1.Exploration in Pathological Mechanisms of Myocardial Infarction and Osteoporosis Based on "Heart-bone" Axis Theory
Yuzhuo ZHANG ; Qi SHANG ; Hui REN ; Bin LIU ; Jingzhi ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(3):251-257
Myocardial infarction (MI) and osteoporosis (OP), as two prevalent metabolic diseases with high morbidity and mortality rates, are respectively characterized by cardiovascular system dysfunction and bone homeostasis imbalance, collectively posing significant global public health challenges. While clinically often considered as independent diseases, recent studies have revealed shared pathological mechanisms between the two. This study initiated its exploration from the traditional Chinese medicine concept of the "heart-bone" axis, systematically analyzing the correlation between MI and OP from perspectives including hemodynamics, neuroendocrinology, calcium homeostasis, inflammation and vascular injury, as well as hormone levels. By discussing the pathological mechanisms of "heart disease affecting the bones and bone disease affecting the heart", the study also elucidated advancements in both Western and traditional Chinese medicine treatments. The goal is to provide novel insights and methodologies for the prevention and treatment of "heart-bone comorbidities", thereby facilitating comprehensive management of cardiovascular and skeletal diseases.
2.Exploration in Pathological Mechanisms of Myocardial Infarction and Osteoporosis Based on "Heart-bone" Axis Theory
Yuzhuo ZHANG ; Qi SHANG ; Hui REN ; Bin LIU ; Jingzhi ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(3):251-257
Myocardial infarction (MI) and osteoporosis (OP), as two prevalent metabolic diseases with high morbidity and mortality rates, are respectively characterized by cardiovascular system dysfunction and bone homeostasis imbalance, collectively posing significant global public health challenges. While clinically often considered as independent diseases, recent studies have revealed shared pathological mechanisms between the two. This study initiated its exploration from the traditional Chinese medicine concept of the "heart-bone" axis, systematically analyzing the correlation between MI and OP from perspectives including hemodynamics, neuroendocrinology, calcium homeostasis, inflammation and vascular injury, as well as hormone levels. By discussing the pathological mechanisms of "heart disease affecting the bones and bone disease affecting the heart", the study also elucidated advancements in both Western and traditional Chinese medicine treatments. The goal is to provide novel insights and methodologies for the prevention and treatment of "heart-bone comorbidities", thereby facilitating comprehensive management of cardiovascular and skeletal diseases.
3.Longitudinal cohort study on pubertal development trajectories of testicular and breast development among children
Chinese Journal of School Health 2026;47(3):408-412
Objective:
To characterize longitudinal trajectories of testicular development in boys and breast development in girls, so as to provide reference data for understanding patterns of pubertal sexual maturation.
Methods:
Based on the Shanghai Pudong New Area Cohort Study on Growth, Development and Health in Children and Adolescents, a baseline survey was conducted in 2020 using a mult stage cluster random sampling method. A total of 2 184 children who completed all follow ups during the primary school period from 13 elementary schools in Pudong New Area,Shanghai,with annual follow ups during 2021-2025. Testicular volume and Tanner stage of breast development were assessed by professional physicians using standardized visual inspection and palpation. The age distribution of testicular volume and breast development was fitted by using cumulative link mixed models and Turnbull s nonparametric maximum likelihood estimation method.
Results:
Median ages for testicular volumes of 2, 3, 4 and 5 mL in boys were 7.07, 9.24, 10.29, and 11.57 years old, respectively. Median ages for Tanner breast stages Ⅱ, Ⅲ, Ⅳ, and Ⅴ in girls were 8.55 , 10.17, 11.18, and 13.78 years old, respectively. Based on overweight and obesity, stratified analysis showed that earlier pubertal onset among overweight/obesity children, and the key milestones for pubertal initiation were testicular volume reaching 4 mL in boys and breast Tanner II in girls for 10.29, 10.83; 8.18, 9.00 years.
Conclusion
Overweight and obesity are associated with earlier pubertal initiation,but there are certain gender and developmental stage specific patterns.
4.Epidemiological characteristics and spatial-temporal clustering of varicella in Changchun City from 2020 to 2024
WU Hui ; XU Qiumin ; REN Zhixing ; YIN Yuan ; ZHAI Qianqian ; YAO Laishun
Journal of Preventive Medicine 2026;38(1):66-70,74
Objective:
To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and spatial-temporal clustering of varicella in Changchun City from 2020 to 2024, so as to provide the evidence for formulating local varicella prevention and control measures.
Methods:
The individual case data of varicella were collected through the Surveillance and Reporting Management System of the Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System in Changchun City from 2020 to 2024. Descriptive epidemiological methods were used to analyze the population ,regional, and temporal distribution. Spatial autocorrelation and spatio-temporal scanning analyses were used to identify the spatial-temporal clustering characteristics.
Results:
A total of 8 850 varicella cases were reported in Changchun City from 2020 to 2024, with an average annual incidence of 19.64/105. There were 4 929 male cases and 3 921 female cases, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.26∶1. The age was mainly 0-<20 years (6 649 cases, 75.13%), and students were the predominant occupation (6 036 cases, 68.20%). The top three counties (cities, districts) with the highest number of cases were Chaoyang District (1 944 cases), Gongzhuling City (1 054 cases) and Nanguan District (987 cases), accounting for 45.03%. The peak incidence periods were from April to June and from October to December, with 2 166 and 4 226 cases, accounting for 24.47% and 47.75%, respectively. Spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that spatial clustering existed from 2020 to 2024. The high-high clustering areas were mainly some townships (streets) in Chaoyang District, Nanguan District, Changchun New District and Jingyue District. Spatio-temporal scanning analysis identified 6 high-risk clustering areas. The class Ⅰ clustering area was Nanhu Street in Chaoyang District, with the clustering period from September 2020 to February 2022.
Conclusions
Varicella cases in Changchun City were mainly males and students aged 0-<20 years from 2020 to 2024. The peak incidence was mainly in winter. Chaoyang District was a high-risk area, with obvious spatial-temporal clustering.
5.Effects of androgens on cognitive function in castration male mice
Yaqi ZHANG ; Cancan HUI ; Fang REN ; Min XU ; Zilong JIANG ; Datong DENG
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2026;61(3):455-461
ObjectiveTo establish a castrated male mouse model and to preliminarily investigate the effects of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) on behavior, serum indices, and histopathological changes in castrated mice, as well as to explore the role of androgens in cognitive function. MethodsForty 6-month-old male C57/BL6J mice were randomly divided into sham operation group, castration group, testosterone propionate (0.5,1.0 mg/kg) treated group, with 10 mice in each group. Following castration and subcutaneous administration of testosterone propionate at different doses (0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg) for TRT, learning and memory abilities were assessed using the Morris water maze (MWM) test and the passive avoidance test. Serum testosterone and serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels were measured by ELISA, and histopathological changes in the hippocampus were examined using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. ResultsRoutine observations: there were no statistically significant differences in body weight among groups at any time point. MWM test: compared with castration group, sham operation group and testosterone propionate-treated groups (0.5, 1.0 mg/kg) showed significantly reduced escape latency on days 4 and 5 (P0.05), while the number of platform crossings and the time spent in the target quadrant significantly increased (P0.05). Passive avoidance test: the number of passive avoidance errors significantly decreased in sham operation group and testosterone propionate (1.0 mg/kg)-treated group (P0.05), and the passive avoidance latency was significantly prolonged in sham-operated group and testosterone propionate-treated groups (0.5, 1.0 mg/kg) (P0.05). Serum testosterone and serum BDNF assays: serum testosterone levels and serum BDNF concentrations significantly increased in sham operation group and testosterone propionate-treated groups (0.5, 1.0 mg/kg) (P0.01). HE staining: compared with sham operation group, neuronal density in all hippocampal subregions was slightly reduced in castration group; in the testosterone propionate (0.5 mg/kg)-treated group, neuronal arrangement in the CA1 and CA3 regions was improved and apoptotic cells were reduced compared with castration group; in testosterone propionate (1.0 mg/kg)-treated group, the pyramidal cell layer in the CA3 region was more compactly arranged, with fewer apoptotic cells than in castration group. ConclusionTRT improves learning and memory performance in castration male mice, potentially through modulation of hippocampal BDNF signaling pathways.
6.Acute Inflammatory Pain Induces Sex-different Brain Alpha Activity in Anesthetized Rats Through Optically Pumped Magnetometer Magnetoencephalography
Meng-Meng MIAO ; Yu-Xuan REN ; Wen-Wei WU ; Yu ZHANG ; Chen PAN ; Xiang-Hong LIN ; Hui-Dan LIN ; Xiao-Wei CHEN
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(1):244-257
ObjectiveMagnetoencephalography (MEG), a non-invasive neuroimaging technique, meticulously captures the magnetic fields emanating from brain electrical activity. Compared with MEG based on superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUID), MEG based on optically pump magnetometer (OPM) has the advantages of higher sensitivity, better spatial resolution and lower cost. However, most of the current studies are clinical studies, and there is a lack of animal studies on MEG based on OPM technology. Pain, a multifaceted sensory and emotional phenomenon, induces intricate alterations in brain activity, exhibiting notable sex differences. Despite clinical revelations of pain-related neuronal activity through MEG, specific properties remain elusive, and comprehensive laboratory studies on pain-associated brain activity alterations are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of inflammatory pain (induced by Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA)) on brain activity in a rat model using the MEG technique, to analysis changes in brain activity during pain perception, and to explore sex differences in pain-related MEG signaling. MethodsThis study utilized adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Inflammatory pain was induced via intraplantar injection of CFA (100 μl, 50% in saline) in the left hind paw, with control groups receiving saline. Pain behavior was assessed using von Frey filaments at baseline and 1 h post-injection. For MEG recording, anesthetized rats had an OPM positioned on their head within a magnetic shield, undergoing two 15-minute sessions: a 5-minute baseline followed by a 10-minute mechanical stimulation phase. Data analysis included artifact removal and time-frequency analysis of spontaneous brain activity using accumulated spectrograms, generating spectrograms focused on the 4-30 Hz frequency range. ResultsMEG recordings in anesthetized rats during resting states and hind paw mechanical stimulation were compared, before and after saline/CFA injections. Mechanical stimulation elevated alpha activity in both male and female rats pre- and post-saline/CFA injections. Saline/CFA injections augmented average power in both sexes compared to pre-injection states. Remarkably, female rats exhibited higher average spectral power 1 h after CFA injection than after saline injection during resting states. Furthermore, despite comparable pain thresholds measured by classical pain behavioral tests post-CFA treatment, female rats displayed higher average power than males in the resting state after CFA injection. ConclusionThese results imply an enhanced perception of inflammatory pain in female rats compared to their male counterparts. Our study exhibits sex differences in alpha activities following CFA injection, highlighting heightened brain alpha activity in female rats during acute inflammatory pain in the resting state. Our study provides a method for OPM-based MEG recordings to be used to study brain activity in anaesthetized animals. In addition, the findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of pain-related neural activity and pain sex differences.
7.Spatial-temporal patterns of marmot density in plague foci of Himalayan marmot: a case study of Yarlung Zangbo River, Lhasa River and Nyangqu River Region
Chinese Journal of Endemiology 2025;44(9):695-702
Objective:To learn about the distribution characteristics of marmot in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Himalayan marmot plague foci, and to study the spatial-temporal patterns and variation characteristics of Himalayan marmot density in the Yarlung Zangbo River, Lhasa River and Nyangqu River Region. Methods:The density survey data of Himalayan marmot from 2001 to 2019 in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were collected from the Tibet Autonomous Region Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the habitat characteristic data of Himalayan marmot were collected from the database of the Resource and Environmental Science Data Platform of Chinese Academy of Sciences and other relevant institutions. Based on the density survey data of Himalayan marmot and its habitat characteristics, five regression models were constructed. The best regression model was selected by comparing the accuracy indicators [root-mean-square error ( RMSE), coefficient of determination ( R 2), mean absolute error ( MAE), and mean bias error ( MBE)]. The habitat characteristics of Himalayan marmot at the basin scale from 2001 to 2019 were included in the best regression model to analyze the spatial-temporal pattern of the density of Himalayan marmot, and the hotspot analysis was used to analyze the aggregation pattern of the density of Himalayan marmot. Results:In the constructed regression models, the random forest regression model had high accuracy, with RMSE of 0.05, R 2 of 0.65, MAE of 0.02, and MBE of 0.01. Among the characteristics of various habitats, the contribution of average temperature was the highest, at 0.85. The prediction results of the random forest regression model showed that the density distribution of Himalayan marmot at the basin scale was basically similar in different years, and the overall spatial distribution characteristics were "high in the north, low in the south" and "high in the east and west, low in the middle". The northwest of Xietongmen County, the northeast of Maizhokunggar County, and the north of Namling County were hotspot area. Conclusions:The distribution of Himalayan marmot in the Yarlung Zangbo River, Lhasa River and Nyangqu River Region has obvious spatial aggregation, and the high-density aggregation areas of Himalayan marmot in different years are basically similar. It is necessary to continue to monitor the density of Himalayan marmot and strengthen the prevention and control of plague.
8.Effect of puerarin on myocardial injury in diabetic mice via NLRP3-caspase-1-GSDMD signaling pathway
Qiu-yan CHEN ; Lu WANG ; Ren-bin HUANG ; Xiao-hui XU
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(7):1259-1264
Aim To study the protective effect of puer-arin(PR)on myocardial injury in diabetic mice and to explore the related mechanism.Methods Eight male C57BL/6J mice were randomly selected as the control group,and the remaining mice were randomly injected with streptozotocin(STZ)to construct a diabetes mod-el,and the mice that were successfully modeled were randomly divided into the model group,PR high,medi-um and low dose groups,pyroptosis inhibitor(NSA)group and pyroptosis inducer(Nigericin)group,which were administered continuously for 12 weeks.After the last dose,the serum and heart tissues of mice were taken to observe the changes of myocardium,the con-tents of lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)and creatine ki-nase isoenzyme(CK-MB)in the serum were detected,and the protein and mRNA expressions of pyroptosis-related factors(NLRP3,caspase-1,GSDMD,IL-18,IL-1β)in myocardial tissues of mice were detected.Re-sults Compared with the control group,the model group had swollen and twisted myocardial tissue,myo-cardial arrangement disorder,increased collagen fibers,increased content of LDH and CK-MB in serum,and significantly increased the expression of pyroxosis relat-ed factors in myocardial tissue(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the pathologi-cal changes of myocardial tissue in in the PR and NSA groups were significantly improved,the content of ser-um LDH and CK-MB was significantly reduced,and the expression of pyroxosis related factors in myocardial tis-sue was significantly inhibited(P<0.05 or P<0.01),while there was no significant change in the Nigericin group.Conclusions PR has a protective effect on myocardial injury in diabetic mice,and its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of the NL-RP3/caspase-1/GSDMD pyrosis signaling pathway.
9.Construction and validation of predictive model for surgical site infections following spinal surgery in Chinese population
Hongxin WEI ; Yan REN ; Shuang LIU ; Jiao SHAN ; Hui CHEN ; Xiao HAN ; Zhiwei CHEN ; Lin YANG ; Yue LIU ; Luyao LI ; Hong LI
Chinese Journal of Nosocomiology 2025;35(16):2465-2470
OBJECTIVE To construct a predictive tool for surgical site infections(SSIs)in spinal surgery for Chi-nese population to provide evidence support for reducing SSIs.METHODS A systematic review of Chinese and English database literature was conducted for Meta-analysis to obtain pooled risk values for influencing factors,and a risk prediction scoring tool was constructed based on the logistic regression model.Patients who underwent spinal surgery and completed postoperative follow-up in a tertiary hospital in Beijing from Jan.to Dec.2021 were selected to validate the predictive effect of the tool.RESULTS The predictive model for SSIs in Chinese spinal sur-gery patients was Logit(P)=—3.47+0.63(age 60 years)+0.31 ×(patient with cardiovascular disease)+0.69 ×(rheumatoid arthritis)+1.07 ×(diabetes)+1.06 ×(operation duration>3 h)+1.17 ×(preopera-tive albumin<35 g/L)+0.71 ×(history of spinal surgery)+0.67 ×(carrying internal implants)+0.73 ×(blood transfusion).The total score of the predictive tool was 92,with a cutoff score of≥24.50 indicating high-risk individuals.The area under the curve was 0.733,with the sensitivity 58.30%and the specificity 79.60%.CONCLUSION The established predictive model for SSIs in Chinese spine surgery demonstrates good predictive performance and can be used as a reference assessment tool in clinical practice.
10.Dose-response relationship between disease risk perception and objective risk of stroke and nursing strategies
Chenxi ZHOU ; Beilei LIN ; Jie ZHANG ; Hui REN ; Hui WANG ; Zhenxiang ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Nursing 2025;60(7):779-785
Objective To explore the relationship between disease risk perception and objective risk in stroke risk population,and to provide theoretical basis for prevention and control of stroke.Methods From February to May 2023,560 residents who participated in medical examinations in 2 community health service centers of Zhengzhou and Luohe were selected as respondents.The objective risk of stroke was assessed,and the general data questionnaire and Risk Perception Questionnaire for People at High Risk of Stroke were used for investigation.Logistic regression model and restricted cubic spline model were used to analyze the correlation and the dose-response relationship between disease risk perception and objective stroke risk.Results A total of 542 effective questionnaires were collected.The detection rate of stroke high-risk groups was 48.71%.Logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting confounding factors,the objective risk of stroke in the general population and in different gender stratification decreased first and then increased with the increase of the level of disease risk perception.The results of the restricted cubic spline showed that the disease risk perception and objective risk of stroke in the total population and gender stratification showed a nonlinear dose-response relationship(P nonlinear<0.05),and the curve showed a"U"type change.The disease risk perception score of 90.0~110.0 was the protective factor of objective risk of stroke.Conclusion The objective risk of stroke decreases first and then increases with the increase of the perceived risk.Medical staff should maintain individual disease risk perception within the appropriate level,and pay attention to the difference in disease risk perception of different gender groups to implement targeted risk communication strategies,so as to promote the development of healthy behaviors and reduce the incidence of stroke.


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