This study aimed to comprehensively examine the association of gallstones, cholecystectomy, and cancer risk. Multivariable logistic regressions were performed to estimate the observational associations of gallstones and cholecystectomy with cancer risk, using data from a nationwide cohort involving 239 799 participants. General and gender-specific two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was further conducted to assess the causalities of the observed associations. Observationally, a history of gallstones without cholecystectomy was associated with a high risk of stomach cancer (adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=2.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.50-4.28), liver and bile duct cancer (aOR=2.46, 95% CI 1.17-5.16), kidney cancer (aOR=2.04, 95% CI 1.05-3.94), and bladder cancer (aOR=2.23, 95% CI 1.01-5.13) in the general population, as well as cervical cancer (aOR=1.69, 95% CI 1.12-2.56) in women. Moreover, cholecystectomy was associated with high odds of stomach cancer (aOR=2.41, 95% CI 1.29-4.49), colorectal cancer (aOR=1.83, 95% CI 1.18-2.85), and cancer of liver and bile duct (aOR=2.58, 95% CI 1.11-6.02). MR analysis only supported the causal effect of gallstones on stomach, liver and bile duct, kidney, and bladder cancer. This study added evidence to the causal effect of gallstones on stomach, liver and bile duct, kidney, and bladder cancer, highlighting the importance of cancer screening in individuals with gallstones.
Humans ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Gallstones/complications* ; Female ; Male ; Cholecystectomy/statistics & numerical data* ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors ; Aged ; Adult ; Neoplasms/etiology* ; Stomach Neoplasms/epidemiology*

Negative logarithm of the acid dissociation constant (pK _a) significantly influences the absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) properties of molecules and is a crucial indicator in drug research. Given the rapid and accurate characteristics of computational methods, their role in predicting drug properties is increasingly important. Although many pK _a prediction models currently exist, they often focus on enhancing model precision while neglecting interpretability. In this study, we present GraFpK _a, a pK _a prediction model using graph neural networks (GNNs) and molecular fingerprints. The results show that our acidic and basic models achieved mean absolute errors (MAEs) of 0.621 and 0.402, respectively, on the test set, demonstrating good predictive performance. Notably, to improve interpretability, GraFpK _a also incorporates Integrated Gradients (IGs), providing a clearer visual description of the atoms significantly affecting the pK _a values. The high reliability and interpretability of GraFpK _a ensure accurate pK _a predictions while also facilitating a deeper understanding of the relationship between molecular structure and pK _a values, making it a valuable tool in the field of pK _a prediction.

Background/Aims: Low educational attainment is a well-established risk factor for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in developed areas. However, the association between educational attainment and the risk of NAFLD is less clear in China. Methods: A cross-sectional study including over 200,000 Chinese adults across mainland China was conducted. Information on education level and lifestyle factors were obtained through standard questionnaires, while NAFLD and advanced fibrosis were diagnosed using validated formulas. Outcomes included the risk of NAFLD in the general population and high probability of fibrosis among patients with NAFLD. Logistic regression analysis was employed to estimate the risk of NAFLD and fibrosis across education levels. A causal mediation model was used to explore the potential mediators. Results: Comparing with those receiving primary school education, the multi-adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for NAFLD were 1.28 (1.16 to 1.41) for men and 0.94 (0.89 to 0.99) for women with college education after accounting for body mass index. When considering waist circumference, the odds ratios (95% CIs) were 0.94 (0.86 to 1.04) for men and 0.88 (0.80 to 0.97) for women, respectively. The proportions mediated by general and central obesity were 51.00% and 68.04% for men, while for women the proportions were 48.58% and 32.58%, respectively. Furthermore, NAFLD patients with lower educational attainment showed an incremental increased risk of advanced fibrosis in both genders. Conclusions In China, a low education level was associated with a higher risk of prevalent NAFLD in women, as well as high probability of fibrosis in both genders.

Objective:To establish the biology reference interval (RI) of peripheral blood procalcitonin (PCT) for children between 3 days and 6 years old in China.Methods:Totally 3 353 reference individuals with apparent health or no specific diseases were recruited in 18 hospitals throughout the country during October 2020 to May 2021. Reference individuals were divided into four groups: 3-28 days, 29 days - 1 year, 1-3 years and 4-6 years. Vein blood or capillary blood were collected by percutaneous puncture from every reference individual. The PCT level in serum and the capillary whole blood were assayed by Roche Cobas e601 and Norman NRM411-S7 immunoanalyzer. Outliers were deleted and 95th percentiles of every group were provided as RIs. Man-Whitney U test or Kruskal-Wallis test were used performed to assess the difference among different gender, age or method groups. Results:The difference of PCT distribution between male and female is not statistically significant, but the difference between serum and capillary whole blood is statistically significant. The differences between age groups are significant too. For Roche e601, serum PCT RI of 3-28 days group is <0.23 μg/L, 29 days - 6 years are <0.11 μg/L. For NRM411, Serum PCT RI of 3-28 days group is <0.21 μg/L, 29 days - 1 year: <0.09 μg/L, 1 - 6 years: <0.10 μg/L. For whole blood PCT, RI of 3-28 days group is <0.26 μg/L, 29 days - 6 years is <0.15 μg/L.Conclusions:Serum and capillary whole blood PCT have different RIs, however, capillary whole blood PCT testing is valuable in pediatric application. Children in 3-28 days show higher PCT levels than other age group. To establish the RIs and understand the differences among different groups are essential for the interpretation and clinical application of peripheral blood PCT testing results.

Background: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is the most common thyroid dysfunction, and its relationship with blood pressure (BP) has been controversial. The aim of the study was to analyze the association between SCH and newly-diagnosed hypertension. Methods: Based on data from the Thyroid disease, Iodine nutrition and Diabetes Epidemiology (TIDE) study, 49,433 euthyroid individuals and 7,719 SCH patients aged ≥18 years were enrolled. Patients with a history of hypertension or thyroid disease were excluded. SCH was determined by manufacturer reference range. Overall hypertension and stage 1 and 2 hypertension were diagnosed according to the guidelines issued by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association in 2017. Results: The prevalence of overall hypertension (48.7%), including stage 1 (28.9%) and 2 (19.8%) hypertension, increased significantly in SCH patients compared with euthyroid subjects. With elevated serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level, the hypertension prevalence also increased significantly from the euthyroid to different SCH subgroups, which was more profound in females or subjects aged <65 years. The age- and sex-specific regression analysis further demonstrated the same trends in the general population and in the 1:1 propensity matched population. Similarly, several BP components (i.e., systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial BP) were positively associated with TSH elevation, and regression analysis also confirmed that all BP components were closely related with SCH in female subjects aged <65 years. Conclusion The prevalence of hypertension increases for patients with SCH. SCH tends to be associated with hypertension and BP components in females younger than 65 years.

Objective:To observe the effects of berberine on procoagulant and fibrinolytic inhibitory factors produced by rat type Ⅱ alveolar epithelial cell (AECⅡ) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS).Methods:AECⅡ cells (RLE-6TN cells) were cultured in vitro, and the cells in logarithmic growth phase were collected. The cytotoxicity text of berberine was detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) to determine the drug concentration range according to inhibition concentration of half cells (IC 50). The RLE-6TN cells were divided into five groups, the cells in blank control group were cultured in DMEM; the cells in LPS group were stimulated with 5 mg/L LPS; and the cells in berberine pretreatment groups were pretreated with 20, 50 and 80 μmol/L berberine for 1 hour, and then were co-cultured with 5 mg/L LPS. The cells were collected after LPS induced for 24 hours. The protein and mRNA expression levels of tissue factor (TF), tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in the cells were detected by Western blotting and real-time fluorescence quantification reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The levels of activated protein C (APC), precollagen Ⅲ peptide (PⅢP), thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT) and antithrombin Ⅲ (ATⅢ) in the cell supernatant were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results:According to the inhibition rate curve, the IC 50 of berberine on RLE-6TN cells was 81.16 μmol/L. Therefore, 20, 50 and 80 μmol/L were selected as the intervention concentration of berberine. Compared with the blank control group, the expression and secretion of procoagulant and fibrinolytic inhibitory factors were abnormal in RLE-6TN cells after LPS induced for 24 hours. The protein and mRNA expression levels of TF and PAI-1 in the LPS group were significantly increased, but the protein and mRNA expression levels of TFPI were significantly decreased. Meanwhile, the levels of APC and ATⅢ in the cell supernatant were significantly decreased, while the levels of PⅢP and TAT were significantly increased. After pretreatment with berberine, the abnormal expression and secretion of procoagulant and fibrinolytic inhibitory factors induced by LPS were corrected in a dose-dependent manner, especially in 80 μmol/L. Compared with the LPS group, the protein and mRNA expression levels of TF and PAI-1 in the berberine 80 μmol/L group were significantly decreased [TF protein (TF/GAPDH): 0.45±0.02 vs. 0.55±0.03, TF mRNA (2 -ΔΔCt): 0.39±0.08 vs. 1.48±0.11, PAI-1 protein (PAI-1/GAPDH): 0.37±0.02 vs. 0.64±0.04, PAI-1 mRNA (2 -ΔΔCt): 1.14±0.29 vs. 4.18±0.44, all P < 0.01] and those of TFPI were significantly increased [TFPI protein (TFPI/GAPDH): 0.53±0.02 vs. 0.45±0.02, TFPI mRNA (2 -ΔΔCt): 0.94±0.08 vs. 0.40±0.05, both P < 0.01]. Meanwhile, the levels of APC and ATⅢ in the cell supernatant were significantly increased [APC (μg/L): 1 358.5±26.0 vs. 994.2±23.1, ATⅢ (μg/L): 118.0±7.4 vs. 84.4±2.7, both P < 0.01], while those of PⅢP and TAT were significantly decreased [PⅢP (μg/L): 11.2±0.4 vs. 18.6±0.9, TAT (ng/L): 222.1±2.8 vs. 287.6±7.0, both P < 0.01]. Conclusions:Berberine could inhibit the LPS-induced expressions of procoagulant and fibrinolytic inhibitory factors in rat AECⅡ cells and promote the expressions of anticoagulant factors in a dose-dependent manner. Berberine may be a new therapeutic target for alveolar hypercoagulability and fibrinolysis inhibition in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Objective:To determine the effect of andrographolide (AD) on the expression of procoagulant and fibrinolytic inhibitory factors in rat type Ⅱ alveolar epithelial cells (AECⅡ) stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS).Methods:The AECⅡ cells RLE-6TN in the logarithmic growth phase were divided into 5 groups: the normal control (NC) group, the LPS group, and the 6.25, 12.5, and 25 mg/L AD groups (AD 6.25 group, AD 12.5 group, AD 25 group). The NC group was cultured with RPMI 1640 conventional medium. In the LPS group, 5 mg/L LPS was added to the RPMI 1640 conventional medium for stimulation. Cells in the AD groups were treated with 6.25, 12.5, and 25 mg/L AD in advance for 1 hour and then given LPS to stimulate the culture. The cells and cell culture supernatant were collected 24 hours after LPS stimulation. The protein and mRNA expressions of tissue factor (TF), tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), and plasminogen activator inhibition-1 (PAI-1) in cells were detected by Western blotting and real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The levels of procollagen Ⅲ peptide (PⅢP), thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), antithrombin Ⅲ (AT-Ⅲ) and activated protein C (APC) in the cell supernatant were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results:Compared with the NC group, the protein and mRNA expressions of TF and PAI-1 in the LPS group were significantly increased, and the protein and mRNA expressions of TFPI were significantly reduced. At the same time, the levels of PⅢP and TAT in the cell supernatant were significantly increased, the levels of AT-Ⅲ, APC were significantly reduced. Compared with the LPS group, the protein and mRNA expressions of TF and PAI-1 in AD 6.25 group, AD 12.5 group, AD 25 group were significantly reduced [TF/GAPDH: 0.86±0.08, 0.45±0.04, 0.44±0.04 vs. 1.32±0.10, TF mRNA (2 -ΔΔCt): 2.59±0.25, 2.27±0.05, 1.95±0.04 vs. 4.60±0.26, PAI-1/GAPDH: 2.11±0.07, 1.45±0.04, 0.86±0.09 vs. 2.56±0.09, PAI-1 mRNA (2 -ΔΔCt): 3.50±0.22, 2.23±0.29, 1.84±0.09 vs. 6.60±0.27, all P < 0.05], while the protein and mRNA expressions of TFPI were significantly increased [TFPI/GAPDH: 0.78±0.05, 0.81±0.03, 0.84±0.07 vs. 0.36±0.02, TFPI mRNA (2 -ΔΔCt): 0.46±0.09, 0.69±0.07, 0.91±0.08 vs. 0.44±0.06, all P < 0.05]. Also the levels of PⅢP and TAT in the cell supernatant were significantly reduced, and the levels of AT-Ⅲ and APC were significantly increased [PⅢP (μg/L): 13.59±0.23, 12.66±0.23, 10.59±0.30 vs. 15.82±0.29, TAT (ng/L): 211.57±6.41, 205.69±4.04, 200.56±9.85 vs. 288.67±9.84, AT-Ⅲ (μg/L): 102.95±3.86, 123.92±2.63, 128.67±1.67 vs. 92.93±3.36, APC (μg/L): 1 188.95±14.99, 1 366.12±39.93, 1 451.15±29.69 vs. 1 145.55±21.07, all P < 0.05]. With the increase of the dose of AD, the above-mentioned promotion and inhibition effects became more obvious. In the AD 25 group, TF, PAI-1 protein and mRNA expressions decreased, TFPI mRNA expression increased, PⅢP level in the supernatant decreased and AT-Ⅲ, APC levels increased compared with AD 6.25 group, the difference was statistically significant, and the decrease of PAI-1 protein expression and PⅢP level in the supernatant were also statistically significant compared with AD 12.5 group. Conclusions:Andrographolide in the dose range of 6.25-25 mg/L can dose-dependently inhibit the expression and secretion of procoagulant and fibrinolytic inhibitor-related factors in AECⅡ cells RLE-6TN stimulated by LPS, and promote the secretion of anticoagulant factors. 25 mg/L has the most obvious effect.

Objective:To analyze the changes in T lymphocyte subsets, B lymphocytes and NK cells in children with active tuberculosis (TB) and their clinical significance.Methods:T lymphocyte subsets, B lymphocytes and NK cells in peripheral blood samples of 106 patients with acute TB (TB group) and 106 healthy children (healthy control group) were detected by flow cytometry and compared between different groups.Results:The percentages of CD3 + T, CD4 + T and NK cells as well as the CD4 +/CD8 + T cell ratio were significantly lower in the TB group than in the healthy control group ( Z=-3.783, P=0.000; Z=-5.401, P=0.000; Z=-3.434, P=0.001; Z=-2.014, P=0.044). The percentages of double negative T (DNT) and B cells in the TB group were significantly higher than those in the healthy control group ( Z=2.765, P=0.006; Z=6.880, P=0.000). No significant difference in the percentage of CD8 + T or double positive T (DPT) cells was observed between the two groups ( P>0.05). The expression of peripheral lymphocyte subsets varied in TB children of different age groups (0-<3, 3-<6, 6-<10 and 10-<16 years old). There were significant differences in CD3 + T, DNT and B cells among the four age groups ( H=10.081, P=0.018; H=14.583, P=0.002; H=8.498, P=0.037). The percentage of CD4 + T cells was significantly lower in children with extrapulmonary TB than in those with pulmonary TB ( Z=-3.068, P=0.002). No statistically significant difference in other lymphocyte subsets was found between children with extrapulmonary and pulmonary TB ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Tuberculosis could lead to immune dysfunction in children. Dynamic monitoring of the changes in peripheral lymphocyte subsets in children with TB could be conducive to better assessment of immune status and providing personalized treatment.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of Tonghua Dongbao′s insulin aspart injection (Rishulin) and NovoRapid (Novo Nordisk) in the treatment of diabetes.Methods:A 26-week, randomized, open-label, parallel-group, positive control drug and non-inferiority trial was conducted in 23 centers in China. A total of 563 diabetes with poor blood glucose control treated with insulin for at least 3 months before were included. The subjects were randomized(stratified block random method) into those receiving Rishulin or NovoRapid at a ratio of 3∶1. Both groups were combined with basal insulin (Lantus). The primary endpoint was the change in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) from baseline to the end of 24 weeks of treatment.Results:For full analysis set, after 24 weeks of treatment, HbA1c level of Ruishulin group decreased from (8.66±1.28)% to (7.77±1.09)% ( P<0.001), and that of NovoRapid group decreased from (8.47±1.28) % to (7.65±0.97) % ( P<0.001). Treatment difference in HbA1c (NovoRapid group-Ruishulin group) was -0.061% (95% CI -0.320-0.199). HbA1c<7.0% target reacing rates were 24.26% and 21.21% ( P=0.456), and HbA1c<6.5% target reacing rates were 9.65% and 6.82% ( P=0.310) in Ruishulin group and NovoRapid group, repectively. The standard 2 hours postprandial blood glucose (2hPG) in Ruishulin group decreased from (16.23±5.22) mmol/L to (12.65±4.57) mmol/L ( P<0.001), and 2hPG in NovoRapid group decreased from (16.13±5.37) mmol/L to (11.91)±4.21) mmol/L ( P<0.001). The fingertips blood glucose at 7-point of both groups exhibited varying degrees of reduction compared with those at baseline, repectively. Positive ratios of specific antibodies were 31.68% in Ruishulin group and 36.36% in NovoRapid group ( P=0.320). Ratios of negative to positive were 7.43% and 10.61% ( P=0.360), and ratios of positive to negative were 10.40% and 7.58% ( P=0.360) in Ruishulin group and NovoRapid group, respectively. The incidence of hypoglycemia was 60.05% and 55.40% ( P=0.371), and the incidence of adverse events was 76.60% and 77.70% ( P=0.818) in Ruishulin group and NovoRapid group, respectively. Conclusions:Rishulin is not inferior to NovoRapid, and has shown good efficacy and safety. It can be an ideal choice for clinicians in patients with poor blood glucose control with insulin.