Background: Adrenocortical hormones, particularly 11-oxygenated androgens, are pivotal in female reproductive health and fertility. Standardized detection kits and population-specific reference intervals are lacking in China, hindering related clinical applications. Methods: A HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) pipeline was developed, rigorously validated, and applied to simultaneously quantify corticosterone, cortisone, cortisol, 18-OH cortisol, androstenedione (A4), 11β-hydroxyandrostenedione (11-OH A4), dehydroepiandrosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in serum samples from 455 reproductive-aged women (18–45 yrs) in Guangxi, China. Age-dependent concentration trends were analyzed, and reference intervals stratified by age (2.5th to 97.5th percentiles) were established. Correlations with body-composition metrics, ethnicity, and the menstrual cycle were investigated. Results: The HPLC-MS/MS method demonstrated high precision (intra- and inter-assay CVs < 15%), accuracy, and sensitivity. All eight hormones exhibited significant age-related declines (P < 0.001 for seven hormones; P = 0.001 for 11-OH A4). Notably, 11-OH A4 levels were significantly lower in the 35–45-yr (3.05 nmol/L) and 25–34-yr (3.09 nmol/L) age groups than in the 18–24-yr (3.57 nmol/L) age group, whereas no significant difference was observed between the 35–45-yr and 25–34-yr age groups. Weak negative correlations were observed between the body mass index and corticosterone and cortisone levels, whereas ethnicity and the menstrual cycle showed no significant associations with hormone levels. Conclusions We developed an HPLC-MS/MS-based method for simultaneously quantifying eight adrenocortical hormones, including 11-OH A4, and defined age-specific reference intervals for reproductive-aged Chinese women. These findings advance the clinical utility of adrenocortical hormones in diagnosing and managing reproductive disorders.

The major histocompatibility complex plays a crucial role in the immune response process, which is closely related to the occurrence and development of tumors and organ transplantation. Cellular immunity occupies an important position in tumor immunity and organ transplantation immunity, while humoral immunity also plays a significant role in organ transplantation immunity. Organ transplantation requires the induction and maintenance of immune tolerance, while tumors develop immune escape phenomena during their progression. In-depth exploration and comparison of the mechanisms of tumor immune escape and organ transplantation immune tolerance are of great significance for formulating reasonable immune tolerance induction strategies, improving the quality of life and prolonging the survival time of organ transplant patients.

Objective:To investigate the occurrence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among underground coal mine workers, identify the risk factors for WMSDs, and provide a scientific evidence for the prevention and treatment of WMSDs.Methods:In March 2024, through cluster sampling, the on-the-job workers who underwent questionnaire surveys and health examinations at a certain coal mine from July to August 2018 were selected as the research subjects. Basic information of employees, ergonomics-related characteristics, and the occurrence status of WMSDs in each part were collected, and multivariate logistic regression was used for analysis.Results:The incidence rate of WMSDs in at least one site among underground coal mine workers within the past year was 62.22% (219/352). The top three sites in sequence were the lower back (44.32%, 156/352), neck (26.14%, 92/352), and knee (26.14%, 92/352). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that frequently exerting great force with arms or hands during work ( OR=2.223, 95% CI: 1.022-4.836), prolonged static forward bending ( OR=1.544, 95% CI: 1.305-1.972), and frequently exerting great effort to operate tools or machines ( OR=2.206, 95% CI: 1.011-4.813), absence of external support systems ( OR=1.589, 95% CI: 1.349-1.996), and repetitive full-body twisting ( OR=1.523, 95% CI: 1.298-1.916) were all risk factors for the occurrence of WMSDs in the lower back ( P<0.05). Both night shift work ( OR=1.564, 95% CI: 1.339-1.939) and frequent forward neck flexion ( OR=1.532, 95% CI: 1.312-1.907) were all risk factors for the occurrence of WMSDs in the neck ( P<0.05). Lifting heavy objects above the shoulder ( OR=1.333, 95% CI: 1.142-1.782), uncomfortable posture and inability to exert force ( OR=1.873, 95% CI: 1.104-2.712), the use of vibration tools ( OR=2.958, 95% CI: 1.255-6.972), and length of service >10 years ( OR=1.525, 95% CI: 1.105-1.967) were all risk factors for the occurrence of WMSDs in the knee ( P<0.05) . Conclusion:The incidence of WMSDs among underground coal miners is relatively high, mainly concentrated in the lower back, neck and knee, and is related to factors such as poor working postures, and work organization. Coal mining enterprises should strengthen work organization, provide appropriate working equipment, and ensure reasonable distribution of workloads.

Objective:To identify risk factors influencing the incidence of hypertension among steelworkers (Homo sapiens) and establish an effective and easily implementable hypertension prediction model.Methods:In September 2023, 2214 steelworkers (Homo sapiens) were selected as study subjects. Basic demographic information, lifestyle, and occupational exposure data were collected, along with physiological measurements such as height, weight, and blood pressure. Multivariate unconditional logistic regression analysis was employed based on relevant literature to determine influencing factors for hypertension among steelworkers (Homo sapiens). Python 3.9 software was used to construct and compare logistic regression, support vector machine (SVM), random forest, extreme gradient boosting tree (XGBoost), and LGBM models. Model performance was evaluated using metrics such as receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, accuracy, calibration curves, and F1 scores. The Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) model was introduced for feature importance analysis to enhance the interpretability of the prediction model.Results:A total of 432 cases of hypertension were detected among 2214 study subjects, with a detection rate of 19.51%. Age, smoking status, salt intake, use of cooling equipment, carbon monoxide exposure, family history of hypertension, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, and hemoglobin were identified as independent risk factors for hypertension ( P<0.05). A comparison of the five models revealed the following performance metrics: logistic regression achieved an accuracy of 0.853, F1 score of 0.680, Brier score of 0.108, and AUC of 0.907; SVM demonstrated an accuracy of 0.863, F1 score of 0.687, Brier score of 0.081, and AUC of 0.910; random forest showed an accuracy of 0.857, F1 score of 0.603, Brier score of 0.105, and AUC of 0.861; XGBoost yielded an accuracy of 0.850, F1 score of 0.684, Brier score of 0.117, and AUC of 0.899; and the LGBM model exhibited an accuracy of 0.838, F1 score of 0.625, Brier score of 0.112, and AUC of 0.870. Conclusion:The SVM model demonstrated strong predictive performance, effectively assessing the risk of hypertension among steelworkers (Homo sapiens) and facilitating targeted health management interventions.

Objective:To investigate the occurrence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among underground coal mine workers, identify the risk factors for WMSDs, and provide a scientific evidence for the prevention and treatment of WMSDs.Methods:In March 2024, through cluster sampling, the on-the-job workers who underwent questionnaire surveys and health examinations at a certain coal mine from July to August 2018 were selected as the research subjects. Basic information of employees, ergonomics-related characteristics, and the occurrence status of WMSDs in each part were collected, and multivariate logistic regression was used for analysis.Results:The incidence rate of WMSDs in at least one site among underground coal mine workers within the past year was 62.22% (219/352). The top three sites in sequence were the lower back (44.32%, 156/352), neck (26.14%, 92/352), and knee (26.14%, 92/352). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that frequently exerting great force with arms or hands during work ( OR=2.223, 95% CI: 1.022-4.836), prolonged static forward bending ( OR=1.544, 95% CI: 1.305-1.972), and frequently exerting great effort to operate tools or machines ( OR=2.206, 95% CI: 1.011-4.813), absence of external support systems ( OR=1.589, 95% CI: 1.349-1.996), and repetitive full-body twisting ( OR=1.523, 95% CI: 1.298-1.916) were all risk factors for the occurrence of WMSDs in the lower back ( P<0.05). Both night shift work ( OR=1.564, 95% CI: 1.339-1.939) and frequent forward neck flexion ( OR=1.532, 95% CI: 1.312-1.907) were all risk factors for the occurrence of WMSDs in the neck ( P<0.05). Lifting heavy objects above the shoulder ( OR=1.333, 95% CI: 1.142-1.782), uncomfortable posture and inability to exert force ( OR=1.873, 95% CI: 1.104-2.712), the use of vibration tools ( OR=2.958, 95% CI: 1.255-6.972), and length of service >10 years ( OR=1.525, 95% CI: 1.105-1.967) were all risk factors for the occurrence of WMSDs in the knee ( P<0.05) . Conclusion:The incidence of WMSDs among underground coal miners is relatively high, mainly concentrated in the lower back, neck and knee, and is related to factors such as poor working postures, and work organization. Coal mining enterprises should strengthen work organization, provide appropriate working equipment, and ensure reasonable distribution of workloads.

Objective:To identify risk factors influencing the incidence of hypertension among steelworkers (Homo sapiens) and establish an effective and easily implementable hypertension prediction model.Methods:In September 2023, 2214 steelworkers (Homo sapiens) were selected as study subjects. Basic demographic information, lifestyle, and occupational exposure data were collected, along with physiological measurements such as height, weight, and blood pressure. Multivariate unconditional logistic regression analysis was employed based on relevant literature to determine influencing factors for hypertension among steelworkers (Homo sapiens). Python 3.9 software was used to construct and compare logistic regression, support vector machine (SVM), random forest, extreme gradient boosting tree (XGBoost), and LGBM models. Model performance was evaluated using metrics such as receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, accuracy, calibration curves, and F1 scores. The Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) model was introduced for feature importance analysis to enhance the interpretability of the prediction model.Results:A total of 432 cases of hypertension were detected among 2214 study subjects, with a detection rate of 19.51%. Age, smoking status, salt intake, use of cooling equipment, carbon monoxide exposure, family history of hypertension, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, and hemoglobin were identified as independent risk factors for hypertension ( P<0.05). A comparison of the five models revealed the following performance metrics: logistic regression achieved an accuracy of 0.853, F1 score of 0.680, Brier score of 0.108, and AUC of 0.907; SVM demonstrated an accuracy of 0.863, F1 score of 0.687, Brier score of 0.081, and AUC of 0.910; random forest showed an accuracy of 0.857, F1 score of 0.603, Brier score of 0.105, and AUC of 0.861; XGBoost yielded an accuracy of 0.850, F1 score of 0.684, Brier score of 0.117, and AUC of 0.899; and the LGBM model exhibited an accuracy of 0.838, F1 score of 0.625, Brier score of 0.112, and AUC of 0.870. Conclusion:The SVM model demonstrated strong predictive performance, effectively assessing the risk of hypertension among steelworkers (Homo sapiens) and facilitating targeted health management interventions.

Objective:To analyze the factors influencing the lung function of coal miners, identify the optimal combination of indicators for evaluating lung function, develop a risk assessment model using machine learning, and offer personalized risk assessment for workers.Methods:In June 2023, through cluster sampling, male underground workers who participated in occupational health examinations at a coal mine in North China from July to August 2018 were selected as the research subjects. Their health examination results and occupational environmental data were collected. A total of 3, 320 coal miners were included. Randomly divide the research subjects into a training set (2324 people) and a validation set (996 people) in a ratio of 7∶3, and the balance of the two sets was tested. Perform LASSO regression analysis using R 4.2.2 software to select relevant important variables, and determine the model's input variables by combining them with relevant literature. Utilize Python 3.8 to construct logistic regression, random forest, support vector machine, and XG Boost models, assess the models' discriminative ability using metrics like accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, F1 score, ROC curve, and AUC, evaluate the models' calibration using Brier score, Log loss score, and calibration curve, and further analyze the clinical performance of the developed models through DCA decision curve analysis.Results:Among the 3 320 coal miners, 856 had abnormal lung function (25.78%). The XG Boost model was identified as the optimal model, achieving a training set accuracy of 87.39%, sensitivity of 86.60%, specificity of 87.67%, F1 score of 0.779, AUC of 0.945, Brier score of 0.071, Log loss of 0.267 and demonstrated good calibration curve consistency.Conclusion:The XG Boost model exhibits superior predictive performance compared to other models, and the model has high application value. The Shapley Additive Explanation (SHAP) method is employed for interpretation, making it a reliable basis for preventing abnormal lung function in coal miners.

Objective:To investigate the longitudinal stability of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and the Activity of Daily Living Scale (ADL).Methods:The longitudinal cognitive assessment results of 68 dementia patients admitted to the Dementia and Leukoencephalopathy Outpatient Clinic, Department of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, from January 2021 to January 2024, were retrospectively analyzed, including the total and sub-items scores of the MMSE, MoCA, and ADL. Two different rules were applied to analyze the abnormality rates: rule 1, where the current test result being better than the previous one was considered an abnormality; rule 2, where the current test result being better than the previous average score was considered an abnormality (If a patient had only 2 cognitive assessments, rule 2 was considered the same as rule 1). Two rules were used to analyze the abnormality rates of the scales. The statistical analyses were repeated after excluding patients with possible anxiety and depression status.Results:In assessing the total score stability, MMSE showed the lowest abnormality rates [27.2% (31/114) under rule 1 and 29.8% (34/114) under rule 2], while MoCA had the highest abnormality rates [41.3% (26/63) and 46.0% (29/63), respectively]. The ADL abnormality rates were 27.7% (23/83) and 33.7% (28/83), respectively. Among MoCA sub-items, category cue, multiple choice cue, second memory trial, orientation, and clock showed higher abnormality rates [31.7%(20/63), 30.2%(19/63), 23.8%(15/63), 22.2%(14/63), 22.2%(14/63), respectively]. After excluding population with possible anxiety and depression status, the relative abnormality rates of MMSE and ADL sub-items did not significantly change, while the abnormality rate of orientation in MoCA sub-items decreased relatively.Conclusion:The MMSE and ADL exhibit good stability in long-term monitoring of dementia patients, serving as essential tools for assessing and following up cognitive changes.

Background At present, the treatment of silicosis is still limited, and no method is available to cure the disease. miRNAs are involved in the process of fibrosis at the transcriptional level by directly degrading target gene mRNA or inhibiting its translation. However, how miR-130a-3p regulates silicosis fibrosis has not been fully elucidated yet. Objective To investigate whether miR-130a-3p promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by inhibiting peroxisome proliferators-activated receptors gamma (PPAR-γ), thereby pro-moting the process of silicotic fibrosis. To identify effective new targets for the treatment of silicotic fibrosis. Methods (1) Animal experiments: C57BL/6J mice were intratracheally injected with a one-time dose of 10 mg silica suspension (dissolved in 100 μL saline) as positive lung exposure. A silicosis model group was established 28 d after the exposure. A control group was injected with the same amount of normal saline into the trachea. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and Sirius red staining were used to observe the pathological changes and collagen deposition in lung tissues respectively. Realtime fluorescence-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to assay the expression of miR-130a-3p and PPAR-γ mRNA in lung tissues. Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression of PPAR-γ, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, E-cadherin, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and Collagen Ⅰ in lung tissues. (2) Cells experiments: Mouse lung epithelial cells (MLE-12) were induced with 5 µg·L⁻¹ TGF-β1 for different time (0, 12, 24, 48 h). RT-qPCR was used to detect the expression of miR-130a-3p and PPAR-γ mRNA in cells. The binding relationship between miR-130a-3p and PPAR-γ mRNA was verified by dual luciferase reporter gene assay. MLE-12 cells were stimulated by 5 µg·L⁻¹ TGF-β1 after transfection of miR-130a-3p inhibitor, and Western blotting was used to measure the protein expression of PPAR-γ, E-cadherin, and α-SMA in the TGF-β1-induced cells. Results In the silicosis model group, the alveolar septum was widened and the pulmonary nodules were formed. The Sirius red staining collagen deposition in pulmonary nodules indicated that a silicosis fibrosis model was successfully established. The expressions of TGF-β1, α-SMA, and Collagen Ⅰ proteins were increased, and the expressions of E-cadherin and PPAR-γ proteins were decreased in lung tissues of the silicosis group, compared with the control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The expression of miR-130a-3p was increased and the expression of PPAR-γ mRNA was decreased in lung tissues of the silicosis model (P<0.01). The expression of miR-130a-3p was significantly increased, while the expression of PPAR-γ mRNA was decreased in the TGF-β1 induced MLE-12 cells (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The dual luciferase reporter assay showed a direct relationship between miR-130a-3p and PPAR-γ mRNA in MLE-12 cells. The transfection of miR-130a-3p inhibitor in the TGF-β1 induced MLE-12 cells inhibited the decrease of PPAR-γ and E-cadherin proteins, and the increase of α-SMA protein in the MLE-12 cells induced by TGF-β1 (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusion miR-130a-3p promotes the development of silicosis fibrosis by targeting PPAR-γ to increase pulmonary EMT.

Cerebral edema is characterized by fluid accumulation, and the glymphatic system (GS) plays a pivotal role in regulating fluid transport. Using the Tenecteplase system, magnesium salt of salvianolic acid B/ginsenoside Rg1 (SalB/Rg1) was injected intravenously into mice 4.5 h after middle cerebral artery occlusion and once every 24 h for the following 72 h. GS function was assessed by Evans blue imaging, near-infrared fluorescence region II (NIR-II) imaging, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). SalB/Rg1 had significant effects on reducing the infarct volume and hemorrhagic transformation score, improving neurobehavioral function, and protecting tissue structure, especially inhibiting cerebral edema. Meanwhile, the influx/efflux drainage of GS was enhanced by SalB/Rg1 according to NIR-II imaging and MRI. SalB/Rg1 inhibited matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) activity, reduced cleaved β-dystroglycan (β-DG), and stabilized aquaporin-4 (AQP4) polarity, which was verified by colocalization with CD31. Our findings indicated that SalB/Rg1 treatment enhances GS function and attenuates cerebral edema, accompanying the regulation of the MMP9/β-DG/AQP4 pathway.
Animals ; Ginsenosides/administration & dosage* ; Brain Edema/etiology* ; Male ; Benzofurans/administration & dosage* ; Glymphatic System/diagnostic imaging* ; Mice ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery/drug therapy* ; Aquaporin 4/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9/metabolism* ; Neuroprotective Agents/pharmacology* ; Depsides