Approximately 20% to 30% of the global workforce is engaged in shift work. As a significant cause of circadian disruption, shift work is closely associated with an increased risk for periodontitis. Nevertheless, how shift work-related circadian disruption functions in periodontitis remains unknown. Herein, we employed a simulated shift work model constructed by controlling the environmental light-dark cycles and revealed that shift work-related circadian disruption exacerbated the progression of experimental periodontitis. RNA sequencing and in vitro experiments indicated that downregulation of the core circadian protein brain and muscle ARNT-like protein 1 (BMAL1) and activation of the Gasdermin D (GSDMD)-mediated pyroptosis were involved in the pathogenesis of that. Mechanically, BMAL1 regulated GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis by suppressing NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome signaling through modulating nuclear receptor subfamily 1 group D member 1 (NR1D1), and inhibiting Gsdmd transcription via directly binding to the E-box elements in its promoter. GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis accelerated periodontitis progression, whereas downregulated BMAL1 under circadian disruption further aggravated periodontal destruction by increasing GSDMD activity. And restoring the level of BMAL1 by circadian recovery and SR8278 injection alleviated simulated shift work-exacerbated periodontitis via lessening GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis. These findings provide new evidence and potential interventional targets for circadian disruption-accelerated periodontitis.
Pyroptosis/physiology* ; ARNTL Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Animals ; Periodontitis/etiology* ; Mice ; Phosphate-Binding Proteins/metabolism* ; Shift Work Schedule/adverse effects* ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Male ; Disease Models, Animal ; Gasdermins

Objective:Based on the activities of Helicobacter pylori ( HP) screening in Jiangsu Province in 2024, to evaluate the overall management ability in HP screening, testing, treatment and follow-up in primary medical facilities. Methods:From May 15 to October 18, 2024, the data of HP screening and treatment were retrospectively collected from 79 township health centers, community hospitals, and community health service centers in Jiangsu Province. The rates of screening completion, urea breath test (UBT) completion, treatment rate, UBT follow-up completion, and HP eradication were analyzed. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. Results:The completion rate of HP screening was 94.45% (15 489/16 400). There were 6 604 cases (42.64%) with serum HP antibody positive among the 15 489 individuals who completed screening. The positive rate of serum HP antibody in males was higher than that in females (44.77%, 2 643/5 904 vs. 41.32%, 3 961/9 585), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=17.69, P<0.001). The positive rates of serum HP antibody in screened individuals aged 18 to 19, 20 to 39, 40 to 59, and 60 to 75 years old were 22.38% (32/143), 36.12% (1 168/3 234), 45.01% (3 240/7 199), and 44.05% (2 164/4 913), respectively, and the difference was statistically significant( χ2=100.73, P<0.001). Among the 6 604 HP antibody-positive individuals, 4 381 cases completed UBT, with a UBT completion rate of 66.34% (4 381/6 604). There were 3 197 individuals with both HP serum antibody and UBT positive, the consistency rate of the 2 tests was 72.97% (3 197/4 381). Totally 2 737 cases received treatment, with a treatment completion rate of 85.61% (2 737/3 197); 2 327 individuals underwent UBT follow-up, with a follow-up completion rate of 85.02% (2 327/2 737). During follow-up, the result of UBT was negative in 1 982 individuals, and the HP eradication rate was 85.17% (1 982/2 327). Conclusions:There are deficiencies in the completion rate of HP screening, testing, treatment, and follow-up in primary hospitals, especially in the completion rate of UBT, which may be related to cognitive insufficiency for HP in residents. It is necessary to strengthen the training of physicians′ abilities in primary hospitals, optimize the allocation of drug resources, enhance health education, and increase residents′ participation and compliance.

[Objective] To explore the strategy of blood management in patients with massive transfusion in the frigid plateau region. [Methods] The treatment process of a patient with liver rupture in the frigid plateau region was analyzed, and the blood management strategy of the frigid plateau region was discussed in combination with the difficulties of blood transfusion and literature review. [Results] The preoperative complete blood count (CBC) test results of the patient were as follows: RBC 3.14×10¹²/L, Hb 10⁶ g/L, HCT 30.40%, PLT 115.00×10⁹/L; coagulation function: PT 18.9 s, FiB 1.31 g/L, DD > 6 μg/mL, FDP 25.86 μg/mL; ultrasound examination and imaging manifestations suggested liver contusion and laceration / intraparenchymal hematoma, splenic contusion and laceration, and massive blood accumulation in the abdominal cavity; it was estimated that the patient's blood loss was ≥ 2 000 mL, and massive blood transfusion was required during the operation; red blood cell components were timely transfused during the operation, and the blood component transfusion was guided according to the patient's CBC and coagulation function test results, providing strong support and guarantee for the successful treatment of the patient. The patient recovered well after the operation, and the CBC test results were as follows: RBC 4.32×10¹²/L, Hb 144 g/L, HCT 39.50%, PLT 329.00×10⁹/L; coagulation function: APTT 29.3 s, PT 12.1 s, FiB 2.728 g/L, DD>6 μg/mL, FDP 25.86 μg/mL. The patient was discharged after 20 days, and regular follow-up reexamination showed no abnormal results. [Conclusion] Individualized blood management strategy should comprehensively consider the patient’s clinical symptoms, the degree of hemoglobin decline, dynamic coagulation test results and existing treatment conditions. Efficient and reasonable patient blood management strategies can effectively improve the clinical outcomes of massive transfusion patients in the frigid plateau region.

Objective:Based on the activities of Helicobacter pylori ( HP) screening in Jiangsu Province in 2024, to evaluate the overall management ability in HP screening, testing, treatment and follow-up in primary medical facilities. Methods:From May 15 to October 18, 2024, the data of HP screening and treatment were retrospectively collected from 79 township health centers, community hospitals, and community health service centers in Jiangsu Province. The rates of screening completion, urea breath test (UBT) completion, treatment rate, UBT follow-up completion, and HP eradication were analyzed. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. Results:The completion rate of HP screening was 94.45% (15 489/16 400). There were 6 604 cases (42.64%) with serum HP antibody positive among the 15 489 individuals who completed screening. The positive rate of serum HP antibody in males was higher than that in females (44.77%, 2 643/5 904 vs. 41.32%, 3 961/9 585), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=17.69, P<0.001). The positive rates of serum HP antibody in screened individuals aged 18 to 19, 20 to 39, 40 to 59, and 60 to 75 years old were 22.38% (32/143), 36.12% (1 168/3 234), 45.01% (3 240/7 199), and 44.05% (2 164/4 913), respectively, and the difference was statistically significant( χ2=100.73, P<0.001). Among the 6 604 HP antibody-positive individuals, 4 381 cases completed UBT, with a UBT completion rate of 66.34% (4 381/6 604). There were 3 197 individuals with both HP serum antibody and UBT positive, the consistency rate of the 2 tests was 72.97% (3 197/4 381). Totally 2 737 cases received treatment, with a treatment completion rate of 85.61% (2 737/3 197); 2 327 individuals underwent UBT follow-up, with a follow-up completion rate of 85.02% (2 327/2 737). During follow-up, the result of UBT was negative in 1 982 individuals, and the HP eradication rate was 85.17% (1 982/2 327). Conclusions:There are deficiencies in the completion rate of HP screening, testing, treatment, and follow-up in primary hospitals, especially in the completion rate of UBT, which may be related to cognitive insufficiency for HP in residents. It is necessary to strengthen the training of physicians′ abilities in primary hospitals, optimize the allocation of drug resources, enhance health education, and increase residents′ participation and compliance.

Objective We tried to investigate the effects of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell exosomes(hUCMSC-Exos)on the proliferation of human dermal papilla cells(HDPCs)and the mechanism of hUCMSC-Exos promoting hair growth.Methods HDPCs were isolated using two-step enzymatic method and cul-tured in vitro.Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells(hUC-MSCs)were cultured.Cell culture supernatant was collected,and exosomes were isolated and extracted using high-speed centrifugation.Electron microscopy,particle size,and surface marker identification were performed on them.Dihydrotestosterone(DHT)induces HDPCs and establishment of an androgenic alopecia cell model.Co-culture hUCMSC-Exos with HDPCs,cell proliferation experiment(EdU)was used to detect the relative activity of induced HDPCs.Real-time qPCR was used to detect the expression level of alkaline phosphatase(ALP),and Western blot was used to detect β-catenin,Wnt10b,GSK-3β expression at the protein level.Results The obtained primary HDPCs,hUC-MSCs,and hUCMSC-Exos were all conformed to the characteristics of dermal papilla cells,mesenchymal stem cells,and exosomes.The num-ber of EdU positive cells significantly increased,and exosomes could effectively promote the proliferation of HDPCs(P<0.05),enhance the vitality of HDPCs and alleviate the damage caused by DHT(P<0.05).Real-time qPCR showed that exosomes could enhance the expression level of ALP gene(P<0.05)and hair follicle induction ability.Western Blot confirmation β-catenin,Wnt10b,GSK-3β were differences in expression at the protein level(P<0.05).Conclusions HUCMSC-Exos could promote DHT induced proliferation of HDPCs,enhance their hair follicle regeneration and repair ability,and its mechanism may be related to the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Objective To construct a nomogram prediction model for the risk of mild cognitive impair-ment (MCI) in elderly people aged ≥ 60-year-old.Methods A total of 502 elderly permanent residents in Guangxi were selected as the research subjects by the multi-stage stratified random sampling method,and the general situation questionnaire and the Beijing edition of MoCA-BJ scale were used to investigate the elderly people,and their anthropometric indicators were collected.The minimum absolute shrinkage rate and selection operator (LASSO) regression were used to screen the characteristic variables.The MCI risk nomogram pre-diction model was constructed.The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and calibration curve were adopted to conduct the fitting effect test on the prediction model.Results Among the 502 elderly people,244 cases (46.04％) had the normal cognition and 258 cases (48.68％) had MCI.The logistic regression analysis showed that the age,education background,month income,children support,calf circumference,BMI and body fat index were the influencing factors of MCI in the elderly people,and the nomogram prediction model of the MCI risk in the elderly people was constructed by these seven variables.The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the model was 0.790 (95％CI:0.750-0.829),the sensitivity was 0.64,the specificity was 0.62,the C-index index was 0.790,and the model fitting x2=8.111,P=0.454,the predictive value was basically consistent with the actual value.Conclusion The nomogram prediction model of MCI risk in the elderly peo-ple is successfully constructed with good predictive effect.

AIM: To investigate the effects of agkis-trodon halys venom anti-tumor component (AHVAC-) on the biological behavior of gastric cancer MKN-28 cells. METHODS: Gastric cancer MKN-28 cells were treated with the experimental concentrations (5, 10, 15 μg/mL) of AHAVC- for 24 h. Cell proliferation and toxicity assay (cell counting kit-8, CCK-8) was used to detect the inhibition rates of the cells in different concentrations of AHVAC-. The migration ability of the cells was evaluated by wound-healing and Transwell assay. The apoptosis were observed by laser confocal microscopy with annexin V-mCherry/DAPI double staining, and the apoptosis rates were analyzed by flow cytometry with annexin V-FITC/PI double fluorescence staining. The protein level of Caspease-3 was determined by Western blot. RESULTS: Compared with normal control group, the results of AHVAC- concentration groups showed that with the increase of AHVAC- concentration, the proliferative activity of MN-28 cells decreased gradually (P<0.01), the cell migration ability decreased gradually (P<0.01), and the cell apoptosis rate increased (P<0.05). The expression of apoptosis-related protein Caspease-3 was up-regulated (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: AHVAC- inhibits proliferation and migration of gastric cancer MSN-28 cells and induces apoptosis.

Pulmonary hypertension has a high mortality rate,and although targeted therapy is available,it is still incurable,and the long-term prognosis for patients is poor.As a tyrosine kinase inhibitor,imatinib was approved for marketing in China in 2002 for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia and other tumor diseases.In addition to the antitumor effects,imatinib was found to improve hemodynamics and exercise tolerance in patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension,but the safety was suboptimal.With the emergence of new formulations of imatinib targeted at the lungs,it is expected to become a new targeted drug for pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of qualitative and quantitative fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) in identifying colorectal cancer, so as to provide insights into perfecting screening strategies for colorectal cancer. Methods: Participants in the Colorectal Cancer Screening Program for Key Populations in Zhejiang Province from May 2020 to December 2021 were recruited, and their demographic information, lifestyle and disease history were collected through a questionnaire survey. Qualitative or quantitative FIT along with a questionnaire-based risk assessment were employed as the initial screening tests. Individuals who were positive in any FIT or had high-risk assessment results were required to attend a subsequent colonoscopy examination. The positive rate, detection rate of colorectal cancer, positive predictive value and number of colonoscopies required were compared between qualitative and quantitative FITs, and stratified analyses by gender and age were conducted. Results: Totally 4 099 769 participants were included. The qualitative FIT group included 3 574 917 individuals, yielding a positive rate of 11.35%, a detection rate of 1.19%, a positive predictive value of 0.48% and 83.84 colonoscopies required to detect one cancer case. The quantitative FIT group involved 524 852 individuals, yielding a positive rate of 6.70%, a detection rate of 2.31%, a positive predictive value of 1.01% and 43.23 colonoscopies required to detect one cancer case. The quantitative FIT group showed significantly higher detection rate of colorectal cancer, higher positive predictive value and less number of colonoscopies required compared to the qualitative FIT group (all P<0.05). The same results were obtained after stratification by gender and age. Conclusion Compared to qualitative FIT, quantitative FIT improves the detection of colorectal cancer and reduces the workload of colonoscopy examinations, making it more suitable for colorectal cancer screening in large-scale populations.

Objective: To investigate the changes of mitochondrial homeostasis of human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) in periodontitis, and to provide a basis for exploring the mechanism of periodontitis. Methods: This study has been reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee. Gingival tissue was collected from patients who underwent periodontal surgery at the Department of Periodontology, School of Stomatology, the Fourth Military Medical University, from June 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023. All of the subjects signed informed consent forms prior to surgery. Gingival connective tissues were collected from patients with chronic periodontitis (CP group) and healthy individuals (control group) undergoing flap surgery and crown lengthening surgery, respectively. There were 6 cases in each group. The primary HGFs obtained from healthy periodontal subjects were cultured and divided into the control group (cultured in complete medium for 24 h) and the Pg.LPS group (cultured in medium with 5μg/mL Pg.LPS for 24 h). The number, morphology, and structure of mitochondria in gingival connective tissue and HGFs were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The number, circumference, and surface area of mitochondria were quantitatively analyzed. MitoSOXTMRed, TMRM, and an ATP kit were used to determine the production levels of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial membrane potential, and ATP in each group of HGFs. Results: Transmission electron microscopy showed that the morphology and structure of mitochondria were abnormal in the gingival connective tissues of the periodontitis group and HGFs, which were stimulated by Pg.LPS. The mitochondrial ridges were broken or were not visible in these groups. The number of mitochondria decreased significantly, and the surface area and circumference of the mitochondria increased significantly (P < 0.05). In addition, after stimulation by Pg.LPS, the reactive oxygen species level in HGFs was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The mitochondrial membrane potential and the level of ATP production was significantly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion The number, morphological structure, and function of mitochondria in HGFs changed significantly in periodontitis. The mitochondrial homeostasis is closely related to the occurrence and development of periodontitis.