Objective To investigate the awareness of radon exposure hazards among non-uranium miners in Chongqing, China. Methods A survey was conducted among 177 male miners from eight non-uranium metal mines in Chongqing to collect data on basic information, personal habits, and the rate of radon awareness. Factors affecting radon awareness were analyzed using chi-square test and logistic regression model. Results The awareness rate of radon among miners was 23.73%. The chi-square test indicated significant difference in the radon awareness rate among miners with different levels of education (χ² = 10.28, P < 0.05), while there was no significant difference across different ages, years of work, labor relations, job categories, and types of miners (P > 0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that a college (junior college) or higher level of education, a high school level of education, and working in mines were factors affecting the radon awareness among miners (χ² = 4.030, 9.150, 11.776, P < 0.05). Conclusion Miners lack awareness of radon, and there is an urgent need to strengthen education and propaganda regarding the hazards of radon.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy and safety of acupuncture combined with blade needle therapy for knee osteoarthritis (KOA). METHODS: A total of 60 patients with KOA were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases each group. The control group received acupuncture at Neixiyan (EX-LE4)，Dubi (ST35), Yinlingquan (SP9), Liangqiu (ST34), Xuehai (SP10), Yanglingquan (GB34) and Zusanli (ST36) on the affected side, once every other day, 3 times a week. The observation group received blade needle therapy on the basis of the treatment in the control group, once every 3 days, 2 times a week. Both groups were treated for 4 weeks. Before treatment, after 2, 4 weeks of treatment, and after 1 month of treatment completion (in follow-up), the scores of pain visual analogue scale (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) and Lequesne index were observed in the two groups, and the clinical efficacy and safety were evaluated. RESULTS: After 2, 4 weeks of treatment and in follow-up, the pain VAS scores, Lequesne index scores, and pain, stiffness, function scores of WOMAC in both groups were decreased compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), and the VAS scores, Lequesne index scores and pain, function scores of WOMAC in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The effective response rate in the observation group was 76.7% (23/30), while that in the control group was 70.0% (21/30), there was no statistically significant difference in the effective response rates between the two groups (P>0.05). No adverse reactions were observed in either group. CONCLUSION Acupuncture combined with blade needle therapy could alleviate pain and promote functional recovery in KOA patients, and achieve long-lasting improvements.
Humans ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/physiopathology* ; Acupuncture Therapy/instrumentation* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Acupuncture Points ; Treatment Outcome ; Adult ; Needles ; Combined Modality Therapy

Taxifolin (TAX) is a natural compound known for its liver protection effect, but the mechanism remains unknown. Phosphorylated proteomics analyses discovered that the phosphorylation level of NDRG1 at T328 was a key event of TAX-improved liver fibrosis. We established models with NDRG1 knockout (KO) in vivo and in vitro, demonstrating that NDRG1 KO attenuated the development of hepatocyte injury, and combining NDRG1 KO and TAX administration did not result in a reduction in protection against liver injury. Cellular thermal shift assay and surface plasma resonance analysis showed that TAX directly binds to NDRG1 rather than its upstream kinase, subsequently demonstrating that TAX regulated phosphorylation of NDRG1 at T328 through binding to its C289 site. NDRG1 T328A (phosphorylated mutation) and T328E (mimic phosphorylation) in vivo and in vitro confirmed that pNDRG1_T328 exacerbates hepatocyte injury along with DNA damage, inflammatory response, and apoptosis, thereby contributing to hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) activation. In contrast, TAX can inhibit the above pathological abnormalities and block hepatocyte injury-triggered HSCs activation and fibrosis. Overall, TAX is a potent liver protection drug primarily targeting NDRG1 and inhibiting pNDRG1_T328 in hepatocytes.

OBJECTIVE To explore the mechanism by which gastrodin improves renal hyperten-sion in rats.METHODS A rat model of renal hypertension was established by ligating the renal artery.seventy-five rats were randomly divided into 5 groups(n=15):control group(sham operation group),model group,model+ramipril 1 mg·kg-1,model+gastrodin 100 and 200 mg·kg-1.The systolic blood pressure of the tail artery after modeling>18.12 kPa was regarded as the success of modeling.After the model was established,rats in the model+ramipril group were ig given ramipril 1 mg·kg-1 while the model+gastrodin group was ig given gastrodin 100 and 200 mg·kg-1 respectively for 4 weeks.Colori-metric assay kit was used to detect the serum superoxide dismutase(SOD)activity and malondialde-hyde(MDA)content in rats.ELISA was used to detect serum angiotensin-2(Ang-2)and aldosterone(ALD)contents,as well as serum and thoracic aortic tissue interleukin-1β(IL-1β),IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α)content.HE staining was performed to detect pathological changes in thoracic aorta tissue of rats.The expressions of autophagy protein miceotubule associated protein light chain 3(LC3)-Ⅱand LC3-Ⅰwere detected by Western blotting.RESULTS The systolic pressure of the tail artery of rats after modeling exceeded 18.12 kPa,indicating that the modeling was successful.Compared with the control group,the contens of Ang-2(P<0.01)and ALD(P<0.01)in the model group were significantly increased,the activity of SOD(P<0.01)in serum and thoracic aorta tissue was significantly decreased,the content of MDA(P<0.01)was significantly increased,the contents of IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α in serum and thoracic aorta tissue were significantly decreased(P<0.01)and the ratio of LC-32/LC-31 in thoracic aorta tissue was significantly increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,gastrodin significantly increased the systolic pressure of the tail artery(P<0.01),the contents of Ang-2(P<0.01)and ALD(P<0.01)and the activity of SOD(P<0.01)in serum,as well as decreased the contents of MDA,IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α(P<0.01)in serum and thoracic aorta tissue.Meanwhile,gastrodin signifi-cantly decreased the ratio of LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ in rat thoracic aorta(P<0.01).CONCLUSION Gastrodin can improve the blood pressure of renal hypertensive rats,and the mechanism is possibly related to the reduction of autophagy protein LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰratio.

Objective To analyze the risk factors for hyperuricemia in patients with primary IgA nephropathy(IgAN).Methods A total of 186 patients with primary IgAN admitted to the Department of Nephrology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from March 2018 to February 2021 were selected as the research subjects.The patients were divided into the IgAN group(n=104)and IgAN with hyperuricemia group(n=82)according to the blood uric acid(UA)level.The clinical data of patients in the two groups were compared.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the risk factors of IgAN with hyperuricemia,and Pearson correlation was used to analyze the relationship between blood UA levels and clinical indicators in patients with primary IgAN.Results The results of univariate analysis showed that there was no significant difference in gender,age,body mass index(BMI),blood albumin,plasma total protein,high-density lipoprotein,serum IgA,serum complement C3,and serum complement C4 between the two groups(P＞0.05).The systolic blood pressure(SBP),diastolic blood pressure(DBP),low-density lipoprotein,serum creatinine,total cholesterol,triglycerides,blood urea nitrogen,24-hour urine protein quantification,and blood UA level of patients in the IgAN with hyperuricemia group were significantly higher than those in the IgAN group,while hemoglobin and estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR)were significantly lower than those in the IgAN group(P＜0.05).Pearson correlation analysis showed that there was no significant association between primary IgAN with hyperuricemia and age,BMI,blood albumin,plasma total protein,high-density lipoprotein,serum IgA,and serum complement C3(r=-0.020,-0.067,-0.064,-0.037,-0.103,0.008,0.042,P＞0.05);primary IgAN with hyperuricemia was positively correlated with SBP,low-density lipoprotein,DBP,serum creatinine,total cholesterol,triglycerides,blood urea nitrogen,and 24-hour urine protein quantification(r=0.392,0.296,0.552,0.713,0.452,0.787,0.599,0.655,P＜0.05),and was negatively correlated with hemoglobin level,serum complement C4 level,and eGFR(r=-0228,-0663,-0516,P＜0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that high SBP,DBP,triglyceride level,and blood UA level were independent risk factors for hyperuricemia in IgAN patients(P＜0.05).Conclusion High SBP,DBP,triglyceride level,and blood UA level are independent risk factors for hyperuricemia in patients with primary IgAN.

Over-expression of glutathione S-transferase(GST)can promote Cisplatin resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)treatment.Hence,inhibiting GST is an attractive strategy to improve Cisplatin sensi-tivity in HCC therapy.Although several synthesized GST inhibitors have been developed,the side effects and narrow spectrum for anticancer seriously limit their clinical application.Considering the abundance of natural compounds with anticancer activity,this study developed a rapid fluorescence technique to screen"green"natural GST inhibitors with high specificity.The fluorescence assay demonstrated that schisanlactone B(hereafter abbreviated as C1)isolated from Xue tong significantly down-regulated GST levels in Cisplatin-resistant HCC cells in vitro and in vivo.Importantly,C1 can selectively kill HCC cells from normal liver cells,effectively improving the therapeutic effect of Cisplatin on HCC mice by down-regulating GST expression.Considering the high GST levels in HCC patients,this compound demon-strated the high potential for sensitizing HCC therapy in clinical practice by down-regulating GST levels.

Autoimmune gastritis(AIG)is a kind of gastritis caused by autoimmune dysfunction.It is often manifested as pernicious anemia or neurological symptoms.Gastric corpus mucosal atrophy is usually observed under endoscopy,which may be accompanied by positive serum anti-parietal cell antibody and/or anti-intrinsic factor antibody.Studies have shown that AIG is a risk factor for gastric neuroendocrine tumors and gastric cancer.Therefore,endoscopic diagnosis and surveillance of AIG are very important.This article reviewed the progress of research on AIG and gastric tumor.

ObjectiveTo investigate the current status of personnel training, barriers and bottlenecks at Shanghai Municipal and district Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (hereinafter referred to as" CDC"), so as to provide a reference basis for the formulation of training policies that are consistent with the CDC’s staff development path, characteristics of the era, and features of Shanghai mega⁃city. MethodsQuestionnaire survey and qualitative interview were used to collect the data, covering the basic information of the research subjects, as well as training status, needs, barriers and problems. A total of 800 questionnaires were distributed, and 768 valid questionnaires were returned, and frequency counts and composition ratios were used for statistical description. ResultsAmong the research subjects, 568 of which were females, accounting for 73.96%, with an average age of 36.51 years. Almost 93.10% of the research subjects had participated in training in the last year, while 6.90% of whom hadn’t attended any kind of training ever, with the main reasons as follows: failure to receive notification of training, unavailability of work, lack of funding, limited number of places and unsuitable content. Furthermore, 12.63% of the research subjects thought the trainings provided could not satisfy the requirements for continuing medical education credits, and the top three common forms of training were lectures/conferences, training courses with credits, and online courses. 97.27% of the research subjects had a need for training, and 56.12% of which expected to train for 2‒3 days, and the ideal number of training sessions per year was 2‒3 and 4‒5 times. All the staff, whether they were from the municipal CDC or district CDC, preferred practical training and case lectures to theoretical lectures. However, staff from municipal CDC had a higher demand for official document writing and research project design, and staff from district CDC had a higher demand for data software analysis and thesis writing. Bottlenecks mainly included some training needs incapable of being satisfied currently, single form of training that didn’t take advantage of the support of digital technology and lacked flexibility and convenience, and a lack of channels and mechanisms for the dissemination and transmission of training information. ConclusionStrategies to improve the training of CDC personnel at both the district and municipal levels include the creation of a hierarchical and progressive training model and system for different populations, an extension of training forms, containing the establishment of a unified training platform and the creation of an online knowledge base; and the construction of a unified and open platform with a smooth release and transfer mechanism for the dissemination of training information.

Objective:To identify micronuclei through the cytochalasin B blocking micronucleus method-based assay using scanning microscope, combined with the slide scanning software Metafer 4 and, accordingly, to establish a dose-response relationship between the dose of 60Co γ-rays and the frequency of micronuclei in human peripheral blood lymphocytes using artificial intelligence-based color recognition. Methods:Blood samples were collected from four healthy individuals (two men and two women) and were then exposed to varying doses of 60Co γ-ray radiation (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Gy) at a dosage rate of 0.74 Gy/min. Micronucleus slides were prepared as per the GBZ 128-2023 standard. The numbers of binuclear cells and micronuclei were recorded using an artificial intelligence-based color recognition analysis system. The dose-response curve was determined through fitting using the CABAS software. Then, the doses to both independent samples were estimated based on the curve. Results:Within a dose range of 0 to 5 Gy, the fitted micronucleus dose-response curve aligned with a quadratic polynomial model, with a regression equation of y = 0.032 1 D2+ 0.023 7 D+ 0.012 7 ( D denoting the dose, correlation coefficient R2=0.998). The dose estimations from the validation samples closely corresponded to the actual irradiation doses. Conclusions:Establishing the micronucleus dose-response curve provides a feasible method and basis for the rapid and accurate estimation of radiation biological doses in laboratory automation.

Objective : Mendelian randomization analysis was used to explore the causal relationship of T．gondii in- fection and the cyst distribution and inflammation in brain tissue by immunohistochemistry． Methods : Genome- wide association analysis data of T．gondii infection and encephalitis were obtained ，single nucleotide polymor- phisms (SNPs) were selected，Mendelian randomization analysis was conducted by inverse variance weighting，and the causal relationship between T．gondii infection and encephalitis was evaluated by OR value and 95% CI．Quality control was carried out by using heterogeneity test，horizontal multi-efficiency test and leave-one-out sensitivity test. Immunohistochemical staining was performed using brain sections of mice infected with tissue cysts of Wh6 strain for image analysis using Image J software. Results : A total of 29 SNPs were associated with toxoplasmic encephalitis. The results of IVW method suggested that T．gondii infection made encephalitis risk 0. 98 times higher ( OR = 0. 98， 95% CI = 0. 76 to 1. 27) ，indicating no causal relationship between the two．The quality control results suggested that the selected SNPs were stable and reliable．Toxoplasma cysts were distributed in various parts of the brain tis- sue． Conclusion T．gondii infection and encephalitis are related，but there is no sufficient evidence to prove the causal relationship between the two.