Under the background of climate change, the escalating air pollution and extreme weather events have been identified as risk factors for chronic respiratory diseases (CRD), causing serious public health burden worldwide. This review aims to summarize the effects of changed atmospheric environment caused by climate change on CRD. Results indicated an increased risk of CRD (mainly COPD, asthma) associated with environmental factors, such as air pollutants, adverse meteorological conditions, extreme temperatures, sandstorms, wildfire, and atmospheric allergens. Furthermore, this association can be modified by factors such as socioeconomic status, adaptability, individual behavior, medical services. Potential pathophysiological mechanisms linking climate change and increased risk of CRD involved pulmonary inflammation, immune disorders, oxidative stress. Notably, the elderly, children, impoverished groups and people in regions with limited adaptability are more sensitive to respiratory health risks caused by climate change. This review provides a reference for understanding risk factors of CRD in the context of climate change, and calls for the necessity of adaptive strategies. Further interdisciplinary research and global collaboration are needed in the future to enhance adaptability and address climate health inequality.
Climate Change ; Humans ; Air Pollution/adverse effects* ; Risk Factors ; Respiratory Tract Diseases/etiology* ; Chronic Disease ; Air Pollutants/adverse effects* ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects*

Periodontitis has emerged as one of the most critical oral diseases, and research on this condition holds great importance for the advancement of stomatology. As the most authoritative national scientific research funding institution in China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) has played a pivotal role in driving the progress of periodontal science by supporting research on periodontitis. This article provides a comprehensive review of the research and development progress related to periodontitis in China from 2014 to 2023, highlighting the significant contributions of the NSFC to this field. We have summarized the detailed funding information from the NSFC, including the number of applicant codes, funded programs and the distribution of funded scholars. These data illustrate the efforts of the NSFC in cultivating young scientists and building research groups to address key challenges in national scientific research. This study offers an overview of the current hot topics, recent breakthroughs and future research prospects related to periodontitis in China.
China ; Periodontitis ; Humans ; Foundations ; Research Support as Topic ; Natural Science Disciplines ; Dental Research/economics*

Objective:To screen the Alzheimer's disease(AD)-related genes and construct its diagnostic model using bioinformatics technology and machine learning(ML)algorithms,to discuss the immunological characteristics of AD patients,and to provide novel biomarkers for AD diagnosis.Methods:The AD-related gene expression dataset GSE125583 was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database.Differentially expressed genes(DEGs)were identified through differential analysis.Gene Ontology(GO)functional enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)signaling pathway enrichment analyses were performed to explore the biological functions and signaling pathways of DEGs.A protein-protein interaction(PPI)network was constructed,and hub genes were screened using Cytoscape software combined with three ML algorithms:Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator(LASSO),eXtreme Gradient Boosting(XGBoost),and Random Forest(RF).The screened hub genes were utilized to build an AD diagnostic model via RF,followed by feature importance ranking.The model's efficacy and key genes were evaluated using a test set.Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis(ssGSEA)was used for immune cell infiltration analysis between AD group and control group.Results:Differential analysis identified 1 287 DEGs.The GO functional enrichment analysis results revealed that DEGs were primarily involved in biological functions related to neural signaling,synapses,and vesicles.KEGG signaling pathway enrichment analysis indicated significant enrichment of DEGs in ion transport,neurotransmitter,and ligand-gated channel pathways.Nine overlapping hub genes were screened by the three ML algorithms.In the AD diagnostic model,the top four key genes with highest diagnostic performance were adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide 1(ADCYAP1),brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF),platelet-derived growth factor receptor β(PDGFRB),and C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4(CXCR4),with corresponding area under the curve(AUC)values of 0.852,0.795,0.820,and 0.756,respectively.The model achieved an AUC of 0.828,accuracy of 81.25%,sensitivity of 84.40%,and specificity of 71.43%.The immune cell infiltration analysis results demonstrated higher infiltration of macrophages,monocytes,natural killer(NK)cells,and lymphocytes in AD tissue.Among these,NK/natural killer T(NKT)cells and plasmacytoid dendritic cells showed significant correlations with the four key genes(P<0.05).Conclusion:The feature genes screened based on bioinformatics and ML exhibit diagnostic potential for AD.Genes such as ADCYAP1 may serve as potential biomarkers for AD diagnosis,offering significant implications for early prevention and treatment.

Objective:To analyze the role of interleukin-33(IL-33)in the occurrence and development of glioma and its related mechanism by bioinformatics technology,and to validate it through histopathological experiments,and to discuss the possibility of IL-33 as an auxiliary marker for the diagnosis and treatment of brain glioma.Methods:The glioblastoma multiforme/lower grade glioma(GBMLGG)case data were downloaded from the UCSC XENA database,including data of 689 glioma samples,5 paracancerous samples,and 1 152 normal brain tissue samples;Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyze the difference in the expression of IL-33 mRNA between the GBMLGG samples and the normal brain tissues;according to the expression level of IL-33 in GBMLGG tissue,the tumor samples were divided into IL-33 low expression group and IL-33 high expression group;the Human Protein Atlas(HPA)was used to validate the difference in the protein expression of IL-33 in the GBMLGG samples;the R language DESeq2(v.1.36.0)package was used to screen the differentially expressed genes(DEGs)in the GBMLGG tumor case samples;Gene Ontology(GO)functional enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)signaling pathway enrichment analysis were used to perform pathway analysis on the DEGs;Gene Set Enrichment Analysis(GSEA)was used to discuss the pathways significantly enriched by IL-33 in the GBMLGG tissues;GSVA package was used to analyze the immune infiltration in the GBMLGG samples;survival package and survminer package were used to analyze the effect of IL-33 expression level on the survival of the patients in different clinical subgroups of GBMLGG;univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to analyze the relationship between IL-33 expression and the clinicopathological characteristics of the GBMLGG patients;the GBMLGG and control tissue samples were collected;immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression levels of IL-33 and its receptor suppression of tumorigenicity 2(ST2)in the GBMLGG and normal brain tissue samples.Results:The expression levels of IL-33 mRNA and protein in the GBMLGG tissues were significantly increased compared with those in normal brain tissues;there were 634 DEGs in total between the IL-33 low and high expression groups,including 283 up-regulated DEGs and 351 down-regulated DEGs;the GO functional enrichment analysis and KEGG signaling pathway enrichment analysis results showed that the DEGs were associated with biological behaviors such as activation of the classical pathway of complement,immunoglobulin complex formation,and mediated immunoglobulin receptor binding;in the course of GBMLGG development,high expression of IL-33 could degrade valine,leucine,and isoleucine,induce limonene and pinene degradation,promote propanoate metabolism,and simultaneously activate the Leishmania infection pathway,NOD-like receptor signaling pathway,and allograft rejection pathway;the infiltration levels of dendritic cell(DC)and mast cell in the IL-33 high expression group were higher than those in IL-33 low expression group;the infiltration levels of eosinophil,helper T cell,and central memory T cell(Tcm)were lower than those in IL-33 low expression group;the expression level of IL-33 was positively correlated with the infiltration of γδT cell(Tgd),helperT cell,macrophage,eosinophil,Tcm,and effector memory T cell(Tem)(P＜0.05);it was negatively correlated with the infiltration levels of DC,natural killer cell(NK),CD8+T cell,and CD56bright NK cell(P＜0.05).There were no significant differences in the overall survival(OS),disease-specific survival(DSS),and disease-free interval(DFI)of the GBMLGG patients between IL-33 high expression group and IL-33 low expression group(P＞0.05);the clinical subgroup analysis results showed that the expression level of IL-33 in oligodendrocytoma tissues was lower than those in astrocytoma and oligoastrocytoma tissues,and the expression level of IL-33 in glioblastoma tissues was higher than that in oligodendroglioma tissues.World Health Organization(WHO)stage and age were risk factors affecting the prognosis of the GBMLGG patients,and IDH mutation and primary treatment effect were protective factors affecting the prognosis;The immunohistochemical staining results showed that compared with normal brain tissues,the expression levels of IL-33 and its receptor ST2 proteins in the malignant glioma tissues were significantly increased(P＜0.05),and their expression levels were positively correlated in both normal brain tissues and malignant glioma tissues(P＜0.05).Conclusion:The expression level of IL-33 in the glioma tissue is significantly increased,and high expression of IL-33 may be a potential factor for poor prognosis in the glioma patients.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical outcome of umbilicoplasty with longitudinal umbilical fixation and provide a basis for constructing an umbilicus that conforms to the aesthetic characteristics of Chinese women.Methods:Patients undergoing umbilicoplasty with longitudinal umbilical fixation between December of 2021 and November of 2023 were retrospectively analyzed at Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Xi’an International Medical Center Hospital. All patients underwent abdominoplasty to reshape the abdominal contour and umbilicoplasty with longitudinal umbilical fixation to construct a new umbilical. The preoperative and postoperative body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (waist circumference/hip circumference), umbilical contour, and longitudinal and transverse diameter of the umbilical cord were collected. The patients themselves used a 5-point Likert scale to evaluate the satisfaction of umbilicus (from the four aspects of umbilicus size, shape, position, and overall abdominal coordination and aesthetics), abdominal contour satisfaction rate [satisfaction rate= (very satisfied+ satisfed) patients/(total patients)×100%], and the subjective evaluation of umbilicus scar (very not obvious, not obvious, average, obvious, and very obvious). SPSS 25.0 statistical software was used for statistical analysis. Paired t-test or χ 2 test was used for preoperative and postoperative comparison. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:A total of 438 female patients were included, aged (33.4±5.5) years, including the pregnancy childbirth patients (428 cases) and weight loss patients (10 cases). The median follow-up time was 216(194, 266) days. Preoperative umbilical appearance mainly for the circle, longitudinal oval, transverse oval and convex. After operation, it was mainly longitudinal oval and circle. Early complications related to the umbilical cord were mainly blood circulation disturbance (8 cases). Long-term umbilical complication was mainly periumbilical scar (6 cases). The BMI [(19.96±2.03)kg/m 2 vs. (20.44±2.18)kg/m 2], waist-hip ratio[(0.78±0.04) vs. (0.88±0.08)], transverse diameter of the umbilicus [(0.68±0.26) cm vs. (1.11±0.44) cm] and longitudinal diameter of the umbilicus[(1.66±0.35) cm vs. (1.29±0.44) cm] after the operation were compared with those before the operation, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.01). The number of people satisfied with umbilical position [31.51%(138/438)vs. 97.26%(426/438)], umbilical size[11.19%(49/438)vs. 87.44%(383/438)], umbilical shape[7.76%(34/438)vs. 82.19%(360/438)], overall evaluation[(11.42%(50/438)vs. 86.30%(378/438)] and abdominal contour evaluation [12.79%(56/438)vs. 89.04%(390/438)]increased significantly, and the differences were statistically significant compared with those before operation ( P<0.01). The subjective evaluation of periumbilical scar was very not obvious in 171 cases, not obvious in 163 cases, average in 98 cases, and obvious in 6 cases. Conclusion:Umbilicoplasty with longitudinal umbilical fixation is suitable for Chinese women. The vertical oval umbilical constructed by this surgical method demonstrates appropriate size and position, significantly enhancing the overall abdominal aesthetic effect. The patient satisfaction was high and the postoperative effect was stable.

Objective To investigate the protective effects and mechanism of Shuilian Fengkui Formula(SFF)of Yao medicine on sequelae pelvic inflammatory disease(SPID)in rats.Methods The SPID rat model was established by mechanical injury coupled with bacterial infection,and then the rats were randomly divided into:the SPID group,the positive drug(Fukeqianjin tablets)group,SFF groups at low,medium and high doses,and the sham-operation group,with 8 rats in each group;SPID group,SFF groups,TLR4 agonist CRX-527(CRX-527)group,SFF plus CRX-527 group,with 8 rats in each group.Corresponding drug intervention was given for 21 consecutive days.The indexes of uterus,spleen,thymus and other organs were calculated.The histopathological changes in rat uterus were observed by HE staining.The levels of interleukin-1β(IL-1β),interleukin-6(IL-6),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),immunoglobulin G(IgG),immunoglobulin M(IgM)in serum were detected by ELISA;The protein expression levels of Toll receptor 4(TLR4),myeloid differentiation factor(MyD88),nuclear factor kappa B p65(NF-κB p65),and phosphorylated nuclear factor kappa B p65(p-NF-κB p65)in rat uterine tissues were detected by Western blot.Results Compared with the sham operation group,the uterine index of SPID group significantly increased(P<0.01),the spleen index and thymus index significantly decreased(P<0.01),the pathological damage of uterine tissue was serious,the contents of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α in serum significantly increased(P<0.01),the contents of IgG and IgM significantly decreased(P<0.01),the TLR4,MyD88 protein and the ratio of p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 protein in uterine tissue significantly increased(P<0.01).Compared with the SPID group,the uterine index of the positive drug group and the SFF groups significantly decreased(P<0.05),the spleen index and thymus index significantly increased(P<0.05),the pathological damage of uterine tissue significantly improved,the contents of IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α in serum were significantly lowered(P<0.05),the contents of IgG and IgM significantly increased(P<0.05),and the TLR4,MyD88 protein and the ratio of p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 protein in uterine tissue significantly downregulated(P<0.01).However,CRX-527 significantly reversed the effects of SFF on SPID in rats.Conclusion SFF could improve SPID in rats by impeding the inflammatory response,and its mechanism might be attributed to inhibition of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the protective effects and mechanism of Shuilian Fengkui Formula(SFF)of Yao medicine on sequelae pelvic inflammatory disease(SPID)in rats.Methods The SPID rat model was established by mechanical injury coupled with bacterial infection,and then the rats were randomly divided into:the SPID group,the positive drug(Fukeqianjin tablets)group,SFF groups at low,medium and high doses,and the sham-operation group,with 8 rats in each group;SPID group,SFF groups,TLR4 agonist CRX-527(CRX-527)group,SFF plus CRX-527 group,with 8 rats in each group.Corresponding drug intervention was given for 21 consecutive days.The indexes of uterus,spleen,thymus and other organs were calculated.The histopathological changes in rat uterus were observed by HE staining.The levels of interleukin-1β(IL-1β),interleukin-6(IL-6),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),immunoglobulin G(IgG),immunoglobulin M(IgM)in serum were detected by ELISA;The protein expression levels of Toll receptor 4(TLR4),myeloid differentiation factor(MyD88),nuclear factor kappa B p65(NF-κB p65),and phosphorylated nuclear factor kappa B p65(p-NF-κB p65)in rat uterine tissues were detected by Western blot.Results Compared with the sham operation group,the uterine index of SPID group significantly increased(P<0.01),the spleen index and thymus index significantly decreased(P<0.01),the pathological damage of uterine tissue was serious,the contents of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α in serum significantly increased(P<0.01),the contents of IgG and IgM significantly decreased(P<0.01),the TLR4,MyD88 protein and the ratio of p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 protein in uterine tissue significantly increased(P<0.01).Compared with the SPID group,the uterine index of the positive drug group and the SFF groups significantly decreased(P<0.05),the spleen index and thymus index significantly increased(P<0.05),the pathological damage of uterine tissue significantly improved,the contents of IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α in serum were significantly lowered(P<0.05),the contents of IgG and IgM significantly increased(P<0.05),and the TLR4,MyD88 protein and the ratio of p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 protein in uterine tissue significantly downregulated(P<0.01).However,CRX-527 significantly reversed the effects of SFF on SPID in rats.Conclusion SFF could improve SPID in rats by impeding the inflammatory response,and its mechanism might be attributed to inhibition of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical outcome of umbilicoplasty with longitudinal umbilical fixation and provide a basis for constructing an umbilicus that conforms to the aesthetic characteristics of Chinese women.Methods:Patients undergoing umbilicoplasty with longitudinal umbilical fixation between December of 2021 and November of 2023 were retrospectively analyzed at Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Xi’an International Medical Center Hospital. All patients underwent abdominoplasty to reshape the abdominal contour and umbilicoplasty with longitudinal umbilical fixation to construct a new umbilical. The preoperative and postoperative body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (waist circumference/hip circumference), umbilical contour, and longitudinal and transverse diameter of the umbilical cord were collected. The patients themselves used a 5-point Likert scale to evaluate the satisfaction of umbilicus (from the four aspects of umbilicus size, shape, position, and overall abdominal coordination and aesthetics), abdominal contour satisfaction rate [satisfaction rate= (very satisfied+ satisfed) patients/(total patients)×100%], and the subjective evaluation of umbilicus scar (very not obvious, not obvious, average, obvious, and very obvious). SPSS 25.0 statistical software was used for statistical analysis. Paired t-test or χ 2 test was used for preoperative and postoperative comparison. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:A total of 438 female patients were included, aged (33.4±5.5) years, including the pregnancy childbirth patients (428 cases) and weight loss patients (10 cases). The median follow-up time was 216(194, 266) days. Preoperative umbilical appearance mainly for the circle, longitudinal oval, transverse oval and convex. After operation, it was mainly longitudinal oval and circle. Early complications related to the umbilical cord were mainly blood circulation disturbance (8 cases). Long-term umbilical complication was mainly periumbilical scar (6 cases). The BMI [(19.96±2.03)kg/m 2 vs. (20.44±2.18)kg/m 2], waist-hip ratio[(0.78±0.04) vs. (0.88±0.08)], transverse diameter of the umbilicus [(0.68±0.26) cm vs. (1.11±0.44) cm] and longitudinal diameter of the umbilicus[(1.66±0.35) cm vs. (1.29±0.44) cm] after the operation were compared with those before the operation, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.01). The number of people satisfied with umbilical position [31.51%(138/438)vs. 97.26%(426/438)], umbilical size[11.19%(49/438)vs. 87.44%(383/438)], umbilical shape[7.76%(34/438)vs. 82.19%(360/438)], overall evaluation[(11.42%(50/438)vs. 86.30%(378/438)] and abdominal contour evaluation [12.79%(56/438)vs. 89.04%(390/438)]increased significantly, and the differences were statistically significant compared with those before operation ( P<0.01). The subjective evaluation of periumbilical scar was very not obvious in 171 cases, not obvious in 163 cases, average in 98 cases, and obvious in 6 cases. Conclusion:Umbilicoplasty with longitudinal umbilical fixation is suitable for Chinese women. The vertical oval umbilical constructed by this surgical method demonstrates appropriate size and position, significantly enhancing the overall abdominal aesthetic effect. The patient satisfaction was high and the postoperative effect was stable.

Objective To observe the drainage pathways of interstitial fluid(ISF)and substance clearance pattern in rat brain with fluorescence tracing imaging and treacer-based MRI.Methods Thirty-three male SD rats were randomly divided into fluorescence tracing group(F group,n=18)and treacer-based MRI group(MRI group,n=15),then further divided into thalamic,hippocampal and caudate nucleus subgroups,respectively.Evans blue was injected to rats in F group,and cardiac perfusion was performed after injection,then brain tissue was harvested,and frozen sections were made to observe the drainage pathways of IFS in different subgroups.MRI was performed on rats in MRI group before and after injection of gadolinium-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid(Gd-DTPA)to observe signal intensity in ROI of brain regions in different subgroups,the signal unit ratio was calculated,and the changing trend was explored.Results ISF in thalamus,hippocampus and caudate nucleus had different dominant drainage pathways,and the time of tracer reached to adjacent brain regions and whole brain in F group were different.In MRI group,within 4 h after injection of Gd-DTPA,there were differences in direction and clearance rate among tracer in thalamus,hippocampus and caudate nucleus,mainly manifesting as the tracer in thalamus and hippocampus drained to the ipsilateral cortex and lateral ventricle,while the tracer in the caudate nucleus diffused to the cortex and midbrain,and there were differences of the peak time of tracer signal among adjacent drainage brain regions.Conclusion Fluorescence and MR dual-mode imaging showed that there were differences in the dominant drainage pathways of IFS and clearance rates of small molecule substances among hypothalamus,hippocampus and caudate nucleus of rats.

Objective:To investigate the application effect of problem-based learning (PBL) combined with scenario simulation in nursing teaching of needlestick injuries.Methods:A total of 123 undergraduates majoring in nursing were selected as research subjects from the classes of 2020 and 2021 in a medical university. The 60 undergraduates in the class of 2020 were established as control group and were given PBL teaching, and the 63 undergraduates in the class of 2021 were established as experimental group and were given PBL combined with scenario simulation. The two groups were compared in terms of theoretical score, skill examination score, and knowledge-attitude-practice (KAP) score of needlestick injury knowledge. SPSS 25.0 was used to perform the t-test, the chi-square test, and the rank sum test. Results:Compared with the control group, the experimental group had significantly higher scores of theoretical examination [(84.43±5.03) vs. (80.30±4.81), P<0.001] and skill examination [(88.40±4.26) vs. (83.55±5.84), P<0.001], as well as significantly higher scores of knowledge [(14.46±1.03) vs. (13.18±1.23), P<0.001], attitude [(52.59±3.09) vs. (48.05±3.06), P<0.001], and practice [(67.37±4.28) vs. (62.17±3.92), P<0.001] in KAP questionnaire. Conclusions:PBL combined with scenario simulation teaching can effectively improve the knowledge of protection against needlestick injuries and related skills in nursing students, enhance their awareness of needlestick injuries, and promote the protective behavior against needlestick injuries.