Objective To investigate occupational exposure levels of lead, arsenic and cadmium in the lead smelting plant of Hunan Shui Kou Shan Nonferrous Metals Group Co. Ltd., analyze their effects on health of employees, and compare the applicability of different occupational health risk assessment methods, and to provide a basis for prevention and control of occupational exposure risks in enterprises. Methods According to systematic sampling method, 380 employees with lead, arsenic and cadmium exposure (exposure group) and 100 non-exposure employees (non-exposure group) were selected from 2022 to 2024 for on-site investigation of occupational health [concentration time-weighted average (C_TWA)] and physical examination. The risk was evaluated by qualitative assessment method, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) inhalation risk assessment method, and the Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM) semi-quantitative method. The consistency was analyzed by the Kappa test. Results C_TWA values of lead, arsenic, and cadmium in all positions were lower than the occupational exposure limit (OEL). The levels of blood lead, urine arsenic, and urine cadmium, as well as the prevalence of multiple systems in the exposure group were significantly higher than those in the non-exposure group (P<0.05). The proportions of chronic lead, arsenic, and cadmium poisoning were increasing year by year in the exposure group (P<0.05). The qualitative assessment method mainly indicated low and medium risk, while the EPA and MOM methods mainly indicated medium and high risk, with good agreement between the two methods (Kappa=0.676, P<0.05). Conclusion Although the enterprise meets the C_TWA standards, there are still occupational health risks of lead, arsenic, and cadmium. The EPA inhalation risk assessment method is more applicable.

ObjectiveTo analyze the comorbidity patterns of chronic metabolic diseases and their influencing factors among residents aged 35‒75 years old in Nantong City of Jiangsu Province, and to provide theoretical support for the prevention and control of comorbidities. MethodsThe permanent residents aged 35‒75 years from the Comprehensive Prevention and Control Project of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases in Nantong City from 2021 to 2024 were selected as the research subjects. Clustering analysis and association rule were used to investigate the comorbidity patterns of chronic metabolic diseases, and their influencing factors were identified through logistic regression analyses. ResultsThe prevalence of comorbidity of chronic metabolic diseases among residents aged 35‒75 years in Nantong City was 47.40%. Among comorbidity patterns based on disease counts, the prevalence of hypertension+dyslipidemia was highest in binary comorbidity patterns (6.25%), while that of hypertension+dyslipidemia+obesity was highest in ternary comorbidity patterns (4.01%). Association rules showed that in both binary and ternary comorbidity patterns, the confidence level was highest for obesity+hypertension (72.70%) and obesity+dyslipidemia+hypertension (74.54%). Renal insufficiency formed an independent cluster in cluster analyses. Logistic regression analyses revealed that, compared with the non-comorbidity group, males (OR=2.22, 95%CI: 1.69‒2.91), advanced age (45‒54 years, OR=1.38, 95%CI: 1.02‒1.88; 55‒64 years, OR=1.59, 95%CI: 1.14‒2.23; 65‒75 years, OR=2.34, 95%CI: 1.58‒3.47), and low physical activity (OR=1.26, 95%CI: 1.10‒1.65) were influencing factors for metabolic disease comorbidity. ConclusionIn the comorbidity patterns of chronic metabolic diseases among residents aged 35‒75 years in Nantong City, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia interact with each other. Individuals with obesity are more prone to diseases such as hypertension and dyslipidemia. Prevention and control of chronic metabolic diseases should be strengthened for males, individuals with low physical activity and advanced age.

OBJECTIVE To screen and quantitatively analyze the quality marker （Q-Marker） associated with anti-renal fibrosis in Shenqi shenshuai mixture （SQSS）， so as to provide references for the analysis of pharmacodynamic substances and new drug transformation of SQSS. METHODS The chemical components of SQSS were characterized by untargeted metabolomics. Combined with network pharmacology， gene expression omnibus （GEO） and connectivity map （CMAP） databases， the anti-renal fibrosis Q-Markers of SQSS were screened. HPLC-MS/MS was applied to determine the contents of Q-Markers in 10 batches of SQSS. RESULTS A total of 1 319 compounds were identified from SQSS via untargeted metabolomics，and 84 active ingredients with anti-renal fibrosis activity were further screened out， such as formononetin. Nine anti-renal fibrosis Q-Markers were obtained by network pharmacology and GEO database， including berberine， quercetin， honokiol， nicotinamide， daidzein， coumarin， kaempferol， formononetin and amygdalin. The quantitative results showed that the average contents of the above components （excluding amygdalin） in 10 batches of SQSS were 2.523， 1.942， 26.848， 1.415， 0.692， 0.171， 0.374， 7.401 μg/mL， respectively. CONCLUSIONS Nine anti-renal fibrosis Q-Markers of SQSS were screened in this study， and the contents of eight among them were determined. The results can provide a basis for elucidating the pharmacodynamic material basis and promoting the new drug transformation of SQSS.

OBJECTIVE To screen and quantitatively analyze the quality marker （Q-Marker） associated with anti-renal fibrosis in Shenqi shenshuai mixture （SQSS）， so as to provide references for the analysis of pharmacodynamic substances and new drug transformation of SQSS. METHODS The chemical components of SQSS were characterized by untargeted metabolomics. Combined with network pharmacology， gene expression omnibus （GEO） and connectivity map （CMAP） databases， the anti-renal fibrosis Q-Markers of SQSS were screened. HPLC-MS/MS was applied to determine the contents of Q-Markers in 10 batches of SQSS. RESULTS A total of 1 319 compounds were identified from SQSS via untargeted metabolomics，and 84 active ingredients with anti-renal fibrosis activity were further screened out， such as formononetin. Nine anti-renal fibrosis Q-Markers were obtained by network pharmacology and GEO database， including berberine， quercetin， honokiol， nicotinamide， daidzein， coumarin， kaempferol， formononetin and amygdalin. The quantitative results showed that the average contents of the above components （excluding amygdalin） in 10 batches of SQSS were 2.523， 1.942， 26.848， 1.415， 0.692， 0.171， 0.374， 7.401 μg/mL， respectively. CONCLUSIONS Nine anti-renal fibrosis Q-Markers of SQSS were screened in this study， and the contents of eight among them were determined. The results can provide a basis for elucidating the pharmacodynamic material basis and promoting the new drug transformation of SQSS.

Objective To systematically evaluate the risk prediction models for postoperative pulmonary infection in patients with esophageal cancer, providing an objective basis for clinical selection and optimization of models. Methods A systematic search was conducted in Chinese and English databases such as VIP, Wanfang, CNKI, CBM, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science for studies related to the risk prediction models of postoperative pulmonary infection in patients with esophageal cancer from the inception to September 30, 2024. The PROBAST tool was used to assess the quality of prognostic model research, and the RevMan 5.4 software was used for meta-analysis of predictive factors. Results A total of 17 articles were included, containing 26 pulmonary infection risk prediction models. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) ranged from 0.627 to 0.942, among which 21 models had good predictive performance (AUC>0.7). Quality assessment through the PROBAST tool revealed that all 17 articles had a high risk of bias. Meta-analysis results showed that common predictive factors for postoperative pulmonary infection in esophageal cancer included smoking history (OR=1.97), smoking index ≥200 (cigarettes-years) (OR=4.38), smoking index ≥400 (cigarettes-years) (OR=2.00), age (OR=1.27), comorbid diabetes (OR=2.13), comorbid emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR=1.55), low plasma albumin levels (OR=1.17), prognostic nutritional index (OR=4.45), history of related lung diseases (OR=2.10), tumor location (OR=2.32), surgical approach (OR=2.21), operation time (OR=1.73), preoperative serum procalcitonin levels (OR=3.06), anastomotic leakage (OR=3.39), reduced forced expiratory volume in the first second/forced vital capacity ratio (OR=0.86), and hoarseness (OR=2.23). Conclusion At present, the risk prediction models for postoperative pulmonary infection in esophageal cancer are still in the stage of continuous development and optimization, and their research quality needs to be further improved. Future research can refer to the predictive factors summarized in this study based on meta-analysis, combined with clinical practice, to select appropriate methods to construct and validate the risk prediction models for postoperative pulmonary infection in esophageal cancer, thus providing early targeted preventive strategies for high-risk patients.

ObjectiveTo investigate the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome patterns among postmenopausal women with dyslipidemia， and to examine the correlations of lipid parameters with bone mineral density （BMD） and bone metabolism markers across common TCM syndrome patterns， thereby providing a clinical reference for individualized integrative traditional Chinese and western medicine interventions stratified according to TCM syndrome patterns. MethodsA multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted among postmenopausal women aged 45-64 years with dyslipidemia. TCM syndromes were determined using a scale-based scoring method. BMD measurements were collected， and fasting venous blood samples were assayed for lipid parameters including total cholesterol （TC）， triglycerides （TG）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， and bone metabolism biomarkers including osteocalcin （OST）， total procollagen type Ⅰ N-terminal propeptide （P1NP）， alkaline phosphatase （ALP）， bone-specific alkaline phosphatase （BALP）， β-isomerized C-terminal telopeptide of type Ⅰ collagen （β-CTX）， 25-hydroxyvitamin D ［25（OH）D］， and thyroid-stimulating hormone （TSH）. Chi-square tests were used to compare the distribution of dyslipidemia across different TCM syndromes. Spearman's rank correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the correlations between TCM syndrome patterns and dyslipidemia， as well as the correlations of lipid parameters with BMD and bone metabolism markers within each syndrome pattern. ResultsA total of 506 postmenopausal women with dyslipidemia were included， comprising 172 cases of spleen-kidney yang deficiency syndrome （33.99%）， 163 cases of phlegm-turbidity obstruction syndrome （32.21%）， 118 cases of liver-kidney yin deficiency syndrome （23.32%）， 33 cases of qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome （6.52%）， and 20 cases of yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity syndrome （3.95%）. Phlegm-turbidity obstruction syndrome was negatively correlated with TC abnormality （r=-0.120， P=0.007） and positively correlated with TG abnormality （r=0.246， P＜0.001）. Spleen-kidney yang deficiency syndrome and liver-kidney yin deficiency syndrome were both negatively correlated with TG abnormality （r=-0.101， P=0.023； r=-0.116， P=0.009， respectively）. Further correlation analysis confirmed that phlegm-turbidity obstruction syndrome was negatively correlated with TC abnormality （r=-0.120） and significantly positively correlated with TG abnormality （r=0.246）. Both the spleen-kidney yang deficiency syndrome and liver-kidney yin deficiency syndrome were negatively correlated with TG abnormality （r=-0.101 and r=-0.116， respectively）. In patients with phlegm-turbidity obstruction syndrome， HDL-C was negatively correlated with BMD at the left femoral neck （r=-0.178， P=0.023） and at left total hip （r=-0.190， P=0.015）. In patients with liver-kidney yin deficiency syndrome， TG was positively correlated with BMD at the lumbar spine （L1-L4） and left total hip （r=0.214， P=0.020； r=0.221， P=0.016， respectively）. More significant correlations were observed in patients with spleen-kidney yang deficiency syndrome， TG was positively correlated with ALP （r=0.210， P=0.006）； TC was positively correlated with TSH and 25（OH）D （r=0.153， P=0.045； r= 0.231， P=0.002， respectively）； HDL-C was positively correlated with OST and 25（OH）D （r=0.156， P=0.040； r=0.228， P=0.003， respectively）； and LDL-C was positively correlated with TSH and 25（OH）D （r=0.156， P= 0.041； r=0.182， P=0.017， respectively）. In patients with liver-kidney yin deficiency syndrome， HDL-C was negatively correlated with TSH （r=-0.204， P=0.027）. ConclusionThe association between dyslipidemia and skeletal health in postmenopausal women varies across TCM syndromes. Lipid abnormalities in women with phlegm-turbidity obstruction syndrome or liver-kidney yin deficiency syndrome are accompanied primarily by site-specific alterations in BMD， whereas those in women with spleen-kidney yang deficiency syndrome are reflected mainly in changes in bone metabolism markers. These findings suggest that targeted intervention strategies should be developed according to TCM syndrome characteristics for postmenopausal women with dyslipidemia.

ObjectiveTo investigate the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome patterns among postmenopausal women with dyslipidemia， and to examine the correlations of lipid parameters with bone mineral density （BMD） and bone metabolism markers across common TCM syndrome patterns， thereby providing a clinical reference for individualized integrative traditional Chinese and western medicine interventions stratified according to TCM syndrome patterns. MethodsA multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted among postmenopausal women aged 45-64 years with dyslipidemia. TCM syndromes were determined using a scale-based scoring method. BMD measurements were collected， and fasting venous blood samples were assayed for lipid parameters including total cholesterol （TC）， triglycerides （TG）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， and bone metabolism biomarkers including osteocalcin （OST）， total procollagen type Ⅰ N-terminal propeptide （P1NP）， alkaline phosphatase （ALP）， bone-specific alkaline phosphatase （BALP）， β-isomerized C-terminal telopeptide of type Ⅰ collagen （β-CTX）， 25-hydroxyvitamin D ［25（OH）D］， and thyroid-stimulating hormone （TSH）. Chi-square tests were used to compare the distribution of dyslipidemia across different TCM syndromes. Spearman's rank correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the correlations between TCM syndrome patterns and dyslipidemia， as well as the correlations of lipid parameters with BMD and bone metabolism markers within each syndrome pattern. ResultsA total of 506 postmenopausal women with dyslipidemia were included， comprising 172 cases of spleen-kidney yang deficiency syndrome （33.99%）， 163 cases of phlegm-turbidity obstruction syndrome （32.21%）， 118 cases of liver-kidney yin deficiency syndrome （23.32%）， 33 cases of qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome （6.52%）， and 20 cases of yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity syndrome （3.95%）. Phlegm-turbidity obstruction syndrome was negatively correlated with TC abnormality （r=-0.120， P=0.007） and positively correlated with TG abnormality （r=0.246， P＜0.001）. Spleen-kidney yang deficiency syndrome and liver-kidney yin deficiency syndrome were both negatively correlated with TG abnormality （r=-0.101， P=0.023； r=-0.116， P=0.009， respectively）. Further correlation analysis confirmed that phlegm-turbidity obstruction syndrome was negatively correlated with TC abnormality （r=-0.120） and significantly positively correlated with TG abnormality （r=0.246）. Both the spleen-kidney yang deficiency syndrome and liver-kidney yin deficiency syndrome were negatively correlated with TG abnormality （r=-0.101 and r=-0.116， respectively）. In patients with phlegm-turbidity obstruction syndrome， HDL-C was negatively correlated with BMD at the left femoral neck （r=-0.178， P=0.023） and at left total hip （r=-0.190， P=0.015）. In patients with liver-kidney yin deficiency syndrome， TG was positively correlated with BMD at the lumbar spine （L1-L4） and left total hip （r=0.214， P=0.020； r=0.221， P=0.016， respectively）. More significant correlations were observed in patients with spleen-kidney yang deficiency syndrome， TG was positively correlated with ALP （r=0.210， P=0.006）； TC was positively correlated with TSH and 25（OH）D （r=0.153， P=0.045； r= 0.231， P=0.002， respectively）； HDL-C was positively correlated with OST and 25（OH）D （r=0.156， P=0.040； r=0.228， P=0.003， respectively）； and LDL-C was positively correlated with TSH and 25（OH）D （r=0.156， P= 0.041； r=0.182， P=0.017， respectively）. In patients with liver-kidney yin deficiency syndrome， HDL-C was negatively correlated with TSH （r=-0.204， P=0.027）. ConclusionThe association between dyslipidemia and skeletal health in postmenopausal women varies across TCM syndromes. Lipid abnormalities in women with phlegm-turbidity obstruction syndrome or liver-kidney yin deficiency syndrome are accompanied primarily by site-specific alterations in BMD， whereas those in women with spleen-kidney yang deficiency syndrome are reflected mainly in changes in bone metabolism markers. These findings suggest that targeted intervention strategies should be developed according to TCM syndrome characteristics for postmenopausal women with dyslipidemia.

Objective: To investigate the mechanism of Yishen Tongluo Formula in ameliorating renal pyroptosis in diabetic nephropathy mice by regulating the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88)/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway. Methods: Sixty C57BL/6 male mice were randomly divided into control (10 mice) and intervention groups (50 mice) using random number table method. The diabetes nephropathy model was established by intraperitoneally injecting streptozotocin(50 mg/kg). After modeling, the intervention group was further divided into model, semaglutide (40 μg/kg), and high-, medium-, and low-dose Yishen Tongluo Formula groups (15.6, 7.8, and 3.9 g/kg, respectively) using random number table method. The high-, medium-, and low-dose Yishen Tongluo Formula groups were administered corresponding doses of medication by gavage, the semaglutide group received a subcutaneous injection of semaglutide injection, and the control group and model groups were administered distilled water by gavage for 12 consecutive weeks. Random blood glucose levels of mice in each group were monitored, and the 24-h urinary protein content was measured using biochemical method every 4 weeks; after treatment, the serum creatinine and urea nitrogen levels were measured using biochemical method. The weight of the kidneys was measured, and the renal index was calculated. Hematoxylin and eosin, periodic acid-Schiff, periodic Schiff-methenamine, and Masson staining were used to observe the pathological changes in renal tissue. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect urinary β2-microglobulin (β2-MG), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), and kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) levels. Western blotting and real-time fluorescence PCR were used to detect the relative protein and mRNA expression levels of nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing receptor 3 (NLRP3), Caspase-1, gasdermin D (GSDMD), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-18 (IL-18) in renal tissue. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the proportion of protein staining area of the TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB in renal tissue. Results: Compared with the control group, the random blood glucose, 24-h urinary protein, serum creatinine, urea nitrogen, and renal index of the model group increased, and the urine β2-MG, NGAL, and KIM-1 levels increased. The relative protein and mRNA expression levels of NLRP3, Caspase-1, GSDMD, IL-1β, and IL-18 in renal tissue increased, and the proportion of TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB protein positive staining areas increased (P<0.05). Pathological changes such as glomerular hypertrophy were observed in the renal tissue of the model group. Compared with the model group, the Yishen Tongluo Formula high-dose group showed a decrease in random blood glucose after 12 weeks of treatment (P<0.05). The Yishen Tongluo Formula high- and medium-dose groups showed a decrease in 24-h urinary protein, creatinine, urea nitrogen, and renal index, as well as decreased β2-MG, NGAL, and KIM-1 levels. NLRP3, Caspase-1, GSDMD, IL-1 β, and IL-18 relative protein and mRNA expression levels were also reduced, and the proportion of TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB protein positive staining areas was reduced (P<0.05). Pathological damage to renal tissue was ameliorated. Conclusion Yishen Tongluo Formula may exert protective renal effects by inhibiting renal pyroptosis and alleviating tubular interstitial injury in diabetic nephropathy mice by regulating the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Acute lung injury （ALI） is one of the most common and critical diseases in clinical practice， with extremely high morbidity and mortality， seriously threatening human life and health. The pathogenesis of ALI is complex， in which the inflammatory response is a key factor. Studies have shown that NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3） inflammasomes are involved in ALI through mechanisms such as inflammation induction， increased microvascular permeability， recruitment of neutrophils， oxidative stress， and pyroptosis， playing a key role in the occurrence and progression of ALI. Therefore， regulating NLRP3 inflammasomes and inhibiting the release of inflammatory factors can alleviate the damage in ALI. At present， ALI is mainly treated by mechanical ventilation and oxygen therapy， which have problems such as high costs and poor prognosis. In recent years， studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） can reduce the inflammatory response and the occurrence of oxidative stress and pyroptosis by regulating the NLRP3 inflammasome， thus alleviating the damage and decreasing the mortality of ALI. Based on the relevant literature in recent years， this article reviews the research progress in TCM treatment of ALI by regulating NLRP3 inflammasomes， discusses how NLRP3 inflammasomes participate in ALI， and summarizes the active ingredients， extracts， and compound prescriptions of TCM that regulate NLRP3 inflammasomes， aiming to provide new ideas for the clinical treatment of ALI and the development of relevant drugs.

Objective:To analyze the electroencephalogram features of visual working memory in the delay stage based on microstate analysis.Methods:In this cross-sectional study, ten healthy male subjects aged 19-29 years old from Tianjin Medical University were selected from January to July 2015. The 32-channel electroencephalogram experimental data were recorded from these subjects during the visual working memory eye-open state for 10 min (resting-state) and the delayed matching-to-sample (DMS) task (task-state) conditions, respectively. After data pre-processing, a short-time Fourier transform was applied for time-frequency analysis to extract the characteristic time periods and frequency bands, and electroencephalogram microstates of the resting and task states of visual working memory were computed separately, using an improved k-means clustering algorithm. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyze the statistical differences between resting-state and task-state microstate parameters, including global field power (GFP), global explained variance (GEV), time proportion, mean spatial correlation, frequency of occurrence and duration. Results:The time-frequency distribution of the Fz channel in the responsible brain region in DMS task visual working memory showed that the energy was mainly concentrated in the theta band (4-8 Hz) during the delay stage (4.039-7.039 s). The bipolar locations of microstates A, B, C, and D were prefrontal and occipital, central frontal and occipital, right occipital and left frontal, and left occipital and right frontal, respectively. In microstates A and C, the mean spatial correlation of the task-state was both higher than that of the resting state. The comparison results for microstate A were (0.632 5±0.105 8 vs 0.624 5±0.461 4, P<0.05), and the results for microstate C were (0.589 4±0.233 4 vs 0.561 3±0.066 8, P<0.01). The parameters of the task-state microstate D were lower than those of the resting-state, including GFP (1.125±0.061 vs 1.277±0.741, P<0.05), GEV (0.077±0.061 vs 0.101±0.057, P<0.05), and time proportion (0.191±0.165 vs 0.224±0.094, P<0.05) and mean spatial correlation (0.561 2±0.211 6 vs 0.612 1±0.315 2, P<0.01). Conclusions:The critical period of visual working memory is the delay stage and the critical frequency band is the theta band. Microstate D is the characteristic feature of visual working memory in the delay stage of the theta band, and microstates A and C can also serve as its potential features.