Background Metals and metalloids in fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) may cause damage to the respiratory and circulatory systems of the human body, and long-term exposure is prone to causing chronic poisoning, cancer, and other adverse effects. Objective To assess the distribution characteristics of metals and metalloids in outdoor PM_2.5 in a southern city of China, conduct source apportionment, and evaluate the associated health risks, thereby providing theoretical support for further pollution control measures. Methods PM_2.5 samples were collected in districts A, B, and C of a southern China city, and the concentrations of 17 metals and metalloids were detected by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Pollution sources were assessed through enrichment factor and principal components analysis, and the main pollution sources were quantified using absolute principal component scores-multivariate linear regression (APCS-MLR). Health risks were evaluated based on the Technical guide for environmental health risk assessment of chemical exposure (WS/T777—2021). Results The ambient air PM_2.5 concentrations in the city were higher in winter and spring, and lower in summer and autumn. The annual average concentrations of ambient PM_2.5 in districts A, B, and C were 36.7, 31.9, and 24.4 μg·m⁻³, respectively. The ambient PM_2.5 levels in districts B and C were below the second-grade limit set by the Ambient air quality standards (GB 3095—2012). The enrichment factors of cadmium (Cd), aluminum (Al), and antimony (Sb) were greater than 10, those of copper (Cu), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), nickel (Ni), mercury (Hg), and molybdenum (Mo) fell between 1 and 10, and those of manganese (Mn), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), barium (Ba), beryllium (Be), and uranium (U) were below or equal to 1. The comprehensive evaluation of source analysis showed that the main pollution sources in districts A and C and the whole city were coal-burning. In district B, the main pollution source was also coal combustion, followed by industrial process sources and dust sources. The carcinogenic risks of As and Cr were between 1×10⁻⁶ and 1×10⁻⁴. However, the hazard quotients for 15 metals and metalloids in terms of non-carcinogenic risk were below 1. Conclusion Cr and As in the atmospheric PM_2.5 of the city present a certain risk of cancer and should be paid attention to. In addition, preventive control measures should be taken against relevant pollution sources such as industrial emission, dust, and coal burning.

Objective: To investigate the changing trends for associations of anxiety and depressive symptoms with smartphone addiction among middle school students, so as to provide a scientific basis for preventing smartphone addiction in middle school students. Methods: From 2022 to 2023, a method of combining convenient sampling with cluster sampling was used to select 8 923 middle school students from 27 junior high schools and 3 senior high schools in a district of Shenzhen City between September 2022 (baseline, T1) and September 2023 (follow up, T2). The Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV), Patients Health Questionnaire-9 Item (PHQ-9), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale (GAD-7) were administered to assess smartphone addiction, anxiety and depressive symptoms. Mixed effects models were used to analyze the association of anxiety and depressive symptoms with smartphone addiction among middle school students. Results: From September 2022 to September 2023, the reported prevalence of smartphone addiction increased from 24.22% to 25.25% ( χ 2=45.71); and smartphone addiction scores [ 24.00 (16.00, 32.00),25.00(16.00, 33.00)], anxiety symptom scores [2.00(0.00, 7.00),3.00(0.00, 7.00)] and depressive symptom scores[3.00(0.00, 8.00),5.00(0.00, 9.00)] all significantly increased ( Z =-17.43, -42.38, -41.57) (all P <0.05). There were statistically significant difference in the distribution of anxiety and depression symptom levels among middle school students in 2022 and 2023 ( χ 2=85.15, 106.85, both P <0.05). After adjusting for covariates such as age, gender and family background, mixed effects models revealed dose response associations of anxiety and depressive symptoms with smartphone addiction among middle school students:mild anxiety symptom( OR =3.22), moderate to severe anxiety symptom ( OR =5.36), mild depressive symptom ( OR =3.32) and moderate to severe depressive symptom ( OR =6.13) were significantly associated with higher risks of smartphone addiction (all P <0.05). Interaction effect analysis found that co existing anxiety and depressive symptoms synergistically increased addiction risk by 5.60 times ( OR =5.60) compared to the asymptomatic group, with 32% of the combined risk attributable to their interaction ( S=1.64, AP =0.32)(both P < 0.05 ). Conclusions Anxiety and depressive symptoms are significantly associated with smartphone addiction, exhibiting a synergistic effect. Attention should be paid to emotional issues and smartphone addiction among middle school students.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of Qingda Granule (QDG) in ameliorating hypertension-induced cardiac damage and investigate the underlying mechanisms involved. METHODS: Twenty spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) were used to develope a hypertension-induced cardiac damage model. Another 10 Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats were used as normotension group. Rats were administrated intragastrically QDG [0.9 g/(kg•d)] or an equivalent volume of pure water for 8 weeks. Blood pressure, histopathological changes, cardiac function, levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory response markers were measured. Furthermore, to gain insights into the potential mechanisms underlying the protective effects of QDG against hypertension-induced cardiac injury, a network pharmacology study was conducted. Predicted results were validated by Western blot, radioimmunoassay immunohistochemistry and quantitative polymerase chain reaction, respectively. RESULTS: The administration of QDG resulted in a significant decrease in blood pressure levels in SHRs (P<0.01). Histological examinations, including hematoxylin-eosin staining and Masson trichrome staining revealed that QDG effectively attenuated hypertension-induced cardiac damage. Furthermore, echocardiography demonstrated that QDG improved hypertension-associated cardiac dysfunction. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and colorimetric method indicated that QDG significantly reduced oxidative stress and inflammatory response levels in both myocardial tissue and serum (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Both network pharmacology and experimental investigations confirmed that QDG exerted its beneficial effects in decreasing hypertension-induced cardiac damage by regulating the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)/angiotensin II (Ang II)/Ang II receptor type 1 axis and ACE/Ang II/Ang II receptor type 2 axis.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Hypertension/pathology* ; Renin-Angiotensin System/drug effects* ; Rats, Inbred SHR ; Oxidative Stress/drug effects* ; Male ; Rats, Inbred WKY ; Blood Pressure/drug effects* ; Myocardium/pathology* ; Rats ; Inflammation/pathology*

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the therapeutic effect and mechanism of ginsenoside Rb3 on experimental periodontitis and bone resorption in rats. METHODS: Male SD rats were randomly divided into a control group, a ligation group, an Rb3 group, and a doxycycline (Dox) group for in vivo experiments. A periodontitis model was established by ligating the maxillary second molar, and samples were collected after 3 weeks of drug treatment. Micro-CT assessment of alveolar bone resorption was performed, and hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to observe pathological changes in periodontal and visceral tissues. Tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining was applied to detect the formation of osteoclasts in periodontal tissues, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was adopted to detect the serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, immunoglobulin (Ig)M, and IgG. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was employed to detect the expression of factors related to gingival inflammation and osteoclast formation. Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK) expression. In vitro experiments were conducted by pretreating RAW264.7 cells with drugs and adding lipopolysaccharides (LPS) stimulation from Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis). IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA expression was detected by qPCR, and Western blot was used to detect the effect of Rb3 on the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) signaling pathway. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the ligation group showed significant periodontitis and bone resorption. Compared with the ligation group, the Rb3 group showed a decrease in alveolar bone resorption and osteoclast formation; p-ERK/ERK ratio, IL-1β, IL-6, and nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFATc1) mRNA levels and downstream gene expression in periodontal tissues; serum IL-6, IL-8, IgG, and IgM levels. Rb3 reduced IL-8 and IL-1β mRNA expression levels and p-ERK/ERK and p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK ratios in RAW264.7 cells induced by P. gingivalis LPS stimulation. CONCLUSIONS Rb3 inhibits inflammation and bone resorption in experimental periodontitis in rats. Compared with Dox, Rb3 has better effects in inhibiting pro-inflammatory factors and osteoclast gene expression and may exert anti-inflammatory effects by activating the MAPK signaling pathway.
Animals ; Ginsenosides/therapeutic use* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Male ; Periodontitis/pathology* ; Rats ; Osteoclasts/drug effects* ; Interleukin-1beta/metabolism* ; Interleukin-6/blood* ; Mice ; Alveolar Bone Loss ; Interleukin-8/blood* ; Immunoglobulin G/blood* ; RAW 264.7 Cells ; Transcription Factors

Objective To summarize the medication law of TCM in the treatment of chronic bronchitis;To provide reference for clinical medication.Methods Medical records of patients with chronic bronchitis who were hospitalized in the Respiratory Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine from January 1,2016 to December 31,2021 were extracted based on HIS electronic medical record data.After screening,the TCM prescriptions used by patients with chronic bronchitis were input into Excel 2019 to establish a database.Based on the software Lantern 5.0,the latent structure model was learned,hidden variables and explicit variables were obtained,and the model was interpreted.SPSS Modeler 18.0 was used to establish model points with Apriori algorithm for Chinese materia medica with a frequency greater than 6%,to obtain the association rules between drugs,and to analyze the medication law of TCM in treating chronic bronchitis.Results A total of 3 410 cases were included,involving 423 kinds of Chinese materia medica,with a cumulative frequency of 82 766 times.Among them,109 kinds of Chinese materia medica with a frequency of>6 % had a cumulative frequency of 69 845 times.The top five commonly used medicines were Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus,Poria,Atractyodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma,Asteris Radix et Rhizoma,Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium,mainly with medicines of reducing cough and phlegm,antiasthmatic medicine,tonifying deficiency,clearing heat,relieving superficies,promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis.The medicinal properties were warming,cold and mild,and the main tastes were bitter,sweet and pungent,and the meridians were mainly lung,spleen,liver and stomach meridians.Through analysis of latent structure,49 hidden variables and 149 hidden classes were obtained.Combined with professional knowledge,10 comprehensive clustering models and 21 core formulas were deduced,such as Sangbaipi Decoction,Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction,Xiaoqinglong Decoction,Erchen Decoction,Shashen Maidong Decoction,Liuwei Dihuang Pills,Yinqiao Powder,Zhisou Powder,Yupingfeng Powder,Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction combined with Daotan Decoction,etc.It was concluded that the chronic bronchitis syndrome included phlegm-heat stagnation lung syndrome,qi stagnation blood stasis syndrome,cold fluid attacking lung syndrome,phlegm-dampness accumulation lung syndrome,lung qi and yin deficiency syndrome,kidney yin deficiency syndrome,wind heat attacking lung syndrome,wind cold attacking lung syndrome,lung qi and spleen deficiency syndrome,phlegm stasis interjunction syndrome.A total of 41 strong association rules were screened in the analysis of association rules,including 5 strong association rules for two and 36 strong association rules for three.The high confidence rules were Saposheikovize Radix + Angelicae Sinensis Radix →Atractyodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma,Saposheikovize Radix + Codonopsis Radix → Atractyodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma,Codonopsis Radix + Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium → Atractyodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma;the higher degree of improvement were Bupleuri Radix + Mori Cortex → Scutellariae Radix,Perillae Fructus + Belamcandae Rhizoma → Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus,Armeniacae Semen Amarum + Pinelliae Rhizoma → Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium,etc.Conclusion In the treatment of chronic bronchitis,TCM is mainly used to reduce phlegm,relieve cough and asthma,and the method of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis is commonly used to help eliminate phlegm.In addition,TCM pays attention to the application of methods such as tonifying lung and securing the exterior,invigorating spleen and benefiting qi.

Human physiological indicators have become an important standard for assessing health in modern society.Traditional detection methods often require a separate laboratory,complex operation process and long detection time,so it is urgent to develop portable,fast and accurate on-site detection technologies for bioanalysis.Point-of-care testing(POCT),which differs from traditional laboratory testing,can realize the rapid in situ detection of biomarkers without the complicated analytical process of the laboratory.Smartphones,which are an essential tool in our daily life,not only have independent operating systems and built-in storage functions,but also have high-definition cameras,which have great application potential in POCT visualization.The combination of various biosensing technologies and smartphones has developed into a new direction in the field of POCT.This review mainly introduced the research progress of smartphone-based visual biosensors in POCT in recent years,including colorimetric sensors,fluorescence sensors,chemiluminescence sensors and electrochemiluminescence sensors.Finally,the problems faced by smart-phone-based visual biosensors in the application of POCT were summarized,and their future development was prospected.

AIM To establish an HPLC method for the simultaneous content determination of gallic acid,protocatechuic acid,morroniside,loganin,sweroside,paeoniflorin,hypericin,astragalin,salvianolic acid B,salvianolic acid A,epimedin C and icariin in Bushen Huoxue Sanjie Capsules.METHODS The analysis was performed on a 30℃thermostatic Agilent 5 TC-C18 column(250 mm×4.6 mm,5 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of acetonitrile-0.1%phosphoric acid flowing at 1.0 mL/min in a gradient elution manner,and the detection wavelength was set at 240 nm.RESULTS Twelve constituents showed good linear relationships within their own ranges(r≥0.999 8),whose average recoveries were 97.11%-101.14%with the RSDs of 0.60%-2.65%.CONCLUSION This simple,accurate and reproducible method can be used for the quality control of Bushen Huoxue Sanjie Capsules.

This study explored the ideas and methods of acupuncture for Guillain-Barré Syndrome （GBS） with the core principle of “to treat flaccidity， select the yangming （阳明） channel only”. The main pathological mechanism of GBS is deficiency of qi and blood in the yangming channel， malnutrition of all sinews， diminished spleen and stomach function leading to the production of pathogenic damp-heat qi， which obstructs the meridians， and gradually affects the liver and kidneys， consuming essence and damaging blood. Concurrently， dysfunction of the dumai （督脉） pivotal mechanism and lack of moisture in sinews and vessels result in symptoms such as skin numbness， paralysis， and muscle wastage. In clinical diagnosis and treatment， a combination of syndrome and channel differentiation is taken. Treatment primarily focuses on acupoints of yangming channel， aiming to supplement qi and blood， and acupoints of du mai are combined to open the vessel and fill the marrow. Specific acupoints are selected based on syndrome differentiation， providing comprehensive regulation to promote harmonization of qi and blood， relieve meridians， and the smooth generation and circulation of whole body fluids. This， in turn， enhances the strength of muscles and bones， and fosters a robust and freely moving body.

Objective To analyze the expression of N-MYC and N-MYC downstream regulated gene-1(NDRG1)in gastric cancer tissues,and to assess their effects on biological characteristics of gastric cancer cells.Methods Paired of gastric cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues resected from 82 cases of patholog-ically confirmed gastric cancer who underwent surgical treatment in the hospital from January 2021 to May 2023 were collected.Gastric cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues of 82 patients who were surgically re-sected and pathologically diagnosed with gastric cancer in the hospital from January 2021 to May 2023 were collected.Real-time quantitative PCR(qPCR)was used to detect the relative mRNA expression levels of N-MYC and NDRG1,and clinical data of the patients were collected.The correlation between the mRNA expres-sion of N-MYC and NDRG1 and clinicopathological features of the patients was discussed.NCI-N87 cells in logarithmic growth phase were selected and cultured in vitro.N-MYC interference plasmid(si-N-MYC)and its negative control(si-NC)was transfected into NCI-N87 cells,respectively,which were recorded as si-NC group and si-N-MYC group.Moreover,si-N-MYC was co-transfected into NCI-N87 cells with anti-NC and an-ti-NDRG1,respectively,and denoted as si-N-MYC+anti-NC group and si-N-MYC+anti-NDRG1 group.CCK-8 assay was used to detect cell proliferation activity,Transwell assay was used to detect cell invasion ability,and Western blotting assay was used to detect N-MYC and NDRG1 protein expression in cells.Results The relative expression of N-MYC mRNA in gastric cancer tissues was higher than that in paracancer tissues(P＜0.05),and the relative expression of NDRG1 mRNA was lower than that in paracancer tissues(P＜0.05).There were significant differences in the expression of N-MYC and NDRG1 mRNA in patients with different TNM stages,lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis(P＜0.05).Compared with the si-NC group,the cell proliferation and invasion ability of the si-N-MYC group were decreased(P＜0.05),and the expression of NDRG1 protein was down-regulated(P＜0.05).Compared with si-N-MYC+anti-NC group,cell proliferation and invasion ability of si-N-MYC+anti-NDRG1 group were increased(P＜0.05).N-MYC could target and regulate NDRG1,and knocking down NDRG1 could reverse the biological effects of N-MYC on gastric cells.Conclusion In gastric cancer tissue,N-MYC mRNA expression is upregulated and NDRG1 mRNA expression is downregulated,both of which play important roles in the regulation of malignant biological behaviors such as proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer cells.

The patient, an 84-year-old man, was admitted to the hospital with "low back pain with limitation of movement for more than half a year". Admission examination: mild kyphotic deformity of the spine, significant tenderness and percussion pain in the lower back, bilateral lower limb muscle strength graded 5, normal skin sensation. Lumbar MRI and CT revealed a compressive fracture of the L 4 vertebra. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) indicated a bone mineral density T-score of -2.6, suggesting osteoporosis. Admission diagnosis: osteoporotic compressive fracture of the L 4 vertebra. The patient underwent thorough examinations to exclude surgical contraindications. On the fourth day of admission, the patient underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty of the L 4 vertebra. At the end of the operation, the patient became unresponsive, with a blood pressure drop to 94/63 mmHg and oxygen saturation falling to 80%. Cranial CT showed multiple punctate gas density shadows within the brain. Lumbar CT revealed gas accumulation in the soft tissue adjacent to the lumbar spinous processes, localized intraductal gas, and punctate gas density shadows within the vessels in both groin areas. The diagnosis was intracranial arterial gas embolism. The patient's condition deteriorated further, with loss of consciousness, neck stiffness, increased muscle tone of both lower limbs, and positive Babinski's sign on both sides. Symptomatic treatments included brain protection, maintaining cerebral perfusion, and improving collateral cerebral circulation, but the patient did not regain consciousness. The patient developed a pulmonary infection one month postoperatively and died three months postoperatively due to respiratory failure. This case highlights the potential risk of gas embolism during vertebroplasty. Measures to reduce such complications should be implemented, such as minimizing the duration of venous blood-air contact, pre-filling the cannula with saline to reduce the venous blood-air interface, and appropriately increasing venous pressure to reduce the risk of gas entry. It is recommended to use smaller diameter catheters. For patients with pre-existing cardiac conditions or elderly patients, preoperative cardiac Doppler ultrasound should be performed to exclude anatomical abnormalities such as patent foramen ovale.