1.Analysis of thermal environment and students thermal comfort in primary and secondary school classrooms in winter
Chinese Journal of School Health 2026;47(2):168-172
Objective:
To evaluate the current situation of thermal environment in primary and secondary school classrooms during winter, and to analyze students thermal comfort needs, so as to provide a basis for improving classroom thermal environment.
Methods:
From December 16 to 26, 2024, a stratified cluster random sampling method was used to select 90 classrooms from 15 primary and secondary schools in centralized/air conditioned heating areas(Liaoning Province, Tianjin City, Shanghai City) and naturally ventilated areas(Anhui Province and Jiangxi Province)for on site environmental measurement. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 743 students. The differences between groups using the χ 2 test were compared. Based on actual measurement data, a predicted mean vote prepared percentage of dissatisfied (PMV-PPD) model for centralized/air conditioned classrooms and an adaptive model for naturally ventilated classrooms were established, and the thermal neutral temperature and comfort interval were calculated.
Results:
The average outdoor temperature during on site measurement was 4.00(0.20,7.00)℃. In classrooms with centralized or air conditioned heating systems, the measured average temperature was (19.33±2.59)℃, with a thermal comfort range of 20.35-25.35 ℃ and a thermal neutral temperature of 22.85 ℃. And 13.92% of students reported feeling cold, while 80.80% felt comfortable. In classrooms with natural ventilation, the measured average temperature was (12.26±1.83)℃, with a thermal neutral temperature of 19.67 ℃ and a thermal comfort range of 16.17-23.17 ℃. About 48.33% of students reported feeling cold, and 49.81 % felt comfortable.The results of univariate analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences in shoe thickness, temperature sensation, relative humidity sensation and wind speed sensation between centralized/air conditioned heating areas ( χ 2= 7.01 , 31.47, 13.57, 13.80,all P <0.05). There were also statistically significant differences in school stage for primary and secondary school students, body mass index, classroom location for seat, temperature sensation, relative humidity sensation and wind speed sensation between naturally ventilated areas ( χ 2=42.13, 11.13, 11.04, 60.39, 29.27, 38.46,all P <0.05).
Conclusions
There are differences in thermal environment and students subjective thermal comfort in primary and secondary schools under different ventilation modes in winter. The temperature standards for heated classrooms should be revised, and differentiated environmental regulation strategies should be adopted based on different ventilation methods to improve students health and comfort levels.
2.Strategies for Building an Artificial Intelligence-Empowered Trusted Federated Evidence-Based Analysis Platform for Spleen-Stomach Diseases in Traditional Chinese Medicine
Bin WANG ; Huiying ZHUANG ; Zhitao MAN ; Lifeng REN ; Chang HE ; Chen WU ; Xulei HU ; Xiaoxiao WEN ; Chenggong XIE ; Xudong TANG
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(1):95-102
This paper outlines the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and its applications in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) research, and elucidates the roles and advantages of large language models, knowledge graphs, and natural language processing in advancing syndrome identification, prescription generation, and mechanism exploration. Using spleen-stomach diseases as an example, it demonstrates the empowering effects of AI in classical literature mining, precise clinical syndrome differentiation, efficacy and safety prediction, and intelligent education, highlighting an upgraded research paradigm that evolves from data-driven and knowledge-driven approaches to intelligence-driven models. To address challenges related to privacy protection and regulatory compliance in cross-institutional data collaboration, a "trusted federated evidence-based analysis platform for TCM spleen-stomach diseases" is proposed, integrating blockchain-based smart contracts, federated learning, and secure multi-party computation. The deep integration of AI with privacy-preserving computing is reshaping research and clinical practice in TCM spleen-stomach diseases, providing feasible pathways and a technical framework for building a high-quality, trustworthy TCM big-data ecosystem and achieving precision syndrome differentiation.
3.Exercise Intervention Alleviates Diabetic Sarcopenia by Regulating Lipid Metabolic Reprogramming: Mechanisms and Strategies
Meng-Lin LÜ ; Bao-Wen ZHANG ; Qian-Qian REN ; Xian-Juan KOU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(8):2025-2040
Diabetic sarcopenia (DS) is a common but often ignored skeletal muscle complication in individuals with diabetes mellitus. It is characterized by progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass, reduced muscle strength, and impaired physical performance, which may further increase the risk of falls, disabilities, metabolic disorders, and adverse clinical outcomes. Traditionally, DS has been attributed mainly to hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, aging-related muscle decline, and chronic complications of diabetes. However, increasing evidence suggests that lipid metabolic disturbance and pathological lipid metabolic reprogramming are not merely secondary consequences of diabetes, but may actively participate in the initiation and progression of DS. Under diabetic conditions, impaired fatty acid uptake, transport, oxidation, and storage disrupt skeletal muscle metabolic homeostasis, leading to ectopic lipid deposition and accumulation of lipotoxic intermediates. These lipid-derived metabolites can aggravate insulin resistance, impair mitochondrial energy production, enhance oxidative stress, activate chronic low-grade inflammation, and disturb protein synthesis and degradation balance, thereby accelerating skeletal muscle atrophy and functional decline. Lipid metabolic dysregulation may also interact with multiple pathological processes involved in DS, including mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammatory signaling, oxidative damage, impaired autophagy, and gut microbiota imbalance. These mechanisms do not occur independently; instead, they form a complex bidirectional vicious cycle with diabetes-related metabolic disorders. Specifically, mitochondrial dysfunction reduces fatty acid oxidative capacity, which further promotes lipid accumulation and lipotoxicity. Inflammatory activation can impair insulin signaling and muscle protein metabolism, while lipid overload may in turn amplify inflammatory responses. Similarly, gut microbiota dysbiosis and altered microbial metabolites may influence systemic inflammation, lipid metabolism, and skeletal muscle homeostasis. Therefore, lipid metabolic reprogramming provides an important mechanistic perspective for understanding the progression of DS from metabolic disturbance to structural and functional muscle impairment. Exercise intervention is an effective and clinically feasible non-pharmacological strategy for the prevention and management of DS. Both aerobic exercise and resistance training have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, enhance fatty acid oxidation, increase mitochondrial biogenesis, reduce ectopic lipid deposition, and attenuate lipotoxic metabolite accumulation. These adaptations not only improved glucose and lipid metabolism, but also increased the preservation of muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical function. Moreover, combined exercise strategies may provide complementary benefits by integrating the metabolic advantages of aerobic exercise with the anabolic and functional effects of resistance training. Based on analyses of publicly available datasets and literature evidences, this review systematically summarizes the role of lipid metabolic disorders in the pathogenesis of DS, with particular attention to the molecular mechanisms linking lipid dysregulation to insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and gut microbiota disturbance. Furthermore, this review discusses the potential mechanisms by which exercise intervention improves DS through the regulation of lipid metabolic reprogramming, and outlines exercise prescription strategies in terms of modality, intensity, frequency, and duration. Understanding the interaction between lipid metabolism and skeletal muscle dysfunction may provide new theoretical evidence for early identification, mechanistic research, and precision exercise therapy in DS. Overall, targeting pathological lipid metabolic reprogramming through exercise intervention represents a promising and clinically actionable approach for improving muscle health and prognosis in individuals with DS.
4.The prediction model of incident dental caries in 5-year-old children in Beijing
REN Wen ; ZHAO Mei ; ZHANG Hui ; CHEN Wei ; SHEN Anqi ; LIU Min
Journal of Prevention and Treatment for Stomatological Diseases 2026;34(10):982-992
Objective:
To explore the influencing factors of incident caries at age 5 among caries-free 3-year-old children in Beijing, construct a machine learning prediction model based on oral health behavioral data, and provide a scientific basis and practical tool for early risk identification, stratified prevention and control, and home-kindergarten-medical collaborative intervention of incident dental caries in preschool children.
Methods:
This study has been reviewed and approved by the Medical Ethics Committee, and written informed consent was obtained from the guardians of the study participants and their guardians. Children with complete baseline data at age 3 and follow-up data at age 5 from Beijing public oral health programs were included. Oral examinations were conducted according to World Health Organization diagnostic criteria, and questionnaires were completed by guardians. Risk factors were screened by Logistic regression. The total sample was randomly divided into a test set (20%) and a validation set (80%). Five-fold cross-validation was performed on the validation set for model training and tuning, and the final model performance was evaluated on the test set. Four machine learning models—decision tree, random forest, Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM)—were constructed. Model performance was evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC), accuracy, and specificity. Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) was used for model interpretation.
Results:
The incidence of incident caries for 3 372 5-year-old children in Beijing was 50.96%. Multivariate logistic regression showed that parental caries, sleeping with milk, frequent feeding at night, no postprandial cleaning, high sugar intake, insufficient bedtime tooth brushing, and non-fluoride toothpaste use were significant risk factors (P < 0.05). Although all four machine learning models performed well, the XGBoost model performed the best (AUC = 0.806). Feature importance and SHAP analysis indicated that the frequency of bedtime tooth brushing, the frequency of candy consumption, and parental caries status were the top three predictors.
Conclusion
The XGBoost model based on oral health behaviors at age 3 can accurately predict the risk of incident caries in 5-year-old children in Beijing. Bedtime tooth brushing, sugar control, and parental oral health management are key points for caries prevention in preschool children.
5.The Association between Metabolic Score for Visceral Fat, Cardiometabolic Comorbidities and Cognitive Domain
Yu LUO ; Wen ZHOU ; Feifei HU ; Lang XU ; Yan ZENG ; Hongwei REN
Journal of Sun Yat-sen University(Medical Sciences) 2026;47(2):315-327
ObjectiveTo explore the association between metabolic score for visceral fat(METS-VF) and cardiometabolic multimorbidity(CMM) as well as cognitive function in the elderly population, revealing the role of METS-VF as an assessment tool in this population, and providing evidence and new perspectives for the early screening and intervention strategies of CMM and cognitive function. MethodsThis study is based on cross-sectional data from the Hubei memory and aging cohort study(HMACS), which includes elderly individuals aged 60 and above. The METS-VF index was calculated and divided into quartiles(Q1-Q4). CMM was assessed through a questionnaire, defining CMM as the coexistence of at least two of the following conditions: diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Standardized cognitive tests were used to evaluate overall cognition, memory, language, executive function, and attention. Logistic and Linear regression analysis was performed to explore the association between METS-VF and the risk of CMM as well as cognitive function. A restricted cubic spline was used to test the dose-response relationship, and subgroup analysis was conducted to assess the variation of METS-VF in different populations. Additionally, multinomial unordered logistic regression was used to evaluate the performance of METS-VF in predicting CMM morbidity patterns. ResultsA total of 3 790 elderly participants aged 60 and above were included. After adjusting for confounding factors, compared with the lowest quartile(Q1), the Q4 group of METS-VF was associated with a higher risk of CMM [OR=3.00,95%CI (2.18, 4.16)], and with lower scores in overall cognition [b=-0.12, 95%CI (-0.21,-0.04)], attention [b=-0.14, 95%CI (-0.24,-0.05)], and executive function [b=-0.10, 95%CI (-0.20,-0.00)]. Dose-response analysis did not show a nonlinear relationship between METS-VF and either CMM or cognitive function (P for nonlinear > 0.05). Subgroup analysis revealed that the male group with higher METS-VF had lower overall cognitive scores, while the female group showed lower executive function scores (P for interaction < 0.05 for both). Multinomial unordered logistic regression analysis indicated that the METS-VF index was associated with an increased risk of diabetes with coronary heart disease [OR=2.62,95%CI (1.66, 4.15)] or concomitant stroke [OR=2.66,95%CI (1.73, 4.09)], especially in the group with both diabetes and stroke and coronary heart disease, where the association between METS-VF and the risk was strongest. ConclusionsAn increased METS-VF is associated with a higher risk of CMM and lower scores in overall cognition, attention, and executive function in the elderly population. Diabetes may be a key driving factor in the multimorbidity model. The METS-VF index can serve as a dual-purpose tool for screening cardiovascular metabolic risks and assessing cognitive function.
6.Acute Inflammatory Pain Induces Sex-different Brain Alpha Activity in Anesthetized Rats Through Optically Pumped Magnetometer Magnetoencephalography
Meng-Meng MIAO ; Yu-Xuan REN ; Wen-Wei WU ; Yu ZHANG ; Chen PAN ; Xiang-Hong LIN ; Hui-Dan LIN ; Xiao-Wei CHEN
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(1):244-257
ObjectiveMagnetoencephalography (MEG), a non-invasive neuroimaging technique, meticulously captures the magnetic fields emanating from brain electrical activity. Compared with MEG based on superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUID), MEG based on optically pump magnetometer (OPM) has the advantages of higher sensitivity, better spatial resolution and lower cost. However, most of the current studies are clinical studies, and there is a lack of animal studies on MEG based on OPM technology. Pain, a multifaceted sensory and emotional phenomenon, induces intricate alterations in brain activity, exhibiting notable sex differences. Despite clinical revelations of pain-related neuronal activity through MEG, specific properties remain elusive, and comprehensive laboratory studies on pain-associated brain activity alterations are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of inflammatory pain (induced by Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA)) on brain activity in a rat model using the MEG technique, to analysis changes in brain activity during pain perception, and to explore sex differences in pain-related MEG signaling. MethodsThis study utilized adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Inflammatory pain was induced via intraplantar injection of CFA (100 μl, 50% in saline) in the left hind paw, with control groups receiving saline. Pain behavior was assessed using von Frey filaments at baseline and 1 h post-injection. For MEG recording, anesthetized rats had an OPM positioned on their head within a magnetic shield, undergoing two 15-minute sessions: a 5-minute baseline followed by a 10-minute mechanical stimulation phase. Data analysis included artifact removal and time-frequency analysis of spontaneous brain activity using accumulated spectrograms, generating spectrograms focused on the 4-30 Hz frequency range. ResultsMEG recordings in anesthetized rats during resting states and hind paw mechanical stimulation were compared, before and after saline/CFA injections. Mechanical stimulation elevated alpha activity in both male and female rats pre- and post-saline/CFA injections. Saline/CFA injections augmented average power in both sexes compared to pre-injection states. Remarkably, female rats exhibited higher average spectral power 1 h after CFA injection than after saline injection during resting states. Furthermore, despite comparable pain thresholds measured by classical pain behavioral tests post-CFA treatment, female rats displayed higher average power than males in the resting state after CFA injection. ConclusionThese results imply an enhanced perception of inflammatory pain in female rats compared to their male counterparts. Our study exhibits sex differences in alpha activities following CFA injection, highlighting heightened brain alpha activity in female rats during acute inflammatory pain in the resting state. Our study provides a method for OPM-based MEG recordings to be used to study brain activity in anaesthetized animals. In addition, the findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of pain-related neural activity and pain sex differences.
7.Relationship between serum ROCK2,SDC-1,Apelin-13 expression and renal function and prognosis in patients with diabetes nephropathy
Hongjuan LI ; Wen LI ; Shuang REN ; Yinping MENG ; Liu ZHANG
International Journal of Laboratory Medicine 2025;46(22):2732-2737,2742
Objective To investigate the relationship between serum Rho-associated coiled coil containing protein kinase 2(ROCK2),syndecan-1(SDC-1),Apelin-13 and renal function and prognosis in patients with diabetes nephropathy.Methods From November 2019 to November 2021,153 patients with diabetic nephrop-athy admitted to the hospital were selected as the study group,and 153 patients with simple diabetes were se-lected as the simple diabetes group.Another 153 healthy individuals who underwent physical examinations during the same period were selected as the healthy control group.The levels of serum ROCK2,SDC-1 and Apelin-13 were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlations between the levels of serum ROCK2,SDC-1,and Apelin-13 and the clinical data of pa-tients with urinary nephropathy.Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were conducted to analyze the influencing factors of poor prognosis in patients with diabetic nephropathy.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was drawn to analyze the predictive value of serum ROCK2,SDC-1 and Apelin-13 for poor prognosis of patients with diabetes nephropathy.Results Compared with the healthy control group,the levels of serum ROCK2 and SDC-1 in the simple diabetes group and the study group increased,the level of Apelin-13 decreased,the estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR)decreased,and the ratio of urinary albu-min to creatinine(UACR)increased,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).The levels of serum ROCK2,SDC-1,Apelin-13 and UACR in the study group were higher than those in the simple diabe-tes group,while eGFR was lower than that in the simple diabetes group,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).Pearson correlation analysis indicated that the levels of serum ROCK2,SDC-1,and Apelin-13 in the study group were negatively correlated with eGFR(P<0.05),and positively correlated with renal disease stage,creatinine,24-hour proteinuria,and UACR index(P<0.05).Compared with the good prognosis group,the levels of serum ROCK2,DCC-1,Apelin-13 and UACR in the poor prognosis group in-creased(P<0.05),and eGFR decreased(P<0.05).Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses indicated that the levels of serum ROCK2,SDC-1,and Apelin-13 were all influencing factors for the prognosis of patients(P<0.05).ROC curve analysis indicated that the area under the curve(AUC)for the combined prediction of poor prognosis in patients by serum ROCK2,DCC-1,and Apelin-13 levels was significantly grea-ter than that by ROCK2(Z=2.854,P=0.004)and DCC-1(Z=2.426,P=0.015)and Apelin-13(Z=2.172,P=0.030)were predicted separately.Conclusion The serum ROCK2,DCC-1 and Apelin-13 levels in patients with diabetic nephropathy increase and are related to renal function.The combination of the three has a relatively high predictive efficacy for the prognosis of patients.
8.Probiotic Bifidobacterium reduces serum TMAO in unstable angina patients via the gut to liver to heart axis
Zhihong ZHOU ; Lizhe SUN ; Wei ZHOU ; Wen GAO ; Xiao YUAN ; Huijuan ZHOU ; Yuzhen REN ; Bihua LI ; Yue WU ; Jianqing SHE
Liver Research 2025;9(1):57-65
Background and aims:Studies indicate that the gut microbiota and its metabolites are involved in the progression of cardiovascular diseases,and enterohepatic circulation plays an important role in this progression.This study aims to identify potential probiotics for the treatment of unstable angina(UA)and elucidate their mechanisms of action.Methods:Initially,the gut microbiota from patients with UA and control was analyzed.To directly assess the effects of Bifidobacterium supplementation,10 patients with UA were enrolled and administered Bifidobacterium(630 mg per intake twice a day for 1 month).The fecal metagenome,serum trimethyl-amine N-oxide(TMAO)levels,and other laboratory parameters were evaluated before and after Bifido-bacterium supplementation.Results:After supplementing with Bifidobacterium for 1 month,there were statistically significant dif-ferences(P<0.05)in TMAO,aspartate aminotransferase,total cholesterol,and low-density lipoprotein compared to before.Additionally,the abundance of Bifidobacterium longum increased significantly,although the overall abundance of Bifidobacterium did not reach statistical significance.The gut micro-biota,metabolites,and gut-liver axis are involved in the progression of UA,and potential mechanisms should be further studied.Conclusions:Metagenomic analysis demonstrated a reduced abundance of Bifidobacterium in patients with UA.Supplementation with Bifidobacterium restored gut dysbiosis and decreased circulating TMAO levels in patients with UA.This study provides evidence that Bifidobacterium may exert cardiovascular-protective effects through the gut-liver-heart axis.
9.Regulatory mechanisms and therapeutic strategies of microcirculation after spinal cord injury
Jing HUANG ; Ya-Feng REN ; Wen-Ya SHANG ; Zhi-Lan ZHANG ; Xiao-Meng HUANG ; Bing LI
Medical Journal of Chinese People's Liberation Army 2025;50(3):358-365
Spinal cord injury(SCI)is a structural and functional disruption of the spinal cord caused by various factors,leading to neurological dysfunction.As a common central nervous system disorder in clinical practice,SCI poses significant risks to human life and health.Its pathological mechanism is exceedingly complex,involving multiple pathological processes.Given the irreversibility of primary injury,targeting secondary injury has gradually become the main direction for the clinical treatment of SCI in recent years.Recent studies have highlighted the crucial role of blood-spinal cord barrier damage and microvascular dysfunction in the progression of secondary injury following SCI.Therefore,investigating the pathological mechanisms of microcirculation and exploring targeted therapies could provide valuable insights for clinical SCI treatment.This paper aims to provide an objective review of the role of microcirculation in SCI,identify the critical regulators of microvascular function,and summarize strategies for treating SCI by targeting microcirculation.The findings of this study may offer novel references for the clinical management of SCI.
10.Research progress on AMPK signaling pathway in the regulation and treatment of spinal cord injury
Zhi-Lan ZHANG ; Xiao-Meng HUANG ; Wen-Ya SHANG ; Jing HUANG ; Hui-Lin WEI ; Bing LI ; Ya-Feng REN
Medical Journal of Chinese People's Liberation Army 2025;50(4):495-503
Spinal cord injury(SCI)is a central nervous system disease with high morbidity and disability rates,bringing serious economic and psychological burdens to families and society worldwide.AMP-activated protein kinase(AMPK)is an important sensor in the energy metabolism process in living organisms,which plays a central role in maintaining energy balance.It is currently considered a key target for the prevention and treatment of multiple diseases.Studies have shown that AMPK signaling can regulate autophagy,neuroinflammation,oxidative stress,mitochondrial function and other processes after SCI,thus affecting the pathological process of SCI.This review summarizes the research progress on AMPK signaling pathway involved in the regulation of SCI,in order to provide new ideas for the treatment and drug development of SCI.


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