identified 12 delta mass clusters that were significantly dysregulated, involving 30 upregulated (R2 > 0.5, ratio > 2, p < 0.05) and 33 downregulated (R2 > 0.5, ratio < −2, p < 0.05) proteins in bladder ischemia. These protein residues had different mass weights from those of the standard coding amino acids, suggesting the formation of non-coded amino acid (ncAA) residues in bladder ischemia. Pathway, gene ontology, and protein–protein interaction network analyses of these ischemia-associated delta-mass containing proteins indicated that ischemia provoked several amino acid variations, potentially post-translational modifications, in the contractile proteins and stress response molecules in the bladder. Accumulation of ncAAs may be a novel biomarker of smooth muscle dysfunction, with diagnostic potential for bladder dysfunction. Our data suggest that systematic assessment of global protein modifications may be crucial to the characterization of ischemic conditions in general and the pathomechanism of bladder dysfunction in ischemia.

Importance Recurrent respiratory tract infection (RRTI) is common in children. Inappropriate RRTI treatment will lead to asthma and other diseases, thereby seriously affecting the growth and physical health of children. Immune function modulation can prevent and alleviate childhood RRTI. Yupingfeng (YPF), a patented traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has immunomodulatory effects and is widely used in China to treat children with RRTI. Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of YPF monotherapy in treating children with RRTI. Methods This multicenter, randomized, double‐blind, double‐simulation, noninferiority clinical trial was conducted from January 2015 to August 2017, with an 8‐week treatment period and 52‐week follow‐up after the drug withdrawal. Children aged 2–6 years with RRTI meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled in 13 hospitals in China and divided randomly into three groups (2:2:1 ratio) to receive YPF, pidotimod, or placebo. The primary outcome was the proportion of RRTI returning to normal standard level during the follow‐up. The secondary outcomes were reduction in the number of RRTI recurrences, effect on clinical symptoms (in accord with TCM practice), effect per symptom, and safety. The trial was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trials Registry (www.chictr.org.cn) under the unique identifier ChiCTR‐IPR‐15006847. Results Three hundred and fifty‐one children were enrolled and randomly assigned to 3 groups; 124, 125, and 61 children in the YPF, pidotimod, and placebo groups, respectively, had completed the trial. During the follow‐up, the proportion of RRTI returning to normal standard level was 73.13%, 67.15%, and 38.81% with YPF, pidotimod, and placebo, respectively (P < 0.0001). The proportion of cases who returned to normal standard level in the YPF group was 34.32% higher than that in the placebo group. The safety profile did not significantly differ among the groups. Interpretation YPF granules were noninferior to the active control drug pidotimod oral solution for the treatment of RRTI in children, and were superior to placebo, with a high safety profile. Recurrent respiratory tract infection (RRTI) is common in children. Inappropriate RRI treatment will lead to asthma, myocarditis, nephritis, and other diseases, thereby seriously affecting the growth and physical health of children. This multi‐center, randomized, double‐blind, double‐simulation, non‐inferiority clinical trial was conducted from January 2015 to August 2017, with a 52‐week follow‐up. Children with RRTI meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled in 13 hospitals in China and divided randomly into three groups (2:2:1 ratio). The primary outcome was the RRTI control rate during the follow‐up. The secondary outcomes were reduction in the number of RRTI recurrences, effect on clinical symptoms (in accord with TCM practice), effect per symptom, and safety. Three hundred and fifty‐one children were enrolled and randomly assigned to each group; 124, 125, and 61 children in the YPF, pidotimod, and placebo groups, respectively, had completed the trial. During the follow‐up, the RRTI control rate was 73.13%, 67.15%, and 38.81% with YPF, pidotimod, and placebo, respectively (P < 0.0001). The RRTI control rate in the YPF group was 34% higher than that in the placebo group. The safety profile did not significantly differ among the groups. Overall, YPF can be used to treat children with RRTI and improve aversion to wind and spontaneous sweating, with a high safety profile.

Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIPO) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder with symptoms of ileus. CIPO can either be idiopathic or secondary to other diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). SLE is involved in many parts of the gastrointestinal system with variable clinical presentations. Reports about reduplicated CIPO as a complication of SLE is infrequent. A 49-year-old female suffering from clinical symptoms of ileus has been hospitalized 3 times over 1 year. Her examination results showed no observation of mechanical obstruction. In August 2017, she came to the nephrology department due to edema in both lower limbs along with symptoms of ileus. After thorough examination, she was diagnosed with secondary CIPO related to SLE. Results of renal biopsy confirmed to be lupus nephritis (Class III-(A) + V). The symptoms of ileus are gradually improved after treatment of full-dose intravenous corticosteroid for 5 days.

With the increase in the market share of data trading, the risks such as identity authentication and authority management are increasingly intensified. Aiming at the problems of centralization of identity authentication, dynamic changes of identities, and ambiguity of trading authority in data trading, a two-factor dynamic identity authentication scheme for data trading based on alliance chain (BTDA) is proposed. Firstly, the use of identity certificates is simplified to solve the problems of large calculation and difficult storage. Secondly, a two-factor dynamic authentication strategy is designed, which uses distributed ledger to achieve dynamic identity authentication throughout the data trading. Finally, a simulation experiment is carried out on the proposed scheme. The theoretical comparison and analysis with similar schemes show that the proposed scheme has lower cost, higher authentication efficiency and security, easier authority management, and can be widely used in various fields of data trading scenarios.

With the increase in the market share of data trading, the risks such as identity authentication and authority management are increasingly intensified. Aiming at the problems of centralization of identity authentication, dynamic changes of identities, and ambiguity of trading authority in data trading, a two-factor dynamic identity authentication scheme for data trading based on alliance chain (BTDA) is proposed. Firstly, the use of identity certificates is simplified to solve the problems of large calculation and difficult storage. Secondly, a two-factor dynamic authentication strategy is designed, which uses distributed ledger to achieve dynamic identity authentication throughout the data trading. Finally, a simulation experiment is carried out on the proposed scheme. The theoretical comparison and analysis with similar schemes show that the proposed scheme has lower cost, higher authentication efficiency and security, easier authority management, and can be widely used in various fields of data trading scenarios.