1.Association between the gut microbiota-Toll-like receptor axis and metabolic associated fatty liver disease
Yuanyuan SUN ; Cunzheng ZHANG ; Jingyuan XU ; Chunxiao ZHOU
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2026;42(6):1404-1410
The pathogenesis of metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is closely associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis. Dysbiosis can lead to translocation of bacterial derivatives (such as lipopolysaccharide), which drives hepatic inflammatory response and metabolic imbalance by activating Toll-like receptors (TLR) and their downstream signaling pathways. This article systematically reviews the mechanism of action of the gut microbiota-TLR axis in MAFLD, and elaborates on the function of the key receptors such as TLR2 and TLR4 and the lesser-studied members (TLR5, TLR7, and TLR9). This article also summarizes the downstream signaling events after TLR activation, including the canonical NF-κB and MAPK pathways, as well as the role of the JAK-STAT and PI3K-Akt pathways in the pathological mechanism of MAFLD. Finally, this article reviews the potential intervention strategies for MAFLD by targeting gut microbiota and regulating the gut microbiota-TLR signaling axis, in order to provide new ideas for clinical prevention and treatment.
2.Association between DNA methylation clock and obesity-related indicators:A longi-tudinal twin study
Shunkai LIU ; Weihua CAO ; Jun LV ; Canqing YU ; Tao HUANG ; Dianjianyi SUN ; Chunxiao LIAO ; Yuanjie PANG ; Runhua HU ; Ruqin GAO ; Min YU ; Jinyi ZHOU ; Xianping WU ; Yu LIU ; Wenjing GAO ; Liming LI
Journal of Peking University(Health Sciences) 2025;57(3):456-464
Objective:To explore the relationship between obesity indicators and DNA methylation clocks acceleration,and to analyze their temporal sequence.Methods:Data were obtained from two sur-veys conducted in 2013 and 2017-2018 by the Chinese National Twin Registry.Peripheral blood DNA methylation data were measured using the Illumina Infinium Human Methylation 450K BeadChip and EPIC BeadChip.DNA methylation clocks/acceleration metrics(GrimAA,PCGrimAA and Dunedin-PACE)were calculated using the DNA methylation online tool(https://dnamage.genetics.ucla.edu/)or R code provided by researchers.Obesity indicators included weight,body mass index(BMI),waist circumference,waist-hip ratio,and waist-height ratio.A total of 1 070 twin individuals were included in the cross-sectional analysis,comprising 378 monozygotic(MZ)twin pairs and 155 dizygotic(DZ)twin pairs for within-pair analysis.Mixed-effects models were used to examine the associations between obesity indicators and DNA methylation clocks,as well as their acceleration measures.The longitudinal analysis included 314 twin individuals,comprising 95 MZ twin pairs and 62 DZ twin pairs for within-pair analy-sis.Cross-lagged panel models were applied to further explore the temporal relationships between obesity and DNA methylation clock indicators.All analyses were conducted both in the full twin sample and separately within MZ and DZ twin pairs.Results:In the cross-sectional analysis population,monozygotic twins accounted for 71.0%,males for 68.0%,and the mean chronological age was(49.9±12.1)years.In the longitudinal analysis population,monozygotic twins accounted for 60.5%,males for 60.8%,with a mean baseline chronological age of(50.4±10.2)years and a mean follow-up duration of(4.6±0.6)years.Except for the waist-to-hip ratio,which was significantly higher at follow-up com-pared with baseline,no statistically significant differences were observed in the means of other obesity in-dicators between baseline and follow-up.Correlation analysis revealed that weight,BMI,waist circumfe-rence,waist-hip ratio(WHR),and waist-height ratio(WHtR)were positively correlated with Dunedin-PACE in all the twins,with WHtR showing the strongest association(β=0.21,95%CI:0.11 to 0.31).Weight and BMI were negatively associated with GrimAA(β=-0.03,95%CI:-0.05 to-0.01;β=-0.07,95%CI:-0.12 to-0.02),while weight was negatively associated with PCGrim-AA(β=-0.02,95%CI:-0.03 to 0.00).However,within-twin-pair analyses showed no statistically significant correlations.Cross-lagged panel model analysis indicated that higher baseline weight might lead to increased GrimAA at follow-up,while elevated baseline weight,BMI,and waist circumference might increase PCGrimAA.Higher baseline WHR was associated with increased DunedinPACE at follow-up.Conclusion:Obesity indicators correlate with DNA methylation clock acceleration metrics.Baseline obesity may influence changes in certain DNA methylation clock indicators over time,suggesting that obesity could exert long-term health effects by accelerating DNA methylation aging.However,these associations may be confounded by shared genetic or environmental factors among the twins.
3.A diabetic retinopathy multi-lesion segmentation network integrating deformable convolution and attention mechanism
Chunxiao LI ; Yatong ZHOU ; Chunyan SHAN ; Zhitao XIAO ; Yunfan BU
Chinese Journal of Medical Physics 2025;42(5):596-605
In view of the complex structure of diabetic retinopathy and the large differences in the scales of different lesions,a novel network which integrates deformable convolution and attention mechanism is proposed for automatic diabetic retinopathy multi-lesion segmentation.Specifically,deformable convolution Haar wavelet transform encoder takes place of the original convolutional downsampling encoder to adapt to the irregular shape changes of lesions and extract effective feature information;a dense feature perception and aggregation module is introduced at the bottleneck layer to extract multi-scale features by aggregating multiple receptive fields,thus enhancing deep semantic information;and finally,in order to fully integrate the decoder output and improve the recognition accuracy of edge information,a multi scale adaptive fusion module is used to weight the decoder output of each layer for obtaining the most accurate segmentation feature map.The validation of hard percolation,bleeding point,and soft percolation segmentations on the DDR-RLS dataset reveals that the proposed network shows increases of 0.026 2,0.051 8 and 0.046 5 in IoU coefficient,0.027 1,0.058 1 and 0.050 4 in Dice coefficient,and 0.0423,0.0691 and 0.0734 in AUPR value,as compared with the original Unet.
4.A diabetic retinopathy multi-lesion segmentation network integrating deformable convolution and attention mechanism
Chunxiao LI ; Yatong ZHOU ; Chunyan SHAN ; Zhitao XIAO ; Yunfan BU
Chinese Journal of Medical Physics 2025;42(5):596-605
In view of the complex structure of diabetic retinopathy and the large differences in the scales of different lesions,a novel network which integrates deformable convolution and attention mechanism is proposed for automatic diabetic retinopathy multi-lesion segmentation.Specifically,deformable convolution Haar wavelet transform encoder takes place of the original convolutional downsampling encoder to adapt to the irregular shape changes of lesions and extract effective feature information;a dense feature perception and aggregation module is introduced at the bottleneck layer to extract multi-scale features by aggregating multiple receptive fields,thus enhancing deep semantic information;and finally,in order to fully integrate the decoder output and improve the recognition accuracy of edge information,a multi scale adaptive fusion module is used to weight the decoder output of each layer for obtaining the most accurate segmentation feature map.The validation of hard percolation,bleeding point,and soft percolation segmentations on the DDR-RLS dataset reveals that the proposed network shows increases of 0.026 2,0.051 8 and 0.046 5 in IoU coefficient,0.027 1,0.058 1 and 0.050 4 in Dice coefficient,and 0.0423,0.0691 and 0.0734 in AUPR value,as compared with the original Unet.
5.Relationship between folic acid and thyroid antibodies in early pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with hypothyroidism during pregnancy
Tongkui WANG ; Xiuming SUN ; Xiaoli WANG ; Chunxiao ZHOU ; Hongmin WANG ; Xiaorong FU ; Kun YANG
Chinese Journal of Endocrine Surgery 2025;19(2):243-247
Objective:To analyze the relationship between folate and thyroid antibody in early pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcome in pregnant women with hypothyroidism during pregnancy.Methods:The data of 97 pregnant women with hypothyroidism from Jul. 2020 to Mar. 2023 in the Obstetrics Department of Liaocheng Second People’s Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The levels of folate, thyroglobulin antibody (TGAb) and thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) were detected in the first trimester. According to whether adverse pregnancy outcome occurred in pregnant women with hypothyroidism during pregnancy, they were divided into occurrence group and non-occurrence group. The clinical data of the occurrence group and the non-occurrence group were compared. Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with hypothyroidism during pregnancy, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to analyze the predictive value of folic acid, TGAb, TPOAb and their combination on adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with hypothyroidism during pregnancy.Results:Among 97 pregnant women, the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcome was 14.43% (14/97) .The folate level in the occurrence group was lower than non-occurrence group ( P<0.05) , and the TGAb and TPOAb levels in the occurrence group were higher than non-occurrence group ( P<0.05) . The occurrence group with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) , glutamine transpeptidase (GGT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were all higher than non-occurrence group ( P<0.05) .The folate, TGAb, and TPOAb levels were factors influencing adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with hypothyroidism ( P<0.05) . The area under the curve (AUC) values of folate, TGAb, TPOAb and their combined prediction of adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with hypothyroidism during pregnancy were 0.804, 0.843, 0.799, 0.909 ( P<0.05) , while the combined three with AUC values were higher ( P<0.05) . Conclusion:The folate, TGAb and TPOAb levels in early pregnancy can be used to evaluate adverse pregnancy outcomes in hypothyroidism pregnant women, and the combination of the three has a higher evaluation value.
6.Relationship between folic acid and thyroid antibodies in early pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with hypothyroidism during pregnancy
Tongkui WANG ; Xiuming SUN ; Xiaoli WANG ; Chunxiao ZHOU ; Hongmin WANG ; Xiaorong FU ; Kun YANG
Chinese Journal of Endocrine Surgery 2025;19(2):243-247
Objective:To analyze the relationship between folate and thyroid antibody in early pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcome in pregnant women with hypothyroidism during pregnancy.Methods:The data of 97 pregnant women with hypothyroidism from Jul. 2020 to Mar. 2023 in the Obstetrics Department of Liaocheng Second People’s Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The levels of folate, thyroglobulin antibody (TGAb) and thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) were detected in the first trimester. According to whether adverse pregnancy outcome occurred in pregnant women with hypothyroidism during pregnancy, they were divided into occurrence group and non-occurrence group. The clinical data of the occurrence group and the non-occurrence group were compared. Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with hypothyroidism during pregnancy, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to analyze the predictive value of folic acid, TGAb, TPOAb and their combination on adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with hypothyroidism during pregnancy.Results:Among 97 pregnant women, the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcome was 14.43% (14/97) .The folate level in the occurrence group was lower than non-occurrence group ( P<0.05) , and the TGAb and TPOAb levels in the occurrence group were higher than non-occurrence group ( P<0.05) . The occurrence group with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) , glutamine transpeptidase (GGT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were all higher than non-occurrence group ( P<0.05) .The folate, TGAb, and TPOAb levels were factors influencing adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with hypothyroidism ( P<0.05) . The area under the curve (AUC) values of folate, TGAb, TPOAb and their combined prediction of adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with hypothyroidism during pregnancy were 0.804, 0.843, 0.799, 0.909 ( P<0.05) , while the combined three with AUC values were higher ( P<0.05) . Conclusion:The folate, TGAb and TPOAb levels in early pregnancy can be used to evaluate adverse pregnancy outcomes in hypothyroidism pregnant women, and the combination of the three has a higher evaluation value.
7.Expert consensus: reducing free-sugar for caries prevention
Xiaojuan ZENG ; Xuenan LIU ; Min LIU ; Yan SI ; Ying ZHANG ; Jianqiang LAI ; Xianbin DING ; Chang SU ; Xiang SI ; Youguang LU ; Huancai LIN ; Shuguo ZHENG ; Wensheng RONG ; Minquan DU ; Xiaoyan OU ; Rongmin QIU ; Maigeng ZHOU ; Chunxiao WANG
Chinese Journal of Stomatology 2025;60(4):311-319
In modern society, sugary foods have become an integral part of many people′s lives. However, excessive sugar consumption has adverse effects on both overall health and oral health, serving as a contributing factor to the global increasing incidence in oral diseases, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, obesity, and diabetes. In response to the health risks related to high-sugar diets, the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Dental Federation (FDI) have proposed initiatives and recommendations, with various governments implementing different policies and strategies to reduce sugar intake. Chinese government has also taken proactive measures. The "Healthy China Action (2019-2030)" initiative introduced by the State Council in 2019 established a crucial benchmark in limiting the average daily intake of added sugar to 25 g per person forward to 2030. Experts from Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the field of oral health have meticulously examined the impacts of sugar reduction on oral health, as well as strategies, methods, and practical considerations related to reducing sugar intake through several meeting and wrote the "Expert consensus: reducing free-sugar for caries prevention", which was subsequently reviewed and revised based on the feedback from multiple stakeholders. They have conducted thorough analyses of global trends in sugar reduction and best practices to provide valuable insights to China for crafting effective policies and strategies on sugar reduction. This consensus mainly includes the classification of free sugars, the latest scientific evidence on dental caries, recommendations from WHO on sugar-sweetened beverage taxes, nutrition labeling, advertising, food reform, adjusting supply systems, education, and promotion strategies, as well as sugar reduction actions taken by various governments around the world. Combining the actual situation in China, policy recommendations and authoritative popular science knowledge on sugar reduction for caries prevention to public are proposed to advocate for experts in multiple fields to focus on sugar reduction for caries prevention, promote the work process, and provide the scientific basis for oral health educators.
8.Distribution characteristics of smoking behavior among adult twins in China
Shunkai LIU ; Wenjing GAO ; Weihua CAO ; Jun LYU ; Canqing YU ; Shengfeng WANG ; Tao HUANG ; Dianjianyi SUN ; Chunxiao LIAO ; Yuanjie PANG ; Ruqin GAO ; Min YU ; Jinyi ZHOU ; Xianping WU ; Zhong DONG ; Fan WU ; Dezheng WANG ; Zhihua XU ; Yu LIU ; Jianrui WANG ; Jie YIN ; Shengli YIN ; Liming LI
Chinese Journal of Preventive Medicine 2025;59(7):1090-1096
This study aims to describe the population and regional distribution characteristics of smoking behavior among adult twins in the China Twin Registry (CNTR), as well as the concordance rates for smoking behavior in monozygotic and dizygotic twins, and estimate the heritability. The study population included adult twins in CNTR who had smoking questionnaire data. A random-effects regression model was used to describe the distribution of smoking behavior among different subgroups based on various characteristics. The concordance of smoking behavior between different zygosity groups was calculated, and heritability was estimated. A total of 28 444 twin pairs were included in this study, with an average age of (36.6±12.0) years. Among male twins, 41.2% were current smokers, while only 1.2% of females smoked. Higher smoking rates were observed among male smokers in the 50-59 age group ( z=23.0, P<0.001), northern regions ( z=2.9, P<0.01), rural areas ( z=-5.2, P<0.001), those who were divorced/widowed ( z=3.8, P<0.001), and first-born twins ( z=-4.3, P<0.001), while lower smoking rates were found in those with higher education ( z=-16.1, P<0.001) and unmarried individuals ( z=-16.0, P<0.001). The smoking concordance rate for male monozygotic twins was 69.6%, significantly higher than the 57.3% concordance rate for dizygotic twins ( χ 2=105.0, P<0.05). The heritability of smoking behavior in male twins was estimated at 28.9% (95% CI: 24.3%-33.4%). Stratified analyses showed differences in heritability across regions and age groups: the heritability in northern regions was 32.6% (95% CI: 27.3%-38.0%), higher than the 21.0% (95% CI: 12.4%-29.5%) observed in southern regions; the highest heritability of 35.1% (95% CI: 26.3%-43.9%) was found in the 18-29 age group, with heritability decreasing with age. In conclusion, the smoking rate and influencing factors in the twin population are similar to those in the general population, with unique characteristics, such as higher smoking rates in first-born twins. Genetic factors have a significant impact on smoking behavior.
9.Incidence and Mortality of Colorectal Cancer in Zhejiang Cancer Registration Areas in 2021 and Trends from 2000 to 2021
Yunfeng ZHU ; Yi ZHOU ; Tianjing GAO ; Enning LU ; Xiaofei CHEN ; Zhongjie ZHU ; Weimiao WU ; Huizhang LI ; Lingbin DU ; Chunxiao JIANG ; Yanfei QIU
China Cancer 2025;34(10):783-791
[Purpose]To analyze the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer in Zhejiang can-cer registration areas in 2021 and its temporal trends from 2000 to 2021.[Methods]Data from 22 cancer registries in Zhejiang Province in 2021 that met the quality standards were included.The crude incidence/mortality rate,age-standardized incidence/mortality rates by Chinese standard population(ASIRC/ASMRC)and by world standard population(ASIRW/ASMRW),and cumulative incidence(mortality)rate for 0~74 years old were calculated.Trends from 2000 to 2021 were ana-lyzed using the Joinpoint regression model by calculating the annual percentage change(APC)and average annual percentage change(AAPC).[Results]In 2021,the number of new colorectal cancer cases in Zhejiang cancer registration areas was 12 265,with 4 323 deaths.ASIRC and ASMRC were significantly higher in men(32.74/105 and 10.11/105)than those in women(20.78/105 and 5.99/105).Urban areas showed higher ASIRC and ASMRC(28.27/105 and 8.06/105)than rural areas(24.12/105 and 7.85/105).The age-specific incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer in Zhejiang Province showed an increasing trend with age,with a peak of 219.63/105 in the age group of 80~84 years old.The age-specific mortality rate peaked in the age group of 85 years old and above,with a peak of 199.65/105.From 2000 to 2021,ASIRC in Zhejiang Province showed an upward trend(AAPC=2.23%,P<0.001),ASMRC showed a marginal increase(AAPC=0.78%,P=0.067).[Conclusion]The incidence of colorectal cancer in Zhejiang Province had been on a continuous rise in the past 22 years,and health education and early screening should be empha-sized.
10.Distribution characteristics and heritability of alcohol consumption behavior in adult twins in China
Yuanchen LI ; Wenjing GAO ; Weihua CAO ; Jun LYU ; Canqing YU ; Shengfeng WANG ; Tao HUANG ; Dianjianyi SUN ; Chunxiao LIAO ; Yuanjie PANG ; Ruqin GAO ; Min YU ; Jinyi ZHOU ; Xianping WU ; Zhong DONG ; Fan WU ; Dezheng WANG ; Zhihua XU ; Yu LIU ; Yanxia MA ; Jie YIN ; Shengli YIN ; Liming LI
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2025;46(1):73-80
Objective:To describe the distribution characteristics of alcohol consumption in adult twins in the Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR), and further explore the influence of genetic factors on alcohol consumption in adult twins.Methods:The subjects of the study were twins registered by CNTR in 11 project areas across China from 2010 to 2018. A total of 56 966 twins (28 483 pairs) aged 18 years and above who answered questions about drinking behavior were included, and the random effect model was used to describe the population and regional distribution characteristics of alcohol consumption. Intra-pair analysis was performed to calculate the concordance rate and heritability of their alcohol consumption.Results:The age of all subjects was (36.6±12.0) years, and current drinkers accounted for 16.6% (9 461/56 966) of all subjects. In men, those aged 50-59 years, those in northern China, those living in rural area, those with low education level and those with high BMI, the proportions of current drinkers were higher. After excluding 468 pairs of twins who had stopped alcohol use and 21 764 pairs of twins who had no drink or had small amount drink, an intra-pair analysis was conducted in 4 929 pairs of same-sex twins, and found that the concordance rate of alcohol consumption was 64.0% (2 059/3 215) in monozygotic twins, and 52.6% (902/1 714) in dizygotic twins, the difference was significant ( P<0.001), and the heritability of alcohol consumption was 24.1% (95% CI: 18.9%- 29.3%). The further stratified analysis found that in southern men, the heritability was highest in those aged 40-49 years (36.1%, 95% CI: 21.6%-50.7%), while in northern men, the heritability was highest in those aged 50-59 years (34.2%, 95% CI: 18.1%-50.3%). Conclusions:In adult twins in China, there were population and regional differences in the distribution of alcohol consumption behavior, and alcohol consumption was influenced by genetic factors, and gender, age and region had potential modifying effects.

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