Pre-COVID-19 Social Determinants of Health Among Mexican Migrants in Los Angeles and New York City and Their Increased Vulnerability to Unfavorable Health Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health - COVID-19 has disproportionally affected underrepresented minorities (URM) and low-income immigrants in the United States. The aim of the study is to...     

Oocyte maturation arrest produced by TUBB8 mutations: impact of genetic disorders in infertility treatment

Abstract

Oocyte maturation defect is a challenging situation in the management of infertility, the etiology may be related to endocrine causes, protocols used in ovarian stimulation, oocyte intrinsic defects or procedures in embryology laboratory. We report three Mexican females in treatment for primary infertility with non-mature oocytes after ovary stimulation and oocyte capture in whom a genetic diagnosis of TUBB8-oocyte maturation defect was revealed by exome sequencing. Two couples achieved pregnancies though oocyte donation after establishing the genetic etiology. Our results expand the role of TUBB8-disorders in patients of non-Asian ethnicity. Oocyte maturation defects of monogenic origin are a growing group of disorders that endocrinologists and reproductive medicine specialists should be aware in order to provide referral to genetics for establish a correct and opportune diagnosis.     

血府逐瘀汤合温胆汤加减联合西药治疗高血压颈动脉硬化的临床观察

目的:观察血府逐瘀汤合温胆汤加减联合西药治疗高血压颈动脉硬化的效果。方法:选取2017年6月至2018年6月聊城市中医院收治的高血压颈动脉硬化患者92例作为研究对象,按照随机数字表法随机分为对照组与观察组,每组46例。对照组患者给予左旋氨氯地平+阿托伐他汀口服,观察组在对照组基础上加用血府逐瘀汤合温胆汤加减口服。观察患者血压、血脂控制情况,测定颈动脉内膜中层厚度(IMT)、斑块面积、血管皮内皮功能、血清蛋白酶分子水平。结果:与对照组比较,观察组治疗后的血压SBP、DBP及血脂TG、TC、LDL-C等指标更低(P<0.05);颈动脉粥样硬化斑块IMT厚度、斑块面积明显缩小(P<0.05),血管内皮功能指标ET-1、AngⅡ、TXB2水平明显降低,NO水平明显升高(P<0.05);血清CatK、MMP-9水平明显降低(P<0.05);观察组不良反应发生率8.70%明显低于对照组不良反应发生率21.74%(P<0.05)。结论:血府逐瘀汤合温胆汤加减联合西药更利于控制高血压颈动脉硬化患者的血压,调节脂质代谢,改善血管内皮功能,降低血清蛋白酶分子的含量,用药安全。     

基于LC-MS的甘草炮制雷公藤降低肝毒性的代谢组学研究

目的 观察甘草炮制雷公藤Tripterygium wilfordii后对小鼠血清中代谢产物的影响，初步探讨其降低肝毒性的可能代谢通路。方法 将C57BL/6小鼠随机分为对照（Con）组、雷公藤（Raw）组、甘草炮制雷公藤（Pro）组，观察小鼠肝组织病理变化，检测小鼠肝功能生化指标、炎症因子水平；利用液质联用（LC-MS）技术结合代谢组学方法，对各组间的代谢差异进行表征。结果 与Raw组相比，Pro组小鼠肝组织损伤显著改善，肝功能生化指标、炎症因子水平显著降低，表明甘草炮制雷公藤后可以降低小鼠肝毒性；共筛选出脂肪酸、磷脂酸、甘油酯、磷脂酰胆碱、胆酸等12个潜在生物标志物，主要涉及脂肪酸生物合成、甘油磷脂代谢、花生四烯酸代谢等9个代谢通路。结论 甘草炮制雷公藤可有效降低小鼠的肝毒性，其机制可能与调节脂肪酸代谢等通路相关，为其临床合理应用提供参考依据。