ObjectiveTo construct a risk prediction model for frequent acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD） under disease-syndrome combination， thus providing decision support for precise clinical intervention. MethodsA total of 2 029 patients with acute exacerbations of COPD admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine from January 2020 to August 2024 were retrospectively included. These patients were classified into groups of frequent acute exacerbations （≥2 times/year） and infrequent acute exacerbations （<2 times/year） according to the hospitalization times per year. Risk factors were screened by LASSO regression combined with logistic regression， and a nomogram model was constructed. The model performance was assessed based on the area under the curve （AUC）， calibration curves， and decision curve analysis （DCA）. ResultsThe differences in baseline characteristics between the frequent acute exacerbations group （1 196 cases） and infrequent acute exacerbations group （833 cases） were not statistically significant. LASSO regression combined with multivariate logistic regression screened the following independent risk factors： body mass index （BMI）， hospitalization days， number of smoking years， place of residence， use of noninvasive ventilators， oxygen-demanding therapy， liver cirrhosis， use of systemic glucocorticosteroids， and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome （phlegm and stasis obstructing the lung）. The nomogram model showed good discrimination and calibration in both the training set （AUC=0.748） and validation set （AUC=0.774）. ConclusionThe risk prediction model for frequent acute exacerbations of COPD， integrating traditional Chinese medicine syndrome， constructed in this study has high accuracy. It can provide a scientific basis for early clinical identification of high-risk patients and individualized intervention.

Objective: To understand the status and influencing factors of loss to follow-up among HIV/AIDS cases in Gulou District, Nanjing City, so as to provide evidence for optimizing the follow-up management of HIV/AIDS cases. Methods: Reporting information and follow-up data of HIV/AIDS cases in Gulou District from January 1, 1994, to July 31, 2025, were collected through the HIV/AIDS Comprehensive Control System of Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System. The confirmed date of HIV/AIDS diagnosis was defined as the start of follow-up observation, and July 31, 2025, as the end of observation , with loss to follow-up as the outcome event. Factors affecting loss to follow-up among HIV/AIDS cases were analyzed using a multivariable Cox proportional risk regression model. Results: A total of 1 279 HIV/AIDS cases were observed from January 1, 1994, to July 31, 2025, with a total observation period of 8 834.23 person-years. There were 1 198 males (93.67%) and 81 females (6.33%). The median age was 32.00 (interquartile range, 20.00) years. There were 848 HIV-infected individuals (66.30%) and 431 AIDS patients (33.70%). As of July 31, 2025, 152 cases were lost to follow-up, with a loss to follow-up density of 17.21 thousand person-years and a cumulative loss to follow-up rate of 11.88%. Multivariable Cox proportional risk regression analysis showed that HIV/AIDS cases with non-Jiangsu household registration (HR=1.721, 95%CI: 1.212-2.444), passive testing (HR=2.031, 95%CI: 1.346-3.065), and heterosexual transmission (HR=2.542, 95%CI: 1.669-3.872) had a higher risk of loss to follow-up, whereas those who were married/with a spouse (HR=0.432, 95%CI: 0.283-0.661), AIDS patients (HR=0.152, 95%CI: 0.085-0.271), reported by general hospitals (HR=0.382, 95%CI: 0.226-0.645) or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (HR=0.505, 95%CI: 0.323-0.790) had a lower risk of loss to follow-up. Conclusions The risk of loss to follow-up among HIV/AIDS cases was mainly associated with residence, marital status, HIV/AIDS stage, reporting institution, case detection method, and route of infection. Cases at high risk of loss to follow-up should be prioritized, and follow-up mana gement should be strengthened to reduce the occurrence of loss to follow-up.

Objective To investigate the cardiac structure and function within one year after kidney transplantation in children. Methods A total of 50 children with normal renal function within one year after allogeneic kidney transplantation hospitalized in the Department of Pediatric Cardiology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from February 2021 to December 2024 were retrospectively enrolled as the kidney transplantation group. Another 50 healthy children matched for age and gender were recruited as the control group. Echocardiography was performed in all subjects. General clinical characteristics and echocardiographic parameters were compared between the two groups, and left ventricular structure was analyzed in children of the kidney transplantation group. Results The duration after kidney transplantation was 3 (2, 6) months. Forty-six patients received pre-transplant dialysis with a dialysis duration of 9 (5, 13) months. Echocardiographic findings revealed statistically significant intergroup differences in cardiac structure, systolic function and diastolic function (all P<0.05), while left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) remained within normal limits in both groups. In the kidney transplantation group, left ventricular hypertrophy was detected in 42% of patients, and concentric left ventricular remodeling was observed in 52% of patients. Conclusions Most children still present abnormalities in cardiac structure as well as systolic and diastolic dysfunction after kidney transplantation. Compared with conventional echocardiographic indices, two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography is more sensitive for evaluating cardiac function in pediatric kidney transplant recipients. Regular echocardiographic surveillance for children with kidney transplantation facilitates early identification of alterations in cardiac structure and function, enabling timely intervention and improvement of quality of life.

Aromatic Chinese medicinal essential oils are volatile oils extracted from aromatic Chinese herbs， which can prevent and treat respiratory infectious diseases through multiple synergistic mechanisms including pathogen inhibition， immune regulation， and inflammatory response regulation. Essential oils are primarily used externally on the body to prevent infections and alleviate symptoms through methods like inhalation， smearing， topical application， bathing， gargling or as a suppository. They can also be utilized in the environment for disinfection and air purification， through methods like diffusion， vaporization， or spraying. The external application of essential oils extracted from Chinese aromatic herbs has the advantages of convenience， quick absorption， and simultaneous influence on both the body and mind. However， there are still challenges and deficiencies in aspects such as the positioning of functions， indications， safety， and the research on the mechanism of action. It has been proposed to combine the theory of aromatic Chinese medicinals with the characteristics of essential oils， and formulate prescriptions of Chinese medicinal essential oils under the principles of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation， and prevent and treat respiratory infectious diseases efficiently， accurately， and safely， thereby expanding the clinical application of aromatic Chinese medicinals and the preventive theory of traditional Chinese medicine.

Objective:To explore the predictive value of T cell subtype characteristics and peripheral blood inflammatory indicators in patients with liver cancer for myelosuppression after hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy.Methods:A total of 115 patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma who received transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) treatment in the Department of Oncology of Taizhou Jiangyan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital from May 2022 to May 2024 were enrolled as the research subjects. According to whether myelosuppression occurred after TACE treatment, the patients were divided into a non-myelosuppression group ( n=93) and a myelosuppression group ( n=22). The clinical data, the proportions of T cell subsets before TACE treatment, and the differences in the levels of peripheral blood inflammatory indexes were compared between the two groups. Spearman correlation analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to screen out the influencing factors of myelosuppression after TACE treatment in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the efficacy of each influencing factor in predicting the myelosuppression of patients. Results:There were no statistically significant differences in age, sex, history of hypertension, body mass index, type of hepatitis virus infection, status of hypersplenism, Barcelona staging, Child-Pugh classification of liver function, number of TACE treatments, and the proportion of CD8 + T cells between the patients in the myelosuppression group and non-myelosuppression group (all P>0.05). However, there were statistically significant differences in diabetes ( χ2=3.94, P=0.047), history of alcohol consumption ( χ2=5.47, P=0.019), the longest diameter of the tumor ( Z=2.31, P=0.021), the presence of ascites ( χ2=4.10, P=0.043), the proportion of CD4 + T cells ( t=4.66, P<0.001), the ratio of CD4 +/CD8 + ( t=4.98, P<0.001), the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) ( t=4.98, P<0.001), the monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR) ( t=2.31, P=0.023), and the systemic immune inflammation index (SII) ( t=5.31, P<0.001). Spearman correlation analysis showed that diabetes ( r=0.19, P=0.048), history of alcohol consumption ( r=0.22, P=0.019), the presence of ascites ( r=0.19, P=0.043), the longest diameter of the tumor ( r=0.22, P=0.020), NLR ( r=0.39, P<0.001), MLR ( r=0.30, P=0.001), and SII ( r=0.36, P<0.001) were all positively correlated with myelosuppression after TACE treatment in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma, while the proportion of CD4 + T cells ( r=-0.37, P<0.001) and the ratio of CD4 +/CD8 + ( r=-0.40, P<0.001) were negatively correlated with myelosuppression after TACE treatment in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the ratio of CD4 +/CD8 + ( OR=0.01, 95% CI: 0.01-0.11, P=0.002) was an independent protective factor for myelosuppression after TACE treatment in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma, and NLR ( OR=1.82, 95% CI: 1.31-5.60, P=0.013) and SII ( OR=1.03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.05, P=0.002) were both independent risk factors for myelosuppression after TACE treatment in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma. ROC curve analysis showed that the areas under the curve (AUCs) of the ratio of CD4 +/CD8 +, NLR, and SII for predicting myelosuppression after TACE treatment in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma alone were 0.79 (95% CI: 0.70-0.89), 0.78 (95% CI: 0.65-0.92), and 0.76 (95% CI: 0.65-0.87), respectively. The AUC of the combined prediction of the three was 0.91 (95% CI: 0.83-0.99), which was higher than that of the ratio of CD4 +/CD8 + ( Z=4.21, P<0.001), NLR ( Z=4.36, P<0.001), and SII ( Z=4.48, P<0.001) for prediction alone. Conclusions:The ratio of CD4 +/CD8 +, as well as NLR and SII levels before TACE treatment are independent factors influencing the occurrence of myelosuppression after treatment in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma, and are expected to be important indicators for predicting myelosuppression after hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma.

Objective To assess the exposure levels of heavy metals,including lead,arsenic,mercury,and cadmium,in the local population in Sichuan and Chongqing,China,to compare and analyze the differences in reference intervals(RIs)obtained from direct and indirect sampling methods,and to explore the interchangeability and limitations of these two sampling methods.Methods RIs were obtained by the direct sampling method and the indirect sampling method.In the direct sample method,the levels of blood arsenic,urinary cadmium,urinary mercury,and blood lead levels of 5562 healthy participants aged 22-50 years in Sichuan and Chongqing,China were measured by atomic absorption spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.Using the human biomonitoring(HBM)data,we established RIs for the population by a nonparametric method.On the other hand,in the indirect sampling method,RIs were established via a nonparametric method based on data from the laboratory information system(LIS)of a local hospital after stratifying healthy individuals using a Gaussian mixture model(GMM).Comparative analysis of the RIs derived from the two sampling methods were then conducted.Results The RI for blood arsenic was 0.11-1.3 μmol/L.The RI for urinary cadmium was 0.51-2.80 μmol/mol creatine for adults aged 22 to under 43 years and 0.66-2.96 μmol/mol creatine for adults aged 43-50 years.The RI for urinary mercury was 0.12-1.10 μmol/mol creatine.The RI for blood lead was 14.00-47.00 pg/L for adults aged 22 to under 41 year,16.00-53.38 pg/L for males aged 41-50 year,and 15.00-51.02 pg/L for females aged 41-50 year.Most of the RIs established by the direct sampling method had a narrower range compared to those established by the indirect sampling method,and the RIs established by both sampling methods were partially biased.Conclusions The RIs for blood arsenic,urine cadmium,urine mercury,and blood lead in healthy individuals aged 22-50 years in Sichuan and Chongqing,China were established using both direct and indirect sampling methods,which contributes to a better understanding of environmental exposure to metals in the general population and provides a reference for metal poisoning.For data from the same lab,the GMM-based indirect sampling method demonstrated relatively consistent performance in establishing RIs compared with the direct sampling method.

Objective To investigate whether exposure pathways influence the distribution pattern and toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics(PSNPs)in hepatic cells.Methods Male C57BL/6J wild-type healthy mice aged 6 to 8 weeks old and weighed 18 to 22 g were administered with PSNPs via gavage or tail vein injection.Then,we tracked PSNPs distribution in the major organs of mice via an in vivo imaging system(IVIS).After that,we analyzed the cellular accumulation patterns in hepatic cell subpopulations(hepatocytes and Kupffer cells)using immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).300 nm PSNPs were administered via gastric gavage or tail vein injection,and 70 nm PSNPs were injected via the portal vein.The cellular localization of PSNPs in the liver was analyzed using immunofluorescence.Subsequently,using AML-12 cells,a normal mouse liver cell line,as the parenchymal hepatocyte model,the uptake of PSNPs in AML-12 cells was analyzed by confocal laser scanning microscope(CLSM).Flow cytometry was performed to observe and quantify PSNPs uptake,and to analyze the underlying endocytosis mechanisms.IVIS was used to analyze PSNPs uptake features in vivo.Finally,using mouse macrophage line RAW264.7 as a Kupffer cell model and AML-12 cells as a parenchymal hepatocyte model,the cell-type-specific toxic effects induced by 100 μg/ml PSNPs were examined through transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses.Results IVIS revealed predominant hepatic accumulation of PSNPs regardless of exposure pathways via intragastric gavage or tail vein injection.Immunofluorescence/TEM demonstrated exposure pathway-dependent cellular distribution:intragastric PSNPs were localized mainly in hepatocytes,while intravenous PSNPs were accumulated in Kupffer cells.Changes in particle size(300 nm vs.70 nm)did not alter the cellular distribution pattern,while 70 nm PSNPs injected via the portal vein accumulated in Kupffer cells,which suggested that the cell-type-specific distribution of PSNPs in the liver was independent of PSNPs size and might be related to the transport of PSNPs in the gastrointestinal tract.Flow cytometry showed that PSNPs uptake by AML-12 was time-dependent and that the underlying endocytosis mechanism involved pathways mediated by clathrin(P<0.000 1),macropinocytosis(P=0.002 6),and lipid rafts(P<0.000 1).Findings on PSNPs distribution in blood revealed that the uptake of PSNPs by hepatocytes exhibited a rate saturation phenomenon.Multi-omics analysis identified distinct toxicity patterns:PSNPs disrupted lipid metabolism and neurotransmitter homeostasis in AML-12 cells and induced inflammation and oxidative stress in Kupffer cells.Conclusion Exposure pathways mediate the hepatic cell-type-specific distribution of PSNPs,thereby altering the downstream toxicological consequences induced by exposure to PSNPs.

Objective To investigate the effect of simple carbohydrate given 2 h before operation on postoperative insulin resistance and gastrointestinal function in elderly patients with trauma undergoing spinal anesthesia.Methods This was a randomized controlled clinical study.A total of 90 elderly patients with intertrochanteric femoral fracture/femoral neck fracture admitted to the Traumatic Orthopedics Department of the Fourth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from October 2023 to February 2024 were randomly divided equally into control group(fasting with water before surgery)and carbohydrate group(CHO group,drinking 200 ml of pulsatile water at 2 h before surgery).All the patients received spinal anesthesia.The control group excluded 2 patients who completed surgery and were admitted to the ICU,2 patients received epidural anesthesia,and finally included 41 patients;3 patients were excluded from the CHO group under epidural anesthesia,2 patients underwent surgery under general anesthesia,and finally 40 patients were included.Baseline data of patients were collected,including gender,age,Charlson comorbidity index(CCI),presence or absence of diabetes,body mass index(BMI),American Association of Anesthesiologists(ASA)classification,etc.The patient's surgical time,intraoperative blood loss,first postoperative exhaust time,type of surgery,length of hospital stay,mean arterial pressure(MAP)and heart rate(HR)at four time points during surgery[entry(T1),post-anesthesia(T2),mid-operation(T3),and exit(T4)],perioperative blood glucose,insulin levels,C-reactive protein(CRP),and intestinal barrier function indicators(diamine oxidase,D-lactate,and bacterial endotoxin),as well as self-rating anxiety scale(SAS),visual analogue scale of pain(VAS),and Ramsay scores were recorded.Preoperative and postoperative use of the delirium diagnostic scale(3D-CAM)assessed the presence of delirium in patients.Results Eighty-one patients aged(77.7±9.5)years were included.Compared with control group,the first exhaust time in CHO group was significantly shorter[4.59(3.25,7.39)h vs.10.23(7.97,14.76)h,P<0.001],postoperative insulin resistance index(HOMA-IR)was significantly decreased[5.13(2.38,10.30)vs.7.34(2.31,12.55),P<0.001].The change rate of HOMA-IR(ΔHOMA-IR)also decreased significantly(P<0.001);There were no significant differences in intestinal barrier function indexes between the two groups(P>0.05);The levels of D-lactic acid and bacterial endotoxin in control group were significantly increased after operation,and the differences were statistically significant(P=0.010,P=0.031),In CHO group,there was no significant difference in preoperative and postoperative indexes(P>0.05).There was no significant difference in the perioperative scale score,incidence of delirium and the length of hospital stay between the two groups(P>0.05).Conclusions Taking simple carbohydrates 2 h before surgery can significantly shorten the first exhaust time,reduce insulin resistance and the incidence of delirium,and improve gastrointestinal function in elderly trauma patients undergoing spinal anesthesia,thus providing clinical basis for accelerated postoperative rehabilitation in elderly patients.

Objective To explore the molecular mechanism by which SOS Ras/Rac guanine nucleotide exchange factor 1-intronic transcript 1(SOS1-IT1)affects enhancer of zeste homolog 2(EZH2)protein expression in endometrial cancer cells Ishikawa and RL95-2.Methods Lentiviral transfection of short hairpin RNA(shRNA)and overexpression plasmid were used in Ishikawa and RL95-2 cell lines to knock down and overexpress SOS1-IT1.The mechanism of EZH2 expression regulation was studied using Real-time PCR,Western blotting,and chromatin immunoprecipitation.Results The expression of SOS1-IT1 and EZH2 genes was positively correlated in endometrial cancer tissues.Knocking down SOS1-IT1 significantly reduces the expression of EZH2,inhibited the proliferation and migration of Ishikawa and RL95-2 cells,and could reduced the acetylation of histone H3 at position 27(H3K27)and the enrichment of CREB binding protein(CBP)in the EZH2 gene promoter region.Overexpression of SOS1-IT1 could increased the expression of EZH2 and enhance the acetylation of H3K27 and the enrichment of CBP.CBP could bind to SOS1-IT1 RNA,and this binding ability was weakened when CBP was knocked down.Conclusion SOS1-IT1 can promote the expression level of EZH2 in endometrial cancer cells Ishikawa and RL95-2 by regulating the acetylation modification level of the EZH2 gene promoter region,thereby affecting the proliferation and migration ability of endometrial cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors or dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors are both hypoglycemia agents that specifically impact on postprandial hyperglycemia. We compared the effects of acarbose and sitagliptin add on to metformin on time in range (TIR) and glycemic variability (GV) in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus through continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). METHODS: This study was a randomized, open-label, active-con-trolled, parallel-group trial conducted at 15 centers in China from January 2020 to August 2022. We recruited patients with type 2 diabetes aged 18-65 years with body mass index (BMI) within 19-40 kg/m 2 and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) between 6.5% and 9.0%. Eligible patients were randomized to receive either metformin combined with acarbose 100 mg three times daily or metformin combined with sitagliptin 100 mg once daily for 28 days. After the first 14-day treatment period, patients wore CGM and entered another 14-day treatment period. The primary outcome was the level of TIR after treatment between groups. We also performed time series decomposition, dimensionality reduction, and clustering using the CGM data. RESULTS: A total of 701 participants received either acarbose or sitagliptin treatment in combination with metformin. There was no statistically significant difference in TIR between the two groups. Time below range (TBR) and coefficient of variation (CV) levels in acarbose users were significantly lower than those in sitagliptin users. Median (25th percentile, 75th percentile) of TBR below target level <3.9 mmol/L (TBR 3.9 ): Acarbose: 0.45% (0, 2.13%) vs . Sitagliptin: 0.78% (0, 3.12%), P = 0.042; Median (25th percentile, 75th percentile) of TBR below target level <3.0 mmol/L (TBR 3.0 ): Acarbose: 0 (0, 0.22%) vs . Sitagliptin: 0 (0, 0.63%), P = 0.033; CV: Acarbose: 22.44 ± 5.08% vs . Sitagliptin: 23.96 ± 5.19%, P <0.001. By using time series analysis and clustering, we distinguished three groups of patients with representative metabolism characteristics, especially in GV (group with small wave, moderate wave and big wave). No significant difference was found in the complexity of glucose time series index (CGI) between acarbose users and sitagliptin users. By using time series analysis and clustering, we distinguished three groups of patients with representative metabolism characteristics, especially in GV. CONCLUSIONS: Acarbose had slight advantages over sitagliptin in improving GV and reducing the risk of hypoglycemia. Time series analysis of CGM data may predict GV and the risk of hypoglycemia. TRIAL REGISTRATION Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR2000039424.
Humans ; Metformin/therapeutic use* ; Sitagliptin Phosphate/therapeutic use* ; Acarbose/therapeutic use* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/blood* ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Blood Glucose/drug effects* ; Hypoglycemic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Aged ; Glycated Hemoglobin/metabolism* ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; China ; East Asian People