1.The Use of Speech in Screening for Cognitive Decline in Older Adults
Si-Wen WANG ; Xiao-Xiao YIN ; Lin-Lin GAO ; Wen-Jun GUI ; Qiao-Xia HU ; Qiong LOU ; Qin-Wen WANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(2):456-463
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that severely affects the health of the elderly, marked by its incurability, high prevalence, and extended latency period. The current approach to AD prevention and treatment emphasizes early detection and intervention, particularly during the pre-AD stage of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which provides an optimal “window of opportunity” for intervention. Clinical detection methods for MCI, such as cerebrospinal fluid monitoring, genetic testing, and imaging diagnostics, are invasive and costly, limiting their broad clinical application. Speech, as a vital cognitive output, offers a new perspective and tool for computer-assisted analysis and screening of cognitive decline. This is because elderly individuals with cognitive decline exhibit distinct characteristics in semantic and audio information, such as reduced lexical richness, decreased speech coherence and conciseness, and declines in speech rate, voice rhythm, and hesitation rates. The objective presence of these semantic and audio characteristics lays the groundwork for computer-based screening of cognitive decline. Speech information is primarily sourced from databases or collected through tasks involving spontaneous speech, semantic fluency, and reading, followed by analysis using computer models. Spontaneous language tasks include dialogues/interviews, event descriptions, narrative recall, and picture descriptions. Semantic fluency tasks assess controlled retrieval of vocabulary items, requiring participants to extract information at the word level during lexical search. Reading tasks involve participants reading a passage aloud. Summarizing past research, the speech characteristics of the elderly can be divided into two major categories: semantic information and audio information. Semantic information focuses on the meaning of speech across different tasks, highlighting differences in vocabulary and text content in cognitive impairment. Overall, discourse pragmatic disorders in AD can be studied along three dimensions: cohesion, coherence, and conciseness. Cohesion mainly examines the use of vocabulary by participants, with a reduction in the use of nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adjectives in AD patients. Coherence assesses the ability of participants to maintain topics, with a decrease in the number of subordinate clauses in AD patients. Conciseness evaluates the information density of participants, with AD patients producing shorter texts with less information compared to normal elderly individuals. Audio information focuses on acoustic features that are difficult for the human ear to detect. There is a significant degradation in temporal parameters in the later stages of cognitive impairment; AD patients require more time to read the same paragraph, have longer vocalization times, and produce more pauses or silent parts in their spontaneous speech signals compared to normal individuals. Researchers have extracted audio and speech features, developing independent systems for each set of features, achieving an accuracy rate of 82% for both, which increases to 86% when both types of features are combined, demonstrating the advantage of integrating audio and speech information. Currently, deep learning and machine learning are the main methods used for information analysis. The overall diagnostic accuracy rate for AD exceeds 80%, and the diagnostic accuracy rate for MCI also exceeds 80%, indicating significant potential. Deep learning techniques require substantial data support, necessitating future expansion of database scale and continuous algorithm upgrades to transition from laboratory research to practical product implementation.
2.Skin pharmacokinetics of inositol nicotinate in heparin sodium inositol nicotinate cream
Yaling CUI ; Qiong WU ; Liangyu MA ; Bei HU ; Dong YAO ; Zihua XU
Journal of Pharmaceutical Practice and Service 2025;43(1):6-9
Objective To establish an HPLC method to determine the concentration of inositol nicotinate(IN) in rat skin, and study the pharmacokinetic characteristics of IN after transdermal administration of heparin sodium inositol nicotinate cream in rats. Methods HPLC method was used to establish a simple and rapid analytical method for the determination of IN concentration in the skin of rats at different time points after administration. The established method was used to study the pharmacokinetics of IN after transdermal administration of heparin sodium inositol nicotinate cream in rats, and the pharmacokinetic parameters were fitted with DAS software. Results The linearity of the analytical method was good in the concentration range of 0.25-20 μg/ml, the quantitative limit was 0.25 μg/ml, and the average recovery rate was 96.18%. The pharmacokinetic parameters of IN after transdermal administration of heparin sodium inositol nicotinate cream in rats were as follows: t1/2 was (4.555±2.054) h, Tmax was (6±0)h, Cmax was (16.929±2.153)mg/L, AUC0−t was (150.665±16.568) mg·h /L ,AUC0−∞ was (161.074±23.917) mg·h /L, MRT(0−t) was (9.044±0.618)h, MRT(0−∞) was (10.444±1.91) h, CLz/F was (0.19±0.03) L/(h·kg), and Vz/F was (1.19±0.437) L/(h·kg). Conclusion IN could quickly penetrate the skin and accumulate in the skin for a long time, which was beneficial to the pharmacological action of drugs on the lesion site for a long time. The method is simple, rapid, specific and reproducible, which could be successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of IN after transdermal administration in rats.
3.Study on the efficacy and mechanism of Tongbianling capsule in the treatment of constipation
Ying CHEN ; Zihua XU ; Bei HU ; Yaling CUI ; Huan GAO ; Qiong WU
Journal of Pharmaceutical Practice and Service 2025;43(1):10-16
Object To study the efficacy and potential mechanism of Tongbianling capsule in constipation. Methods The effects of Tongbianling capsule on intestinal motility in normal mice and carbon powder propulsion rate in small intestine of constipation model mice after were observed administration. The potential targets and key pathways of Tongbianling capsule in treating constipation were identified through network pharmacology. To verify the mechanism, the expression of p-PI3K/PI3K, p-AKT/AKT and CASP3 proteins in mouse colon tissue was detected by the western blot. Results The time for mice to excrete the first black stool was shortened and the number of fecal particles was increased in Tongbianling capsule administration group, and the carbon powder propulsion rate of mice in each Tongbianling capsule administration group was increased. The results of network pharmacology showed that treatment of constipation by Tongbianling capsule may be related to signaling pathways such as PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and 5-HT. The protein expression of p-PI3K/PI3K, p-AKT/AKT, and CASP3 in mouse colon tissue could be significantly downregulated in administration group. Conclusion Tongbianling capsule could effectively promote intestinal peristalsis in mice, increase the frequency of defecation, and effectively treat constipation. The mechanism of its action may be related to the direct or indirect regulation of intestinal motility by the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.
4.Influence of perceived stress on anxiety among college students:a moderated mediation model
Qiong CHEN ; Guohua JIANG ; Yajun TIAN ; Lin HE ; Qingjun GUO ; Shan HU ; Xiuyang ZHU ; Wei ZHENG ; Yulin XU ; Tao XU
Academic Journal of Naval Medical University 2025;46(5):637-643
Objective To explore the mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty(IU)and moderating role of the negative emotion differentiation in the influence of perceived stress on anxiety among college students from a cognitive perspective.Methods A total of 271 participants were surveyed using the perceived stress scale,intolerance of uncertainty scale,depression anxiety and stress scale(Chinese version),and the test on negative emotional differentiation.SPSS 22.0 was used to perform descriptive statistics and correlation analyses and to test the moderated mediation model.Results Perceived stress affected anxiety and IU played a mediating role-perceived stress could affect anxiety through influencing IU.At the same time,the influence of IU on anxiety could be adjusted through the negative emotion differentiation.The higher the degree of negative emotion differentiation,the lower the degree of anxiety increase(β=0.17,t=5.70,P<0.01).Conclusion It may be effective to develop training programs to reduce anxiety by regulating perceived stress,increasing acceptance of uncertainty,and improving the negative emotion differentiation,which can help individuals reduce anxiety by perceiving and adjusting anxiety-related emotional or cognitive factors in a timely manner.
5.Relationship between reflux laryngitis and the success rate of type Ⅰ tympanoplasty for otitis media
Jie WU ; Lingyi PENG ; Mingxing TANG ; Nan ZENG ; Lue ZHANG ; Quanming ZHANG ; Jing HU ; Shuyue GUO ; Xiangbin ZUO ; Qiong YANG
Chinese Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery 2025;32(3):158-163
OBJECTIVE Aimed at investigating whether reflux pharyngitis is an independent risk factor for the failure of type Ⅰ tympanoplasty for chronic otitis media.This is achieved by analyzing the relationship between the postoperative tympanic membrane healing in patients who underwent type Ⅰ tympanoplasty and pharyngolaryngeal reflux finding score(RFS).METHODS Patients who underwent type Ⅰ tympanoplasty in the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery,Nanshan People's Hospital,Shenzhen,China,from January 2023 to July 2024 were retrospectively included.All the patients received preoperative perfect nasal endoscopy,laryngoscopy,evaluation by the RFS questionnaire,preoperative otoscopy for tympanoplasty,pure tone hearing threshold,and temporal bone thin-layer CT examination.Postoperative otoscopic examination was performed to observe tympanic membrane healing and followed up for 3 months.The patients were divided into surgery success group and failure group based on the criterion of whether a complete tympanic membrane was formed by endoscopic examination within 3 months.The RFS scores of the two groups were statistically analyzed.RESULTS A total of 135 patients with an average age of 44.78 years(±12.22 years)took part in this study,with 60 males and 75 females included,and 68 left ears and 67 right ears involved.There were 120 patients in the surgery success group,and 15 patients in the failure group.Statistical analysis revealed that the RFS score of the patients in the tympanoplasty failure group was remarkably higher than that of the patients in the tympanoplasty success group.Moreover,there were significantly more cases with suspected reflux pharyngitis in the surgery failure group(P=0.007).Reflux-induced tympanic membrane lesion and reperforation mostly occurred in the central part of the tympanic membrane graft.CONCLUSION Reflux pharyngitis has been implicated with tympanoplasty failure,and thus may be a causative factor.Additionally,the RFS can be used to screen patients with chronic suppurative otitis media for suspected reflux pharyngitis.Findings from this work indicate that perioperative anti-reflux therapy,combined with dietary and lifestyle counselling for the patients who suffer from reflux pharyngitis and are about to undergo the tympanoplasty surgery may improve surgical success rate.
6.Progress in Methods for Electrochemical Detection of Thrombin
Di WU ; Xi-Yao ZHANG ; Jing-Jing XU ; Yi-Ting CHEN ; Wen-Qi TANG ; Wen-Hui XU ; Song-Min CHEN ; Qiong HU ; Li NIU
Chinese Journal of Analytical Chemistry 2025;53(9):1403-1410
As a serine protease,thrombin can convert soluble fibrinogen into insoluble fibrin and plays a pivotal role in the coagulation cascade.Therefore,the accurate quantitative assay of thrombin levels is of great value in the evaluation of coagulation function,clinical screening and prognostic monitoring of coagulation-related diseases,and screening of drugs for targeted therapy.Existing methods for thrombin detection can be divided into two categories,e.g.,the assay of concentration levels using nucleic acid aptamers as the affinity elements and the assay of activity levels based on the hydrolytic cleavage of substrate peptides.In recent years,electrochemical biosensors have attracted much attention in thrombin detection due to high sensitivity,high selectivity,simple instrument,fast response,and good portability.In this review,the latest research progress in methods for electrochemical detection of thrombin was summarized,focusing on the detection principles and the applied signal amplification strategies of related electrochemical biosensors.In addition,the challenges with respect to the practical use of electrochemical thrombin biosensors and the prospects were discussed.
7.Effect of serum IGF2 and LRFN5 levels on neurological rehabilitation in patients with ischemic stroke
Guangbao NI ; Qiong HU ; Yuanhong XU ; Haicheng FU ; Yiqin LI ; Jing XU
International Journal of Laboratory Medicine 2025;46(14):1747-1752
Objective To investigate the effects of serum insulin-like growth factor 2(IGF2),leucine-rich repeat and fibronectin type Ⅲ domain containing 5(LRFN5)levels on neurological rehabilitation in patients with ischemic stroke(IS).Methods A total of 103 patients with IS who were treated in Shiyan Taihe Hospi-tal from October 2022 to March 2024 were selected as the study group.According to the modified Rankin scale(mRS)score,they were divided into 46 cases in the poor rehabilitation group and 57 cases in the good rehabili-tation group.Another 61 healthy individuals who underwent physical examinations in the hospital during the same period were selected as the control group.The levels of serum IGF2 and LRFN5 were detected by en-zyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses were used to analyze the corre-lations between the levels of serum IGF2 and LRFN5 in the poor rehabilitation group and the related indica-tors of neurological function.Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of poor neurologi-cal rehabilitation in patients with IS,and the receiver operating characteristic curve was plotted to analyze the diagnostic value of serum IGF2 and LRFN5 levels for poor neurological rehabilitation in patients with IS.Re-sults The serum IGF2 level in the study group was significantly lower than that in the control group,and the LRFN5 level was significantly higher than that in the control group.The difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The scores of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS)at admission,the 90-day mRS score,the maximum diameter of the cerebral infarction lesion and the LRFN5 level in the poor rehabilita-tion group were significantly higher than those in the good rehabilitation group,and the IGF2 level was signifi-cantly lower than that in the good rehabilitation group.The differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).The level of serum IGF2 was negatively correlated with the NIHSS score at admission,the 90-day mRS score and the maximum diameter of cerebral infarction lesions.The level of LRFN5 was positively correlated with the NIHSS score at admission,the 90-day mRS score and the maximum diameter of cerebral infarction lesions.The level of IGF2 was negatively correlated with the level of LRFN5(P<0.05).The results of Logis-tic regression analysis showed that the 90-day mRS score and LRFN5 level were risk factors for poor neuro-logical function rehabilitation in patients with IS,and the IGF2 level was a protective factor for poor neurologi-cal function rehabilitation in patients with IS(P<0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of the combined diagnosis of serum IGF2 and LRFN5 was 0.943(95%CI:0.902-0.984),which was significantly higher than AUC of the diagnosis by a single indicator(Zcombined with the two-IGF2=2.039,P=0.041;Zcombined with the two-LRFN5=2.139,P=0.032).Conclusion The IS patients have a significant reduction in serum IGF2 level and a signifi-cant increase in serum LRFN5 level,which are closely related to their neurological function recovery.The combination of IGF2 and LRFN5 has a certain diagnostic value for neurological function recovery in IS pa-tients.
8.Predictive value of heparin-binding protein in Kawasaki disease complicated with bacterial infection
Cong ZHANG ; Jie ZHANG ; Lichun ZHENG ; Qiong HU ; Caizhi HUANG
International Journal of Laboratory Medicine 2025;46(16):1964-1967,1972
Objective To investigate the predictive value of heparin-binding protein(HBP)in Kawasaki disease complicated with bacterial infection.Methods A total of 148 children with Kawasaki disease in this hospital from April 2021 to June 2022 were selected as Kawasaki disease group.According to the results of pathogen detection during hospitalization,the children were divided into three subgroups:Mycoplasma pneu-moniae group(36 cases),bacteria group(19 cases),and non-infection group(93 cases).In addition,35 chil-dren with fever and upper respiratory tract infection were randomly selected as the case control group.HBP and other inflammatory markers[white blood cell count(WBC),neutrophil percentage(NE%),procalcitonin(PCT),C reactive protein(CRP),interleukin-6(IL-6)]in each group were detected and analyzed.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the predictive value of HBP and PCT for bacterial infection in children with Kawasaki disease.Results The levels of HBP,WBC,NE%,CRP and IL-6 in the Ka-wasaki disease group were significantly higher than those in the case control group(P<0.05),while there was no significant difference in PCT level between the two groups(P>0.05).The levels of HBP,WBC,NE%,PCT,CRP and IL-6 in children with Kawasaki disease after treatment were significantly lower than those at admission(P<0.05).The levels of HBP and PCT in the bacterial group were higher than those in the Mycoplasma pneumoniae group and the non-infection group,and the differences were statistically signifi-cant(P<0.05),while there were no statistically significant differences in WBC,NE%,CRP and IL-6 levels a-mong the three groups(P>0.05).ROC curve results showed that the area under the curve(AUC)and 95%CI of HBP for predicting bacterial infection in children with Kawasaki disease was 0.77(0.68-0.86),when HBP was 499.65 ng/mL,the sensitivity and specificity were 84.2%and 66.7%,respectively.When PCT was 0.85 ng/mL,the AUC(95%CI)for predicting bacterial infection in children with Kawasaki disease was 0.65(0.52-0.78),and the sensitivity and specificity were 63.2%and 65.9%,respectively.Conclusion HBP is associated with Kawasaki disease,and it has certain predictive value for Kawasaki disease complicated with bacterial infection.
9.Regional adipose distribution and metabolically unhealthy phenotype in Chinese adults: evidence from China National Health Survey.
Binbin LIN ; Yaoda HU ; Huijing HE ; Xingming CHEN ; Qiong OU ; Yawen LIU ; Tan XU ; Ji TU ; Ang LI ; Qihang LIU ; Tianshu XI ; Zhiming LU ; Weihao WANG ; Haibo HUANG ; Da XU ; Zhili CHEN ; Zichao WANG ; Guangliang SHAN
Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 2025;30():5-5
BACKGROUND:
The mechanisms distinguishing metabolically healthy from unhealthy phenotypes within the same BMI categories remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the associations between regional fat distribution and metabolically unhealthy phenotypes in Chinese adults across different BMI categories.
METHODS:
This cross-sectional study involving 11833 Chinese adults aged 20 years and older. Covariance analysis, adjusted for age, compared the percentage of regional fat (trunk, leg, or arm fat divided by whole-body fat) between metabolically healthy and unhealthy participants. Trends in regional fat percentage with the number of metabolic abnormalities were assessed by the Jonckheere-Terpstra test. Odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by logistic regression models. All analyses were performed separately by sex.
RESULTS:
In non-obese individuals, metabolically unhealthy participants exhibited higher percent trunk fat and lower percent leg fat compared to healthy participants. Additionally, percent trunk fat increased and percent leg fat decreased with the number of metabolic abnormalities. After adjustment for demographic and lifestyle factors, as well as BMI, higher percent trunk fat was associated with increased odds of being metabolically unhealthy [highest vs. lowest quartile: ORs (95%CI) of 1.64 (1.35, 2.00) for men and 2.00 (1.63, 2.46) for women]. Conversely, compared with the lowest quartile, the ORs (95%CI) of metabolically unhealthy phenotype in the highest quartile for percent arm and leg fat were 0.64 (0.53, 0.78) and 0.60 (0.49, 0.74) for men, and 0.72 (0.56, 0.93) and 0.46 (0.36, 0.59) for women, respectively. Significant interactions between BMI and percentage of trunk and leg fat were observed in both sexes, with stronger associations found in individuals with normal weight and overweight.
CONCLUSIONS
Trunk fat is associated with a higher risk of metabolically unhealthy phenotype, while leg and arm fat are protective factors. Regional fat distribution assessments are crucial for identifying metabolically unhealthy phenotypes, particularly in non-obese individuals.
Adult
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Aged
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Humans
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Male
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Middle Aged
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Young Adult
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Adipose Tissue
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Body Fat Distribution
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Body Mass Index
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China/epidemiology*
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Cross-Sectional Studies
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Health Surveys
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Phenotype
10.Analysis of the demands for pharmaceutical clinic service and influential factors based on Kano model
Han SHAN ; Xuan YE ; Zihan GUO ; Jing WU ; Jinwei HU ; Xiaopei TONG ; Yufei BIN ; Jiyong LIU ; Qiong DU ; Mengmeng WANG
China Pharmacy 2025;36(22):2850-2855
OBJECTIVE To explore the characteristics and influential factors of pharmaceutical clinic service demands, providing evidence for optimizing pharmaceutical service models and facilitating pharmaceutical service models of pharmacist role transformation. METHODS A cross-sectional survey design was adopted, and 410 outpatient participants were selected from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center through convenience sampling for questionnaire administration from February to May 2025. Kano model was applied to analyze the demand attributes of 25 pharmaceutical services, while questionnaires were used to assess patients’ awareness and demand status. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on key demographic variables such as gender, age, educational attainment, and economic burdens, to SACA- systematically examine the differences in Kano attribute classification among patients in each subgroup. RESULTS The awareness rate of pharmaceutical outpatient services among patients was only 14.63%, yet those who were aware demonstrated a significantly higher demand rate for such services compared to those who were unaware (P<0.001). The demand for pharmaceutical clinic services exhibited a hierarchical characteristic: twelve items were identified as attractive attributes (e. g., providing suggestions for more affordable treatment options, offering online consultation services, etc.), five items as expected attributes (e.g., having a good attitude and being able to patiently answer your questions, etc.), three items as must-have attributes (e.g., providing guidance on medication dosage and usage, providing guidance on medication precautions, etc.), five items as indifferent attributes (e.g., providing treatment plan recommendations based on the patient’s condition). There were zero items classified as reverse attribute. Subgroup analysis revealed that female patients showed greater concern for “neat and clean attire of medical staff” than male patients (P<0.001); patients under 60 years of age demonstrated stronger demand for “providing treatment plan recommendations based on patients’ conditions” compared to patients aged 60 or above (P=0.016); those with below high school education placed greater emphasis on “providing guidance on medication precautions” compared to those with a high school education or above (P=0.011); patients with lower economic burdens exhibited stronger preferences for “neat and clean attire of medical staff ” (P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS The public awareness rate of pharmaceutical clinic services is considerably low; however, those who are aware of such services demonstrate significantly higher demand. The medication safety-related services and convenience-oriented demands should be prioritized in the development of pharmaceutical clinics. Moreover, the study also revealed that factors such as gender, age, educational level, and economic burdens exert significant influences on patients’ service demands.

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