ObjectiveTo evaluate the methodological quality and reporting quality of published guidelines/consensuses on traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）/integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine diagnosis and treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD）， and to provide a basis for formulating guidelines/consensuses on TCM/integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD in the future. MethodsDatabases including PubMed， Embase， Web of Science， CNKI， Wanfang Data， and CBM and the websites of China Association of Chinese Medicine and China Association of Integrative Medicine were searched for related articles published up to September 1， 2024. Two clinical researchers independently assessed the methodological quality and reporting quality of the guidelines/consensuses on TCM/integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD by using Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation Ⅱ （AGREE Ⅱ） and Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in Healthcare （RIGHT）. ResultsA total of nine guidelines/consensuses were included after literature screening， with four guidelines and five expert consensuses. The scores of different domains assessed by AGREE Ⅱ for the nine guidelines/consensuses were as follows： scope and purpose （47.1%）， stakeholder involvement （41.0%）， rigor of development （21.6%）， clarity of presentation （40.2%）， applicability （19.0%）， and editorial independence （19.6%）. The recommendation level of the articles was B level （recommended after revision） for four articles and C level （not recommended） for five articles. The RIGHT assessment showed high reporting rates for “Basic Information” and “Background”， while other areas needed to be improved. Currently， there was no international standard for the guidelines/consensuses on TCM/integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD， and the quality of these guidelines/consensuses needed to be enhanced to ensure comprehensiveness and credibility. ConclusionThere is still potential for improving the quality of guidelines/consensuses on TCM/integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD， and AGREE Ⅱ and RIGHT checklists should be strictly followed to ensure the fairness， scientific rigor， and transparency of these guidelines/consensuses.

BACKGROUND: Chronic liver disease (CLD), mainly non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is a significant public health concern worldwide. This study aims to quantify the burden of NAFLD in CLD globally and within China, using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2021, providing crucial insights for global and local health policies. METHODS: The study used comprehensive data from the GBD study 2021. It included estimates of prevalence, incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Age-standardized rates and average annual percent change (AAPC) from 2011 to 2021 were reported. A meticulous decomposition analysis was conducted. RESULTS: In 2021, there were 1582.5 million prevalent cases, 47.6 million incident cases, 1.4 million deaths, and 44.4 million DALYs attributable to CLD, globally. Among these, NAFLD has emerged as the predominant cause, accounting for 78.0% of all prevalent CLD cases (1234.7 million) and 87.2% of incident cases (41.5 million). Correspondingly, NAFLD had the highest age-standardized prevalence (15,017.5 per 100,000 population) and incidence (876.5 per 100,000 population) rates among CLDs. In addition, China's CLD age-standardized prevalence rate was 21,659.5 per 100,000 population, and the age-standardized incidence rate was 752.6 per 100,000 population, higher than the global average. From 2011 to 2021, the global prevalence rate of CLD increased slowly (AAPC = 0.17), consistent with the trend in China (AAPC = 0.23). Furthermore, the prevalence rate of NAFLD rose significantly in China (AAPC = 1.30) compared with the global average (AAPC = 0.91). Decomposition analysis also showed the worldwide increase in deaths and DALYs for NAFLD, which were primarily attributable to population growth and aging. CONCLUSIONS The burden of CLD and NAFLD remains substantial globally and within China in terms of high prevalence and incidence. As such, this underscores the need for targeted prevention and treatment strategies. These findings emphasize the importance of continued surveillance and research to mitigate the growing impact of liver diseases on global and Chinese health systems.
Humans ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/mortality* ; Global Burden of Disease ; China/epidemiology* ; Prevalence ; Male ; Disability-Adjusted Life Years ; Female ; Incidence ; Middle Aged ; Chronic Disease ; Adult ; Quality-Adjusted Life Years ; Liver Diseases/epidemiology* ; Aged

The intestinal barrier is the primary defense that separates the host from the external environment, possessing several crucial physiological functions, including nutrient digestion, absorption, and protection against potentially harmful dietary antigens and pathogenic microorganisms. Nevertheless, various factors, such as diet, medications, circadian rhythm disturbances, gut microbiota, microbial metabolites, and genetic predisposition, can disrupt the intestinal barrier. Such disruption may lead to bacterial translocation, subsequently triggering enterohepatic and systemic inflammation. Impaired intestinal barrier has been implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases, particularly chronic gut and liver diseases. In this review, we will summarize the fundamental functions of intestinal barrier and discuss clinical correlations between intestinal barrier dysfunction and diseases such as colitis, colorectal cancer, and chronic liver diseases including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, alcohol-associated liver disease, and primary sclerosing cholangitis. Additionally, we will also highlight some potential therapeutic strategies aimed at restoring barrier integrity to improve disease management.

Objective To investigate the association of sleep disorders with the development and progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD).Methods A total of 1 868 participants from the health examination cohort and fatty liver cohort of Beijing Friendship Hospital from June 2022 to June 2023 were enrolled as subjects.Related data were collected from all subjects,including age,sex,education level,chronic medical history,and biochemical parameters,and all subjects completed Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI)scale independently.According to the diagnostic criteria,the subjects were divided into non-NAFLD group with 1 122 subjects and NAFLD group with 746 subjects,and according to the stage of progression,the patients in the NAFLD group were further divided into simple fatty liver group(SFL group with 624 subjects)and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH)group with 122 subjects.A one-way analysis of variance or the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of continuous data between three groups.The chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between the three groups.The binary Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between sleep factors and NAFLD,and the multinomial Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between sleep factors and the different stages of NAFLD;two multivariate models were constructed for adjustment of potential confounding factors,i.e.,an age-sex adjustment model and a multivariate adjustment model,and the multivariate adjustment model adjusted the factors of age,sex,education level,smoking,diabetes,hypertension,body mass index(BMI),triglyceride(TG),and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C).Results There were significant differences in age,sex,BMI,education level,smoking,diabetes,hypertension,alanine aminotransferase,TG,and HDL-C between the non-NAFLD,SFL,and NASH groups(all P<0.05).There were also significant differences between the three groups in the total score of PSQI scale and the proportion of subjects with a score of 0—3 points for the 7 sleep components(all P<0.05).The multivariate adjustment model showed no significant association between sleep disorders and SFL,while long sleep latency(odds ratio[OR]=4.04,95%confidence interval[CI]:2.33—7.03,P<0.001),short sleep duration(OR=3.53,95%CI:1.83—6.82,P<0.001),and severe sleep disorders(OR=2.96,95%CI:1.48—5.93,P=0.002)were closely associated with the risk of NASH.Conclusion Overall sleep condition and its components of sleep disorders are not significantly associated with the simple fatty liver;however,long sleep latency,short sleep duration,and severe sleep disorders can increase the risk of NASH,which should be taken seriously in clinical practice.

ObjectiveTo assess the quality of randomized controlled trials （RCTs） of compound traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） prescriptions in the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis （NASH）， and to provide recommendations for standardizing the design and reporting of RCTs in this field. MethodsDatabases such as PubMed， Web of Science， Embase， the Cochrane Library， CNKI， VIP， and Wanfang Data were searched for RCTs of compound TCM prescriptions in the treatment of NASH published from January 1， 2018 to December 31， 2023， and the articles were screened and assessed based on the Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool （RoB 2）， the unified standard for clinical trial reporting （CONSORT 2010）， and CONSORT-CHM Formulas 2017 for compound TCM prescriptions. ResultsA total of 45 articles were finally included， and most of these studies were rated as high-risk bias by RoB 2.0. The analysis based on the CONSORT control checklist showed a relatively low reporting rate for most of the key items regarding the quality of RCT studies. ConclusionA relatively large risk of bias is observed in the clinical studies on compound TCM prescriptions in the treatment of NASH published in the past six years， which may lead to the poor quality of reporting and evidence. It is suggested that the top-level design of clinical studies should be taken seriously in addition to investigating the advantages of TCM， so as to improve the quality of clinical studies.

Objective To summarize the common traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome types and syndrome characteristics of depressive disorder(DD)by analyzing the existing clinical research literature,and to provide a basis for TCM syndrome classification and research on DD.Methods The documents related to TCM syndrome classification of DD were retrieved systematically from China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),China Biology Medicine Literature Service System(SinoMed),China Science and Technology Journal Database(VIP)and China Academic Journals Full-text Database(WanFang).The literature was organized and analyzed,and Gephi software was used to do the visual analysis.Results A total of 262 literature that met the criteria were included in the study.The annual average number of publications exceeds 10 articles since 2010.The top 5 syndrome types in TCM were Liver Qi Stagnation(LQS)type,Liver Stagnation and Spleen Deficiency(LSSD)type,Heart and Spleen Deficiency(HSD)type,Liver Stagnation and Phlegm Obstruction type and Liver Stagnation and Kidney Deficiency type,viscera syndrome classification mainly involved Liver,Spleen,Heart,Kidney and Gallbladder.The main syndrome type based on deficiency-excess syndrome classification was excess type.The strongest correlation of excess type was LQS,the strongest correlation of deficiency types was HSD,and the strongest correlation of deficiency and excess mixed syndrome type was LSSD.Conclusion The publication volume of literature related to TCM syndrome types of DD shows a fluctuating upward trend.The occurrence and development of DD are related to dysfunction of multiple organs,and liver stagnation is the core syndrome,which may run through the entire process of DD.

Background With the increasing exposure to hazardous chemicals in the workplace and frequency of occupational injuries and occupational safety accidents, the acquisition of occupational exposure limits of hazardous chemicals is imminent. Objective To obtain more unknown immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) concentrations of hazardous chemicals in the workplace by exploring the application of quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) prediction method to IDLH concentrations, and to provide a theoretical basis and technical support for the assessment and prevention of occupational injuries. Methods QSAR was used to correlate the IDLH values of 50 benzene and its derivatives with the molecular structures of target compounds. Firstly, affinity propagation algorithm was applied to cluster sample sets. Secondly, Dragon 2.1 software was used to calculate and pre-screen 537 molecular descriptors. Thirdly, the genetic algorithm was used to select six characteristic molecular descriptors as dependent variables and to construct a multiple linear regression model (MLR) and two nonlinear models using support vector machine (SVM) and artificial neural network (ANN) respectively. Finally, model performance was evaluated by internal and external validation and Williams diagram was drawn to determine the scopes of selected models. Results The ANN model results showed that \begin{document}$ {R}_{\mathrm{t}\mathrm{r}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{i}\mathrm{n}}^{2} $\end{document}=0.8526 and \begin{document}$ {R}_{\mathrm{t}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{s}\mathrm{t}}^{2} $\end{document}=0.8505 respectively, root mean square (RMSE) error=0.5243, mean absolute error (MAE)=0.4610, internal and external validation coefficients \begin{document}$ {Q}_{\mathrm{l}00}^{2} $\end{document}=0.8476 and \begin{document}$ {Q}_{\mathrm{e}\mathrm{x}\mathrm{t}}^{2} $\end{document}=0.8905 respectively. By comparison, the performance verification parameters of the ANN model were superior to the MLR and SVM models, and all substances were in the applicable domain. Conclusion At present, the ANN model has the best performance in fitting ability, stability, and prediction, and is suitable for predicting IDLH concentrations of benzene and its derivatives. Predicting the IDLH concentraitons of benzene and its derivatives by QSAR method is an effective method, and provides a theoretical basis and technical support for the development of occupational health and safety.

Objective:To identify the influencing factors for community elderly health services provided by general practitioners (GPs) using the social ecological theory, for reference in improving their participation and satisfaction.Methods:According to the social ecological theory, an ecological model for GPs to carry out community elderly health services was constructed from four levels: public policy ecology, community health service ecology, interpersonal relationship ecology, and individual characteristics ecology of general practitioners. A survey questionnaire was designed with six latent variables: public health policy support, public health service and basic medical service supply, doctor-patient relationship, individual participation and individual satisfaction. The questionnaire was distributed to 220 GPs from 11 primary healthcare institutions in Jiangsu province, China, who were randomly selected between October and November 2021. Exploratory and confirmatory analyses of the model were conducted using AMOS 25.0.Results:A total of 207 valid questionnaires were collected, and all the KMO values of the six latent variables were greater than 0.7, while the composite reliability values and average variance extracted values greater than 0.7 and 0.5, respectively. Both the reliability and validity of the data met the analysis requirements. Exploratory analysis revealed that public health policy support had a direct positive effect on both public health service and basic medical service supply (both effect sizes being 0.37). Public health service had a direct positive effect on doctor-patient relationship, individual participation and individual satisfaction (effect sizes being 0.52, 0.22, and 0.31, respectively). The direct effect of basic medical service supply on doctor-patient relationship was not significant (effect size being 0.03), but it had a direct positive effect on public health service (effect size being 0.46). Doctor-patient relationship had a direct positive effect on individual participation (effect size being 0.51), but its direct effect on individual satisfaction was not significant (effect size being 0.06). Individual participation had a direct positive effect on individual satisfaction (effect size being 0.52). Conclusions:By optimizing the public policy ecosystem, community health service ecosystem, and interpersonal relationship ecosystem, the participation and satisfaction of general practitioners can be systematically improved.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a Chinese version of the Stress Adaption Scale (SAS) and to assess its reliability and validity among Chinese patients with multimorbidity. METHODS: The Brislin model was used to translate, synthesize, back-translate, and cross culturally adapt the SAS. A total of 323 multimorbidity patients selected by convenience sampling method from four hospitals in Zhejiang province. The critical ratio method, total question correlation method, and graded response model (item characteristic curve and item discrimination) were used for item analysis. Cronbach's alpha coefficient and split-half reliability were used for the reliability analysis. Content validity analysis, structural validity analysis, and criterion association validity analysis were performed by expert scoring method, confirmatory factor analysis, and Pearson correlation coefficient method, respectively. RESULTS: The Chinese version of the SAS contained 2 dimensions of resilience and thriving, with a total of 10 items. In the item analysis, the critical ratio method showed that the critical ratio of all items was greater than 3.0 (P<0.001); the correlation coefficient method showed that the Pearson correlation coefficients for all items exceeded 0.4 (P<0.01). The graded response model showed that items of the revised scale exhibited distinct item characteristic curves and all items had discrimination parameters exceeding 1.0. In the reliability analysis, Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the revised Chinese version of the SAS scale was 0.849, and the split-half reliability was 0.873. In the validity analysis, the item-level content validity index and scale-level content validity index both exceeded 0.80. In the confirmatory factor analysis, the revised two-factor model showed satisfactory fit indices (χ²/df=3.115, RMSEA=0.081, RMR=0.046, GFI=0.937, AGFI=0.898, CFI=0.936, TLI=0.915). In the criterion-related validity analysis, the Chinese version of the SAS score was negatively correlated with the Perceived Stress Scale and the Treatment Burden Questionnaire, with correlation coefficients of －0.592 and －0.482, respectively (both P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS The Chinese version of the SAS has good reliability and validity, which can be used to evaluate the stress adaption capacity among multimorbidity patients in China, and provides a reference for developing individualized health management measures.
Humans ; Adaptation, Psychological ; Asian People ; China ; Multimorbidity ; Reproducibility of Results ; Stress, Psychological/psychology* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Translating ; Cross-Cultural Comparison

OBJECTIVES: To develop a Chinese version of the Long-Term Conditions Questionnaire (LTCQ) and to test its reliability and validity in Chinese patients with chronic diseases. METHODS: With the consent of the original authors, a Chinese version of LTCQ was developed according to the cultural adjustment guidelines. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 319 patients with chronic diseases in Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Wuyi County First People's Hospital and Hangzhou Gongchen Bridge Street Health Service Center. The questionnaire was evaluated by item analysis (including frequency analysis, total question correlation method and critical ratio method), reliability analysis (Cronbach's alpha coefficient) and validity analysis [including content validity (expert scoring method) and structural validity (exploratory factor analysis)]. RESULTS The Chinese version of the LTCQ included 20 entries, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.926, a retest reliability of 0.829, a split-half reliability of 0.878, an entry content validity index of 1, and a content validity index at the questionnaire level of 1. Four common factors were extracted by exploratory factor analysis, namely physical state and daily life, psychological state, support and coping, and safe environment, with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 67.244%. Discussion: The Chinese version of the LTCQ developed in this study has good reliability and validity and it may be used to assess the long-term conditions of patients with chronic diseases in China.
Humans ; Asian People ; China ; Chronic Disease ; Quality of Life ; Reproducibility of Results ; Surveys and Questionnaires