Objective:To investigate the effects of propionic acid produced by Akkermansia muciniphila on the radiosensitivity of colorectal cancer and the underlying mechanism. Methods:Normal human colon mucosal epithelial cells (NCM460) were used to determine the appropriate concentration of propionic acid. Human colorectal cancer cells (HCT-8) were treated with A. muciniphila-conditioned medium or propionic acid, followed by exposure to 6 Gy γ-ray irradiation, and cell survival and proliferation were measured by clone formation assay and Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, respectively. A mouse model of colorectal cancer was established using azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate. The mice were divided into control model group, irradiation group, and irradiation+ propionic acid group. Their body weight, colorectal length, tumor count, and tumor area were recorded. The radiosensitizing effect of propionic acid was assessed with HE staining, immunohistochemical staining, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The mechanism was explored by using RT-PCR and flow cytometry. Results:CCK-8 assay showed that 1-mmol/L propionic acid had no significant effect on the proliferation of NCM460 cells ( P>0.05), which was used for subsequent experiments. Pretreated with A. muciniphila-conditioned medium or propionic acid, the survival and proliferation abilities of irradiated HCT cells were significantly decreased ( t=3.14-34.98, P<0.05). Compared with the irradiation group, the colorectal cancer mice in the irradiation+ propionic acid group showed a significantly longer colorectal length ( t=3.50, P<0.05) and a significantly smaller number of tumors ( t=3.48, P<0.05); the two groups had significantly smaller tumor areas than the control model group ( t=5.97, 7.30, P<0.05). HE staining and immunohistochemical staining showed that propionic acid restored colorectal structure, and decreased Ki67 expression in colorectal tissue ( t=14.50, 3.40, P<0.05). Propionic acid treatment significantly reduced the levels of the inflammatory factors interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α, as compared with the mice receiving irradiation alone ( t=4.86, 5.06, P<0.05). Irradiation plus propionic acid treatment significantly increased p53 expression and significantly aggravated G 2/M phase block and cell apoptosis ( t=20.35, 13.05, P<0.05). Conclusions:The A. muciniphila metabolite propionic acid plays a sensitizing role in radiation therapy for colorectal cancer by promoting G 2/M phase block and apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells.

Objective:To understand the tobacco use situation and related factors among the occupational population in Beijing in 2018.Methods:The data were obtained from a special survey on “Healthy Beijing People—Ten-year Action Plan for Health Promotion (2009—2018)”. From June to September 2018, 12 908 participants were recruited from 16 districts of Beijing using the stratified sampling method combined with the typical sampling method. Questionnaires were conducted to collect basic information, work situations, tobacco exposure in public places, and smoking cessation. The Chi-square test was used to compare the differences in current smoking rates, smoking cessation rates and second-hand smoke exposure rates among participants with different characteristics. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the related factors of tobacco use.Results:The present smoking rate of the occupational population in Beijing was 18.0% (95% CI: 17.3%-18.7%), and the passive smoking exposure rate of non-smokers was 61.0% (95% CI: 60.1%-61.9%). The smoking cessation rate among the working population was 22.2% (95% CI: 20.7%-23.7%), and the proportion of current smokers with the intention to quit was 63.9% (1 485/2 325). The present smoking rate of employees of different genders, ages, education levels and occupational nature showed statistically significant differences ( P<0.05). The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that in males, compared with the age group of 16-29 years old, the risk of smoking increased in the age groups of 30-39 years old, 40-49 years old and over 50 years old [ OR (95% CI) values were 1.49 (1.27-1.74), 1.34 (1.13-1.59) and 1.30 (1.06-1.59)]. Compared with those with junior high school or lower education, participants with high school/vocational/college education group had a higher risk of smoking ( OR=1.38, 95% CI: 1.13-1.69), while those with master′s degree or above had a lower risk of smoking ( OR=0.30, 95% CI: 0.22-0.42). The physical workers ( OR=1.28, 95% CI: 1.11-1.47) had a higher risk of smoking than the mental workers. Conclusion:The current smoking rate among the occupational population in Beijing is lower than the national level during the same period, but the exposure rate to second-hand smoke is relatively high. Age, educational level, job nature and gender are related factors of smoking.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of radiofrequency ablation（RFA）in the treatment of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma（PTMC）near and remote from the thyroid capsule.Methods:The clinical data，ultrasound images，ablation parameters and postoperative follow-up metrics were prospectively collected from 130 patients with pathologically confirmed PTMC in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University who underwent RFA treatment between January 2023 and December 2024. According to whether the nodule margin was ≤ 2 mm from the thyroid capsule，the patients were divided into the subcapsular group（60 cases）and the remote from the capsule group（70 cases）. The clinical data，ablation parameters，complication rate，absorption of ablation lesions，tumor recurrence and metastasis were compared between the two groups.Results:The success rates of RFA in both groups were 100%. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups at baseline in the location of nodules（ χ2=13.266， P=0.001）. After 12 months of routine follow-up，the incidence of complications was 5.00%（3/60）in the subcapsular group and 1.43%（1/70）in the remote from the capsule group，all complications recovered within 1 month，with no statistically significant difference（ P=0.407）. There were no significant changes in thyroid function［including free triiodothyronine（FT3），free thyroxine（FT4）and thyroid-stimulating hormone（TSH）］before and one month after RFA in the two groups（all P>0.05）. A statistically significant difference in the volume reduction rate（VRR）between the two groups was observed only when maximum diameter ≤ 5?mm at the 1st and 3rd months（all P<0.05）. For the remaining postoperative follow-up periods，there were no statistically significant differences in ablation zone volume or VRR between the two groups（all P>0.05）. At the final follow-up，for lesions with maximum diameter ≤ 5?mm，the tumor disappearance rate was 100% in both the subcapsular and remote from the capsule groups. For lesions with maximum diameter >5 mm，the rates were 78.4%（29/37）and 89.7%（26/29）in the respective groups，with no statistically significant difference between the two groups（ χ2 = 1.489， P =0.222）.There was no local tumor progression，lymph node metastasis or distant metastasis in either group. Conclusions:RFA is a safe and effective treatment for subcapsular PTMC，demonstrating comparable efficacy to that for PTMC located remote from the thyroid capsule.

Objective:To investigate the effects of propionic acid produced by Akkermansia muciniphila on the radiosensitivity of colorectal cancer and the underlying mechanism. Methods:Normal human colon mucosal epithelial cells (NCM460) were used to determine the appropriate concentration of propionic acid. Human colorectal cancer cells (HCT-8) were treated with A. muciniphila-conditioned medium or propionic acid, followed by exposure to 6 Gy γ-ray irradiation, and cell survival and proliferation were measured by clone formation assay and Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, respectively. A mouse model of colorectal cancer was established using azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate. The mice were divided into control model group, irradiation group, and irradiation+ propionic acid group. Their body weight, colorectal length, tumor count, and tumor area were recorded. The radiosensitizing effect of propionic acid was assessed with HE staining, immunohistochemical staining, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The mechanism was explored by using RT-PCR and flow cytometry. Results:CCK-8 assay showed that 1-mmol/L propionic acid had no significant effect on the proliferation of NCM460 cells ( P>0.05), which was used for subsequent experiments. Pretreated with A. muciniphila-conditioned medium or propionic acid, the survival and proliferation abilities of irradiated HCT cells were significantly decreased ( t=3.14-34.98, P<0.05). Compared with the irradiation group, the colorectal cancer mice in the irradiation+ propionic acid group showed a significantly longer colorectal length ( t=3.50, P<0.05) and a significantly smaller number of tumors ( t=3.48, P<0.05); the two groups had significantly smaller tumor areas than the control model group ( t=5.97, 7.30, P<0.05). HE staining and immunohistochemical staining showed that propionic acid restored colorectal structure, and decreased Ki67 expression in colorectal tissue ( t=14.50, 3.40, P<0.05). Propionic acid treatment significantly reduced the levels of the inflammatory factors interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α, as compared with the mice receiving irradiation alone ( t=4.86, 5.06, P<0.05). Irradiation plus propionic acid treatment significantly increased p53 expression and significantly aggravated G 2/M phase block and cell apoptosis ( t=20.35, 13.05, P<0.05). Conclusions:The A. muciniphila metabolite propionic acid plays a sensitizing role in radiation therapy for colorectal cancer by promoting G 2/M phase block and apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells.

Objective:To understand the tobacco use situation and related factors among the occupational population in Beijing in 2018.Methods:The data were obtained from a special survey on “Healthy Beijing People—Ten-year Action Plan for Health Promotion (2009—2018)”. From June to September 2018, 12 908 participants were recruited from 16 districts of Beijing using the stratified sampling method combined with the typical sampling method. Questionnaires were conducted to collect basic information, work situations, tobacco exposure in public places, and smoking cessation. The Chi-square test was used to compare the differences in current smoking rates, smoking cessation rates and second-hand smoke exposure rates among participants with different characteristics. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the related factors of tobacco use.Results:The present smoking rate of the occupational population in Beijing was 18.0% (95% CI: 17.3%-18.7%), and the passive smoking exposure rate of non-smokers was 61.0% (95% CI: 60.1%-61.9%). The smoking cessation rate among the working population was 22.2% (95% CI: 20.7%-23.7%), and the proportion of current smokers with the intention to quit was 63.9% (1 485/2 325). The present smoking rate of employees of different genders, ages, education levels and occupational nature showed statistically significant differences ( P<0.05). The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that in males, compared with the age group of 16-29 years old, the risk of smoking increased in the age groups of 30-39 years old, 40-49 years old and over 50 years old [ OR (95% CI) values were 1.49 (1.27-1.74), 1.34 (1.13-1.59) and 1.30 (1.06-1.59)]. Compared with those with junior high school or lower education, participants with high school/vocational/college education group had a higher risk of smoking ( OR=1.38, 95% CI: 1.13-1.69), while those with master′s degree or above had a lower risk of smoking ( OR=0.30, 95% CI: 0.22-0.42). The physical workers ( OR=1.28, 95% CI: 1.11-1.47) had a higher risk of smoking than the mental workers. Conclusion:The current smoking rate among the occupational population in Beijing is lower than the national level during the same period, but the exposure rate to second-hand smoke is relatively high. Age, educational level, job nature and gender are related factors of smoking.

Objective To analyze the usage of pediatric drugs in 17 pediatric specialty hospitals from 2016 to 2020, and provide reference and guidance for the development of the essential medicine list （EML） for children and the improvement of the National Reimbursement Drug List （NRDL） in China. Methods Based on the pediatric medication monitoring data from 17 children's specialized hospitals reported to the Chinese Medical Economic Information Network (CMEI) of the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association between 2016 and 2020, this study analyzes the overall situation of the sample hospitals and the clinical use of pediatric drugs according to the major categories of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System （ATC）. Results In the various ATC categories, the trend of systemic use of anti-infective drugs decreasing was significant in the average hospital expenditure, while the trend of respiratory and digestive system and metabolic drugs decreasing was significant in the average hospital DDDS. In 2020, the average number of hospital grade standards for essential drugs （2018 version） accounted for 15.82% of the total number of drug use standards, while the average number of hospital grade standards for medical insurance （2019 version） accounted for 8.23% of the total number of drug use standards. Conclusion The use of pediatric medication in sample hospitals from 2016 to 2020 was generally reasonable, and there would still a certain gap between the actual clinical usage habits with the existing EML and NRDL，which still need to be adjusted.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of radiofrequency ablation（RFA）in the treatment of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma（PTMC）near and remote from the thyroid capsule.Methods:The clinical data，ultrasound images，ablation parameters and postoperative follow-up metrics were prospectively collected from 130 patients with pathologically confirmed PTMC in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University who underwent RFA treatment between January 2023 and December 2024. According to whether the nodule margin was ≤ 2 mm from the thyroid capsule，the patients were divided into the subcapsular group（60 cases）and the remote from the capsule group（70 cases）. The clinical data，ablation parameters，complication rate，absorption of ablation lesions，tumor recurrence and metastasis were compared between the two groups.Results:The success rates of RFA in both groups were 100%. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups at baseline in the location of nodules（ χ2=13.266， P=0.001）. After 12 months of routine follow-up，the incidence of complications was 5.00%（3/60）in the subcapsular group and 1.43%（1/70）in the remote from the capsule group，all complications recovered within 1 month，with no statistically significant difference（ P=0.407）. There were no significant changes in thyroid function［including free triiodothyronine（FT3），free thyroxine（FT4）and thyroid-stimulating hormone（TSH）］before and one month after RFA in the two groups（all P>0.05）. A statistically significant difference in the volume reduction rate（VRR）between the two groups was observed only when maximum diameter ≤ 5?mm at the 1st and 3rd months（all P<0.05）. For the remaining postoperative follow-up periods，there were no statistically significant differences in ablation zone volume or VRR between the two groups（all P>0.05）. At the final follow-up，for lesions with maximum diameter ≤ 5?mm，the tumor disappearance rate was 100% in both the subcapsular and remote from the capsule groups. For lesions with maximum diameter >5 mm，the rates were 78.4%（29/37）and 89.7%（26/29）in the respective groups，with no statistically significant difference between the two groups（ χ2 = 1.489， P =0.222）.There was no local tumor progression，lymph node metastasis or distant metastasis in either group. Conclusions:RFA is a safe and effective treatment for subcapsular PTMC，demonstrating comparable efficacy to that for PTMC located remote from the thyroid capsule.

Lupus nephritis(LN)is an immune-complex nephritis caused by renal involvement in systemic lupus erythemato-sus(SLE).It is one of the main causes of death in SLE and the end-stage renal disease(ESKD).Early diagnosis,effective treatment and reduction of recurrence are important means to delay LN entering ESKD.Renal biopsy is the"gold standard"for diagnosis and determination of LN typing and activity,but it is invasive and not easy to repeat.Therefore,there are still some clinical indicators that can accurately monitor the degree of kidney damage at an early stage,effectively reflect the histological type,disease activity,and judge the curative effect and prognosis.This article reviews the studies on urine biomarkers related to LN,in order to provide ideas for basic research and clinical treatment of LN.

Objective To understand the genotyping of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infected hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients in Yunnan Province, and to analyze the differences in viral load, biochemical indicators, and blood routine indicators among different genotypes, in order to provide a laboratory basis for the diagnosis and clinical treatment of HIV/HCV co-infected patients. Methods From November 2022 to June 2023, the serum samples and basic information of patients diagnosed with HIV/HCV co-infection were collected in the antiviral outpatient clinic of Yunnan Provincial Hospital of Infectious Diseases. The HCV viral load was detected by one-step qRT-PCR amplification, the positive samples were sequenced, and genotyping was determined based on NS5 gene sequence. The differences in biochemical and blood routine indexes between HIV patients co-infected with different HCV genotypes and low/high viral loads were analyzed. Results A total of 126 HIV/HCV co-infected patients were collected, including 20 HCV genotype 1 (15.9%), 91 HCV genotype 3 (72.2%), and 15 HCV genotype 6 (11.9%). The maximum and minimum viral load of the three HCV genotypes were as follows: HCV type 1 (1.0×108, 4.8×104 IU/mL), HCV type 3 (2.2×108, 2.9×102 IU/mL), and HCV type 6 (8.1×107, 6.8×104 IU/mL). The results showed that there was no significant difference between HIV co-infection with different genotypes of HCV and three HIV treatment schemes, including nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors+integrase strand transfer inhibitors (NRTIs+INSTIs), nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors+non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs+NNRTIs) and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors+protease inhibitor (NRTIs+PLs), and the viral load of patients (P>0.05). The analysis of biochemical indexes such as total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (DBIL), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatinine (CREA), and blood routine indexes such as white blood cell (WBC), red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin (HGB), platelet (PLT), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) among different HCV genotypes and low/high viral loads showed that there was no significant difference in biochemical indexes and blood routine indexes between low/high viral loads of HIV co-infected HCV patients (P>0.05); however, the biochemical indicators TBIL, IBIL and MCHC were significantly different statistically between patients with genotype 3 HCV infection and those with genotype 1 HCV infection (P<0.05), while other biochemical and blood routine indexes were not statistically different among different HCV genotypes (P>0.05). Conclusions There are six subtypes of HCV co-infection in HIV patients in Kunming, Yunnan Province, including three genes of genotype 1, 3, and 6. Among them, genotype 3 HCV is the main prevalent genetic virus among HIV co-infected populations. The TBIL, IBIL and MCHC values of HIV patients co-infected with HCV type 3 are different from those infected with HCV type 1.

Methamphetamine (METH) abuse is associated with significant neurotoxicity, high addiction potential, and behavioral abnormalities. Recent studies have identified a connection between the gut microbiota and METH-induced neurotoxicity and behavioral disorders. However, the underlying causal mechanisms linking the gut microbiota to METH pathophysiology remain largely unexplored. In this study, we employed fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and antibiotic (Abx) intervention to manipulate the gut microbiota in mice administered METH. Furthermore, we supplemented METH-treated mice with short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and pioglitazone (Pio) to determine the protective effects on gut microbiota metabolism. Finally, we assessed the underlying mechanisms of the gut-brain neural circuit in vagotomized mice. Our data provide compelling evidence that modulation of the gut microbiome through FMT or microbiome knockdown by Abx plays a crucial role in METH-induced neurotoxicity, behavioral disorders, gut microbiota disturbances, and intestinal barrier impairment. Furthermore, our findings highlight a novel prevention strategy for mitigating the risks to both the nervous and intestinal systems caused by METH, which involves supplementation with SCFAs or Pio.