Objective:To evaluate the levels and source of cadmium exposure by dietary pathway among middle-aged and elderly people ≥40 in cadmium-contaminated areas of China.Methods:A total of 7 193 people aged 40-89 years from four typical cadmium-contaminated areas in China were selected as the study subjects. Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), Total Diet Study (TDS) and a 3-day-24-hour dietary recall survey were conducted. Dietary cadmium intake and food sources through dietary pathways were assessed based on cadmium content in foods, consumption amounts and intake frequencies.Results:The mean age of the participants was 63.39±12.21 years, with 50.05% being males. The average monthly dietary cadmium intake was 7.39 μg/(kg·BW). Staple foods and vegetables were the primary sources of dietary cadmium intake, accounting for 57.51% and 32.48%, respectively. The monthly dietary cadmium intake in all surveyed regions did not exceed the Provisional Tolerable Monthly Intake (PTMI) recommended by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).Conclusion:The monthly dietary cadmium intake among middle-aged and elderly people in cadmium-contaminated areas of China is relatively low, with the risk remaining at an acceptable level. Staple foods and vegetables are the most significant contributors to dietary cadmium intake.

Objective:To evaluate the levels and source of cadmium exposure by dietary pathway among middle-aged and elderly people ≥40 in cadmium-contaminated areas of China.Methods:A total of 7 193 people aged 40-89 years from four typical cadmium-contaminated areas in China were selected as the study subjects. Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), Total Diet Study (TDS) and a 3-day-24-hour dietary recall survey were conducted. Dietary cadmium intake and food sources through dietary pathways were assessed based on cadmium content in foods, consumption amounts and intake frequencies.Results:The mean age of the participants was 63.39±12.21 years, with 50.05% being males. The average monthly dietary cadmium intake was 7.39 μg/(kg·BW). Staple foods and vegetables were the primary sources of dietary cadmium intake, accounting for 57.51% and 32.48%, respectively. The monthly dietary cadmium intake in all surveyed regions did not exceed the Provisional Tolerable Monthly Intake (PTMI) recommended by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).Conclusion:The monthly dietary cadmium intake among middle-aged and elderly people in cadmium-contaminated areas of China is relatively low, with the risk remaining at an acceptable level. Staple foods and vegetables are the most significant contributors to dietary cadmium intake.

Objective:To investigate the regulatory effect of transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily C member 3 (TRPC3) on the retina in oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) mice and biological behavior of human retinal vascular endothelial cells (HREC).Methods:A total of 32 healthy SPF grade 7-day-old C57BL/6 mice were selected and randomly divided into a control group and an OIR group by the random number table method, with 16 mice in each group.The control group received no special treatment, and the OIR model was established in the OIR group.On postnatal day 17 (PN17), the success of the model establishment was verified by immunofluorescence staining of the retinal patch.The in vitro cultured HREC were divided into a normal control group, a transfection reagent group, and a si-TRPC3 group.The normal control group received no special treatment, while the transfection reagent group and the si-TRPC3 group were transfected with transfection reagent or transfection reagent + si-TRPC3.The relative expression of TRPC3 mRNA was detected by real-time quantitative fluorescence PCR.The relative expressions of TRPC3, transcription factor NF-E2 related factor (Nrf2), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) proteins were determined by Western blot.HREC were further divided into a normal control group, a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) group, a si-TRPC3 group, and a Pyr3 (TRPC3 channel inhibitor) group, which were cultured in complete medium, medium containing 20 ng/ml VEGF recombinant protein, medium containing 20 ng/ml VEGF recombinant protein (si-TRPC3 transfection for 72 hours), and medium containing 20 ng/ml VEGF recombinant protein+ 1 μmol/L Pyr3 for 48 hours, respectively.The proliferation ability of HREC was detected using cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8). The horizontal and vertical migration ability of cells were detected by cell scratch assay and transwell assay, respectively.This study followed the 3R principles of animal welfare and was approved by the Ethics Committee of Hebei Eye Hospital (No.2023LW04). Results:Pathological neovascular clusters with strong fluorescent staining appeared in the retina of OIR mice on PN17.The relative expressions of TRPC3 mRNA and protein in the retina of OIR mice were 2.057±0.244 and 1.517±0.290, respectively, significantly higher than 0.983±0.033 and 0.874±0.052 of control group ( t=6.165, 3.094; both at P<0.05). The relative expression levels of TRPC3 mRNA and protein were significantly lower, and the relative expression levels of Nrf2 and SOD proteins were higher in the si-TRPC3 group than in the normal control and transfection reagent groups, and the differences were statistically significant (all at P<0.05). The CCK-8 experiment results showed that the cell absorbance value was higher in the VEGF group than in the normal control group, and lower in the si-TRPC3 and Pyr3 groups than in the VEGF group, with statistically significant differences (all at P<0.05). The results of the cell scratch experiment showed that the lateral migration rate of VEGF group cells was higher than that of normal control group, while the lateral migration rate of si-TRPC3 group and Pyr3 group cells was lower than that of VEGF group, and the differences were statistically significant (all at P<0.05). The transwell experiment results showed that the number of stained cells in the VEGF group was higher than that in the normal control group, and the number of stained cells in the si-TRPC3 group and Pyr3 group was lower than that in the VEGF group, with statistically significant differences (all at P<0.05). Conclusions:Hypoxia induces increased TRPC3 expression in OIR mouse retina, and downregulation of TRPC3 inhibits HREC proliferation and migration.The mechanism is related to the activation of the Nrf2-related oxidative stress pathway.

Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma as a traditional Chinese herbal medicine has now been recognized and paid attention to by the pharmaceutical community.Modern phytochemical studies have shown that Panax notoginseng saponin is the main chemical compo-nent of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma.Modern pharmacological studies and clinical applications have revealed that it has anti-cancer,antioxidant and cardiovascular disease effects.In this study,we reviewed the research progress of the main chemical components and pharmacological effects of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma,with the aim of providing assistance for the clinical application and later stud-ies of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma.

Objective To explore the key targets and signaling pathways in the therapeutic mechanism of Semiliquidambar cathayensis Chang(SC)root against pancreatic cancer network pharmacology and molecular docking studies and cell experiments.Methods The targets of SC and pancreatic cancer were predicted using the network pharmacological database,the protein-protein interaction network was constructed,and pathways,functional enrichment and molecular docking analyses were performed.CCK-8 assay was used to test the inhibitory effect of the aqueous extract of SC root on 8 cancer cell lines,and its effects on invasion,migration,proliferation,and apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells were evaluated.Western blotting was performed to verify the results of network pharmacology analysis.Results We identified a total of 18 active components in SC,which regulated 21 potential key targets in pancreatic cancer.GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses showed that these targets were involved mainly in the biological processes including protein phosphorylation,signal transduction,and apoptosis and participated in cancer signaling and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways.Among the 8 cancer cell lines,The aqueous extract of SC root produced the most obvious inhibitory effect in pancreatic cancer cells,and significantly inhibited the invasion,migration,and proliferation and promoted apoptosis of pancreatic cancer Panc-1 cells(P<0.05).Western blotting confirmed that SC significantly inhibited the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and AKT in Panc-1 cells(P<0.001).Conclusion The therapeutic effect of SC root against pancreatic cancer effects is mediated by its multiple components that act on different targets and pathways including the PI3K-Akt pathway.

Objective To explore the key targets and signaling pathways in the therapeutic mechanism of Semiliquidambar cathayensis Chang(SC)root against pancreatic cancer network pharmacology and molecular docking studies and cell experiments.Methods The targets of SC and pancreatic cancer were predicted using the network pharmacological database,the protein-protein interaction network was constructed,and pathways,functional enrichment and molecular docking analyses were performed.CCK-8 assay was used to test the inhibitory effect of the aqueous extract of SC root on 8 cancer cell lines,and its effects on invasion,migration,proliferation,and apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells were evaluated.Western blotting was performed to verify the results of network pharmacology analysis.Results We identified a total of 18 active components in SC,which regulated 21 potential key targets in pancreatic cancer.GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses showed that these targets were involved mainly in the biological processes including protein phosphorylation,signal transduction,and apoptosis and participated in cancer signaling and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways.Among the 8 cancer cell lines,The aqueous extract of SC root produced the most obvious inhibitory effect in pancreatic cancer cells,and significantly inhibited the invasion,migration,and proliferation and promoted apoptosis of pancreatic cancer Panc-1 cells(P<0.05).Western blotting confirmed that SC significantly inhibited the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and AKT in Panc-1 cells(P<0.001).Conclusion The therapeutic effect of SC root against pancreatic cancer effects is mediated by its multiple components that act on different targets and pathways including the PI3K-Akt pathway.

Inflammation is closely associated with the development of cancer. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) actively participate in tumor-related inflammation and promote tumor growth and metastasis, while under certain conditions, TAM also show cytotoxicity and tumor killing activity and thus inhibit the progression of cancer. Crosstalk between TAM and neighboring cells is closely associated with the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and drug resistance during treatment. This article summarizes the role of macrophages in HCC and the crosstalk between macrophages and other cells, so as to provide new strategies for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of HCC.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of belimumab(BLM) in patients with SLE.Methods:Clinical data were collected for SLE patients who were diagnosed and treated with BLM in the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology (inpatient and outpatient department) of Guilin Medical College Affiliated Hospital from 1 December, 2019 to 12 May, 2023. BLM + standard of care (SOC) for the BLM group and SOC only for the SOC group. The primary clinical endpoint was adverse events (AE) occurring in groups, and the secondary clinical endpoint was disease activity index including SLEDAI-2000, clinical indicators, glucocortoid dosage reduction, and disease flare in the two groups. Propensity score matching method, independent sample t-test, non-parametric rank-sum test, variance analysis were used for statistical analysis. Results:Among the 79 BLM patients included, 48 had hematological impairment (61%), 53 had renal impairment (67%), 11 had skin and mucosal impairment (14%), 20 had joint impairment (25%), and 2 had neurological impairment(3%). There were no serious adverse events during the treatment in both groups. In the BLM group, with 14 cases experienced respiratory system infection, 1 with urinary system infection, 3 with skin infection, 4 with herpes virus infection, and 16 with liver function impairment. In the SOC group, there were 26 cases experienced respiratory system infection, 1 with urinary system infection, 6 with digestive system symptoms, 6 with skin infection, 4 with herpes virus infection, 10 with liver function impairment, 2 with thrombosis, and 1 with sepsis. Patients tolerated BLM generally well, with fewer adverse events occurring [in patients with the long course treatment, the number of AE cases in the BLM group vs SOC group 11 [(33%) vs 22 (68%), ( χ2=3.74, P=0.053)]. From all study groups and high-dose glucocorticoid (≥20 mg) groups, it was observed that the BLM group had a more significant reduction in glucocortoid dose [baseline glocucorticoid reduction in the BLM group decreased from 20 (12, 40)mg/d to 6 (4, 10)mg/d ( Z=0.12, P=0.01). In the renal injury group, after treatment, serum creatinine level decreased in the BLM group glomerular filtration rate increased from 72.37 (41.97, 95.74) to 97.03 (71.18, 114.34) ( Z=-4.62, P<0.001). There was less flares in the BLM group [7 cases (28%) vs 18 cases (72%), χ2=5.58, P=0.018] when compared with the soc group. Conclusion:BLM is safe and effective for the treatment of SLE, which can reduce disease activity, improve clinical parameters, reduce glocucorticoid dosage, and have a low flare rate.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has spread worldwide and threatened human's health. With the passing of time, the epidemiology of coronavirus disease 2019 evolves and the knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 infection accumu-lates. To further improve the scientific and standardized diagnosis and treatment of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection in China, the Chinese Society of Perinatal Medicine of Chinese Medical Association commissioned leading experts to develop the Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection under the guidance of the Maternal and Child Health Department of the National Health Commission. This recommendations includes the epidemiology, diagnosis, management, maternal care, medication treatment, care of birth and newborns, and psychological support associated with maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection. It is hoped that the recommendations will effectively help the clinical management of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Liver failure is a common end-stage liver disease syndrome in clinical practice characterized by massive necrosis of hepatocytes leading to rapid liver failure, and it is currently believed that excessive inflammation and immune response are the core mechanisms of this disease. Endogenous lipid mediators are involved in the regulation of a variety of inflammatory processes, including initiation, maintenance, and regression, and eicosanoids and pro-decomposition lipid mediators, as well as their complex metabolic pathways and transduction signals, play a key role in the regulation of these processes. This article reviews the key role of endogenous lipid mediators in the pathophysiological mechanism of inflammation and immune dysfunction in liver failure and the potential significance and new therapeutic opportunities of lipid immune pathway in liver failure, in order to provide new ideas for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of liver failure.