Objective To analyze the infection status and epidemic trends of soil-borne nematode infections in Yubei, Chongqing City, in 2010,2021, and 2022. Methods The local populations from four survey sites of four towns in 2010 and five sites of five towns in 2021 and 2022 were surveyed regarding their basic information using a unified form. Fecal samples of the participants were collected and tested for soil-borne nematode infections using the modified Kato-Katz thick smear method. Results In 2010, 2 049 participants were surveyed, followed by 1 000 participants in 2021 and 2022. The overall prevalence of parasitic infections declined significantly from 3.86% to 0.20%. In 2010, soil-transmitted nematode included hookworms(3.81%) and roundworms(0.29%). In 2021, the infection rates of roundworms and hookworms were 1.70% and 0.10% respectively. Notably, only Ascaris was identified in 2022(0.20%). The≥60 age group consistently exhibited the highest infection rates across all surveys, followed by the 40-59 age group. The infection rates of males in the three surveys were 3.31%,1.92%, and 0.20% respectively, and those of females were 4.37%, 1.46%, and 0.20% respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the infection rates between males and females. Educational attainment was inversely associated with infection; in 2010, the highest prevalence was observed among those with primary education or below, whereas in 2021, illiterate or semi-literate individuals showed the highest susceptibility. The occupational distribution of infections in 2010 indicated that retirees (8.33%), farmers(4.86%), and homemakers or unemployed individuals(3.45%)were the most affected. However, in 2021 and 2022, farmers emerged as the predominant occupational group with soil-transmitted nematode infections. Conclusions The infection rate of soil-borne nematodes showed a decreasing trend in Yubei, and the infection species changed from hookworms in 2010 to Ascaris in 2022. Farmers, the elderly, and people with low education levels should continue to be the focus of preventive and control efforts.

Objective To investigate the association between dietary patterns and adolescent development in girls in Pudong New Area，Shanghai. Methods Using a stratified cluster sampling method, a total of 998 girls were selected from the cohort of growth, development, and health of children and adolescents in Pudong New Area of Shanghai. Physical development examinations and dietary surveys were conducted on these girls. Principal component analysis was used to determine girls' dietary patterns, and their relationship with adolescent development was analyzed using logistic regression. Results Among the 998 participants, 770 (77.15%) were pubertal girls. The factor analysis identified three dietary patterns, fungi and algae~nuts~legumes pattern, meat-vegetables and fruits-cereals pattern, and milk-eggs pattern. Logistic regression analysis revealed that after adjusting for age, waist circumference, residential district, mother's education level, and father's education level, the Q2 level (OR=0.54, 95% CI: 0.30-0.99), Q3 level (OR=0.50, 95% CI: 0.27-0.91), and Q4 level (OR=0.49, 95% CI: 0.26-0.90) of the fungi and algae-nuts-legumes pattern were negatively correlated with adolescent development. The Q2 level (OR=0.48, 95% CI: 0.27-0.87) and Q3 level (OR=0.49, 95% CI: 0.27-0.88) of the milk-eggs pattern were also negatively correlated with adolescent development. Conclusion The fungi and algae~nuts~legumes pattern and milk-eggs patterns are inversely related to pubertal development.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a life-threatening gastrointestinal disorder for which no effective pharmacological treatments are currently available. One of the pharmacological targets that merits further research is the neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R), which is found on pancreatic acinar cells and responds to the neuropeptide substance P (SP) that participates in AP. Although a few studies have stated the involvement of SP/NK1R in neurogenic inflammation in AP development, the regulatory mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we found that following activation of NK1R by SP, β-arrestin1, a scaffold protein of NK1R, down-regulated transcription of Adss, Adsl, and Ampd in the purine nucleotide cycle, thereby inhibiting mitochondrial function through fumarate depletion. Interestingly, we identified magnolol as a new and natural NK1R inhibitor with a non-nitrogenous biphenyl core structure. It exhibited a beneficial effect on AP by restoring purine nucleotide cycle metabolic enzymes and fumarate levels. Our study not only provides new therapeutic strategies, leading compounds, and drug translation possibilities for AP, but also provides important clues for the study of downstream mechanisms driven by SP in other diseases.

Objective To compile the"expert consensus on preventive and management of exposure keratopathy"(hereinafter referred to as"consensus"),aiming to standardize and promote the prevention of exposure keratopathy(EK)in medical institutions at different levels.Methods The evidence-based methods were used to retrieve,evaluate and summarize evidence in this field according to the level of evidence,and relevant recommendations and research conclusions were extracted,and the first draft of consensus was formed.After 2 rounds of Delphi expert letters and expert meetings,combined with evidence and expert opinions,the consensus content is written,adjusted and modified,and recommendations were made.Results 58 experts were invited to participate in the consultation.The expert positive coefficient was 100％;the expert judgment basis of the 2 rounds were 0.940 and 0.936;the degree of familiarity of the 2 rounds were 0.779 and 0.797;the coefficient of authority of the 2 rounds were 0.859 and 0.866.The Kendall W coefficients of the 2 rounds of inquiry were 0.099 and 0.117,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).The consensus includes 5 aspects of EK:risk factors,assessments,protection measures,symptom management and training and management.Conclusion The consensus was based on the existing evidence and clinical practical requirements and recommendations of experts in the field.Consensus can provide guidance for clinical nursing staff in prevention,nursing and management of EK effectively.

Objective:To observe the effect of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) at different frequencies on cognitive impairment due to high-altitude hypoxia.Methods:Sixty officers and soldiers displaying cognitive impairment in a hypoxic high-altitude environment were randomly divided into 15Hz, 20Hz and 25Hz groups, each of 20. They were given rTMS at those frequencies for 30 days. Before the stimulation and after 15 and 30 days, event-related potentials, latencies of mismatched negativity (MMN) and P300 signals were recorded. The participants′ cognition was also evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA). Correlation between the electrophysiological indexes and the MoCA scores was computed.Results:After 15 days, all had shorter MMN latencies, higher total MoCA scores and better memory scores. The only significant difference among the three groups was in the average memory scores. After 15 days, MMN latency was significantly negatively correlated with the memory scores in all three groups ( r=0.44 to -0.54). Conclusions:rTMS at frequencies above 15Hz can effectively relieve cognitive impairment, especially memory dysfunction, resulting from high-altitude hypoxia.

ObjectiveTo explore the impact of exogenous chitosan on the growth and metabolism of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. (G. uralensis) and to improve the quality of cultivated G. uralensis for both medicine and food and aid in the increase in the content of effective components in G. uralensis.MethodsIn this study, whole G. uralensis plants were treated with exogenous chitosan, and comprehensive analyses of secondary metabolites and proteins were conducted using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry and isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation, respectively. Effects of chitosan induction on endogenous hormones of G. uralensis were analyzed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Gene ontology function annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway annotation were conducted to study the effect of chitosan induction on the proteome.ResultsChitosan induction significantly increased the levels of flavonoids in G. uralensis; however, the variation in triterpenoids was not substantial. Biological processes, including photosynthesis, secondary metabolism, and abiotic stress responses, were significantly enriched. Additionally, the photosynthetic pathway, photosynthesis-antenna protein pathway, and plant hormone signal transduction pathway were significantly enriched. In the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway, the upstream-related enzyme phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and the downstream-related enzymes chalcone synthase (CHS), polyketide reductase (PKR), chalcone isomerase (CHI), and vestitone reductase (VR) were significantly upregulated.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that chitosan induction may promote the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and the TCA cycle enhancement significantly upregulated PAL, CHS, PKR, CHI, and VR, the five key enzymes involved in flavonoid synthesis of G. uralensis, indicating that chitosan induction activated the entire metabolic pathway associated with flavonoids in G. uralensis. Our findings provide a reference for improving the quality of cultivated G. uralensis from the perspective of pharmacodynamic components.

Objective To analyze the mutation status of Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog(KRAS),phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha(PIK3CA),v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1(BRAF)genes,and the expression of mismatch repair(MMR)and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER-2)proteins in tumor tissues of patients with colorectal cancer(CRC)harboring neuroblastoma rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog(NRAS)gene mutations,and explore their relationships with the clinicopathological characteristics of CRC patients.Methods The clinicopathological data of 546 patients with NRAS mutation CRC were retrospectively analyzed.The mutation status of NRAS,KRAS,PIK3CA,and BRAF genes was detected by AmoyDx amplification refractory mutation system(ARMS)-polymerase chain reaction(PCR)kit(fluorescent PCR method),the expression levels of MMR and HER-2 proteins were detected by immunohistochemical staining EnVision method,and the relationship between them and the clinicopathological characteristics of patients were analyzed.Results The mutation rate of single-point mutations in the NRAS gene was 98.35%(537/546),double-point mutations in the NRAS gene were 1.65%(9/546),and double mutations in the NRAS and KRAS genes were 1.47%(8/546).No patients were found to harbor mutations in the PIK3CA or BRAF genes.The types of NRAS mutations included Q61R(or Q61K,Q61L,Q61H)mutations(266/546,48.72%),G12D(or G12S)mutations(154/546,28.21%),G13R(or G12C,G12V,G12A,G13V)mutations(134/546,24.54%),and A146T mutation(1/546,0.18%).G13R(or G12C,G12V,G12A,G13V)mutations in the NRAS gene were more likely to occur in the rectum cancer patients(P=0.035);although the tumors had a larger diameter(P=0.029),the patients had a longer progression-free survival after surgery(P=0.028).Among patients with NRAS gene mutations,HER-2 positive expression was associated with perineural invasion(P=0.003),and the patients with deficient MMR were younger on average(P=0.041)and were associated with double-point mutations in the NRAS gene(P=0.018).Conclusion CRC harboring NRAS mutations may have unique clinicopathological characteristics and molecular phenotypes,providing possibilities for individualized treatment and prognosis evaluation of CRC.

Background and aims:Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is a malignant tumor with a high mortality rate,but there are still no effective treatments.The aim of this study was to investigate the anticancer po-tential of the combined use of brefeldin A(BFA)and tunicamycin(TM)in HepG2 cells,as well as the underlying mechanisms.Methods:HepG2 cells were treated with different concentrations of BFA(0.1-2.5 mg/L)and TM(1-5 mg/L)for 24 h.DMSO(0.1％,v/v)was used as a vehicle control.Cell viability and cell migration were measured using MTT assay and scratch wound assay,respectively.Apoptosis was detected using flow cytometry and acridine orange(AO)staining.The protein and mRNA levels of various factors involved in apoptosis(poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase-1(PARP-1),caspase-12,caspase-3,and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1)and endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress(binding immunoglobulin protein(BiP),protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase(PERK),p-PERK,phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2alpha(p-eIF2α),activating transcription factor(ATF)4,and C/EBP homologous protein(CHOP))were measured using Western blotting and qRT-PCR,respectively.Results:Both BFA and TM alone significantly reduced the viability of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent way.The co-incubation with TM(1 mg/L)further significantly reduced the viability of HepG2 cells treated with BFA(0.25 mg/L)alone(P＜0.05).BFA significantly increased the protein and mRNA levels of caspase-3 and PARP-1(P＜0.05)compared to control and DMSO-treated cells,indicating that BFA induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells by increasing the expression of caspase-3 and PARP-1.The induction of apoptosis by BFA could be further significantly enhanced by co-incubation with TM.In addition,BFA significantly increased the mRNA levels of BiP,PERK and ATF4(P＜0.05)compared to control and DMSO-treated cells.After co-incubation of BFA and TM,the protein levels of BiP,p-PERK,p-eIF2α and CHOP were significantly increased,indicating that TM could enhance BFA-induced ER stress in HepG2 cells through the PERK-eIF2α-ATF4-CHOP pathway.Conclusions:BFA could induce apoptosis and ER stress,and TM could enhance the ability of BFA to induce apoptosis and ER stress in HepG2 cells through the PERK-eIF2α-ATF4-CHOP pathway.The findings highlight the therapeutic potential of the combined use of BFA and TM in treating HCC.

Objective To observe the effects of Qigui Buxue Decoction combined with timed press-needle therapy on myelosuppression and cancer-related fatigue in chemotherapy patients with non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)of lung-spleen qi deficiency type.Methods A total of 124 NSCLC patients with lung-spleen qi deficiency type admitted to the Department of Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy at Cangzhou Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital in Hebei Province from January 2022 to June 2024 were selected as the study subjects.The patients were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group using a random number table,with 62 cases in each group.Both groups received platinum-based two-drug combination chemotherapy.The control group received timed press-needle therapy in addition to chemotherapy,while the observation group received Qigui Buxue Decoction in addition to the control group's treatment.The treatment course was 3 weeks,with a total of 2 courses.After 2 courses of treatment,changes in blood routine,lymphocyte subsets(CD3+,CD4+,CD8+,NK cells),CD4+/CD8+ratio,and the incidence of myelosuppression were observed.Changes in Piper Fatigue Scale and Karnofsky Performance Scale(KPS)scores before and after treatment were compared between the two groups.Results(1)After treatment,the white blood cell count in the observation group significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the observation group showed significantly better improvement in white blood cell count compared to the control group,with a statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).(2)After treatment,the levels of CD3+,CD4+,CD4+/CD8+,and NK cells in both groups significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the observation group showed significantly better improvement in these levels compared to the control group,with a statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).(3)The incidence of myelosuppression in the observation group was 58.06%(36/62),while it was 77.42%(48/62)in the control group.The incidence of myelosuppression in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group,with a statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).(4)After treatment,the Piper Fatigue Scale scores,including behavioral,emotional,physical,and total scores,significantly improved in both groups(P＜0.05),and the observation group showed significantly better improvement in these scores compared to the control group,with a statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).The cognitive scores of the Piper Fatigue Scale showed slight improvement in both groups,but there was no statistically significant difference compared to before treatment(P＞0.05).(5)After treatment,the KPS scores and TCM syndrome scores significantly improved in both groups(P＜0.05),and the observation group showed significantly better improvement in these scores compared to the control group,with a statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).Conclusion Qigui Buxue Decoction combined with timed press-needle therapy can effectively improve myelosuppression,enhance immune function,and alleviate cancer-related fatigue in NSCLC patients with lung-spleen qi deficiency type after chemotherapy,thereby improving their quality of life.This approach is worthy of clinical promotion.