1.Effect of Huangqi jiuni decoction on acute liver injury in severely scalded rats and its molecular mechanism
Yuhao ZHANG ; Jie ZHAO ; Yexiang SUN
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2026;61(1):82-90
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Huangqi jiuni decoction (HQJND) on acute liver injury in severely scalded rats and its possible molecular mechanism by animal experiments and modern pharmacological tools. MethodsFirstly, the rat model of sepsis was established and randomly divided into 4 groups. The normal saline group was given 1 mL of normal saline twice a day, and the traditional Chinese medicine group was given 1 mL of concentrated huangqi jiuni decoction twice a day. After 72 hours of shock, the samples were sacrificed, and then the serum liver function and (+)-haematoxylin eosin staining were performed to verify the efficacy of the drug. Sham Operation Group and sepsis group were fed normally without any special treatment. Then, network pharmacology was used to screen the targets of drugs and drug responses and predict the signaling pathways that might play a role in the treatment of diseases. Finally, fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was performed to detect gene expression, Western blot (WB) was performed to detect tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), P65, phosphorylated P65 (P-P65), and immunohistochemical (IHC) were performed assays to verify drug efficacy and explore the mechanism of drug treatment. ResultsSerum liver function and histopathology in rats showed that HQJND significantly improved liver function in severely burned rats. Network pharmacology screening was used to identify 353 disease-related marker genes and 286 drug targets. It was predicted that tumor necrosis/NF-NF-κB pathway (TNF/NF-NF-κB pathway) might be a key pathway for HQJND to treat acute liver injury after severe burns. The results of immunohistochemistry (IHC) showed that the staining of TNF-α in the liver of the sepsis group was more than that of the sham operation group and the traditional Chinese medicine group. The results of RT-qPCR and WB showed that the expression of TNF-α, TNFR1 and P65 proteins in the liver of rats in the sepsis group was significantly higher than that in the sham operation group and the traditional Chinese medicine group; on the contrary, the expression of TNF-α, TNFR1 and P65 proteins in the liver of rats in the sepsis group was significantly higher than that in the sham operation group and the traditional Chinese medicine group. The expression level of nuclear factor-kappa B(IκBα) was higher in the sham operation group and the traditional Chinese medicine group, indicating that drug treatment effectively inhibited the activation of the TNF/NF-κb signaling pathway. ConclusionAnimal experiments and network pharmacology results confirm that HQJND has a protective effect on acute liver injury in severely burned rats, which may be related to the inhibition of TNF/NF-κB signaling pathway.
2.Risk factors for lower extremity amputation of inpatients with diabetic foot ulcers : a multi-center retrospective study
Jie Zhao ; Xiaodong Yang ; Yuxin Hu ; Wanxuan Hu ; Yujie Hou ; Bicheng Wang ; Yexiang Sun
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2025;60(12):2346-2352
Objective:
To investigate independent risk factors for lower extremity amputation (LEA) in hospitalized patients with diabetic foot ulcers ( DFUs) .
Methods:
A multicenter retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 329 DFUs hospitalized patients with diabetic foot ulcers from four general hospitals across the na⁃tion. A multivariate Logistic regression model was constructed , and prediction analysis was performed using R 4. 2. 1 . The discriminative ability of the model was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves , while calibration accuracy and clinical applicability were evaluated via calibration curves and decision curve analysis.
Results :
The study revealed that patients with higher education backgrounds showed lower disease severity (Wagnergrade) (Z = - 4. 331 , P < 0. 05) . A history of amputation , pre⁃existing lower extremity vascular disease , abnormal dorsalis pedis artery pulsation , and a history of coronary heart disease were significantly associated with the severity of DFUs , resulting in higher Wagner scores (P < 0. 05) . In the amputation prognosis analysis , prolonged duration of diabetes and elevated white blood cell count were positively correlated with amputation risk ( both P < 0. 01) .Multivariable regression identified non⁃higher education , low hemoglobin levels , decreased total cholesterol , and abnormally elevated platelet counts as independent risk factors for high Wagner grades ( ≥ grade 3 ) ( all P <0. 05) . The integrated predictive model incorporating these factors demonstrated strong discriminative performance ,with an area under curve of 0. 880 (95% CI: 0. 801 - 0. 960) . The calibration curve slope approached the ideal value , and decision curve analysis confirmed the model ′s clinical net benefit within a threshold probability range of 10% - 65% .
Conclusion
Lower education level , poor baseline nutritional status , infection , hypercoagulability ,and underlying vascular diseases collectively constitute key factors contributing to elevated amputation risk in DFUs patients. The developed predictive model exhibits high accuracy and may assist clinicians in formulating individual⁃ized intervention strategies.
3.Effect of lipopolysaccharide binding protein on scald wound healing in mice
Min Zhong ; Yexiang Sun ; Haoshu Fang
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2025;60(8):1478-1484
Objective :
To explore the effects of lipopolysaccharide⁃binding protein (LBP) on the skin reconstruc⁃tion process and to compare the differences in the healing rate and healing quality of scald wounds in C57BL/6J wild⁃type (WT) mice and LBP knockout ( LBP - / - ) mice were compared.
Methods:
Based on WT mice and periodically after scald injury , and images were acquired and weighed. After the scar matured , the material was taken for HE staining , oil red staining and Masson staining , which were used to assess the quality of the newborn skin.
Results:
The wound healing time of WT mice and LBP - / - mice was 18 days and 24 days , respectively. The results of pathological staining of skin tissue showed that compared with WT mice , the skin of LBP - / - mice had thinner new fat layer, fewer hair follicles and dysplasia of accessory glands. The mature scar tissue of LBP - / - mice was thicker and the collagen content was higher.
Conclusion
After scalding in LBP - / - mice , due to the lack of LBP , the wound healing rate is slowed down and the skin structure reconstruction is impaired.
4.Analysis on current status and outcomes of comprehensive control of cardiovascular disease risk factors based on community population cohort
Caixia SU ; Xiaofei LIU ; Peng SHEN ; Yexiang SUN ; Tianjing ZHOU ; Ting WANG ; Qi CHEN ; Hongbo LIN ; Xun TANG ; Pei GAO
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2025;46(5):768-775
Objectives:To describe the use of antihypertensive, antidiabetic and lipid-lowering drugs, and evaluate the effects on blood pressure, blood glucose and blood lipids controls required by Chinese Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases (the guideline) in a community-based cohort of individuals at high risk for cardiovascular disease. To analyze the association of the uses of antihypertensive, antidiabetic and lipid-lowering drugs, and the comprehensive control of blood pressure, blood glucose and blood lipids with cardiovascular disease. Methods:From the CHinese Electronic health Records Research in Yinzhou (CHERRY), those who were at high risk for cardiovascular disease and aged 40-75 years as of January 1, 2013 in in Yinzhou District of Ningbo, Zhejiang Province were selected as study subjects. The information about their antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and lipid-lowering drug uses between 2013 and 2015 was collected, and blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood lipid measurements were conducted during the follow-up. The study constructed two kinds of comprehensive scores: the comprehensive medication score based on the guideline requirement for the treatment of hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia, dividing the study participants into the compliancy group and non-compliancy group; and the comprehensive control score based on the guideline requirement for blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood lipids control, dividing the study participants into better control group, moderate control group, and poor control group. Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to analyze the association of the comprehensive medication score and comprehensive control score with cardiovascular disease. The incidence data of cardiovascular disease were collected from January 1, 2015 (baseline time) to August 31, 2020 (follow up end time).Results:A total of 79 734 participants at high risk for cardiovascular disease were included in the study, in whom 68.4%, 27.4%, and 4.2% had 1, 2, or 3 cardiometabolic conditions (hypertension, diabetes, or hyperlipidemia), respectively. In the participants with hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia from 2013 to 2015, the proportions of those who had two years of medication compliancy records were 66.0%, 67.4%, and 13.9%, respectively. In the hypertension patients, 59.2% had better blood pressure control, in the diabetes patients, 28.7% had better blood glucose control, and in the patients with hyperlipidemia, 27.4% had better blood lipid control. After a median follow-up of 5.66 years, 4 088 cardiovascular disease cases or deaths occurred. After multivariate adjustment, compared with the non-compliancy group, the compliancy group had lower risk for cardiovascular disease ( HR=0.91, 95% CI: 0.85-0.96). Compared with the better control group, the poor control group had an increased risk for cardiovascular disease ( HR=1.67, 95% CI: 1.53-1.81). In the moderate control group, the risk increased significantly in the diabetes patients ( HR=1.29, 95% CI: 1.07-1.56), while no additional risk for cardiovascular disease was observed in non-diabetes patients ( HR=1.06, 95% CI: 0.97-1.16). Conclusions:Compliancy to the medication required by the guideline is associated with lower risk for cardiovascular disease. However, it is still necessary to improve the medication compliancy in people at high risk in primary prevention, especially in the patients with hyperlipidemia, due to their low taking rate of lipid-lowering drugs. Additionally, as the requirement of the guideline becomes more stringent, the management of disease has met more challenges. Notably, diabetes patients who have not met the guideline requirement are at high risk for cardiovascular disease, to whom the disease management should be strengthened.
5.Study of application of Common Data Model of Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership in China
Meng ZHANG ; Peng SHEN ; Zhike LIU ; Van Zandt MUI ; Jing LI ; Chao LI ; Yexiang SUN ; Junqing XIE ; Hripcsak GEORGE ; Yong CHEN ; Hongbo LIN ; Siyan ZHAN ; Feng SUN
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2025;46(5):907-913
Objective:To comprehensively evaluate the application of Common Data Model (CDM) of Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) in China, and provide reference for the implementation of data standardization and evidence sharing in China.Methods:PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, VIP, WanFang and SinoMed databases were used for literature retrieval to collect the research papers of OMOP CDM application for data standardization in China until March 15, 2023. The information about institutions, types and numbers of patients were extracted.Results:A total of 14 research papers, including 9 in English and 5 in Chinese, were selected. The research papers published since 2018 were collected, which focused on patients with hypertension, diabetes, and depression. A total of 12 institutions or platforms transformed data into OMOP CDM. Jiangsu Provincial People's Hospital was the first one to apply the CDM and demonstrated its feasibility in China. Additionally, the regional information system in Yinzhou District of Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, standardized the multi-dimensional data of patients with diabetes and hypertension. Based on this platform, a series of prediction models for complications in patients with diabetes were constructed. Another major database in Beijing Anding Hospital applied OMOP CDM to analyze the characteristics of patients with late-life depression and dementia.Conclusions:This study analyzed the application of OMOP CDM in China. Through in-depth analysis of specific cases, the study provided guidance for the future cross-regional evidence sharing and collaboration.
6.Distribution of respiratory pathogens in patients with pneumonia in Yinzhou,Ning-bo,2015-2024
Ziming YANG ; Shuya LI ; Xiaotong LI ; Peng SHEN ; Yexiang SUN ; Hongbo LIN ; Zhiqin JIANG ; Siyan ZHAN ; Zhike LIU
Journal of Peking University(Health Sciences) 2025;57(3):496-506
Objective:To describe the epidemiological characteristics of 22 common respiratory patho-gens in patients with pneumonia in Yinzhou,Ningbo,from January 1,2015 to December 21,2024.Methods:The test data of 22 common respiratory pathogens in patients diagnosed with pneumonia or lung infection in the Yinzhou Regional Health Information Platform from January 1,2015 to December 21,2024 were collected.The positive cases,positive rates,and positive proportions were calculated.The epidemiological characteristics were described by the year,sex,age group,season,and coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic period.Results:A total of 77 531 pneumonia patients were included,with 492 696 respiratory pathogen tests performed.The number of respiratory pathogen tests and positive cases of pneumonia patients in Yinzhou showed an upward trend.In the study,34.63%of the pneumo-nia patients tested positive for at least one pathogen,and the pathogen non-detection rate decreased from 79.44%in 2015 to 58.38%in 2024.The overall pathogen positive rate was 9.12%,which decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic and had not returned to the historical level after the COVID-19 pande-mic.The positive rate was highest in children aged 6-17 years(13.99%),and lowest in the elderly over 60 years(4.16%).The top 3 highest number of positive cases was Mycoplasma pneumoniae,influenza A virus,and influenza B virus;the top 3 highest positive rates of pathogen tests were Mycoplasma pneu-moniae(25.26%),rhinovirus(12.02%),and Bordetella pertussis(11.66%).The pathogen spectrum proportion in men was similar to that in women,only showing a higher ratio of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and a slightly lower ratio of Mycoplasma pneumoniae(P<0.001).Mycoplasma pneumoniae,respiratory syncytial virus,and rhinovirus infections were more common in children,while influenza virus,Mycobac-terium tuberculosis,and Streptococcus pyogenes infections were more common in adults and the elderly(P<0.001).Influenza virus and human metapneumovirus infections were more common in winter,rhi-novirus and Bordetella pertussis infections were more common in spring,and Mycoplasma pneumoniae in-fections were relatively more common in fall(P<0.001).After the COVID-19 pandemic,the propor-tions of rhinovirus,respiratory syncytial virus,and human metapneumovirus infections in the pneumonia patients increased signi-ficantly,reaching 7.53%,4.26%,and 2.25%,respectively,while the propor-tions of influenza B virus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections decreased to 4.14%and 2.80%,re-spectively(P<0.001).Conclusion:In the past decade,the scale of respiratory pathogen infection in the pneumonia population in Yinzhou had expanded significantly,and there were differences in distribu-tion by the year,gender,age group,and season.The respiratory pathogen spectrum in pneumonia pa-tients after the COVID-19 pandemic had a trend of diversification.
7.Association of triglyceride-glucose index and cardiovascular disease in a community-based Chinese cohort
Mengxi LU ; Qiuping LIU ; Tianjing ZHOU ; Xiaofei LIU ; Yexiang SUN ; Peng SHEN ; Hongbo LIN ; Xun TANG ; Pei GAO
Journal of Peking University(Health Sciences) 2025;57(3):430-435
Objective:To investigate the association between the triglyceride-glucose(TyG)index and the incidence and mortality of cardiovascular disease(CVD)in a large population-based cohort.Methods:Participants aged 40-79 years without a history of CVD at baseline were drawn from the CHi-nese Electronic health Records Research in Yinzhou(CHERRY)study between January 1,2010,and May 31,2020.The TyG index was calculated using baseline triglyceride and fasting blood glucose.Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the association between the TyG index and the composite outcome of CVD(incidence and mortality),adjusting for age,gender,education,region,smoking sta-tus,body mass index,systolic blood pressure,and total cholesterol.Hazard ratios(HR)and 95%confi-dence intervals(CI)were calculated.Nonlinear associations between the TyG index and CVD were fur-ther evaluated using restricted cubic splines,and subgroup analyses by gender and age were conducted to explore potential differences.Results:A total of 226 406 individuals were included,with a mean age of(55.0±9.7)years at baseline,46.8%of whom were men,and a median TyG index of 8.68.Over a median follow-up of 7.99 years,9 815(4.34%)participants experienced CVD incidence or mortality.After adjusting for age,gender,education,region,smoking status,body mass index,systolic blood pressure and total cholesterol,the risk of CVD increased with higher TyG index levels(P<0.001).The risk in the highest TyG quartile(TyG>9.10)was 42%higher than in the lowest quartile(TyG ≤8.32)(HR=1.42,95%CI:1.34-1.51).Individuals under 60 years had a higher HR for CVD compared with those aged 60 years and above(HR:1.71 vs.1.27,P<0.05).Restricted cubic spline analysis revealed a reverse L-shaped association between the TyG index and CVD risk in the overall population(P<0.001 for nonlinear trend),with risk increasing after the TyG index exceeded 8.67.However,the threshold varied by gender,with a lower threshold in women(8.51)than in men(8.67).Conclusion:A significant nonlinear relationship was revealed between the TyG index and CVD risk,with a threshold effect.The risk of CVD increased once the TyG index surpassed a certain threshold,with a lower threshold in women than in men.These findings suggest that cardiovascular risk prediction and interven-tions based on the TyG index should be gender-stratified,and early intervention for individuals under 60 years old might have important public health implications.
8.Development and validation of an XGBoost-based prediction model for acute liver injury in statin users
Xianglong MENG ; Yuelin YU ; Yexiang SUN ; Peng SHEN ; Zhiqin JIANG ; Yu ZHU ; Yueqi YIN ; Siyan ZHAN ; Shengfeng WANG
Chinese Journal of Pharmacoepidemiology 2025;34(8):867-876
Objective To develop and validate a prediction model to identify high-risk individuals who are at-risk to develop acute liver injury(ALI)within 180 days in new statin users,and to support early clinical intervention.Methods Data were sourced from the Yinzhou Regional Health Information Platform,covering statin initiators aged 18 years and older from January 1,2010,to October 31,2021.The dataset was divided into a derivation cohort and a temporal validation cohort based on the time of statin initiation.Predictors were selected using LASSO regression,and the model was constructed using the extreme gradient boosting(XGBoost)algorithm combined with cost-sensitive learning.Model performance was evaluated using Brier scores,Harrell's C-index,and calibration curves.Results A total of 126,440 statin initiators were included,with 90,542 in the derivation cohort and 35,898 in the validation cohort.Within 180 days of initial statin use,412(0.33%)patients developed ALI,including 305(0.34%)in the derivation cohort and 107(0.30%)in the validation cohort.The final model incorporated 16 predictors,which included demographic characteristics,lifestyle factors,family history,medical history,statin use,and concomitant medication use.The model demonstrated excellent overall performance[Brier score=0.0043,95%CI(0.0038,0.0049)],discrimination[Harrell's C-index=0.761,95%CI(0.725,0.794)],and calibration in internal validation.In temporal validation,the model also performed well[Brier score=0.0044,95%CI(0.0036,0.0052),Harrell's C-index=0.703,95%CI(0.614,0.781)].Conclusion This study develope and validate a prediction model for ALI in statin users,providing clinicians with a reliable tool for individualized risk assessment.This model can help achieve risk stratification and reduce the occurrence of ALI.
9.Insights on facilitators and barriers to regulating non-medical use of prescription opioids:a qualitative study
Yuehan DUAN ; Huziwei ZHOU ; Yingzi YANG ; Qiaorui WEN ; Hongling CHU ; Jingling WANG ; Zhiqin JIANG ; Yexiang SUN ; Yu ZHU ; Shengfeng WANG
Chinese Journal of Pharmacoepidemiology 2025;34(11):1265-1275
Objective The aim is to understand the common scenarios of non-medical use of prescription opioids(NMUPO)and analyze the potential facilitating and hindering factors in the regulatory process of NMUPO from the perspective of healthcare professionals.Methods Healthcare professionals in local hospitals were surveyed through a two-stage purposive sampling from June to August 2022 in Ningbo,China.The survey was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire on topics,and thematic analysis were used to identify and summarise key themes and patterns.Results A total of 75 participants were included,the average age was(43.9±7.2)years,and 54(72.0%)were male.The most common NMUPO scenarios involved middle-aged males pretending acute severe pain to obtain injectable opioids.The facilitating and hindering factors related to the regulation of NMUPO can be categorized into three types:institutional governance,technical support,and individual behaviors.At the institutional level,facilitating factors included strict national prescribing policies and local"narcotic drug card"systems,while barriers comprised incomplete lists of controlled substances.At the technological support level,facilitating factors included the establishment of regional health information platforms,while barriers included the lack of standardized prescription guidelines and diagnostic decision-support tools.At the individual level,facilitating factors included the public's cautious attitude toward drug misuse,while barriers included strained doctor-patient relationships.Conclusion China still faces significant challenges in addressing NMUPO and urgently needs to improve the existing regulatory system.It is recommended that reforms be carried out in areas such as pharmaceutical control mechanisms,drug treatment and rehabilitation services,preventive health education activities,and the optimized use of health information systems.
10.Analysis on current status and outcomes of comprehensive control of cardiovascular disease risk factors based on community population cohort
Caixia SU ; Xiaofei LIU ; Peng SHEN ; Yexiang SUN ; Tianjing ZHOU ; Ting WANG ; Qi CHEN ; Hongbo LIN ; Xun TANG ; Pei GAO
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2025;46(5):768-775
Objectives:To describe the use of antihypertensive, antidiabetic and lipid-lowering drugs, and evaluate the effects on blood pressure, blood glucose and blood lipids controls required by Chinese Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases (the guideline) in a community-based cohort of individuals at high risk for cardiovascular disease. To analyze the association of the uses of antihypertensive, antidiabetic and lipid-lowering drugs, and the comprehensive control of blood pressure, blood glucose and blood lipids with cardiovascular disease. Methods:From the CHinese Electronic health Records Research in Yinzhou (CHERRY), those who were at high risk for cardiovascular disease and aged 40-75 years as of January 1, 2013 in in Yinzhou District of Ningbo, Zhejiang Province were selected as study subjects. The information about their antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and lipid-lowering drug uses between 2013 and 2015 was collected, and blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood lipid measurements were conducted during the follow-up. The study constructed two kinds of comprehensive scores: the comprehensive medication score based on the guideline requirement for the treatment of hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia, dividing the study participants into the compliancy group and non-compliancy group; and the comprehensive control score based on the guideline requirement for blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood lipids control, dividing the study participants into better control group, moderate control group, and poor control group. Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to analyze the association of the comprehensive medication score and comprehensive control score with cardiovascular disease. The incidence data of cardiovascular disease were collected from January 1, 2015 (baseline time) to August 31, 2020 (follow up end time).Results:A total of 79 734 participants at high risk for cardiovascular disease were included in the study, in whom 68.4%, 27.4%, and 4.2% had 1, 2, or 3 cardiometabolic conditions (hypertension, diabetes, or hyperlipidemia), respectively. In the participants with hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia from 2013 to 2015, the proportions of those who had two years of medication compliancy records were 66.0%, 67.4%, and 13.9%, respectively. In the hypertension patients, 59.2% had better blood pressure control, in the diabetes patients, 28.7% had better blood glucose control, and in the patients with hyperlipidemia, 27.4% had better blood lipid control. After a median follow-up of 5.66 years, 4 088 cardiovascular disease cases or deaths occurred. After multivariate adjustment, compared with the non-compliancy group, the compliancy group had lower risk for cardiovascular disease ( HR=0.91, 95% CI: 0.85-0.96). Compared with the better control group, the poor control group had an increased risk for cardiovascular disease ( HR=1.67, 95% CI: 1.53-1.81). In the moderate control group, the risk increased significantly in the diabetes patients ( HR=1.29, 95% CI: 1.07-1.56), while no additional risk for cardiovascular disease was observed in non-diabetes patients ( HR=1.06, 95% CI: 0.97-1.16). Conclusions:Compliancy to the medication required by the guideline is associated with lower risk for cardiovascular disease. However, it is still necessary to improve the medication compliancy in people at high risk in primary prevention, especially in the patients with hyperlipidemia, due to their low taking rate of lipid-lowering drugs. Additionally, as the requirement of the guideline becomes more stringent, the management of disease has met more challenges. Notably, diabetes patients who have not met the guideline requirement are at high risk for cardiovascular disease, to whom the disease management should be strengthened.


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