Background China is the world's largest producer and consumer of cobalt. Skin exposure to excess cobalt can cause symptoms such as contact dermatitis. At present, there are few studies on skin contact of cobalt and its compounds. Objective To investigate the skin contact characteristics of cobalt and its compounds. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in February 2024 involving 70 workers from a hard metal tool manufacturing company and the workers were divided into four groups according to their job positions: powder mixing, sintering, automatic pressing, and grinding processing. General demographic information was collected through questionnaires. Workplace air samples were collected using personal samplers, and cobalt concentrations in workplace air were measured by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Skin samples were collected from the workers' foreheads using cotton swabs, and urine samples were collected within 30 min after the end of their shift. Urine specific gravity was measured immediately after collection, and disqualified samples were discarded. Cobalt concentrations in the swab extracts and urine were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Statistical analysis was performed using Kruskal-Wallis test for multiple group comparisons, Mann-WhitneyU test for pairwise comparisons, Chi-square test for categorical variables, and Spearman's rank correlation analysis to examine the correlations among air, dermal, and urinary cobalt levels. Results The 8 h time-weighted average (TWA) cobalt concentration was (2.30±2.15) μg·m⁻³ (\begin{document}$ \bar{x}\pm s $\end{document}). The median skin exposure level was 53.8 ng·cm⁻², with a range of 4.25 ng·cm⁻² to 1090.2 ng·cm⁻². The median urinary cobalt level was 3.74 µg·L⁻¹, with a range of 0.83 to 382.9 µg·L⁻¹. Statistically significant differences in TWA cobalt concentration, skin exposure levels, and urinary cobalt levels were found between different work positions (H=9.012, P=0.029; H=16.348, P＜0.001; H=11.078, P=0.011). A positive correlation was observed between skin exposure levels and urinary cobalt levels (r=0.537, P＜0.01). Conclusion Skin contact may be one of the main sources of cobalt levels in urine. Therefore, it is essential for workers to improve skin protection and hygiene practices.

Sleep， skin， and health are closely interconnected. Clinically， insomnia has a high incidence and is often accompanied by or secondary to skin aging. The two conditions exhibit "different diseases with the same syndrome"， significantly affecting the physical and mental health of the Chinese population. Preventing and treating skin aging by improving insomnia is an important strategy， with the principle of "treating different diseases with the same approach" serving as a crucial therapeutic guideline. However， effective clinical prevention and treatment methods for both conditions remain lacking. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has a profound theoretical foundation and notable efficacy in the concurrent treatment of insomnia and skin aging， yet there are few reports on the etiology， pathogenesis， therapeutic principles， and treatment methods of their shared treatment， warranting further exploration. Based on holistic view and syndrome differentiation and treatment in TCM， this study systematically investigates the theoretical origins of the shared manifestations of insomnia and skin aging from multiple dimensions， including etiology， pathological location， pathogenesis， disease nature， and prevention and treatment strategies. As early as Huangdi's Internal Classic （Huangdi Neijing）， it was recognized that mental clarity during the day， sound sleep at night， and firm， healthy skin are key indicators of external health， whereas daytime lethargy， poor sleep quality， and dry， withered skin are prominent signs of aging. Maintaining mental clarity during the day and restful sleep at night is essential for skin integrity and healthy aging. Later medical scholars proposed that the common etiology of insomnia and skin aging lies in "internal-external interactions"， with the pathological location involving "the five organ systems". The primary pathogenesis includes "deficiency， fire， stagnation， phlegm， and blood stasis"， while the disease nature is often characterized by "a combination of deficiency and excess". Treatment should be guided by syndrome differentiation， following the principle of balancing Yin and Yang. This theoretical exploration enriches and advances TCM understanding of disease onset and prevention， providing theoretical guidance for the clinical prevention and treatment of insomnia-associated skin aging and contributing to the realization of the "Healthy China" initiative.

Cataract extraction combined with intraocular lens implantation is a standard method for treating cataracts, significantly improving patients' vision and quality of life. In this process, the personalized selection of intraocular lenses plays a crucial role in the surgical outcome. Traditional monofocal intraocular lenses provide good distance vision but often have issues with intermediate vision, requiring patients to rely on glasses for correction in daily life. In contrast, multifocal intraocular lenses can meet vision needs at different distances, but are often accompanied by adverse reactions such as halos and glare, affecting the patient's visual experience. In recent years, new types of monofocal intraocular lenses have made significant progress in improving intermediate vision, with relatively fewer side effects. This article aims to review the different types, optical characteristics, and clinical efficacy of monofocal intraocular lenses, providing a reference for ophthalmologists in selecting suitable lenses for patients.

Objective To analyze the virus subtypes, molecular evolutional and molecular transmission network features of the first confirmed mpox case in Huai’an City, Jiangsu Province, so as to provide insights into understanding of the transmission and evolution dynamics of mpox virus and formulation of the mpox control strategy in the city. Methods Genomic DNA was extracted from swabs of the first confirmed mpox case’s skin lesions in Huai’an City, and the amplicon sequencing library was constructed using the hypersensitive mpox virus whole-genome capture kit. High-throughput sequencing was performed using the GridION X5 nanopore sequencer on the Nanopore sequencing platform, and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis of mpox virus genome sequences was performed following sequence assembly. In addition, phylogenetic analysis, genetic genealogy and molecular traceability analysis were performed. Results The virus whole genome sequence of the first confirmed mpox case was successfully obtained by high-throughput sequencing, with a full length of 197 182 bp, and was named hMpxV/China/JS-HA01/2023, which belonged to the clade IIb (West African clade) lineage B.1.3. Compared with the mpox virus reference sequence MPXV-M5312_HM12_Rivers-001 (GenBank accession number: NC_063383), the genome sequence of the Huai’an virus isolate carried 86 SNPs, including 40 SNPs in the coding region as non-synonymous mutations and 73 SNPs as nucleotide mutations caused by APOBEC3 (APOBEC3). Of the 97 mpox virus gene sequences, 79 sequences were included in the molecular network (81.44%), and the threshold of the genetic distance accessed to the network was 0.35/10⁵. There were two large molecular transmission clusters and one scattered cluster in the molecular transmission network of the mpox virus, andthehMpxV/China/JS-HA01/2023 sequence was located in the large cluster. The 97 gene sequences formed 92 haplotypes, including three shared haplotypes Hap_4, Hap_6 and Hap_38, and an exclusive haplotype Hap_1 of hMpxV/China/JS-HA01/2023 generated from mutation of the exclusive haplotype Hap_43, while the exclusive haplotype Hap_43 was generated from mutation of the shared haplotype Hap_38. Conclusions The whole genome sequence of the mpox virus isolated from the first confirmed mpox case in Huai’an City has been successfully obtained, and the molecular evolutionary and molecular transmission network characteristics of the virus have been preliminarily understood.

Background Air pollution exposure has a significant impact on maternal and child health. However, the research on the association between ambient ozone (O₃) exposure during pregnancy and the risk of premature birth in newborns is limited, and the conclusions are inconsistent. Objective To investigate the association of ambient O₃ exposure during pregnancy with the risk of preterm birth in Guangdong Province. Methods Data of pregnant women in Guangzhou from 2013 to 2019 and Foshan from 2018 to 2023 were collected, and O₃ concentrations during different trimesters were assessed according to maternal residential addresses. Bilinear interpolation was used to evaluate the concentrations of air pollution. A cohort study design was adopted in our study. Restricted cubic spline curves were used to evaluate the exposure-response relationship between O₃ exposure and preterm birth risk and explore potential exposure threshold of O₃. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association of O₃ exposure with preterm birth. Results A total of 702 924 pregnant women were included in this study, of whom 43 051 (6.12%) were preterm. The average O₃ exposure concentrations of pregnant women during the first, second, third, and whole trimesters were 95.51, 97.51, 100.60, and 97.87 μg·m⁻³, respectively. We observed J-shaped associations between O₃ exposure and preterm birth risk during the second, third, and whole trimesters of pregnancy using restricted cubic spline curves. This study found that there were threshold concentrations between O₃ exposure and preterm birth risk during different gestational periods, and the threshold concentrations in the first, second, third, and whole trimesters were 112.32, 99.83, 111.74, and 112.46 μg·m⁻³, respectively. During the second, third, and whole trimesters of pregnancy, after adjusting for maternal age, baby sex, pre-pregnancy body mass index, mode of delivery, baby birth weight, gestational diabetes, and gestational hypertension, the odds ratios (OR) of preterm birth were 1.02 (95%CI: 1.01, 1.04), 1.02 (95%CI: 1.00, 1.03), and 1.17 (95%CI: 1.13, 1.21) for each 10 μg·m⁻³ increase in O₃ concentration above the O₃ threshold. No significant association was found between O₃ exposure and the risk of preterm birth during the first trimester. Conclusion There is a nonlinear association between the risk of preterm birth and O₃ exposure during pregnancy, and higher concentrations of O₃ exposure during pregnancy are associated with the risk of preterm birth. Above the O₃ threshold concentration during pregnancy, especially during the second, third, and whole trimesters, the risk of preterm birth elevates with the increase of O₃ exposure concentrations.

ObjectiveTo investigate the change in the activity of hepatitis B virus （HBV）-specific CD8⁺ T cells after pegylated interferon-α-2b （PEG-IFN-α-2b） therapy in HBeAg-negative patients with chronic HBV infection. MethodsA total of 53 HBeAg-negative patients with chronic HBV infection who attended The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University and Tangdu Hospital of Air Force Mdical University from April 2020 to June 2022 were enrolled and treated with PEG-IFN-α-2b （180 μg/week， subcutaneous injection） antiviral therapy. The study endpoint was HBsAg clearance （course of treatment<48 weeks） or 48 weeks （course of treatment≥48 weeks）. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated at baseline and study endpoint， and peripheral blood T cell counts were measured. Enzyme-linked immunospot assay was used to measure the frequency of HBV-specific CD8⁺ T cells secreting perforin， granzyme B， and interferon-γ. A total of 17 HLA-A^*02-restricted patients were selected， and CD8⁺ T cells were purified to establish direct- and indirect-contact co-culture systems for HBV-specific CD8⁺ T cells and HepG2.2.15 cells. The level of lactate dehydrogenase in supernatant was measured to calculate the mortality rate of HepG2.2.15 cells， and the levels of HBV DNA， cytotoxic molecules， and cytokines in supernatant were also measured. Flow cytometry was used to measure the expression of apoptosis ligands， and the cytotoxicity of HBV-specific CD8⁺ T cells was evaluated. The independent samples t-test or the paired t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups， and the Mann-Whitney U test or the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups. ResultsThe HBsAg clearance rate at study endpoint was 30.19% （16/53）. There were no significant differences in peripheral blood T cell counts （CD3⁺， CD4⁺， and CD8⁺ T cells） between baseline and study endpoint （P>0.05）. At study endpoint， there was a significant increase in the frequency of HBV-specific CD8⁺ T cells secreting perforin， granzyme B， and interferon-γ （U=177.50， t=11.90， U=186.50， all P<0.001）， and the patients with HBsAg clearance had a significantly higher frequency of such HBV-specific CD8⁺ T cells than those without HBsAg clearance （U=120.50， t=2.73， U=121.50， all P<0.01）. In the direct- and indirect-contact co-culture systems at study endpoint， HBV-specific CD8⁺ T cells induced a significant reduction in HBV DNA in the supernatant of HepG2.2.15 cells （all P<0.001） and significant increases in the secretion of interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α （all P<0.05）； in the direct-contact co-culture system， HBV-specific CD8⁺ T cells induced significant increases in the mortality rate of HepG2.2.15 cells （13.62%±3.27% vs 11.39%±2.40%， t=2.27， P=0.030） and the secretion of perforin and granzyme B （t=72.50， U=52.50， both P<0.05）. In the direct- and indirect-contact co-culture systems， compared with HBV-specific CD8⁺ T cells from the patients without HBsAg clearance， the HBV-specific CD8⁺ T cells from patients with HBsAg clearance had a significantly greater reduction in HBV DNA （P<0.05） and significant increases in the secretion of interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α （P<0.05）. ConclusionPEG-IFN-‍α‍-2b therapy can help to achieve a relatively high HBsAg clearance rate in HBeAg-negative patients with chronic HBV infection， and the activity of HBV-specific CD8⁺ T cells is significantly enhanced， which is closely associated with HBsAg clearance.

ObjectiveTo compare the hepatic bile acid profile between a mouse model of metabolic-associated steatohepatitis （MASH） induced by a high-fat， high-sugar， and high-cholesterol diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of 10% carbon tetrachloride （CCl₄） and MASH cases in clinical practice， and to investigate the feasibility of this model in studying drug interventions on bile acid profile in MASH. MethodsA total of 30 male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into control group and model group， with 15 mice in each group. The mice in the control group were given normal diet and drinking water and weekly injections of olive oil， and those in the model group were given a high-fat， high-sugar， and high-cholesterol diet， high-sugar drinking water， and weekly injections of CCl₄+olive oil. At the end of weeks 8， 12， and 16， 5 mice were selected from each group to collect samples. Behavioral assessments were performed， and body weight and liver wet weight were measured； liver pathology and lipid deposition were evaluated by HE staining， SAF scoring， oil Red O staining， the semi-quantitative analysis of stained area， the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase （ALT） and aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， and liver triglyceride （TG） content； Sirius Red staining was performed for liver tissue to assess liver fibrosis； ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and targeted metabolomics were used to measure the hepatic bile acid profile， including cholic acid （CA）， glycocholic acid （GCA）， chenodeoxycholic acid （CDCA）， glycochenodeoxycholic acid （GCDCA）， ursodeoxycholic acid （UDCA）， tauroursodeoxycholic acid （TUDCA）， hyodeoxycholic acid （HDCA）， and glycodeoxycholic acid （GDCA）. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups， and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups. ResultsCompared with the control group at the same time point， the model group had disheveled and dull fur， reduced activity， and relatively slow reactions at weeks 8， 12， and 16， as well as significant increases in liver wet weight （P<0.05）， the serum level of ALT （P<0.05）， the content of TG in the liver （P<0.05）， and SAF score （P<0.05）. As for the differentially expressed bile acids in liver tissue， compared with the control group at week 8， the model group had significantly higher levels of CA and CDCA and significantly lower levels of UDCA， TUDCA， HDCA， and GDCA （all P<0.05）； compared with the control group at week 12， the model group had significantly higher levels of CA， GCA， CDCA， and GCDCA and significantly lower levels of UDCA and HDCA （all P<0.05）； compared with the control group at week 16， the model group had significantly higher levels of CA， GCA， CDCA， GCDCA， and TUDCA and significantly lower levels of UDCA， HDCA， and GDCA （all P<0.05）. As for the differentially expressed bile acids in the bile acid pool of liver tissue， compared with the control group at week 8， the model group had significantly higher levels of CA and CDCA and significantly lower levels of UDCA， TUDCA， GDCA， and HDCA （all P<0.05）； compared with the control group at weeks 12 and 16， the model group had significantly higher levels of GCA and GCDCA and significantly lower levels of UDCA， GDCA， and HDCA （all P<0.05）. ConclusionThere are significant changes in the hepatic bile acid profile in a mouse model of MASH induced by a high-fat， high-sugar， and high-cholesterol diet combined with CCl₄， which are similar to the changes in bile acids in MASH cases in clinical practice， suggesting that this model can be used to explore the interventional effect of drugs on the bile acid profile in MASH.

ObjectiveWith the epidermal growth factor receptor（EGFR）/Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription（STAT3）/Hexokinase 2（HK2） signaling pathway in atherosclerosis （AS） and ovarian cancer （OC） as the entry point， this paper discusses the molecular mechanism of Gypenoside L （Gyp-L） treating AS and OC with different diseases， provides a new perspective and theoretical basis for TCM treating AS and OC with EGFR-STAT3-HK2 pathway， and enriches the scientific connotation of the theory of "cytoskeleton in the heart". MethodsCCK-8 was used to detect the proliferation of HUVEC and OVCAR-3 cells， in order to determine the intervention concentration for subsequent experiments. The colorimetric method was used to detect the NO content in HUVEC and the contents of pyruvate and LDH in two cell lines. Cell cloning experiments and scratch experiments reflect the proliferation and migration ability of OVCAR-3 cells. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of relevant proteins. Furthermore， two cell models overexpressing EGFR were constructed and co treated with Gyp-L. HUVEC cells were divided into control， ox-LDL， OE-NC， OE-EGFR， OE-NC+Gyp-L， and OE-EGFR+Gyp-L group. OVCAR-3 cells were divided into control， OE-NC， OE-EGFR ， OE-NC+Gyp-L， and OE-EGFR+Gyp-L group. The colorimetric method was used to detect the NO content in HUVEC and the contents of pyruvate and LDH in two cell lines. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of EGFR-STAT3-HK2 pathway related proteins. Cell cloning experiments and scratch experiments reflect the proliferation and migration ability of OVCAR-3 cells. ResultsGyp-L can significantly reduce the NO content of HUVEC and the pyruvate and LDH content of two cell lines （P<0.05）； Inhibit the proliferation and migration ability of OVCAR-3 cells； Reduce the expression levels of EGFR/STAT3/HK2 pathway related proteins in HUVEC and OVCAR-3 cell lines （P<0.05）， and inhibit the glycolysis pathway. ConclusionGyp-L can inhibit glycolysis in HUVEC and OVCAR-3 cells through the EGFR/STAT3/HK2 pathway，thereby suppressing the occurrence and development of AS and OC.

ObjectiveTo construct a large language model （LLM）-based intelligent pre-consultation system for traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） to improve efficacy of clinical practice. MethodsA TCM large language model was fine-tuned using DeepSpeed ZeRO-3 distributed training strategy based on YAYI 2-30B. A weighted undirected graph network was designed and an agent-based syndrome differentiation model was established based on relationship data extracted from TCM literature and clinical records. An agent collaboration framework was developed to integrate the TCM LLM with the syndrome differentiation model. Model performance was comprehensively evaluated by Loss function， BLEU-4， and ROUGE-L metrics， through which training convergence， text generation quality， and language understanding capability were assessed. Professional knowledge test sets were developed to evaluate system proficiency in TCM physician licensure content， TCM pharmacist licensure content， TCM symptom terminology recognition， and meridian identification. Clinical tests were conducted to compare the system with attending physicians in terms of diagnostic accuracy， consultation rounds， and consultation duration. ResultsAfter 100 000 iterations， the training loss value was gradually stabilized at about 0.7±0.08， indicating that the TCM-LLM has been trained and has good generalization ability. The TCM-LLM scored 0.38 in BLEU-4 and 0.62 in ROUGE-L， suggesting that its natural language processing ability meets the standard. We obtained 2715 symptom terms， 505 relationships between diseases and syndromes， 1011 relationships between diseases and main symptoms， and 1 303 600 relationships among different symptoms， and constructed the Agent of syndrome differentiation model. The accuracy rates in the simulated tests for TCM practitioners， licensed pharmacists of Chinese materia medica， recognition of TCM symptom terminology， and meridian recognition were 94.09%， 78.00%， 87.50%， and 68.80%， respectively. In clinical tests， the syndrome differentiation accuracy of the system reached 88.33%， with fewer consultation rounds and shorter consultation time compared to the attending physicians （P＜0.01）， suggesting that the system has a certain pre- consultation ability. ConclusionThe LLM-based intelligent TCM pre-diagnosis system could simulate diagnostic thinking of TCM physicians to a certain extent. After understanding the patients' natural language， it collects all the patient's symptom through guided questioning， thereby enhancing the diagnostic and treatment efficiency of physicians as well as the consultation experience of the patients.

ObjectiveWith the epidermal growth factor receptor（EGFR）/Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription（STAT3）/Hexokinase 2（HK2） signaling pathway in atherosclerosis （AS） and ovarian cancer （OC） as the entry point， this paper discusses the molecular mechanism of Gypenoside L （Gyp-L） treating AS and OC with different diseases， provides a new perspective and theoretical basis for TCM treating AS and OC with EGFR-STAT3-HK2 pathway， and enriches the scientific connotation of the theory of "cytoskeleton in the heart". MethodsCCK-8 was used to detect the proliferation of HUVEC and OVCAR-3 cells， in order to determine the intervention concentration for subsequent experiments. The colorimetric method was used to detect the NO content in HUVEC and the contents of pyruvate and LDH in two cell lines. Cell cloning experiments and scratch experiments reflect the proliferation and migration ability of OVCAR-3 cells. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of relevant proteins. Furthermore， two cell models overexpressing EGFR were constructed and co treated with Gyp-L. HUVEC cells were divided into control， ox-LDL， OE-NC， OE-EGFR， OE-NC+Gyp-L， and OE-EGFR+Gyp-L group. OVCAR-3 cells were divided into control， OE-NC， OE-EGFR ， OE-NC+Gyp-L， and OE-EGFR+Gyp-L group. The colorimetric method was used to detect the NO content in HUVEC and the contents of pyruvate and LDH in two cell lines. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of EGFR-STAT3-HK2 pathway related proteins. Cell cloning experiments and scratch experiments reflect the proliferation and migration ability of OVCAR-3 cells. ResultsGyp-L can significantly reduce the NO content of HUVEC and the pyruvate and LDH content of two cell lines （P<0.05）； Inhibit the proliferation and migration ability of OVCAR-3 cells； Reduce the expression levels of EGFR/STAT3/HK2 pathway related proteins in HUVEC and OVCAR-3 cell lines （P<0.05）， and inhibit the glycolysis pathway. ConclusionGyp-L can inhibit glycolysis in HUVEC and OVCAR-3 cells through the EGFR/STAT3/HK2 pathway，thereby suppressing the occurrence and development of AS and OC.