Objective To investigate the effect of Huangqi Shengmai Yin(HSY)on myocardial fibrosis in rats with acute myocardial infarction(AMI)by adjusting P2X purinoceptor 7(P2X7R)/NOD-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3)pathway.Methods Sixty rats were divied into a sham operation group and model group(5 groups),with 10 rats in each group.The AMI rat model was constructed by ligating the left anterior descending branch and randomly grouped into AMI group,the HSY-low group(intragastric administration of 1.6 ml/kg HSY),the HSY group(intragastric administration of 6.2 ml/kg HSY),the compound miltiorhiza group(intragastric administration of 300 mg/kg),and the HSY-high+P2X7R agonist-ATP group(intragastric administration of 6.2 ml/kg HSY,and tail vein administration of 10 mmol/L ATP).After the intervention,cardiac function,myocardial injury and inflammatory factor markers were detected.The tissue sections were prepared to examine pathological changes,myocardial fibrosis,type Ⅰ and type Ⅲ collagen(COL1A1,COL3A1).Western blotting was performed to detecte the protein expression of P2X7R,NLRP3,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin-1β(IL-1β),and the expression of activated Caspase-1.Results Compared with the sham surgery group,the AMI group showed an increase in the left ventricular end diastolic diameter(LVEDD),the coatent of brain natriuretic peptide(BNP)and cardiac troponin I(cTn I),fibrosis volume fraction,the positive expression of COL1A1,COL3A1,TNF-α,IL-1β,P2X7R,NLRP3,and activated Caspase-1 proteins(P＜0.05),and a decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)(P＜0.05).The HSY-low group,HSY-high groups,and compound miltiorhiza group showed a decrease in LVEDD,the content of BNP and cTn I,fibrosis volume fraction,the positive expression of COL1A1 and COL3A1,TNF-α,IL-1β,P2X7R,NLRP3,and activated Caspase-1 proteins(P＜0.05),and an increase in LVEF than these in the AMI group(P＜0.05).The HSY-high+ATP group showed an increase in LVEDD,the content of BNP,cTn I,fibrosis volume fraction,the positive expression of COL1A1 and COL3A1,TNF-α,IL-1β,P2X7R,NLRP3,and activated Caspase-1 proteins(P＜0.05),and a decrease in LVEF than those in the HSY-high group(P＜0.05).Conclusion HSY inhibits P2X7R/NLRP3 pathway to alleviate myocardial fibrosis in AMI rats.

BACKGROUND: Previous evidence showed that ambient air pollution and cardiovascular mortality are related. However, there is a lack of evidence towards the modification effect of long-term lifestyle on the association between short-term ambient air pollution and death from cardiovascular events. METHOD: A total of 14,609 death from major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were identified among the China Kadoorie Biobank participants from 2013 to 2018. Ambient air pollution exposure including particulate matter 2.5 (PM_2.5), SO₂, NO₂, CO, and O₃ from the same period were obtained from space-time model reconstructions based on remote sensing data. Case-crossover design and conditional logistic regression was applied to estimate the effect of short-term exposure to air pollutants on MACE mortality. RESULTS: We found MACE mortality was significantly associated with PM_2.5 (relative percent increase 2.91% per 10 µg/m³ increase, 95% CI 1.32-4.53), NO₂ (5.37% per 10 µg/m³ increase, 95% CI 1.56-9.33), SO₂ (6.82% per 10 µg/m³ increase, 95% CI 2.99-10.80), and CO (2.24% per 0.1 mg/m³ increase, 95% CI 1.02-3.48). Stratified analyses indicated that drinking was associated with elevated risk of MACE mortality with NO₂ and SO₂ exposure; physical inactivity was associated with higher risk of death from MACE when exposed to PM_2.5; and people who had balanced diet had lower risk of MACE mortality when exposed to CO and NO₂. CONCLUSIONS The study results showed that short-term exposure to ambient PM_2.5, NO₂, SO₂, and CO would aggravate the risk of cardiovascular mortality, yet healthy lifestyle conduct might mitigate such negative impact to some extent.
Humans ; Cardiovascular Diseases/epidemiology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Air Pollution/adverse effects* ; Middle Aged ; Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Particulate Matter/analysis* ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects* ; Life Style ; Aged ; Adult ; Risk Factors ; Cross-Over Studies ; East Asian People

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between physical activity and genetic risk and their combined effects on the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 318,085 biobank participants from the UK. Physical activity was assessed using the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The participants were stratified into low-, intermediate-, and high-genetic-risk groups based on their polygenic risk scores. Multivariate Cox regression models and multiplicative interaction analyses were used. RESULTS: During a median follow-up period of 13 years, 9,209 participants were diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. For low genetic risk, compared to low physical activity, the hazard ratios ( HRs) for moderate and high physical activity were 0.853 (95% confidence interval [ CI]: 0.748-0.972) and 0.831 (95% CI: 0.727-0.950), respectively. For intermediate genetic risk, the HRs were 0.829 (95% CI: 0.758-0.905) and 0.835 (95% CI: 0.764-0.914), respectively. For participants with high genetic risk, the HRs were 0.809 (95% CI: 0.746-0.877) and 0.818 (95% CI: 0.754-0.888), respectively. A significant interaction was observed between genetic risk and physical activity. CONCLUSION Moderate or high levels of physical activity were associated with a lower risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease across all genetic risk groups, highlighting the need to tailor activity interventions for genetically susceptible individuals.
Humans ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/epidemiology* ; Exercise ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Aged ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Risk Factors ; United Kingdom/epidemiology* ; Incidence ; Adult

Objective To investigate the clinical application value of serum exosomal miR-552 and miR-221 in the diagnosis and prog-nosis of gastric cancer.Methods 133 patients diagnosed with gastric cancer in the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery,Suqian First People's Hospital from January to December 2019 were selected as the gastric cancer group,108 patients with chronic gastritis as the benign lesion group,and 94 healthy individuals undergoing physical examination as the healthy control group.Their blood samples were collected,and serum exosomes were extracted.The expression levels of miR-552 and miR-221 in serum exosomes were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR).The receiver operating characteristics(ROC)curve was used to assess the di-agnostic efficacy of miR-552 and miR-221 alone and in combination for gastric cancer.The correlations of serum exosomal miR-552 and miR-221 levels with the clinicopathological parameters of gastric cancer patients were further analyzed,and the survival curve was used to evaluate the prognosis of gastric cancer patients.Results The expression levels of serum exosomal miR-552 and miR-221 in gastric cancer patients,benign lesion patients,and healthy controls showed statistically significant differences(FmiR-552=296.271,FmiR-221=249.638,P＜0.01)and a decreasing trend.The analysis results of the ROC curve showed that the combined detection of serum exosom-al miR-552 and miR-221 for the diagnosis of gastric cancer had an area under the ROC curve(AUCROC)of 0.901,a sensitivity of 89.50%,and a specificity of 96.90%,all significantly higher than the detection of miR-552(sensitivity of 88.7%and specificity of 87.2%)and miR-221(sensitivity of 83.5%and specificity of 85.1%)alone(P＜0.05).The expression levels of serum exosomal miR-552 and miR-221 were related to tumor size,TNM staging,invasion depth,and lymph node metastasis(P＜0.05).The analysis results of the survival curve revealed that gastric cancer patients with high expression of serum exosomal miR-552 and miR-221 had sig-nificantly shorter survival time than those with low expression(χ2miR-552=30.657,χ2miR-221=38.251,P＜0.05).Conclusion Serum exo-somal miR-552 and miR-221 have high diagnostic efficacy for gastric cancer and may serve as novel biological markers for the diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of gastric cancer.

Objective To describe and analyze the current status,changing trend and influencing factors of the disease burden of cervical,endometrial and ovarian cancer in China from 1990 to 2021.Methods Data on incidence,mortality,disability-adjusted life year(DALY),and other indicators for cervical,endometrial and ovarian cancer were collected from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease database.Joinpoint regression models were used to analyze time trends,and age-period-cohort(APC)models assessed their impact on incidence and mortality.Spearman correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between the sociodemographic index(SDI)and the cancer indicators.Finally,the attributable risk factors for the disease burden were analyzed.Results From 1990 to 2021,age-standardized incidence rates of cervical and endometrial cancers in China significantly increased,while ovarian cancer showed no significant change.Age-standardized mortality,DALY,and years of life lost due to premature death(YLL)decreased significantly.The disease burden was heavier in middle-aged and older groups.APC model indicated an increase in cervical cancer incidence and a decrease in mortality over time.Furthermore,the incidence risks of cervical and endometrial cancers were elevated in successive birth cohorts,whereas a lower risk was observed for ovarian cancer.Correlation analysis showed significant associations between cancer incidence and mortality with SDI.Obesity has significantly contributed to the disease burden of common gynecologic cancers in China.Conclusion Mortality rates of cervical,endometrial and ovarian cancer have declined,while the incidence of cervical and endometrial cancers has significantly increased.The trends in incidence and mortality are influenced by age,period and cohort effects.Future efforts should focus on controlling risk factors like obesity to reduce the disease burden.

Objective To investigate the clinical application value of serum exosomal miR-552 and miR-221 in the diagnosis and prog-nosis of gastric cancer.Methods 133 patients diagnosed with gastric cancer in the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery,Suqian First People's Hospital from January to December 2019 were selected as the gastric cancer group,108 patients with chronic gastritis as the benign lesion group,and 94 healthy individuals undergoing physical examination as the healthy control group.Their blood samples were collected,and serum exosomes were extracted.The expression levels of miR-552 and miR-221 in serum exosomes were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR).The receiver operating characteristics(ROC)curve was used to assess the di-agnostic efficacy of miR-552 and miR-221 alone and in combination for gastric cancer.The correlations of serum exosomal miR-552 and miR-221 levels with the clinicopathological parameters of gastric cancer patients were further analyzed,and the survival curve was used to evaluate the prognosis of gastric cancer patients.Results The expression levels of serum exosomal miR-552 and miR-221 in gastric cancer patients,benign lesion patients,and healthy controls showed statistically significant differences(FmiR-552=296.271,FmiR-221=249.638,P＜0.01)and a decreasing trend.The analysis results of the ROC curve showed that the combined detection of serum exosom-al miR-552 and miR-221 for the diagnosis of gastric cancer had an area under the ROC curve(AUCROC)of 0.901,a sensitivity of 89.50%,and a specificity of 96.90%,all significantly higher than the detection of miR-552(sensitivity of 88.7%and specificity of 87.2%)and miR-221(sensitivity of 83.5%and specificity of 85.1%)alone(P＜0.05).The expression levels of serum exosomal miR-552 and miR-221 were related to tumor size,TNM staging,invasion depth,and lymph node metastasis(P＜0.05).The analysis results of the survival curve revealed that gastric cancer patients with high expression of serum exosomal miR-552 and miR-221 had sig-nificantly shorter survival time than those with low expression(χ2miR-552=30.657,χ2miR-221=38.251,P＜0.05).Conclusion Serum exo-somal miR-552 and miR-221 have high diagnostic efficacy for gastric cancer and may serve as novel biological markers for the diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of gastric cancer.

Objective To design a performance testing platform to evaluate the working status and performance characteristics of the ventilator proportional solenoid valve.Methods The performance testing platform had its hardware including a high-pressure gas source,a pressure regulating valve,sensors and etc,and its software designed based on PyQt5 and composed of several modules for data acquisition,parameter setting,image display,indicator computation,result output and etc.Two kinds of proportional solenoid valves(Valve 1、Valve2)were selected for static and dynamic tests to verify the performance of the platform.Results The platform developed facilitated the proportional solenoid valve to carry out accurate computation of static and dynamic indicators at real time and time domain and waveform feature extraction of sensor data by precision control and data acquisition for the proportional solenoid valve.Static tests showed that Valve 1 gained advantages over Valve 2 in static flow characteristics involving in lowered repeatability,return error and offset while enhanced stability;dynamic tests indicated Valve 2 had rapid flow variations and significant flow fluctuation impacts,Valve 1 showed smooth dynamic response changes,and Valve 2 behaved better than Valve 1 in dynamic performance.Conclusion The testing platform developed comprehensively demonstrates the performance characteristics and working performance of the ventilator proportional solenoid valve,which is of great significance to enhance the reliability and safety of the ventilator.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(1):13-19]

AIM:To investigate the effects of urolithin A on motor function and muscle fibrosis in dystrophin-deficient mdx mice,a model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.METHODS:Twelve 26-week-old SPF male dystrophin gene deficient C57BL/10ScSnJNju-Dmdem3Cd4/Gpt(mdx)mice were randomly divided into model group and urolithin A treatment group,with 6 mice in each group.Additionally,six wild-type SPF male mice were selected as the normal con-trol.The motor ability of the mice was evaluated by pole climbing test,inverted suspension test,grip strength test and en-durance test.The body mass,mitochondrial relative copy number,ATP level and malondialdehyde(MDA)level were compared among the mice in different groups.Hematoxylin-eosin staining,Masson staining and immunohistochemistry were performed to analyze the atrophy and pathological changes of the gastrocnemius muscle.RESULTS:Compared with normal control group,the mdx mice in model group exhibited significantly impaired motor function,as evidenced by pro-longed pole-climbing time(P<0.01),reduced suspension time and forelimb/hindlimb grip strength(P<0.01),and in-creased number of electrical stimuli required to induce movement(P<0.01).Additionally,mitochondrial relative copy number and ATP level were significantly decreased(P<0.01),while MDA level was significantly elevated(P<0.01).Histological analysis revealed marked inflammatory cell infiltration and extensive tissue fibrosis in the gastrocnemius mus-cle.In contrast,urolithin A treatment significantly improved motor performance(P<0.01),attenuated inflammatory cell infiltration and muscle fibrosis,increased mitochondrial copy number,restored ATP level(P<0.05),and reduced MDA level(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:Urolithin A ameliorates motor dysfunction and alleviates muscle fibrosis in mdx mice,suggesting its potential therapeutic benefits for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.