This study aims to explore the effects of Buzhong Yiqi Decoction(BYD) on the cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate synthase(cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes(STING) signaling pathway in the mouse model of autoimmune thyroiditis(AIT) and the mechanism of BYD in alleviating the immune injury. Forty-eight NOD.H-2~(h4) mice were assigned into normal, model, low-, medium-, and high-dose BYD, and selenium yeast tablets groups(n=8). Mice of 8 weeks old were treated with 0.05% sodium iodide solution for 8 weeks for the modeling of AIT and then administrated with corresponding drugs by gavage for 8 weeks before sampling. High performance liquid chromatography was employed to measure the astragaloside Ⅳ content in BYD. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was employed to observe the pathological changes in the mouse thyroid tissue. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to measure the serum levels of thyroid peroxidase antibody(TPO-Ab), thyroglobulin antibody(TgAb), and interferon-γ(IFN-γ). Flow cytometry was employed to detect the distribution of T cell subsets in the spleen. The immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of cGAS, STING, TANK-binding kinase 1(TBK1), and interferon regulatory factor 3(IRF3). Real-time PCR and Western blot were employed to determine the mRNA and protein levels, respectively, of markers related to the cGAS-STING signaling pathway in the thyroid tissue. The results showed that the content of astragaloside Ⅳ in BYD was(7.06±0.08) mg·mL~(-1). Compared with the normal group, the model group showed disrupted structures of thyroid follicular epithelial cells, massive infiltration of lymphocytes, and elevated levels of TgAb and TPO-Ab. Compared with the model group, the four treatment groups showed intact epithelial cells, reduced lymphocyte infiltration, and lowered levels of TgAb and TPO-Ab. Compared with the normal group, the model group showed increases in the proportions of Th1 and Th17 cells, a decrease in the proportion of Th2 cells, and an increase in the IFN-γ level. Compared with the model group, the four treatment groups presented decreased proportions of Th1 and Th17 cells and lowered levels of IFN-γ, and the medium-dose BYD group showed an increase in the proportion of Th2 cells. Compared with the normal group, the modeling up-regulated the mRNA levels of cGAS, STING, TBK1, and IRF3 and the protein levels of cGAS, p-STING, p-TBK1, and p-IRF3. Compared with the model group, the four treatment groups showed reduced levels of cGAS, STING, TBK1, and IRF3-positive products, down-regulated mRNA levels of cGAS, STING, and TBK1, and down-regulated protein levels of cGAS and p-STING. The high-dose BYD group showed down-regulations in the mRNA level of IRF3 and the protein levels of p-TBK1 and p-IRF3. The above results indicate that BYD can repair the imbalance of T cell subsets, alleviate immune injury, and reduce thyroid lymphocyte infiltration in AIT mice by inhibiting the cGAS-STING signaling pathway.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Thyroiditis, Autoimmune/metabolism* ; Mice ; Membrane Proteins/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred NOD ; Humans ; Female ; Nucleotidyltransferases/metabolism* ; Male ; Disease Models, Animal

Objective:To understand the current status of anemia, iron deficiency, and iron-deficiency anemia among preschool children in China.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted with a multi-stage stratified sampling method to select 150 streets or townships from 10 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions, or municipalities (East: Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, and Hainan; Central: Henan; West: Chongqing, Shaanxi, Guizhou, and Xinjiang; Northeast: Liaoning). From May 2022 to April 2023, a total of 21 470 children, including community-based children aged 0.5 to<3.0 years receiving child health care and kindergarten-based children aged 3.0 to<7.0 years, were surveyed. They were divided into 3 age groups: infants (0.5 to<1.0 year), toddlers (1.0 to<3.0 years), and preschoolers (3.0 to<7.0 years). Basic information such as sex and date of birth of the children was collected, and peripheral blood samples were obtained for routine blood tests and serum ferritin measurement. The prevalence rates of anemia, iron deficiency, and iron-deficiency anemia were analyzed, and the prevalence rate differences were compared among different ages, sex, urban and rural areas, and regions using the chi-square test.Results:A total of 21 460 valid responses were collected, including 10 780 boys (50.2%). The number of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers were 2 645 (12.3%), 6 244 (29.1%), and 12 571 (58.6%), respectively. The hemoglobin level was (126.7±14.8) g/L, and the serum ferritin level was 32.3 (18.5, 50.1) μg/L. The overall rates of anemia, iron deficiency, and iron-deficiency anemia were 10.4% (2 230/21 460), 28.3% (6 070/21 460), and 3.9% (845/21 460), respectively. The prevalence rate of anemia was higher for boys than for girls (10.9% (1 173/10 780) vs. 9.9% (1 057/10 680), χ2=5.58, P=0.018), with statistically significant differences in the rates for infants, toddlers and preschoolers (18.0% (475/2 645), 10.6% (662/6 244), and 8.7% (1 093/12 571), respectively, χ2=201.81, P<0.01), and the rate was significantly higher for children in rural than that in urban area (11.8% (1 516/12 883) vs. 8.3% (714/8 577), χ2=65.54, P<0.01), with statistically significant differences in the rates by region ( χ2=126.60, P<0.01), with the highest rate of 15.8% (343/2 173) for children in Central region, and the lowest rate of 5.3% (108/2 053) in Northeastern region. The prevalence rates of iron deficiency were 33.8% (895/2 645), 32.2% (2 011/6 244), and 25.2% (3 164/12 571) in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, respectively, and 30.0% (3 229/10 780) in boys vs. 26.6% (2 841/10 680) in girls, 21.7% (1 913/8 821), 40.0% (870/2 173), 27.1% (2 283/8 413), 48.9% (1 004/2 053) in Eastern, Central, Western, and Northeastern regions, respectively, and each between-group showed a significant statistical difference ( χ2=147.71, 29.73, 773.02, all P<0.01). The prevalence rate of iron-deficiency anemia showed a significant statistical difference between urban and rural areas, 2.9% (251/8 577) vs. 4.6% (594/12 883) ( χ2=38.62, P<0.01), while the difference in iron deficiency prevalence was not significant ( χ2=0.51, P=0.476). Conclusions:There has been a notable improvement in iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia among preschool children in China, but the situation remains concerning. Particular attention should be paid to the prevention and control of iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia, especially among infants and children in the Central, Western, and Northeastern regions of China.

This article aims to analyze the therapeutic effect and probe into the mechanism of Sanhuang Hushen Fangshuai Decoction in treating chronic kidney disease(CKD) based on metabolomics and bioinformatics. The patients with stage 3-4 CKD diagnosed and treated in the Changzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from June 2023 to March 2024 were enrolled in this study. The patients were treated with Sanhuang Hushen Fangshuai Decoction, and the therapeutic effect was evaluated. The serum samples were collected before and after treatment. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography was employed to detect metabolites in the serum, and multivariate statistical analysis was performed. Bioinformatics was employed to screen the active components and targets of the decoction and the potential targets of CKD. The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network of the common targets shared by the decoction and CKD and the drug-component-target network were constructed. The core components and targets were screened according to the correlation degree of the network. The binding between core components and targets was verified by molecular docking. The results showed that Sanhuang Hushen Fangshuai Decoction improved the renal function and reduced proteinuria. Compared with the healthy population, the post-treatment population showed recovery of 54 up-regulated metabolites and 43 down-regulated metabolites. Enrichment analysis results showed that the key pathways included adenosine triphosphate binding cassette(ABC) transport, tryptophan metabolism, and tyrosine metabolism. The results of bioinformatics analysis showed that the core components of Sanhuang Hushen Fangshuai Decoction in treating CKD included kaempferol, β-sitosterol, luteolin, 7-O-methylisolingol, and tanshinone Ⅱ_A. The core targets included TP53, PTGS2, JUN, AKT1, and TNF. Molecular docking results showed that the core components bound well to the target genes. The results of joint pathway analysis suggested that both differential metabolites and key targets were involved in galactose metabolism, nicotinamide metabolism, and other pathways. This study suggests that Sanhuang Hushen Fangshuai Decoction is effective for CKD, and it can regulate multiple abnormal metabolites and participates in multiple metabolic pathways involving amino acids and sugars. The active components such as kaempferol in the decoction may regulate related targets such as TP53 and PTGS2. This study provides a basis for the prevention and treatment of CKD with traditional Chinese medicine.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/genetics* ; Humans ; Computational Biology ; Male ; Metabolomics ; Protein Interaction Maps/drug effects* ; Middle Aged ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Female ; Adult ; Aged

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence of extrauterine growth retardation (EUGR) and its risk factors in very preterm infants (VPIs) during hospitalization in China. METHODS: A prospective multicenter study was performed on the medical data of 2 514 VPIs who were hospitalized in the department of neonatology in 28 hospitals from 7 areas of China between September 2019 and December 2020. According to the presence or absence of EUGR based on the evaluation of body weight at the corrected gestational age of 36 weeks or at discharge, the VPIs were classified to two groups: EUGR group (n=1 189) and non-EUGR (n=1 325). The clinical features were compared between the two groups, and the incidence of EUGR and risk factors for EUGR were examined. RESULTS: The incidence of EUGR was 47.30% (1 189/2 514) evaluated by weight. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher weight growth velocity after regaining birth weight and higher cumulative calorie intake during the first week of hospitalization were protective factors against EUGR (P<0.05), while small-for-gestational-age birth, prolonged time to the initiation of total enteral feeding, prolonged cumulative fasting time, lower breast milk intake before starting human milk fortifiers, prolonged time to the initiation of full fortified feeding, and moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia were risk factors for EUGR (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS It is crucial to reduce the incidence of EUGR by achieving total enteral feeding as early as possible, strengthening breastfeeding, increasing calorie intake in the first week after birth, improving the velocity of weight gain, and preventing moderate-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia in VPIs.
Female ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Gestational Age ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUND: Delivery room resuscitation assists preterm infants, especially extremely preterm infants (EPI) and extremely low birth weight infants (ELBWI), in breathing support, while it potentially exerts a negative impact on the lungs and outcomes of preterm infants. This study aimed to assess delivery room resuscitation and discharge outcomes of EPI and ELBWI in China. METHODS: The clinical data of EPI (gestational age [GA] <28 weeks) and ELBWI (birth weight [BW] <1000 g), admitted within 72 h of birth in 33 neonatal intensive care units from five provinces and cities in North China between 2017 and 2018, were analyzed. The primary outcomes were delivery room resuscitation and risk factors for delivery room intubation (DRI). The secondary outcomes were survival rates, incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), and risk factors for BPD. RESULTS: A cohort of 952 preterm infants were enrolled. The incidence of DRI, chest compressions, and administration of epinephrine was 55.9% (532/952), 12.5% (119/952), and 7.0% (67/952), respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that the risk factors for DRI were GA <28 weeks (odds ratio [OR], 3.147; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.082-4.755), BW <1000 g (OR, 2.240; 95% CI, 1.606-3.125), and antepartum infection (OR, 1.429; 95% CI, 1.044-1.956). The survival rate was 65.9% (627/952) and was dependent on GA. The rate of BPD was 29.3% (181/627). Multivariate analysis showed that the risk factors for BPD were male (OR, 1.603; 95% CI, 1.061-2.424), DRI (OR, 2.094; 95% CI, 1.328-3.303), respiratory distress syndrome exposed to ≥2 doses of pulmonary surfactants (PS; OR, 2.700; 95% CI, 1.679-4.343), and mechanical ventilation ≥7 days (OR, 4.358; 95% CI, 2.777-6.837). However, a larger BW (OR, 0.998; 95% CI, 0.996-0.999), antenatal steroid (OR, 0.577; 95% CI, 0.379-0.880), and PS use in the delivery room (OR, 0.273; 95% CI, 0.160-0.467) were preventive factors for BPD (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Improving delivery room resuscitation and management of respiratory complications are imperative during early management of the health of EPI and ELBWI.
Birth Weight ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia ; China/epidemiology* ; Delivery Rooms ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Extremely Premature ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Pregnancy

Objective To predict the incidence of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Shijiazhuang using the multiple seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average model (ARIMA) and long short term memory (LSTM) model, lay theoretical foundation for the prevention and control of HFMD. Methods Multiple seasonal ARIMA model and LSTM model were established separately by using Eviews 8.0 and python 3.7.1 according to the data of monthly incidence of HFMD from January 2013 to May 2018 in Shijiazhuang, and the data from June 2018 to May 2019 were used to verify the prediction precision of model. Finally, the monthly incidence from June to August 2019 was predicted. Results Based on the monthly incidence from January 2013 to May 2018, the optimal models, ARIMA(1,0,0)×(1,1,2)12 and LSTM model were established. Mean absolute percentage of error (MAPE) of ARIMA and LSTM model were 22.14 and 10.03 respectively based on the monthly incidence from June to December 2018, while MAPE of ARIMA and LSTM model were 43.84 and 25.26 respectively based on the monthly incidence from June 2018 to May 2019. These results indicated that LSTM model was superior to ARIMA model in model fitting degree and predicting accuracy, which was relatively consistent with the actual situation. Conclusions LSTM model is able to fit and predict the incidence trend of HFMD well in Shijiazhuang. It can provide guidance to HFMD epidemic prediction and alerting.

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) among Chinese children aged 12-17 years. METHODS: A semi-quantitative 72-food item FFQ was developed for children aged 12-17 years. The reliability and validity of this FFQ were evaluated against 24-h dietary recalls (24 h DRs) to measure the consumption of foods and nutrients. We administered two FFQs and three DRs to children (N = 160) over a period of 1 month to evaluate the reliability and validity. Reliability was examined by quartile agreement and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), and validity was examined by quartile agreement, Bland-Altman plots and correlation with DRs. RESULTS: For reliability, the ICCs between the two FFQs ranged from 0.21 to 0.76 for foods and nutrients, and the quartile agreement ranged from 70.0% to 95.0% in the same or adjacent quartiles. Spearman's correlation coefficients of foods and nutrients between the second FFQ and the 24 h DRs ranged from -0.04 to 0.59. The Bland-Altman plots demonstrated good agreement across the range of intakes among nutrients. The quartile agreement ranged from 50.0% to 100.0%, with infrequent misclassification. CONCLUSION The FFQ assessment of dietary intakes demonstrated acceptable relative validity and high reproducibility for Chinese children aged 12-17 years.
Adolescent ; Child ; Diet Records ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Reproducibility of Results ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Danhong injection (DHI) and ceftriaxone sodium were used in combination based on their experimental uses in clinic. This study was designed to investigate the impact of ceftriaxone on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the phenolic acids from DHI. After administration of DHI for 7 d, ceftriaxone (CFTX) was combined with DHI for the next 7 d in adult male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. All the drugs were administered through caudal vein. UHPLC-TQ-MS was applied in determining the plasma concentration of p-coumaric acid (p-CA), salvianolic acid D (SaD), rosmarinic acid (RA) and salvianolic acid B (SaB). The pharmacokinetic parameters of the combination group or the Danhong injection alone group were calculated by statistical moment method, C_max and the average of the area under the curve AUC_0-t using 90% confidence interval of the bioequivalence and bioavailability degree module in DAS 3.2.8 statistic software. The results showed that C_max of p-CA, SaD, RA and SaB were unqualified within 90% confidence intervals for bioequivalence statistics. And the results showed that AUC_0-t of SaD, RA and SaB within 90% confidence intervals for bioequivalence statistics were unqualified. There were no significant difference in the t_max (P>0.05). The results of anticoagulation in vivo showed that the international normalized ratio (INR), prothrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) were significantly increased when combined with CFTX (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The results in antithrombotic effects revealed that the thromboxane B₂ (TXB₂) level in serum was significantly decreased (P<0.01) in the combination group compared with Danhong injection alone. However, there was no significant difference in antiplatelet effects. These results suggest that CFTX may enhance the anticoagulation and antithrombotic effects of DHI through altering pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in SD rats.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of different intensity intermittent exercise on the body function of obese rats, and to provide basis for the prevention and treatment of obesity. METHODS: Eighty SD rats were randomly divided into normal diet group (n=20) and high-fat diet group (n=60). After adaptive feeding for 8 weeks, 8 normal diet rats and 32 high-fat obese rats were selected for follow-up experiments. The experimental rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=8): control diet-sedentary (CS),with ordinary feed and without any exercise; high diet-sedentary (HS), with high-fat feed feeding and without any exercise; high diet-continual exercise(HC), 60 min/day,5 days/week with 6 weeks; high diet-long time-low frequency interval exercise(HLL), 30 min/time,twice/day (intermittent 6 h), 5 days/week with 6 weeks; high diet-short time-high frequency interval exercise(HSH), 20 min/ time, 3 times/d (intermittent 3 h), 5 days/week with 6 weeks. The training intensity of rats in each exercise group was 25 m/min. After 6 weeks, rats in each groups were weighed, and resting metabolic rate(RMR), fasting blood glucose(FBG), triglyceride(TG) and other biochemical indexes were detected, and fat and muscle weight were measured. RESULTS: Before experiment, there were no significant differences in RMR, FBG and TG in each groups(P＞0.05).The body weight of HSH, HLL, HC and HS groups was higher than that of CS group (P＜0.05). After the experiment, RMR of the HSH,HLL and HC groups was significantly higher than that of HS and CS groups (P＜0.05), but without significant difference among the HSH,HLL and HC groups (P＞0.05).The body weight of HSH, HLL and HC groups was significantly lower than that of HS group (P＜0.05), but the three groups was not significant (P＞0.05); perirenal fat(PF), idymis fat(EF), perirenal fat/weight(PF/W) and epididymis fat/weight(EF/W) of HSH, HLL, HC group were significantly lower than those of HS group (P＜0.01), while there was no statistical difference among the three groups (P＞0.05). There was no significant difference in gastrocnemius(GM) and quadricep(QF) of each group (P＞0.05), gastrocnemius/weight(GM/W) and quadriceps/weight (QF/W) in HSH,HLL and HC groups were higher than those of HS group (P＜0.05),while there was no significant difference among HSH,HLL and HC groups (P＞0.05);FEB,TG of HSH,HLL,HC group were lower than those of CS and HS group (P＜0.05),but the difference with HS group was more significant (P＜0.01),there was no significant difference among training groups(P＞0.05). CONCLUSION 6 weeks of intermittent exercise of different intensity had a good intervention effect on the body composition of obese rats, and high diet-short time-high frequency interval exercise (HSH) may be more effective.
Animals ; Body Composition ; Body Weight ; Diet, High-Fat ; Male ; Obesity ; therapy ; Physical Conditioning, Animal ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Pulmonary infections are the most common complications in immunocompromised host (ICH).The immune system of ICH was in inhibitory condition because of long-term use of immunosuppressive agents,such as glucocorticoids,antimetabolite medicine and alkylating agents.Therefore,compared with the immunocompetent host,the condition is more critically serious in ICH with more difficult diagnosis and treatment,and higher motality after pulmonary infections.Early identification of pathogens and early treatment are helpful for improving the prognosis and decreasing mortality.