Objective: To analyze the distribution characteristics of fluoride and trichloromethane in drinking water in rural schools in Guizhou Province and assess their health risks, so as to provide a scientific basis for ensuring the safety of drinking water in rural schools. Methods: During the dry season (March to May) and wet season (July to September) of 2020 to 2022, 788 rural primary and secondary schools in agricultural counties (districts) in Guizhou Province were selected for investigation by using a direct sampling method. A total of 1 566 drinking water samples were collected from these schools, and the mass concentrations of fluoride and trichloromethane in the water samples were detected. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for intergroup comparison, and a health risk assessment model was employed to evaluate the health risks of students oral intake of fluoride and trichloromethane. Results: From 2020 to 2022, the mass concentrations of fluoride and trichloromethane in the drinking water of rural schools in Guizhou Province all met the standards, and the ranges were no detection to 0.99 mg/L and (no detection to 0.06)×10 -3 mg/L, respectively. The mass concentrations of fluoride in dry and wet seasons were 0.05(0.05,0.10), 0.05(0.05,0.10) mg/L, the mass concentrations of trichloromethane were [0.02(0.02,1.00)]×10 -3 , [0.02(0.02,1.00)]×10 -3 mg/L, the mass concentrations of fluoride in factory water and terminal water were 0.05(0.05,0.05), 0.05(0.05,0.10) mg/L, and the differences were not statistically significant ( Z=-0.04, -0.88, - 0.98 , P >0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in the mass concentration of trichloromethane between factory water and peripheral water [0.02(0.02,0.02)×10 -3 , 0.02(0.02,1.05)×10 -3 mg/L]( Z=-2.16, P < 0.05 ). The non-carcinogenic risk assessment values for students oral exposure to fluoride and trichloromethane were in the range of 0.01(0.01,0.03)-0.03(0.03,0.06) and [0.26( 0.26 ,14.54)]×10 -4 -[0.52(0.52,48.62)]×10 -4 , respectively, all of which were at acceptable levels; the carcinogenic risk assessment values for oral exposure to trichloromethane were in the range of [0.08(0.08, 4.51 )]×10 -7 -[0.16(0.16,15.07)]×10 -7 , indicating a low risk. Conclusions The health risks of students expore to fluoride and trichloromethane in drinking water in rural schools of Guizhou Province are low. It is necessary to strengthen the standardized management of disinfection in some rural drinking water projects and the monitoring of fluoride in water sources to reduce the exposure risk to children.

BACKGROUND: Generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP), a rare and recurrent autoinflammatory disease, imposes a substantial burden on patients and society. Awareness of GPP in China remains limited. METHODS: This cross-sectional survey, conducted between September 2021 and May 2023 across 14 hospitals in China, included GPP patients of all ages and disease phases. Data collected encompassed demographics, clinical characteristics, economic impact, disease severity, quality of life, and treatment-related complications. Risk factors for GPP recurrence were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 127 patients (female/male ratio = 1.35:1), the mean age of disease onset was 25 years (1st quartile [Q1]-3rd quartile [Q3]: 11-44 years); 29.2% had experienced GPP for more than 10 years. Recurrence occurred in 75.6% of patients, and nearly half reported no identifiable triggers. Younger age at disease onset ( P  = 0.021) and transitioning to plaque psoriasis ( P  = 0.022) were associated with higher recurrence rates. The median diagnostic delay was 8 months (Q1-Q3: 2-41 months), and 32.3% of patients reported misdiagnoses. Comorbidities were present in 53.5% of patients, whereas 51.1% experienced systemic complications during treatment. Depression and anxiety affected 84.5% and 95.6% of patients, respectively. During GPP flares, the median Dermatology Life Quality Index score was 19.0 (Q1-Q3: 13.0-23.5). This score showed significant differences between patients with and without systemic symptoms; it demonstrated correlations with both depression and anxiety scores. Treatment costs caused financial hardship in 55.9% of patients, underscoring the burden associated with GPP. CONCLUSIONS The substantial disease and economic burdens among Chinese GPP patients warrant increased attention. Patients with early onset disease and those transitioning to plaque psoriasis require targeted interventions to mitigate the high recurrence risk.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Psoriasis/pathology* ; Adult ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Adolescent ; Child ; Young Adult ; Quality of Life ; Middle Aged ; China/epidemiology* ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; East Asian People

This study aimed to comprehensively examine the association of gallstones, cholecystectomy, and cancer risk. Multivariable logistic regressions were performed to estimate the observational associations of gallstones and cholecystectomy with cancer risk, using data from a nationwide cohort involving 239 799 participants. General and gender-specific two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was further conducted to assess the causalities of the observed associations. Observationally, a history of gallstones without cholecystectomy was associated with a high risk of stomach cancer (adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=2.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.50-4.28), liver and bile duct cancer (aOR=2.46, 95% CI 1.17-5.16), kidney cancer (aOR=2.04, 95% CI 1.05-3.94), and bladder cancer (aOR=2.23, 95% CI 1.01-5.13) in the general population, as well as cervical cancer (aOR=1.69, 95% CI 1.12-2.56) in women. Moreover, cholecystectomy was associated with high odds of stomach cancer (aOR=2.41, 95% CI 1.29-4.49), colorectal cancer (aOR=1.83, 95% CI 1.18-2.85), and cancer of liver and bile duct (aOR=2.58, 95% CI 1.11-6.02). MR analysis only supported the causal effect of gallstones on stomach, liver and bile duct, kidney, and bladder cancer. This study added evidence to the causal effect of gallstones on stomach, liver and bile duct, kidney, and bladder cancer, highlighting the importance of cancer screening in individuals with gallstones.
Humans ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Gallstones/complications* ; Female ; Male ; Cholecystectomy/statistics & numerical data* ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors ; Aged ; Adult ; Neoplasms/etiology* ; Stomach Neoplasms/epidemiology*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics and related risk factors of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted. Patients with diarrhea admitted to the ICU of the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University from May 1 to August 30, 2023 were selected. Patients were divided into CDI group and non-CDI group based on the presence or absence of CDI. Clinical data from two groups of patients meeting the criteria were collected and compared, including gender, age, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II), length of hospital stay, serum lactic acid, parenteral nutrition time, white blood cell count (WBC), procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), coagulation indicators, albumin, antibiotic exposure, etc. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the risk factors for CDI in ICU diarrhea patients. Receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) was drawn to analyze the predictive value of each index for CDI in diarrhea patients. RESULTS: A total of 24 patients with diarrhea were enrolled, including 9 patients in the CDI group and 15 patients in the non-CDI group. The time of parenteral nutrition in the CDI group was significantly longer than that in the non-CDI group [days: 18.0 (13.5, 19.5) vs. 10.0 (4.0, 18.0)], the serum lactic acid level [mmol/L: 4.40 (3.00, 15.25) vs. 2.50 (1.90, 3.20)] and the ratio of serum lactic acid > 3.9 mmol/L [66.67% (6/9) vs. 6.67% (1/15)] were significantly higher than those in the non-CDI group, with statistical significance (all P < 0.05). Multivariate binary Logistic regression analysis showed that the serum lactic acid level of the patients was an independent risk factor for CDI [odds ratio (OR) = 3.193, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 1.011-10.080, P = 0.048]. ROC curve showed that serum lactic acid level had a high predictive value for CDI in ICU patients with diarrhea, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.815, respectively. When the cut-off value of serum lactic acid was 3.9 mmol/L, the sensitivity was 66.7% and the specificity was 93.3%. CONCLUSION Patients with diarrhea who have higher serum lactate levels (> 3.9 mmol/L) on admission are at increased risk of developing CDI.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Intensive Care Units ; Clostridium Infections ; Clostridioides difficile ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Diarrhea/microbiology* ; Logistic Models ; ROC Curve ; Adult

OBJECTIVE: Pneumoconiosis, a lung disease caused by irreversible fibrosis, represents a significant public health burden. This study investigates the causal relationships between gut microbiota, gene methylation, gene expression, protein levels, and pneumoconiosis using a multi-omics approach and Mendelian randomization (MR). METHODS: We analyzed gut microbiota data from MiBioGen and Esteban et al. to assess their potential causal effects on pneumoconiosis subtypes (asbestosis, silicosis, and inorganic pneumoconiosis) using conventional and summary-data-based MR (SMR). Gene methylation and expression data from Genotype-Tissue Expression and eQTLGen, along with protein level data from deCODE and UK Biobank Pharma Proteomics Project, were examined in relation to pneumoconiosis data from FinnGen. To validate our findings, we assessed self-measured gut flora from a pneumoconiosis cohort and performed fine mapping, drug prediction, molecular docking, and Phenome-Wide Association Studies to explore relevant phenotypes of key genes. RESULTS: Three core gut microorganisms were identified: Romboutsia ( OR = 0.249) as a protective factor against silicosis, Pasteurellaceae ( OR = 3.207) and Haemophilus parainfluenzae ( OR = 2.343) as risk factors for inorganic pneumoconiosis. Additionally, mapping and quantitative trait loci analyses revealed that the genes VIM, STX8, and MIF were significantly associated with pneumoconiosis risk. CONCLUSIONS This multi-omics study highlights the associations between gut microbiota and key genes ( VIM, STX8, MIF) with pneumoconiosis, offering insights into potential therapeutic targets and personalized treatment strategies.
Humans ; Male ; East Asian People/genetics* ; Europe ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Lung ; Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors/metabolism* ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Multiomics ; Pneumoconiosis/microbiology* ; Intramolecular Oxidoreductases

ObjectiveTo explore the impact of Gegen Qinliantang（GQT） on the fecal short-chain fatty acids（SCFAs） metabolism in antibiotic-associated diarrhea（AAD） through targeted metabolomics. MethodA total of 240 SD rats were randomly divided into six groups（n=40， half male and half female）， including blank group， model group， bifidobiogen group（0.15 g·kg^-1）， and GQT high-， medium-， and low-dose groups（10.08， 5.04， 2.52 g·kg^-1）， except for the blank group， clindamycin（250 mg·kg^-1） was given to all groups by gavage for modeling every day for 7 d. After successful modeling， each administered group was gavaged with the corresponding dose of the drug， and the blank and model groups were gavaged with an equal volume of normal saline solution， 1 time/d， for 14 d. At 0， 3， 7， 14 d after the drug intervention， eight rats were randomly selected from each group， respectively. Gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（GC-TOF-MS） was used to perform targeted metabolomic analysis of SCFAs in the feces of rats， and partial least squares-discriminant analysis（PLS-DA） was applied to compare the differences in metabolic profiles between groups at different treatment times， and to compare the changes in the contents of SCFAs in rat feces between groups. ResultPLS-DA results showed that the blank group could be clearly distinguishable from the model group， with GQT exhibiting a closer proximity to the blank group after 7 d of treatment. After further analyzing the composition of SCFAs， it was found that the proportion of acetic acid increased and the proportions of butyric acid， valeric acid， hexanoic acid and isovaleric acid decreased in the model group compared with the blank group. After the treatment with GQT， the proportions of butyric acid， isobutyric acid， valeric acid， and isovaleric acid increased， and the proportions of acetic acid， propionic acid and caproic acid decreased. Subsequent differential analysis revealed that GQT could significantly improve the content of butyric acid， and had a certain retrogressive effect on the contents of valeric acid and hexanoic acid. ConclusionThe medium dose group of GQT can improve the contents of SCFAs in AAD feces after 7 days of treatment， which may be related to the improvement of the composition ratio of SCFAs and the contents of butyric acid， valeric acid and caproic acid.

OBJECTIVE To explore the effect of Tuoli Xiaodusan(MDX)on ischemia-reperfusion injury of rat skin flaps and its potential mechanism.METHODS Rats were randomly divided into sham operation group(Sham group),Model group,MDX high-dose group(MDX-H group)and MDX low-dose group(MDX-L group),with 10 rats in each group.After the rat back skin flap model was successfully constructed,the drug was administered by gavage immediately,once a day for 14 consecutive days.The changes of rat skin flaps in each group after surgery were observed,and the survival rate of rat skin flaps in each group was measured on the 14th day after surgery;the histopathological changes of rat skin flaps were observed by HE staining;the protein expression of p-p65 and p-IκBα in the rat skin flap tissue was detected by Western blot;ELISA method was used to detect the expression of TNF-α,IL-1β,and IL-6 cytokines;Ki67 and CD31 immunohistochemical staining were used to observe epidermal basal layer cell prolifera-tion and vascular regeneration.RESULTS Compared with Model group,MDX-H group and MDX-L group had a small amount of e-dema and inflammatory fluid exudation after surgery,and the scab removal time was advanced;the ischemic necrosis of the skin flap was significantly improved,the area of skin flap necrosis was significantly decreased,and the survival rate of rat skin flaps was signifi-cantly increased(P<0.01).In addition,MDX could significantly improve the pathological morphology of ischemia-reperfusion injury in rat back skin flaps,reduce the expression of p-p65 and p-IκBα proteins(P<0.001),and decrease the levels of TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6 inflammatory factor levels(P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.001,P<0.000 1).The differences in Ki67 and CD31 also suggested that treatment with MDX accelerate re-epithelialization and blood vessel formation after ischemic flap injury.CONCLUSION MDX plays a role in improving ischemia-reperfusion injury of skin flaps by regulating the NF-κB signaling pathway and accelerating epithelializa-tion and angiogenesis.

Objective To investigate the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome elements in the patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome(IBS-D)overlapping functional dyspepsia(FD),and to explore the characteristics of TCM syndromes in IBS-D overlapping FD.Methods Clinical investigation was performed for collecting the clinical data of patients with IBS-D,FD and IBS-D overlapping FD(overlapping group),50 cases for each disease.The TCM syndrome elements were analyzed by syndrome-element dialectical methods,and the characteristics of TCM syndromes and syndrome types were summarized by frequency analysis,association rule analysis and cluster analysis.Results(1)The results of frequency analysis showed that emotional disorder was the main inducing or aggravating factor in the overlapping group,followed by improper diet.The primary syndromes in the overlapping group were diarrhea,abdominal distension,epigastric fullness,abdominal pain and postprandial fullness;the tongue color was usually pale,pale red,dark or red,the tongue body was usually enlarged or tooth-marked,and the tongue coating was usually thin white or white;slippery pulse,wiry pulse,deep pulse and thin pulse were the common pulses.The diseases-location syndrome elements mainly involved spleen,stomach,small intestine and liver,and the disease-nature syndrome elements mainly involved qi stagnation,dampness,qi deficiency and yang deficiency.(2)The results of association rule analysis showed that the combination of abdominal distension and diarrhea had the highest support(accounting for 70.00％)associated with TCM syndromes,the combination of spleen and stomach had the highest support(accounting for 80.00％)associated with diseases-location syndrome elements,the two combinations of dampness and qi stagnation,qi deficiency and qi stagnation had the highest support(both accounting for 36.00％)associated with disease-nature syndrome elements.(3)The results of cluster analysis showed that TCM syndromes in the overlapping group were clustered into four categories of syndrome manifestations,namely spleen deficiency and dampness stagnation syndrome,spleen deficiency and qi stagnation syndrome,spleen yang deficiency syndrome and spleen qi deficiency syndrome;the combinations of syndromes and syndrome elements were clustered into five categories,namely manifestations of liver depression and spleen deficiency syndrome combined with intestinal dampness stagnation syndrome,manifestations of food stagnation in the stomach syndrome,manifestations of spleen deficiency and qi stagnation syndrome,manifestation of greasy coating,and manifestations of stomach qi failing to descend and rebellious stomach qi syndrome.Conclusion IBS-D overlapping FD usually affects the spleen,and is closely related to the disorders of the stomach,liver and small intestine.The main syndromes of IBS-D overlapping FD are spleen deficiency and dampness stagnation syndrome,and liver stagnation and spleen deficiency combined with intestinal dampness stagnation syndrome.Qi stagnation and dampness stagnation contribute to the key pathogenesis of IBS-D overlapping FD.IBS-D overlapping FD is characterized by the mixture of deficiency and excess,with the presence of pathological products such as phlegm-dampness,food accumulation and blood stasis in the later stage.

Objective To discover 5-HT2A receptor antagonist molecules with novel structures and explore their structure-activity relationship through structure-and mechanism-based drug design,synthesis and activity evaluation.Methods The way in which pimovanserin interacted with 5-HT2A receptor was analyzed via molecular docking,molecular dynamics simulation and binding free energy calculations.Based on the results of this study,the 5-HT2A receptor antagonist target compounds with novel structures were designed using pimovanserin as the lead molecule.According to the structures of target compounds,corresponding synthetic routes were designed.The heterocyclic methylamine intermediates were obtained by reductive amination or reduction reaction from heterocyclic formaldehyde or heterocyclic methanonitrile before being reacted with 4-(4-fluorobenzylamino)-1-methylpiperidine to obtain the target compounds using CDI urea synthesis method.The inhibitory activity of the target compounds against 5-HT2A receptor was tested at the cellular level,and the anti-hallucinogenic effects of the target compounds were tested in the mouse head twitch response model.Results Twelvenovel compounds were synthesized and their structures were confirmed by HR-MS,1H-NMR and 13C-NMR.The results of the activity assay showed that compounds 6a,6c and 6d exhibited better 5-HT2Areceptor inhibitoryactivity with IC50 values of 120,152 and 285 nmol/L,respectively while compounds 6c and 6d exhibited better anti-hallucinogenic activity in mice with inhibition rates of 97.0％and 82.9％(10 mg/kg),respectively.Conclusion The novel compound 6c and 6d have shown strong 5-HT2A receptor inhibitoryactivity and anti-hallucinogenic activity and deserve more research.Structure-activity relationship analyses of target compounds indicate that the repulsion of the heterocyclic ring with basic N atoms and the accommodation of the heterocyclic ring without basic N atoms by the side extended pocket of the 5-HT2A receptor could significantly affect the ex vivo and in vivo effects of antagonists.