BACKGROUND: Asthma, one of the most widespread chronic respiratory diseases, has placed a considerable economic and social stress on China. This study examines the burden of asthma in China from 1990 to 2021 and forecasts future trends, providing guidance for establishing focused preventive and regulatory strategies. METHODS: Utilizing data from the Global Burden of Disease Database 2021, the analysis of trends in asthma burden was conducted for China from 1990 to 2021. Key indicators such as incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were analysed. The investigation applied the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC), average annual percentage change (AAPC), and age-period-cohort model (APCM) to evaluate these trends. Furthermore, predictions for incidence and mortality in 2035 were generated using the Bayesian APCM and the Nordpred model. RESULTS: In 2021, there were 25,015,668 prevalent asthma cases in China, alongside 3,934,875 new cases and 26,233 deaths. The age-standardized incidence rate and age-standardized death rate for 2021 were 364.17 (95% uncertainty interval [95% UI]: 283.22-494.1) per 100,000 population and 1.47 (95% UI: 1.15-1.79) per 100,000 population, respectively. The age-standardized rates (ASRs) for incidence were detected to be elevated in the 0-4 years age group, and the prevalence was significantly higher in the 5-9 years age group compared to other cohorts. ASR for incidence and prevalence of asthma in China were lower than that in the global average. Between 1990 and 2021, the ASR of incidence, prevalence, mortality, and DALYs demonstrated a downward trajectory, with EAPC values of -1.17, -1.57, -4.69, and -2.98, respectively. People aged 0-9 years and over 60 years experienced a disproportionately higher disease burden. Projections indicate that the ASRs for incidence will continue to rise, whereas the death will continue to decline by 2035. CONCLUSIONS Between 1990 and 2021, a general reduction in the asthma burden in China was observed. However, the burden remains particularly high among people aged 0-9 years and over 60 years, underscoring the need for targeted interventions and policies to address the ongoing challenges of asthma.
Humans ; Asthma/mortality* ; China/epidemiology* ; Global Burden of Disease ; Incidence ; Disability-Adjusted Life Years ; Male ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Child ; Adolescent ; Female ; Prevalence ; Child, Preschool ; Infant ; Aged ; Young Adult ; Infant, Newborn ; Bayes Theorem

OBJECTIVES: A ventricular assist device (VAD) is an electromechanical device used to assist cardiac blood circulation, which can be employed for the treatment of end-stage heart failure and is most commonly placed in the left ventricle. Despite enhancing perfusion performance, the implantation of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) transforms the local intraventricular flow and thus may increase the risk of thrombogenesis. This study aims to investigate fluid-particle interactions and thromboembolic risk under different LVAD configurations using three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction models, focusing on the effects of outflow tract orientation and blood flow rates. METHODS: A patient-specific end-diastolic 3D reconstruction model was initially constructed in stereo lithography (STL) format using Mimics software based on CT images. Transient numerical simulations were performed to analyze fluid-particle interactions and thromboembolic risks for LVAD with varying outflow tract orientations under 2 flow rates (4 L/min and 5 L/min), using particles of uniform size (2 mm), and a blood flow rate optimization protocol was implemented for this patient. RESULTS: When the LVAD flow rate was 5 L/min, helicity and flow stagnation of the blood flow increased the particle residence time (RT) and the risk of thrombogenesis of the aortic root. The percentage of particles traveling toward the brachiocephalic trunk was up to 20.33%. When the LVAD flow rate was 4 L/min, blood turbulence in the aorta was reduced, the RT of blood particles was shortened, and then the percentage of particles traveling toward the brachiocephalic trunk decreased to 10.54%. When the LVAD blood flow rate was 5 L/min and the direction of the outflow pipe was optimal, the RT of blood particles was shortened, and then the percentage of particles traveling toward the brachiocephalic trunk decreased to 11.22%. A 18-month follow-up observation of the patient revealed that the LVAD was in good working order and the patient had no complications related to the implantation of LVAD. CONCLUSIONS Implantation of LVAD results in a higher risk of cerebral infarction; When implanting LVAD with the same outflow tract direction, optimizing flow velocity and outflow tract can reduce the risk of cerebral infarction occurrence.
Heart-Assist Devices/adverse effects* ; Humans ; Heart Failure/physiopathology* ; Blood Flow Velocity ; Thromboembolism/prevention & control* ; Models, Cardiovascular ; Heart Ventricles/physiopathology* ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the inhibitory effect of Zheng GanDecoction (ZGF) on tumor progression in a rat model of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and explore the possible mechanism. METHODS: Seventy SD rats were subjected to regular intraperitoneal injections of DEN (50 mg/kg) for 12 weeks to induce HCC tumorigenesis, with another 10 rats receiving saline injections as the normal control. After successful modeling, the rats were randomized into 5 groups (n=10) for daily treatment with distilled water ( model group), Huaier Granules (4 g/kg; positive control group), or ZGF at low, medium, and high doses (2, 4, and 8 g/kg, respectively) via gavage for 17 weeks. Body weight changes of the rats were monitored, and after completion of the treatments, the rats were euthanized for measurement of liver, spleen and thymus indices and morphological and histopathological examinations of the liver tissues using HE staining. The expressions of YAP, p-YAP, MST1, LATS1 and p-LATS1 in the liver tissues were detected using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. RESULTS: Compared with the normal control rats, the rat models with DEN-induced HCC exhibited much poorer general condition with a significantly reduced survival rate, increased body weight and liver and spleen indices, and a lowered thymus index. ZGF treatment obviously reduced liver and spleen indices, increased the thymus index, and improved pathologies of the liver tissues of the rat models. Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting showed a dose-dependent reduction of YAP expression and an increment of p-YAP expression in ZGF-treated rats, which also exhibited significantly upregulated hepatic expressions of MST1, LATS1 and p-LATS1. CONCLUSIONS ZGF inhibits DEN-induced HCC in rats by activating the Hippo/YAP pathway via upregulating MST1 and LATS1 expression, which promotes YAP phosphorylation and degradation to suppress proliferation and induce apoptosis of the tumor cells.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Diethylnitrosamine ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/drug therapy* ; YAP-Signaling Proteins ; Liver Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Hippo Signaling Pathway ; Male ; Liver Neoplasms, Experimental/metabolism* ; Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/metabolism*

Objective To investigate the protective effect of total saponins of Panax japonicus(TSPJ)against CCl4-induced acute liver injury(ALI)in rats and explore the underlying pharmacological mechanisms.Methods Male SD rat models of CCl4-induced ALI were given intraperitoneal injections of distilled water,100 mg/kg biphenyl bisabololol,or 50,100,and 200 mg/kg TSPJ during modeling(n=8).Liver functions(AST,ALT,TBil and ALP)of the rats were assessed and liver pathologies were observed with HE staining.Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expressions of PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway molecules in liver tissue;ELISA was used to determine the levels of T-SOD,GSH-Px,and MDA.Western blotting was performed to detect the expression levels of PI3K-Akt and SIRT6-NF-κB pathways in the liver tissue.Results Network pharmacological analysis indicated that the key pathways including PI3K/Akt mediated the therapeutic effect of TSPJ on ALI.In the rat models of ALI,treatments with biphenyl bisabololol and TSPJ significantly ameliorated CCl4-induced increase of serum levels AST,ALT,ALP,TBil and MDA and decrease of T-SOD and GSH-Px levels(all P<0.01).The rat models of ALI showed significantly increased expression of p-NF-κB(P<0.01),decreased expressions of PI3K,p-Akt and SIRT6 proteins,and elevated expression levels of p-NF-κB,TNF-α and IL-6 proteins in the liver,which were all significantly improved in the treatment groups(P<0.05 or 0.01).Conclusion TSPJ can effectively alleviate CCl4-induced ALI in rats by suppressing inflammatory responses and oxidative stress in the liver viaregulating the PI3K/Akt and SIRT6/NF-κB pathways.

Objective: To investigate the difference in influencing factors for diabetes between urban and rural residents in Hefei City, so as to provide the basis for control and research of diabetes. Methods: The residents aged 18 years and older were selected using the stratified multistage random sampling method from 5 districts (counties) in Hefei City from August to December 2021. Demographic information, smoking, self-rated health status and sleep duration were collected through questionnaire surveys. Height, body weight and fasting blood glucose were measured. The crude prevalence of diabetes was calculated and standardized by age using China Statistical Yearbook 2022. Factors affecting diabetes were identified using a multivariable logistic regression model. Results: Totally 10 443 residents were investigated, including 6 386 urban residents (61.15%) and 4 057 rural residents (38.85%). There were 4 690 males (44.91%) and 5 753 females (55.09%). Diabetes were detected in 1 492 cases, with a standardized prevalence of 9.57%. The standardized prevalence of diabetes among urban and rural residents were 9.21% and 12.58%, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that region, age, educational level, occupation, body mass index and self-rated health status were influencing factors for diabetes. Further analysis stratified by urban and rural area showed that, in addition to the above factors, gender and smoking were influencing factors for diabetes among urban residents, while sleep duration was the influencing factor for diabetes among rural residents (all P<0.05). Conclusions There are urban-rural differences in the prevalence of diabetes among residents in Hefei City, and the prevalence of diabetes is associated with age, educational level, occupation, body mass index and self-rated health status.

Objective To study the quality comparability of human coagulation factor Ⅷ(FⅧ)produced before and after the change of factory site.Methods A comparative study was carried out on quality quantitative indexes,related im-purities and stability data of FⅧ produced before and after the change of factory site.Results The FⅧ quantitative quality before and after the change of factory site all met the quality standard,and the related impurities including aluminum resi-due,tributyl phosphate residue,polysorbate 80 residue and PEG residue all met the quality standard.Other impurities in-cluding human fibrinogen,fibronectin,plasminogen,IgA,IgM and IgG were extremely low in content and equivalent in quality.The content of VWF(von Willebrand factor)had no obvious change before and after the change of factory site,but was significantly higher than that of other domestic manufacturers'commercial products.The results of accelerated stability and long-term stability tests showed that the titer of FⅧ fluctuated within the methodological error range,and the results all met the quality standard.Conclusion The change of factory site of FⅧ has no effect on the quality.

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine turbid phlegm obstructing lung decoction on patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(AECOPD)and its influence on laboratory indexes.Methods A total of 191 patients with AECOPD who were hospitalized in the First People's Hospital of Changde from January 2021 to December 2022 were selected.Patients were divided into observation group(96 cases)and control group(95 cases)according to their treatment intention.The control group received conventional treatment of western medicine,and the observation group received oral administration of traditional Chinese medicine turbid phlegm obstructing lung decoction for one week.TCM symptom scores,COPD assessment test(CAT),lung function,laboratory indicators and efficacy were compared between two groups.Results The total effective rate of observation group was significantly higher than that of control group(χ2=4.573,P=0.030).After treatment,TCM symptom score,CAT score,hypersensitive C-reaction protein(hsCRP)and interleukin-6(IL-6)of patients in both groups were significantly lower than before treatment,percentage of forced vital capacity to predicted value(FVC%)and percentage of forced expiratory volume in one second to predicted value(FEV1%)were significantly higher than before treatment(P<0.05),arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide(PaCO2)of observation group was lower than before treatment,and arterial partial pressure of oxygen(PaO2)was higher than before treatment(P<0.05).The TCM symptom score,CAT score,hsCRP and IL-6 of observation group were significantly lower than those of control group,while FVC%,FEV1%and PaO2 were significantly higher than those of control group(P<0.05).Conclusion On the basis of western medicine treatment,traditional Chinese medicine turbid phlegm obstructing lung decoction can more effectively improve clinical symptoms of AECOPD patients,relieve the inflammation in the body,contribute to the recovery of lung function and improve the quality of life of patients.

Objective To investigate the protective effect of total saponins of Panax japonicus(TSPJ)against CCl4-induced acute liver injury(ALI)in rats and explore the underlying pharmacological mechanisms.Methods Male SD rat models of CCl4-induced ALI were given intraperitoneal injections of distilled water,100 mg/kg biphenyl bisabololol,or 50,100,and 200 mg/kg TSPJ during modeling(n=8).Liver functions(AST,ALT,TBil and ALP)of the rats were assessed and liver pathologies were observed with HE staining.Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expressions of PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway molecules in liver tissue;ELISA was used to determine the levels of T-SOD,GSH-Px,and MDA.Western blotting was performed to detect the expression levels of PI3K-Akt and SIRT6-NF-κB pathways in the liver tissue.Results Network pharmacological analysis indicated that the key pathways including PI3K/Akt mediated the therapeutic effect of TSPJ on ALI.In the rat models of ALI,treatments with biphenyl bisabololol and TSPJ significantly ameliorated CCl4-induced increase of serum levels AST,ALT,ALP,TBil and MDA and decrease of T-SOD and GSH-Px levels(all P<0.01).The rat models of ALI showed significantly increased expression of p-NF-κB(P<0.01),decreased expressions of PI3K,p-Akt and SIRT6 proteins,and elevated expression levels of p-NF-κB,TNF-α and IL-6 proteins in the liver,which were all significantly improved in the treatment groups(P<0.05 or 0.01).Conclusion TSPJ can effectively alleviate CCl4-induced ALI in rats by suppressing inflammatory responses and oxidative stress in the liver viaregulating the PI3K/Akt and SIRT6/NF-κB pathways.

Objective To investigate the composition of symptom clusters in early postoperative breast cancer patients and analyze the sentinel symptoms of each cluster of symptoms. Methods A total of 309 patients who underwent mastectomy were conveniently sampled and surveyed using the Chinese version of the Anderson Symptom Inventory. Principal component analysis and varimax orthogonal rotation were employed to analyze the symptom clusters, and their associations were analyzed using the Apriori algorithm model to identify the sentinel symptoms of each cluster of symptoms. Results Three symptom clusters were identified in early postoperative breast cancer patients: neuro-sleep symptom cluster [fatigue (weakness)-distress-pain-sleepiness-restless sleep], sensory-perception symptom cluster (numbness-forgetfulness-shortness of breath-sadness-dry mouth), and digestive system symptom cluster (nausea-vomiting-loss of appetite). Fatigue was the sentinel symptom of the neuro-sleep symptom cluster, numbness was the sentinel symptom of the sensory-perception symptom cluster, and nausea was the sentinel symptom of the digestive system symptom cluster. Conclusion Early postoperative breast cancer patients experience multiple symptom clusters, with sentinel symptoms existing in each cluster. Healthcare staff should develop intervention measures based on sentinel symptoms to improve the efficiency of symptom management and reduce the degree of symptom distress for patients.

Objective:To isolate and culture WU polyomavirus (WUPyV), and to analyze the genome-wide evolutionary patterns, homology and population dynamics.Methods:Real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect the nasopharyngeal aspirate samples of hospitalized children with respiratory tract infection in Beijing Friendship Hospital during 2020 to 2022. Primary human airway epithelial cells cultured at the air-liquid interface were used to isolate and culture WUPyV. Whole genome sequence of the isolated strain was obtained by Sanger sequencing. For phylogenetic and evolutionary dynamics analysis, the whole genome was compared with the published whole genome sequences in GenBank database.Results:The detection rate of WUPyV was 4.7% (31/659) during 2020 to 2022, and a clinical strain BJ0593 of WUPyV type Ⅲc was successfully isolated. The homology of the whole genome and gene fragments of WUPyV was high. The average evolutionary rate of VP2 gene was about 1.256×10 -4 substitution/site every year, and the population dynamics of WUPyV tended to be flat in the last decade. Conclusions:This study successfully isolated a clinical WUPyV type Ⅲ strain for the first time, which provided the basis for further investigation on the molecular evolution and pathogenicity of WUPyV.