ObjectivesOpen-labelled clinical trials suggested that low-dose IL-2 might be effective in treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A double-blind and placebo-controlled trial is required to formally evaluate the safety and efficacy of low-dose IL-2 therapy.MethodsA randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled clinical trial was designed to treat 60 patients with active SLE. These patients received either IL-2 (n=30) or placebo (n=30) with standard treatment for 12 weeks, and were followed up for additional 12 weeks. IL-2 at a dose of 1 million IU or placebo was administered subcutaneously every other day for 2 weeks and followed by a 2-week break as one treatment cycle. The primary endpoint was the SLE Responder Index-4 (SRI-4) at week 12. The secondary endpoints were other clinical responses, safety and dynamics of immune cell subsets.ResultsAt week 12, the SRI-4 response rates were 55.17% and 30.00% for IL-2 and placebo, respectively (p=0.052). At week 24, the SRI-4 response rate of IL-2 group was 65.52%, compared with 36.67% of the placebo group (p=0.027). The primary endpoint was not met at week 12. Low-dose IL-2 treatment resulted in 53.85% (7/13) complete remission in patients with lupus nephritis, compared with 16.67% (2/12) in the placebo group (p=0.036). No serious infection was observed in the IL-2 group, but two in placebo group. Besides expansion of regulatory T cells, low-dose IL-2 may also sustain cellular immunity with enhanced natural killer cells.ConclusionsLow-dose IL-2 might be effective and tolerated in treatment of SLE.Trial registration numberClinicalTrials.gov Registries (NCT02465580 and NCT02932137).
A method to determine the origin of voltage sag disturbance is proposed in this paper. Its principle is to estimate the equivalent impedance of the nondisturbance side by utilizing the voltage and current changes caused by the disturbance. The sign of the real part of the estimated impedance can reveal if the disturbance is from upstream or downstream. The proposed method can be easily implemented into power quality meters for troubleshooting applications or into digital revenue meters to document the responsibility for disturbances. Extensive field and laboratory test results have proven the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method.Index Terms-Least-squares method, power quality, voltage sag, voltage sag source detection.
TEVAR for complicated aTBAD results in low 30-day and 1-year mortality rates, with higher reintervention rates than observed with open operations. TEVAR is effective in thrombosing and stabilizing the size of the thoracic FL. The abdominal aortic FL remains patent and must be carefully scrutinized for long-term aneurysm formation.
Background The use of e-cigarettes among adults is increasing globally. Since 2018, policies in China have restricted e-cigarette use; however, little information is available on the national trend in e-cigarette use before regulations were implemented. Therefore, we sought to estimate the trend in e-cigarette use in China before policy implementation and explored associated factors. MethodsWe assessed two nationally representative cross-sectional datasets from the China Chronic Disease and Nutrition Surveillance (CCDNS) surveys initiated in 2015 (June, 2015, to May, 2016) and 2018 (August, 2018, to June, 2019). The surveys were done at 298 national disease surveillance points in 31 provinces in mainland China, and used a multistage, stratified, cluster-randomised sampling design, recruiting community-based Chinese adults aged 18 years and older. Within the standard CCDNS survey, face-to-face questionnaire interviews were used to collect selfreport data on e-cigarette use in the preceding 30 days. E-cigarette users were those who self-reported e-cigarette use on 1 day or more in the past 30 days. Prevalence estimates of past 30-day e-cigarette use were weighted to represent the Chinese adult population accounting for the complex sampling design. Populations for the years 2015-16 and 2018-19 were standardised with the 2010 population census to gain comparable estimates. Multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, urban or rural residence, household income, occupation, and education level were applied to identify factors associated with the likelihood of e-cigarette use among the total population, ever smokers (current and former), and never smokers across both surveys. Findings Our study included 189 306 Chinese adults from the 2015 survey (100 405 [53•0%] women; mean age 43•6 years [SD 14•6]) and 184 475 Chinese adults from the 2018 survey (102 373 [55•5%] women; mean age 43•4 years [13•9]). The weighted prevalence of past 30-day e-cigarette use among Chinese adults increased from 1•3% (95% CI 1•1-1•5%) in 2015-16 to 1•6% (95% CI 1•4-1•8%) in 2018-19 (an increase of 0•3% [95% CI 0•1-0•6]; Rao-Scott χ² p=0•0086). Based on weighted proportion data, e-cigarette users were predominantly men (97•4% [95% CI 96•7-98•1] in 2015-16 and 97•0% [95•4-98•6] in 2018-19) and current conventional smokers (93•0% [90•7-95•2] in 2015-16 and 96•2% [95•1-97•3] in 2018-19). Across both surveys, the odds of e-cigarette use were significantly associated with obesity (odds ratio 1•6 [95% CI 1•3-2•1]; p=0•0007), awareness of smoking hazards (1•2 [1•0-1•4]; p=0•022), and smoking status (in current smokers, 135•2 [87•7-208•6]; and in former smokers, 33•5 [21•3-52•7]; p<0•0001). Among current smokers, the odds were increased with daily cigarette consumption (2•1 [1•5-2•8]; p<0•0001), smoking more than 20 cigarettes per day (1•8 [1•5-2•3]; p<0•0001), and an attempt to quit smoking (within the past 12 months, 1•9 [1•5-2•4]; and before the past 12 months, 1•5 [1•3-1•9]; p<0•0001). In never smokers, the odds were increased in...
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