1.Comorbidity Mechanism Between Ulcerative Colitis and Atrial Fibrillation Based on "Gut Microbiota-gut-heart" Axis
Meiyu FENG ; Wenjing ZHANG ; Yihang DU ; Xuanye DING ; Yuanhui HU ; Haitai YUAN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(7):276-281
The gut microbiota is regarded as the "eighth organ" of the human body and plays a critical regulatory role in the occurrence and progression of various diseases. Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease with a complex etiology and a tendency toward recurrent episodes. In recent years, studies have shown that gut microbiota dysbiosis plays a key role in its pathological processes. Meanwhile, an increasing number of studies have demonstrated that imbalances in the gut microbiota and abnormalities in its metabolites are closely associated with the development of atrial fibrillation (AF). Although UC and AF belong to diseases of the digestive system and cardiovascular system, respectively, both exhibit systemic inflammatory characteristics and are often accompanied by gut microbiota dysregulation and abnormal metabolic products. However, systematic investigations into the mechanisms by which gut microbiota-derived metabolites act in these two diseases remain limited. Based on this, the present study adopts literature review and theoretical analysis methods, taking the "gut microbiota-gut-heart" axis as the entry point, to systematically summarize the signaling networks of three key classes of metabolites, i.e., short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), bile acids (BAs), and trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), in the comorbidity mechanism of UC and AF. The findings indicate that these metabolites may activate key inflammatory pathways, such as NF-κB and NLRP3, thereby synergistically mediating intestinal barrier dysfunction and systemic inflammation and constructing a potential comorbidity network. On this basis, potential intervention strategies for the treatment of UC-AF comorbidity, including probiotic intervention and fecal microbiota transplantation, are further discussed. This study aims to provide new theoretical evidence and research perspectives for prevention and treatment strategies of cross-system diseases.
2.Targeted fluorescent imaging probes for detecting the spatial distribution of VEGF in the retinas of rats with radiation retinopathy
Yunhe DING ; Bin WANG ; Feng LIU ; Zhiyang ZHANG ; Haibei DONG ; Wenwen GUO ; Haitao YIN
International Eye Science 2026;26(4):567-572
AIM: To detect the distribution and expression of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)in radiation retinopathy(RR)through fluorescence targeted imaging.METHODS:Covalent binding of fluorescein FITC with VEGF antibody ranibizumab to prepare targeted fluorescent imaging probe ranibizumab-FITC. SD rats were randomly divided into three groups based on the principle of weight balance: a normal control group(Con group), a low-dose radiation group(10 Gy group), and a high-dose radiation group(30 Gy group). Medical linear accelerators and lead blocks were used to locally irradiate the rat eyeballs for modeling. Western blot and qRT-PCR were used to detect the expression levels of VEGF-A in each group and to screen for appropriate modeling dose. The inverted fluorescence microscope and the confocal microscope were used to observe the distribution of VEGF and imaging probes in the retinas of control and RR model group rats, and to verify the effectiveness of targeted probes.RESULTS:The expression level of VEGF-A in the retina of rats in the high-dose radiation group(30 Gy group)was higher than that in the normal control group(Con group). In early RR, VEGF expression was observed to be associated with microaneurysms and abnormal microvessels in the retina. VEGF accumulation was observed at the site of capillary wall damage. When retinal capillary endothelial damage occurred, targeted probes gathered on the outer surface of the vessel wall.CONCLUSION:The expression level of VEGF in the retina of RR model rats is elevated, and fluorescent targeted molecular imaging probes can detect the spatial distribution of VEGF at the microvascular lesions in the retina of RR rats.
3.Construction of An Automated Segmentation Visual Foundation Model for Pathological Images of Hemorrhoids and Its Application in Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinical Syndrome Analysis
Shijie ZHANG ; Ao ZHANG ; Kang WANG ; Bin KANG ; Xiaofan YU ; Xujing FENG ; Jinyu CAO ; Wenzhen HUANG ; Kang DING
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(7):764-769
This paper proposes a two-stage method integrating visual foundation models (VFM) and diffusion models. The segment anything model (SAM) as VFM is combined with the SegRefiner diffusion model to construct the SAM-SegRefiner framework for automated segmentation of edema, inflammation, and thrombus regions in histopathological images of hemorrhoidal tissue, providing a reproducible technical tool for the objective quantification of pathological morphology and its application in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome research. Trained and validated on multi-center retrospective data, the SAM-SegRefiner model achieved an average pixel accuracy of 95.32% and a mean intersection over union (mIoU) of 66.81% on an independent test set, significantly outperfor-ming comparative models such as U-Net, MixU-Net, and SAM-Med2D, and also demonstrating robust cross-center generalization capability. Furthermore, by correlating the quantitatively segmented results from the model with the patients' TCM syndrome types, the potential associations between pathomorphological features and TCM syndrome differentiation have been explored. The analysis revealed no statistically significant differences in the degree of inflammatory infiltration and thrombus formation among different syndrome types, suggesting a complex relationship between local pathological changes and systemic syndrome manifestations.
4.Characteristic volatile organic compounds in exhaled breath of coal workers' pneumoconiosis patients by thermal desorption gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
Yazhen HE ; Chunguang DING ; Junyun WANG ; Yuzhen FENG ; Fangda PENG ; Gaisheng LIU ; Fan YANG ; Chunmin ZHANG ; Rui GAO ; Qingyu MENG ; Zhijun WU ; Jingguang FAN
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2025;42(5):571-577
Background Coal workers' pneumoconiosis is a serious occupational disease in China. Exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can serve as the "breath fingerprint" of internal pathological processes, which provides a theoretical basis for exhaled VOCs to be used as potential non-invasive biomarkers for early diagnosis of coal workers' pneumoconiosis. Objective To screen out the characteristic VOCs and important characteristic VOCs of exhaled air in patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis, and to explore the potential of these VOCs as biomarkers for early non-invasive diagnosis of the disease. Methods In this study, 27 VOCs in the exhaled breath of 22 patients with stage I coal workers' pneumoconiosis, 77 workers exposed to dust, and 92 healthy controls were quantitatively detected by thermal desorption gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS). Substances with P<0.05 in univariate analysis and variable importance projection (VIP) >1 in supervised orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) model were selected as the characteristic VOCs for early diagnosis of coal workers' pneumoconiosis. Age was included in the LASSO regression model as a covariate to screen out important characteristic VOCs, and the diagnostic performance was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Spearman correlation was further used to explore the correlation between important characteristic VOCs and clinical lung function indicators. Results Through univariate analysis and OPLS-DA modeling, 8 VOCs were selected, including 2-methylpentane, 3-methylpentane, n-hexane, methylcyclopentane, n-heptane, methylcyclohexane, 4-methyl-2-pentanone, and 2-hexanone, in exhaled breath of patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis. The concentrations of 4 VOCs, including 3-methylpentane, n-hexane, 4-methyl-2-pentanone, and 2-hexanone, showed a decreasing trend with the increase of dust exposure years. By LASSO regression, the important characteristic VOCs of the coal workers' pneumoconiosis group and the dust exposure group were n-hexane, methylcyclohexane and 4-methyl-2-pentanone, and the important characteristic VOCs of the coal workers' pneumoconiosis group and the healthy group were 2-methyl-pentane and 4-methyl-2-pentanone. The ROC analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of n-hexane, methylcyclohexane, and 4-methyl-2-pentanone were 0.969, 0.909, and 0.956, respectively, and the AUC of combined diagnosis was 0.988 and its Youden index was 0.961, suggesting that these results can serve as a valuable reference for further research on early diagnosis. The Correlation analysis found that there was a positive correlation between n-hexane and lung function indicators in the important characteristic VOCs, indicating that it could indirectly reflect the obstruction of lung function ventilation, further proving that important characteristic VOCs have the potential to monitor lung function decline. Conclusion Three important characteristic VOCs selected in this study have the potential to be used as non-invasive biomarkers for early diagnosis and disease monitoring of coal workers' pneumoconiosis, and are worthy of further study and verification.
5.Design and Analysis of a Quantitative Dispensing Machine for Small Doses of Chinese Herbal Granules
Hengyuan ZHANG ; Kai SONG ; Yu JI ; Baotong DING ; Yiran FENG ; Jinshi LU
World Science and Technology-Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;27(9):2523-2535
To address the insufficiency of domestic small-dose Chinese herbal granule dispensing equipment,this study introduces the"black box method"design concept and,on this basis,designs a lightweight,compact and highly accurate dispensing device.This device uses a two-phase four-wire brushless motor to drive the slider for displacement,thereby controlling the volume of the medicine falling into the weighing device to complete the weighing of the medicine.Finally,a two-phase hybrid stepping motor is used to drive the weighing device to transfer the medicine.This paper first elaborates in detail on the mechanical structure and weighing dispensing principle of this device.Secondly,the ANSYS finite element software is used to conduct a force analysis test on the weighing device,and it is concluded that the deformation of the weighing device during the working process is 9.98×10-5 mm,and the maximum deformation of the discharge port is 6.65×10-5 mm.Finally,the ADAMS software is used to simulate and analyze the motion process of the mechanism.The results show that,under the premise of ensuring the accuracy of weighing,there are no virtual points or interference in the motion process.On this basis,a prototype test is conducted,and the error accuracy of the dispensing machine is about 0.066 g,which is higher than the traditional dispensing accuracy.This equipment has strong adaptability and high dispensing accuracy,providing a new solution for small-dose precise quantitative equipment.
6.Effects of traditional Chinese medicine five elements music and western classical music on sleep quality of stroke patients
Mengyuan ZHANG ; Li LI ; Yi DING ; Ziyun FENG ; Li LIU ; Yujing WU ; Jianing SU ; Yuqin DAN ; Shuzhen XING
Chinese Journal of Practical Nursing 2025;41(6):428-436
Objective:To investigate the intervention effect of five elements music of traditional Chinese medicine and western classical music on the sleep quality of stroke patients, and to compare the difference between the two, to provide a reference for the clinical care measures to improve the sleep quality of stroke patients.Methods:By adopting a randomized controlled trial, 75 stroke patients who were hospitalized in the rehabilitation hospital of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from July 2022 to July 2023 were selected by convenience sampling method as the study subjects, and the patients were randomly divided the conventional treatment group, the five-element music group, and the classical music group according to the method of randomized numerical table with 25 cases in each group. On the basis of general treatment, the conventional treatment group took sleep health education, the five elements music group were given five-element music intervention based on conventional treatment, and the classical music group were given classical music intervention based on conventional treatment. The changes of Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and polysomnography (PSG) examination parameters in the 3 groups were compared.Results:There were 2 cases of shedding in the conventional treatment group, and 23 cases were finally included, 15 males and 8 females, aged (54.02 ± 7.80) years; there were no cases of shedding in the five-element music group, and 25 cases were finally included, 12 males and 13 females, aged (53.69 ± 6.02) years; and there was 1 case of shedding in the classical music group, and 24 cases were finally included, 10 males and 14 females, aged (52.34 ± 7.08) years. Comparison of AIS, PSQI and PSG scores among the 3 groups of patients before intervention showed no statistically significant differences (all P>0.05). After the intervention, the AIS scores and PSQI scores of the 3 groups were (9.48 ± 1.53) and (12.22 ± 2.94), (6.76 ± 1.36) and (7.64 ± 2.08), (7.46 ± 1.38) and (10.33 ± 2.82), respectively, and the differences were statistically significant ( F=23.21, 18.44, both P<0.05). PSG sleep structure parameters showed that the total sleep time, REM latency time and sleep efficiency of the patients in the five-element music group after the intervention were (399.89 ± 51.76) min, (136.26 ± 25.36) min, (78.87 ± 8.21)%, higher than (368.45 ± 47.88) min, (124.46 ± 26.25) min, (73.36 ± 7.86)% in the classical music group and (345.48 ± 38.69) min, (111.37 ± 23.23) min, (69.44 ± 7.88)% in the conventional treatment group, and the differences between three groups were statistically significant ( F=8.27, 5.93, and 8.49, all P<0.05); the sleep latency time, awakening time, and number of awakenings in the five-element music group were (28.86 ± 17.68) min, (54.37 ± 25.15) min, and (2.72 ± 1.19) times, respectively, which were lower than those in the classical music group (35.67 ± 16.99) min, (64.28 ± 29.34) min, and (3.67 ± 1.12) times and (42.38 ± 18.96) min, (78.38 ± 37.26) min, (4.87 ± 1.46) times in the conventional treatment group, and the differences between three groups were statistically significant ( F=3.51, 3.66, and 17.56, all P<0.05). The results of the PSG sleep progression showed that the duration of the N1 stage of sleep in the five-element music group after the intervention was (95.71 ± 15.23) min, which was higher than (83.20 ± 18.34) min in the classical music group and (80.93 ± 16.47) min in the conventional treatment group, and the difference between three groups was statistically significant ( F=5.53, P<0.01); the N3 stage sleep time and the sleep percentage of the five-element music group after the intervention were respectively (84.23 ± 20.98) min and (23.98 ± 5.89)%, which were higher than (65.33 ± 18.82) min and (18.34 ± 3.78)% in the classical music group and (45.87 ± 18.65) min and (15.03 ± 5.56)% in the conventional treatment group, and the differences between three groups were statistically significant ( F=23.08, 18.50, both P<0.05). Conclusions:Both five elements music and classical music can improve the sleep quality of stroke patients, and the effect of five elements music to improve sleep is more significant.
7.Purification effect of air aerosols in digestive endoscope cleaning and disinfection room under different ventilation and disinfection modes
Sijin YAN ; Yan SONG ; Feng LU ; Shiwen HUANG ; Jiayan DING ; Mei HUANG ; Xiaofang FU ; Lina ZHAO ; Yan ZHANG ; Haiqun BAN
Chinese Journal of Nosocomiology 2025;35(13):2040-2044
OBJECTIVE To investigate the changes of air aerosols in the digestive endoscope cleaning and disinfec-tion room under real working conditions and observe the purification effects of aerosols under different ventilation and disinfection modes.METHODS Under the real working conditions(with both the air conditioner and recircu-lating air disinfection machine under the working mode),the air samples were collected every 1 hour from 8:00 to 16:00 from the digestive endoscope cleaning and disinfection room of Ren Ji Hospital,Shanghai Jiao Tong U-niversity School of Medicine from May 2023 to Oct.2023;the contents of particulate matters(PM)and microor-ganisms in the air were detected.At the busiest moment of the cleaning and disinfection room,the air was respec-tively sampled from the cleaning and disinfection room with the working condition modes of air condition systems,recirculating air disinfection machine or natural ventilation before the starting of systems and after the work for 0.5 hour,1 hour and 2 hours.The contents of PMs and microorganisms were detected.RESULTS The PM0.5 con-centrations during various time periods met the Grade 9 ISO clean room standard(≤35,200 particles/L)under the real working conditions,and the content of airborne viable particles also conformed to the Class Ⅲ environmental requirements(≤500 CFU/m3).All of the three ventilation and disinfection methods showed certain effects on purification of the con-tents of PM0.5 and microorganisms after the ventilation for 2 hours,the contents of PMs and microorganisms of the air disinfection machine group decreased most remarkably,followed by the air conditioner group,the natural ventilation group the least.There were no significant differences in the PM concentration and the content of microorganisms among the three groups at the time points;there were only significant differences in the PM concentration and the content of mi-croorganisms of the air disinfection machine group after the ventilation for 2 hours,0.5 hour and 1 hour(P<0.05).CONCLUSIONS Both the air conditioning systems and recirculating air disinfection machine under the working con-dition mode have certain effect on purification of the contents of PM and microorganisms,and the specific effect need to be further studied.The implementation of multicenter dynamic surveillance with the help of intelli-gent techniques may provide reference for the optimization of ventilation and disinfection strategies.
8.Establishment and Validation of a Risk Prediction Model for Non-complete Procedural Success in Patients Undergoing Transvenous Lead Extraction
Xinxin ZHANG ; Feng ZE ; Xuebin LI ; Haicheng ZHANG ; Jiangbo DUAN ; Dandan YANG ; Ding LI ; Long WANG ; Jinshan HE
Chinese Circulation Journal 2025;40(8):806-812
Objective:To screen the risk factors for non-complete procedural success of transvenous lead extraction(TLE),and to establish a prediction model based on the results and evaluate its predictive efficacy.Methods:A total of 1 029 patients who underwent TLE in Peking University People's Hospital from January 2014 to December 2020 were enrolled and divided into training set(n=720)and validation set(n=309)using the random number method.There were no statistically significant differences among the variables in the training set and the validation set.The training set was divided into the complete procedural success(CPS)group(n=664)and the non-CPS group(n=56).Univariate analysis was employed to screen the relevant indicators of non-CPS,followed by binary logistic regression analysis to identify the independent risk factors of non-CPS.Subsequently,a predictive model and nomogram were constructed.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis was applied to evaluate the ability of the model to distinguish non-CPS from TLE patients in the training set and validation set.The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test was used to assess the consistency between the predicted risk and the actual risk of the model.Results:Univariate analysis showed that the relevant variables with P<0.1 including the age at the first implantation of the lead,the number of leads extracted,the oldest dwell time of lead extracted,the presence of abandoned leads,non-manual traction for lead extracted,the number of extracted leads>3,bilateral lead implantation,and the indications for TLE.The binary logistic regression analysis revealed that the presence of abandoned leads(OR=2.252,95%CI:1.111-4.564,P=0.024),the oldest dwell time of the extracted leads(OR=1.009,95%CI:1.005-1.012,P<0.001),and the number of extracted leads>3(OR=3.177,95%CI:1.306-7.733,P=0.011)were independent risk factors for non-CPS of TLE.ROC curve analysis revealed that the area under the ROC curve(AUC)of the training set was 0.80(95%CI:0.75-0.85,P<0.001).The AUC of the validation set was 0.81(95%CI:0.72-0.90,P<0.001).The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test indicated that the P values of both the training set(P=0.089)and the validation set(P=0.136)were greater than 0.05.Conclusions:The presence of abandoned leads,the oldest dwell time of lead extracted,and the number of extracted leads>3 are independent risk factors for non-CPS in patients undergoing TLE.The nomogram model based on the above factors has satisfactory predictive ability.
9.Abdominal full-thickness skin graft combined with adipose stem cells in repairing soft tissue defects after resection of facial benign tumors
Xiao-feng PAN ; Pei-pei WANG ; Kun LIU ; Miao-miao ZHANG ; Wen-yuan DING
Journal of Regional Anatomy and Operative Surgery 2025;34(5):408-412
Objective To observe the clinical effect of abdominal full-thickness skin graft combined with adipose stem cells in repairing soft tissue defects after resection of facial benign tumors.Methods A total of 180 patients with soft tissue defects after resection of facial benign tumor in our hospital from January 2019 to June 2022 were selected,the study was designed by a double-blind method,and patients were divided into the observation group and the control group by a random number table method,with 90 cases in each group.Patients in the control group were repaired by abdominal full-thickness skin graft treatment,while these in the observation group were repaired by a combination of abdominal full-thickness skin graft and adipose stem cells.The scar status scores in the surgical area,clinical efficacy,incidence of complications and satisfaction of patients in the two groups were compared.Results Compared with preoperative results,the scores of color and thickness of scars,vascular distribution,and softness in face 6 months after surgery in both groups decreased,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).Six months after surgery,the observation group had significantly lower scores on scar color and thickness,vascular distribution,and softness compared to the control group(P<0.05);there was no difference in the effective rate of the forehead,nose,eyelids,lips,or cheeks between the observation group and the control group(P>0.05);while the observation group had higher overall effective rate than the control group(P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of complica-tions between the two groups(P>0.05).There was statistically significant difference in the distribution of the satisfaction of patients between the two groups(P<0.05),and the observation group showed significantly higher satisfaction of patients than the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion Abdominal full-thickness skin graft combined with adipose stem cells can improve facial scars in repairing soft tissue defects after resection of facial benign tumors,and enhance the repair effects and satisfaction of patients,with high safety.
10.Association of blood selenium exposure with sex hormones among men aged 18-79 years in China
Zheng LI ; Yingli QU ; Yawei LI ; Saisai JI ; Haocan SONG ; Qi SUN ; Miao ZHANG ; Wenli ZHANG ; Jiayi CAI ; Liang DING ; Ying ZHU ; Feng ZHAO ; Zhaojin CAO ; Yuebin LYU ; Lu WANG ; Xiaoming SHI
Chinese Journal of Preventive Medicine 2025;59(10):1632-1639
Objective:To investigate the association between blood selenium levels and sex hormones in Chinese men aged 18-79 years.Methods:Data were derived from the China National Human Biomonitoring survey conducted in 2017-2018, with a final sample size of 5 414 men. General demographic characteristics, behavioral habits, and dietary frequency were collected through questionnaires and physical examinations. Fasting blood samples were collected to measure blood lead, serum testosterone, and estradiol levels. Complex sampling linear regression models were used to analyze the associations between blood selenium levels and testosterone, estradiol, and the testosterone/estradiol ratio, adjusting for confounding factors including age, education level, marital status, smoking status, alcohol consumption, seafood intake, soy product intake, protein supplement intake, BMI, and diabetes status.Results:The mean age of the 5 414 participants was (46.85±27.91) years; 4 774 (91.65%) were of Han ethnicity and 4 505 (86.68%) were married. The median ( Q1, Q3) blood selenium concentration in men was 97.80 (80.64, 116.99) μg/L. After adjusting for confounding factors, the complex sampling linear regression model revealed negative associations between blood selenium levels and both testosterone levels and the testosterone/estradiol ratio, with a significant linear trend ( Ptrend<0.05). Compared with the Q1 group, the β (95% CI) values for testosterone in the Q2, Q3, and Q4 groups were -0.02 (-0.06 to 0.02), -0.03 (-0.08 to 0.01), and -0.06 (-0.09 to -0.02), respectively. Similarly, the β (95% CI) values for the testosterone/estradiol ratio in the Q2, Q3, and Q4 groups were -0.01 (-0.03 to 0.02), -0.01 (-0.04 to 0.04), and -0.03 (-0.06 to -0.01), respectively. Subgroup analysis indicated stronger associations between blood selenium levels and testosterone/estradiol levels in non-smoking and obese men (BMI≥28 kg/m2). Conclusion:Blood selenium levels are negatively associated with testosterone levels and the testosterone/estradiol ratio in Chinese adult males.

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