OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the diagnostic value of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), and the MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio in fetal inflammatory response syndrome (FIRS), and determine a possible association with the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and myocardial injury. METHODS: Overall, 61 cases of preterm infants with FIRS were divided into the FIRS group 1 (≤32 weeks) and FIRS group 2 (32 to 37 weeks). Similarly, 57 cases of normal preterm infants were divided into Control group 1 and Control group 2. Levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), MMP-9, and TIMP-1 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Spearman’s linear correlation was used to analyze the relationship between dependent variables. Pathological changes were examined by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and in amniotic fluid smears. RESULTS: Levels of IL-6, MMP-9, and TIMP-1, and the MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio were significantly higher in the FIRS group than in the Control groups. IL-6 was positively correlated with MMP-9, TIMP-1, and the MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio. Areas under the curve (AUC) of MMP-9, TIMP-1, and the MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio were 0.92, 0.90, and 0.95, respectively. HE staining and amniotic fluid smears showed the aggregation of inflammatory cells. MMP-9, TIMP-1, and the MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio were closely related to the incidence of BPD (≤32 weeks) and myocardial injury (<37 weeks) in preterm infants. CONCLUSION: MMP-9, TIMP-1, and the MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio revealed a certain diagnostic value for FIRS; combined with gestational age, these parameters were effective for predicting cardiopulmonary injury.

ABSTRACT Objective The purpose of this study was to determine whether the presence of obesity was related with symptoms of nocturnal enuresis (NE) and the efficacy of behavioral intervention in the treatment of NE. Materials and Method The patients diagnosed with primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (PMNE) were studied retrospectively. NE severity was classified as mild, moderate, and severe according to the frequency of enuresis. The children were divided into three groups, namely normal weight (5th-84th percentile), overweight (85th-94th percentile), and obesity (≥95th percentile), according to their Body Mass Index (BMI) percentage. The relationship between obesity level and enuresis severity was analyzed. After three months of behavioral therapy, the efficacy of treatment among normal, overweight, and obese groups were evaluated. Moreover, the predictive risk factors for treatment failure were investigated. Results The rates of severe enuresis in patients with normal weight, overweight, and obesity were 63.9%, 77.5%, and 78.6%, respectively. Obese children depicted higher odds of having severe enuresis compared with normal-weight children (OR: 1.571; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.196-2.065; P=0.001). The odds of presenting with severe enuresis were 1.99 times higher in children who are obese or overweight compared to children with normal weight (OR: 1.994; 95% CI: 1.349-2.946; P=0.001). The complete response of the normal group was higher than those of the overweight and obese groups (26.8% vs. 14.0%, P=0.010; 26.8% vs. 0.0%, P=0.000). Overweight children showed higher complete response than obese ones (14.0% vs. 0.0%, P=0.009). Logistic regression analysis revealed that obesity level and enuresis frequency were significantly related to the treatment failure of behavioral intervention. Conclusions Obesity is associated with severe enuresis and low efficacy of behavioral therapy in children with nocturnal enuresis.

Background CO2 emission, water pollution and petroleum shortage are the issues coming with the development of industry. A cost effective system was constructed to fix the CO2 in flue gas (15% CO2), remove nitrogen and phosphorus from manure wastewater and produce biofuels at the same time. The significant cultivation conditions were selected by Plackett-Burman design, and then optimized with central composite design. Results Optimum culture condition was predicted at light intensity of 238 µmol·m- 2·s- 1, TN of 152 mg·L- 1, inoculum density of 0.3 g·L- 1, under which the measured CO2 fixation rate, total nitrogen and phosphorus removing rate, and lipid content were 638.13 mg·L- 1·d- 1, 88.16%, 73.98% and 11.9%, respectively. The lipid content was then enhanced to 24.2% by a nitrogen starvation strategy. Conclusion A cultivation strategy was suggested to achieve effective C/N/P removal from flue gas and manure wastewater, and meanwhile obtained high lipid content from microalgal biomass.