ObjectiveTo investigate the value of predictive models established based on machine learning methods in predicting the risk of metabolic associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD）， and to analyze its key risk factors. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the 50 variables of 2 168 healthy individuals who underwent physical examination in Department of Health Assessment， Xiyuan Hospital， China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences， from January 2021 to December 2024， including body composition， past history， and laboratory tests， and according to whether they were diagnosed with MAFLD or not， they were divided into MAFLD group with 265 individuals and non-MAFLD group with 1 903 individuals. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups， and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Randomly split the research data into a training set and a validation set in a 70% to 30% ratio. Predictive factors were screened from the training set data using univariate analysis， LASSO regression， and multivariate Logistic regression analysis. Predictive models were then constructed using seven machine learning methods： Logistic regression， decision tree， random forest （RF）， eXtreme gradient boosting， light gradient boosting machine， support vector machine， and artificial neural network. Model performance was evaluated by plotting receiver operating characteristic curve for the validation set and calculating the area under the curve （AUC）， sensitivity， specificity， and Youden index for each model. Furthermore， the SHapley Additive exPlanation （SHAP） method was used to analyze the contribution of variables in the optimal model. ResultsThe prevalence rate of MAFLD among the 2 168 subjects was 12.22% （265/2 168）. Smoking， diastolic blood pressure， phase angle， visceral fat area， muscle fat ratio， waist-to-hip ratio， aspartate aminotransferase， non-HDL-C/HDL-C ratio， triglyceride-glucose index， and gallstones were independent risk factors for MAFLD （all P<0.05）. The seven predictive models of support vector machine， eXtreme gradient boosting， decision tree， light gradient boosting machine， artificial neural network， RF， and Logistic regression had an AUC of 0.738， 0.754， 0.757， 0.786， 0.795， 0.796， and 0.815， respectively， in the validation set， among which the RF model had the best discriminatory ability （AUC=0.796， 95% confidence interval： 0.754 — 0.839）， with a sensitivity of 81.01%， a specificity of 63.16%， and a Youden index of 44.17%. The SHAP analysis showed that visceral fat area， waist-to-hip ratio， and diastolic blood pressure were the top three predictive factors in terms of importance. ConclusionThe RF model， constructed based on body composition and clinical indicators， has a good performance in predicting the risk of MAFLD， and its interpretability can help to identify high-risk individuals in the early stage in clinical practice.

Objective To analyze the status of persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and the distribution of viral subtypes in the Zhengzhou region. Methods Clinical data of 55239 patients who underwent HPV-DNA genotyping tests from 2018 to 2024 were collected. On the basis of HPV follow-up results, patients were divided into three groups: 849 cases of infection with the same HPV type, 255 cases of persistent infection with different HPV types, and 857 cases of transient HPV infection. Results Among the 9232 initially-screened patients who were positive with HPV, the high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) positive rate was 84.6% (7813/9232), and predominant subtypes were HPV-16 (20.8%), HPV-52 (17.2%), and HPV-53 (9.6%). The low-risk HPV (LR-HPV) positive rate was 15.4% (1419/9232), mainly HPV-81 (28.1%) and HPV-42 (27.0%). Among the 1961 follow-up cases, the rates of persistent and non-persistent infections with the same HPV type were 35.7% (701/1961) and 7.5% (148/1961), respectively. The rates of persistent and non-persistent infections with different HPV types were 10.9% (214/1961) and 2.1% (41/1961), respectively. Meanwhile, 43.7% (857/1961) tested negative upon follow-up. Among the 701 cases of persistent infection with the same HPV type, HR-HPV accounted for 85.7% (601/701), and LR-HPV accounted for 14.3% (100/701). Among the 214 cases of persistent infection with different HPV types, 89.7% (192/214) were high-risk transitions, and 10.3% (22/214) were low-risk transitions. Regardless of HPV types, HR-HPV was more likely to cause persistent infection than LR-HPV. In addition, over 60% of HR-HPV persistent infections resolved within 18 months, 30% developed into persistent infections, and only 15% of patients had persistent infections that last more than 24 months. Conclusion Persistent HPV infections are predominantly high-risk types. Most patients clear the infection within 18 months, approximately 30% develop persistent infections, and about 15% of patients have persistent infections that last more than 24 months. However, the HR-HPV persistent infection rates across different age groups slightly differ.

ObjectiveTo characterize the evidence distribution and methodological quality of randomized controlled trials （RCTs） on oral Chinese herbal medicine （CHM） for atopic dermatitis （AD） based on evidence mapping. MethodsSeven databases （CNKI， Wanfang Data， VIP， CBM， Cochrane Library， PubMed， and Embase） and the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry were searched for the RCTs in Chinese and English. Evidence distribution was presented graphically and textually， and methodological quality was assessed via the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool （ROB 1.0）. ResultsA total of 168 RCTs were included. The number of annual publications showing an increasing trend， and 72.6% RCTs had sample sizes of 51-100 participants. The studies evaluated 108 distinct CHM interventions categorized as decoctions， granules， Chinese patent medicines， and extracts. Compound Glycyrrhizin was the most frequently used， followed by Xiaofengsan and Chushi Weiling decoction. Among the RCTs， 57.1% had the treatment courses of 4-8 weeks. Outcome measures predominantly focused on clinical response rate， skin lesion severity scores， and adverse events， with less attention to TCM symptom scores， skin barrier function， and relapse rates. The overall risk of bias was generally high. ConclusionWhile CHM for AD is a research hotspot and demonstrates clinical advantages， the related studies have problems such as unclear clinical positioning， poor research standardization and methodological quality， and insufficient prominence of TCM clinical advantages. Large-sample， methodologically rigorous， and high-quality studies are needed to enhance the evidence base for CHM in treating AD.

ObjectiveTo characterize the evidence distribution and methodological quality of randomized controlled trials （RCTs） on oral Chinese herbal medicine （CHM） for atopic dermatitis （AD） based on evidence mapping. MethodsSeven databases （CNKI， Wanfang Data， VIP， CBM， Cochrane Library， PubMed， and Embase） and the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry were searched for the RCTs in Chinese and English. Evidence distribution was presented graphically and textually， and methodological quality was assessed via the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool （ROB 1.0）. ResultsA total of 168 RCTs were included. The number of annual publications showing an increasing trend， and 72.6% RCTs had sample sizes of 51-100 participants. The studies evaluated 108 distinct CHM interventions categorized as decoctions， granules， Chinese patent medicines， and extracts. Compound Glycyrrhizin was the most frequently used， followed by Xiaofengsan and Chushi Weiling decoction. Among the RCTs， 57.1% had the treatment courses of 4-8 weeks. Outcome measures predominantly focused on clinical response rate， skin lesion severity scores， and adverse events， with less attention to TCM symptom scores， skin barrier function， and relapse rates. The overall risk of bias was generally high. ConclusionWhile CHM for AD is a research hotspot and demonstrates clinical advantages， the related studies have problems such as unclear clinical positioning， poor research standardization and methodological quality， and insufficient prominence of TCM clinical advantages. Large-sample， methodologically rigorous， and high-quality studies are needed to enhance the evidence base for CHM in treating AD.

Objective: To construct an index system of public health risk assessment for air pollution emergency, so as to provide a tool of evaluating the public health risks of air pollution emergency. Methods: Index system of public health risk assessment for air pollution emergency was established through literature review and group discussions. The index system was determined through two rounds of Delphi expert consultations involving specialists in environmental health, toxicology, epidemiology, health emergency response, and atmospheric monitoring. The effectiveness of the consultation was evaluated by positive coefficient, authority coefficient and coordination coefficient. The weights of index were determined using a combination weighting method of the expert scoring method and the entropy weight method. Results: Fifteen experts participated in the consultation, including 11 males and 4 females. There were 8 experts with a doctor degree, 6 experts with a master degree, 1 experts with a bachelor degree. A total of 11 experts with senior professional titles, and 4 experts with associate senior professional titles. The average work experience was (23.73±10.48) years. The expert positive coefficients for the two rounds of consultations were 83.33% and 100%, respectively. The expert authority coefficients were 0.794 and 0.811, respectively. The coefficients of variation for the importance, feasibility, and sensitivity scores of each index in the two rounds of comsultations were 0.097 to 0.352, 0.078 to 0.478, 0.115 to 0.388, and 0.049 to 0.133, 0.052 to 0.153, 0.049 to 0.178, respectively. The Kendall's coefficients of concordance were 0.237 and 0.440 (both with P<0.05) for the two rounds of consultations. The constructed assessment index system included "likelihood" "hazard" "vulnerability" "controllability" with comprehensive weights of 0.206 7, 0.059 6, 0.378 1, and 0.355 5, respectively. Among the 13 second indicators, "monitoring capability" had the highest comprehensive weight of 0.192 6. Among the 40 tertiary indicators, "real-time monitoring of atmospheric pollutants" "retrospective evaluation of early forecasting results" "types, quantities, and combined effects of atmospheric pollutants" "exposure modes of the population to atmospheric pollutants" had relatively high comprehensive weights of 0.089 5, 0.043 1, 0.041 1 and 0.040 3, respectively. Conclusion The constructed index system of public health risk assessment for air pollution emergency can be applied to the public health risk assessment for air pollution emergencies.

This study identified blood-entering components of Anshen Dropping Pills and explored their anti-insomnia effects and mechanisms. The main blood-entering components of Anshen Dropping Pills were detected and identified by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. The rationality of the formula was assessed by using enrichment analysis based on the relationship between drugs and symptoms, and core targets of its active components were selected as the the potential anti-insomnia targets of Anshen Dropping Pills through network pharmacology analysis. Furthermore, protein-protein interaction(PPI) network, Gene Ontology(GO) enrichment analysis, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway analysis were performed on the core targets. An active component-core target network for Anshen Dropping Pills was constructed. Finally, the effects of low-, medium-, and high-dose groups of Anshen Dropping Pills on sleep episodes, sleep duration, and sleep latency in mice were measured by supraliminal and subliminal pentobarbital sodium experiments. Moreover, total scores of the Pittsburgh sleep quality index(PSQI) scale was used to evaluate the changes before and after the treatment with Anshen Dropping Pills in a clinical study. The enrichment analysis based on the relationship between drugs and symptoms verified the rationality of the Anshen Dropping Pills formula, and nine blood-entering components of Anshen Dropping Pills were identified by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. The network proximity revealed a significant correlation between eight components and insomnia, including magnoflorine, liquiritin, spinosin, quercitrin, jujuboside A, ginsenoside Rb_3, glycyrrhizic acid, and glycyrrhetinic acid. Network pharmacology analysis indicated that the major anti-insomnia pathways of Anshen Dropping Pills involved substance and energy metabolism, neuroprotection, immune system regulation, and endocrine regulation. Seven core genes related to insomnia were identified: APOE, ALB, BDNF, PPARG, INS, TP53, and TNF. In summary, Anshen Dropping Pills could increase sleep episodes, prolong sleep duration, and reduce sleep latency in mice. Clinical study results demonstrated that Anshen Dropping Pills could decrease total scores of PSQI scale. This study reveals the pharmacodynamic basis and potential multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway effects of Anshen Dropping Pills, suggesting that its anti-insomnia mechanisms may be associated with the regulation of insomnia-related signaling pathways. These findings offer a theoretical foundation for the clinical application of Anshen Dropping Pills.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/metabolism* ; Mice ; Network Pharmacology ; Male ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Humans ; Protein Interaction Maps/drug effects* ; Sleep/drug effects* ; Female ; Adult

OBJECTIVE: Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) or metal(loid)s individually has been associated with neural tube defects (NTDs). However, the impacts of PAH and metal(loid) co-exposure and potential interaction effects on NTD risk remain unclear. We conducted a case-control study in China among population with a high prevalence of NTDs to investigate the combined effects of PAH and metal(loid) exposures on the risk of NTD. METHODS: Cases included 80 women who gave birth to offspring with NTDs, whereas controls were 50 women who delivered infants with no congenital malformations. We analyzed the levels of placental PAHs using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, PAH-DNA adducts with ³²P-post-labeling method, and metal(loid)s with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Unconditional logistic regression was employed to estimate the associations between individual exposures and NTDs. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) penalized regression models were used to select a subset of exposures, while additive interaction models were used to identify interaction effects. RESULTS: In the single-exposure models, we found that eight PAHs, PAH-DNA adducts, and 28 metal(loid)s were associated with NTDs. Pyrene, selenium, molybdenum, cadmium, uranium, and rubidium were selected through LASSO regression and were statistically associated with NTDs in the multiple-exposure models. Women with high levels of pyrene and molybdenum or pyrene and selenium exhibited significantly increased risk of having offspring with NTDs, indicating that these combinations may have synergistic effects on the risk of NTDs. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that individual PAHs and metal(loid)s, as well as their interactions, may be associated with the risk of NTDs, which warrants further investigation.
Humans ; Neural Tube Defects/chemically induced* ; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons/adverse effects* ; Female ; Case-Control Studies ; China/epidemiology* ; Adult ; Pregnancy ; Environmental Pollutants ; Maternal Exposure/adverse effects* ; Metals/toxicity* ; Young Adult ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between physical activity and genetic risk and their combined effects on the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 318,085 biobank participants from the UK. Physical activity was assessed using the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The participants were stratified into low-, intermediate-, and high-genetic-risk groups based on their polygenic risk scores. Multivariate Cox regression models and multiplicative interaction analyses were used. RESULTS: During a median follow-up period of 13 years, 9,209 participants were diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. For low genetic risk, compared to low physical activity, the hazard ratios ( HRs) for moderate and high physical activity were 0.853 (95% confidence interval [ CI]: 0.748-0.972) and 0.831 (95% CI: 0.727-0.950), respectively. For intermediate genetic risk, the HRs were 0.829 (95% CI: 0.758-0.905) and 0.835 (95% CI: 0.764-0.914), respectively. For participants with high genetic risk, the HRs were 0.809 (95% CI: 0.746-0.877) and 0.818 (95% CI: 0.754-0.888), respectively. A significant interaction was observed between genetic risk and physical activity. CONCLUSION Moderate or high levels of physical activity were associated with a lower risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease across all genetic risk groups, highlighting the need to tailor activity interventions for genetically susceptible individuals.
Humans ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/epidemiology* ; Exercise ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Aged ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Risk Factors ; United Kingdom/epidemiology* ; Incidence ; Adult

Objective: To compare the value of a body shape index (ABSI) and body roundness index (BRI) in predicting non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among non-obese population, so as to provide a reference for the early identification of populations at high risk of NAFLD. Methods: Adults with a body mass index (BMI) of less than 28 kg/m2 who underwent health check-ups in Xiyuan Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences from 2022 to 2024 were selected as the study subjects. Demographic information, disease history, height, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, and blood lipid indicators were collected, and ABSI and BRI were calculated. NAFLD was diagnosed using abdominal ultrasound. A multivariable logistic regression model was employed to analyze the relationships between ABSI, BRI and NAFLD among non-obese population. A generalized additive model combined with the penalized spline method was used to fit smooth curves to identify nonlinear relationships, and threshold effects were utilized to determine inflection points. The values of ABSI and BRI in predicting NAFLD among non-obese population were used the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results: A total of 1 195 individuals were surveyed, including 345 males (28.87%) and 850 females (71.13%). A total of 348 cases of NAFLD were detected among the non-obese population, with a detection rate of 29.12%. The adjusted ABSI (sABSI) in the NAFLD group and non-NAFLD group were 7.95±0.33 and 8.08±0.34, while the BRI were 3.35±0.79 and 4.15±0.64, respectively, with statistically significant differences between the two groups (both P<0.05). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that, after adjusting for demographic information, disease history, blood pressure, and blood lipid indicators, both sABSI (OR=1.932, 95%CI: 1.184-3.158) and BRI (OR=1.594, 95%CI: 1.071-2.360) were significantly associated with NAFLD among non-obese population. Nonlinear positive correlations were observed between sABSI, BRI, and NAFLD among non-obese population. When sABSI≤8.46 and BRI≥2.72, both indices were positively associated with NAFLD. The area under the ROC curve for ABSI and BRI in predicting NAFLD risk among non-obese population were 0.619 and 0.782, respectively, with optimal cut-off values of 0.082 and 3.656, respectively. Conclusions ABSI and BRI show a non-linear relationship with NAFLD among non-obese population. BRI demonstrates relatively better performance in predicting NAFLD risk among this population and can serve as an auxiliary indicator for the early identification of NAFLD among non-obese population.

Objective : To pathological changes and inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS), phosphorylated insulin receptor substrate 1 serine 307(p-IRS1ser 307), phosphorylated protein kinase B serine 473(p-AKTser 473), glycogen synthase kinase-3β(GSK-3β), and gluconeogenic synthase(GS) proteins were observed in the liver of rats under the condition of chronic intermittent hypoxia-replicated oxygen in control. And to explore the role of iNOS/IRS1/AKT/GSK-3β signaling pathway in chronic intermittent hypoxia-induced insulin resistance. Methods : Forty SD rats were randomly divided into a control group(NC group) and an experimental group(CIH group), with 20 rats in each group. The NC group was placed in a normoxic environment for 12 weeks, while the CIH group was first subjected to intermittent hypoxia for 8 weeks, and then resumed normoxic rearing until the 12th week. Fasting blood glucose(FBG) and fasting insulin(FINS) were measured at baseline, week 8 and week 12, and liver tissues were taken for pathology and measurement of iNOS, p-IRS1ser 307, p-AKTser 473, GSK3β and GS levels, to compare the differences between groups. Results: t baseline, there was no significant difference in liver pathology between the two groups, and the observed indexes were not statistically significant(P>0.05); at 8 weeks, compared with the NC group, liver pathology in the CIH group showed significant disorganization of hepatic blood sinusoids and hepatocyte cords, obvious hepatocyte edema, smaller nuclei, increased lymphocyte infiltration, and a small number of fat vacuoles, significantly higher levels of FBG, FINS, insulin resistance index(HOMA-IR), iNOS mRNA, p-IRS1ser 307 protein, GSK-3β protein levels, and decreased p-AKTser 473 protein and GS protein levels, all of which were statistically significant(allP<0.05). IRS1ser 307 protein, GSK-3β protein levels were increased, p-AKTser 473 protein and GS protein levels were decreased, and the differences were statistically significant(allP<0.05); at 12 weeks, no lymphocyte infiltration was seen in the CIH group compared with that of the NC group and fat vacuoles significantly increased, and there was no improvement in the other pathological damage that had already occurred, and the levels of p-AKTser 473 protein significantly increased. AKTser 473 protein level significantly increased, p-IRS1ser 307 protein and GS protein levels were significantly reduced, all of which were statistically significant(allP<0.05), and the rest of the observational indexes were not statistically significant. Pearson′s correlation analysis showed that HOMA-IR of CIH group was significantly positively correlated with the levels of iNOS mRNA, p-IRS1ser 307 protein, and GSK-3β protein at 8 weeks(r=0.874, 0.817,0.872;allP<0.05), and significantly negatively correlated with the levels of p-AKTser 473 protein and GS protein(r=-0.886,-0.879;allP<0.05). Conclusion Chronic intermittent hypoxia can lead to hepatic pathological damage that cannot be reversed even by reoxygenation interventions and may mediate the development of insulin resistance by upregulating the IRS1/AKT/GSK-3β signaling pathway through the upregulation of iNOS mRNA expression.