Abstract On September 26, 2024, a municipal hospital in Jiaxing City reported a maternal case of Listeria monocytogenes infection. In order to clarify the source of infection, the Jiaxing Center for Disease Control and Prevention immediately conducted the epidemiological investigation, laboratory testing and related disposal work. The case presented with fever (37.9 ℃), gradually intensifying paroxysmal abdominal pain without obvious cause, and went to hospital on the day of onset. Due to fetal intrauterine distress, a male infant was delivered by cesarean section on the same day. The epidemiological investigation identified that the case usually consumed fruits, often store fruits such as watermelon and grapes in the refrigerator alongside raw meat, and the refrigerator had never been cleaned or disinfected, posing a risk of cross contamination. Laboratory tests on amniotic fluid sample from the pregnant woman, infant blood sample showed positive results for Listeria monocytogenes infection. One strain of Listeria monocytogenes was detected in a smear sample from the inner wall of the refrigerator, and all the strains were ST2 type. Consuming fruits contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may be the main source of infection. Food safety education for pregnant women and their family members should be strengthened to reduce the risk of infection.

Objective: To investigate the situation and influencing factors of school bullying experienced by primary and middle school students, so as to provide the basis for formulating school bullying intervention measures and promoting students' physical and mental health development. Methods: All the counties (cities, districts) in Zhejiang Province were stratified to urban and suburban areas, primary, junior high and senior high school students were selected using a stratified cluster sampling method. Basic information, lifestyle and school bullying were collected through questionnaire surveys. Factors affecting school bullying experienced by primary and middle school students were analyzed using a multivariable logistic regression model. Results: Totally 137 846 valid questionnaires were recovered, with an effective recovery rate of 97.17%. There were 72 526 males (52.61%) and 65 320 females (47.39%). There were 47 561 primary school students (34.50%), 47 701 junior high school students (34.61%) and 42 584 senior high school students (30.89%). A total of 3 987 students suffered from school bullying, accounting for 2.89%. The proportions of being maliciously teased, being intentionally excluded from group activities/isolated, being teased about physical defects or appearance, being hit/kicked/pushed/shoved/locked in a room, being threatened, and being extorted for money were 2.04%, 1.18%, 1.11%, 0.86%, 0.84% and 0.83%, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the students who were males (OR=1.122, 95%CI: 1.048-1.202), lived in suburban areas (OR=1.322, 95%CI: 1.233-1.418), lived in areas with medium (OR=1.086, 95%CI: 1.006-1.173) or underdeveloped (OR=1.298, 95%CI: 1.191-1.415) economic level, had higher academic levels (junior high school, OR=1.380, 95%CI: 1.270-1.499; senior high school, OR=1.210, 95%CI: 1.083-1.351), lived on campus (OR=1.489, 95%CI: 1.372-1.616), engaged in fights (OR=6.029, 95%CI: 5.585-6.509), attempted to smoke (OR=1.320, 95%CI: 1.128-1.545), drank (OR=1.735, 95%CI: 1.575-1.912), were scolded and beaten by parents (OR=1.972, 95%CI: 1.822-2.135) and were obese (OR=1.240, 95%CI: 1.132-1.360) were more likely to experience school bullying. Conclusion The harm of school bullying to the physical and mental health of primary and middle school students should be taken seriously, and active policy measures should be adopted to strengthen intervention.

OBJECTIVE To provide a reference for the quality control of Hypericum perforatum. METHODS High- performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） was used to establish fingerprints for 20 batches of H. perforatum and determine the contents of its main components： chlorogenic acid， rutin， hyperin， isoquercitrin， avicularin， quercitrin and quercetin. Cluster analysis was conducted using SPSS 26.0 software. The chromaticity values （luminance value L*， red-green value a*， and yellow- blue value b*） of H. perforatum powder were measured using electronic eye. A prediction model for the contents of seven components in H. perforatum based on its appearance chromaticity values was established using machine learning algorithms. The predictive performance of the models was evaluated using root-mean-square-error （RMSE）. RESULTS A total of 16 common peaks were calibrated in the fingerprints of 20 batches of H. perforatum， and 9 peaks were identified， which were chlorogenic acid， rutin， hyperin， isoquercitrin， avicularin， quercitrin， quercetin， hypericin and hyperforin； the similarities of the 20 batches of samples and reference fingerprint ranged from 0.889-0.987. The contents of chlorogenic acid， rutin， hyperin， isoquercitrin， avicularin， quercitrin and quercetin were 0.025%-0.166%， 0.048%-0.339%， 0.082%-0.419%， 0.017%-0.209%， 0.011%-0.134%， 0.020%-0.135%， 0.041%-0.235%， respectively. Cluster analysis results showed that 18 batches of qualified H. perforatum were grouped into three categories， when the Euclidean distance was set to 1.4. L* of the 20 batches of H. perforatum ranged from 62.814 to 75.668， a* ranged from 1.409 to 3.490， and b* ranged from 25.249 to 30.759. RMSE of three prediction models， namely XGBoost， LightGBM， and AdaBoost， ranged from 0.008 to 0.070， indicating good fitting performance. XGBoost model predicted the contents of the other six components with high accuracy， except for rutin. CONCLUSIONS The established fingerprints and content determination methods are accurate， reproducible， and reliable. The content prediction model based on appearance chromaticity values， combined with machine learning algorithms， can be used for the quality control of H. perforatum.

Background/Aims: Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a chronic liver disease characterized by hepatic steatosis. Ubiquitin-specific protease 29 (USP29) plays pivotal roles in hepatic ischemiareperfusion injury and hepatocellular carcinoma, but its role in MASLD remains unexplored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to reveal the effects and underlying mechanisms of USP29 in MASLD progression. Methods: USP29 expression was assessed in liver samples from MASLD patients and mice. The role and molecular mechanism of USP29 in MASLD were assessed in high-fat diet-fed and high-fat/high-cholesterol diet-fed mice and palmitic acid and oleic acid treated hepatocytes. Results: USP29 protein levels were significantly reduced in mice and humans with MASLD. Hepatic steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis were significantly exacerbated by USP29 deletion and relieved by USP29 overexpression. Mechanistically, USP29 significantly activated the expression of genes related to fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) under metabolic stimulation, directly interacted with long-chain acyl-CoA synthase 5 (ACSL5) and repressed ACSL5 degradation by increasing ACSL5 K48-linked deubiquitination. Moreover, the effect of USP29 on hepatocyte lipid accumulation and MASLD was dependent on ACSL5. Conclusions USP29 functions as a novel negative regulator of MASLD by stabilizing ACSL5 to promote FAO. The activation of the USP29-ACSL5 axis may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for MASLD.

Background/Aims: Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a chronic liver disease characterized by hepatic steatosis. Ubiquitin-specific protease 29 (USP29) plays pivotal roles in hepatic ischemiareperfusion injury and hepatocellular carcinoma, but its role in MASLD remains unexplored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to reveal the effects and underlying mechanisms of USP29 in MASLD progression. Methods: USP29 expression was assessed in liver samples from MASLD patients and mice. The role and molecular mechanism of USP29 in MASLD were assessed in high-fat diet-fed and high-fat/high-cholesterol diet-fed mice and palmitic acid and oleic acid treated hepatocytes. Results: USP29 protein levels were significantly reduced in mice and humans with MASLD. Hepatic steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis were significantly exacerbated by USP29 deletion and relieved by USP29 overexpression. Mechanistically, USP29 significantly activated the expression of genes related to fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) under metabolic stimulation, directly interacted with long-chain acyl-CoA synthase 5 (ACSL5) and repressed ACSL5 degradation by increasing ACSL5 K48-linked deubiquitination. Moreover, the effect of USP29 on hepatocyte lipid accumulation and MASLD was dependent on ACSL5. Conclusions USP29 functions as a novel negative regulator of MASLD by stabilizing ACSL5 to promote FAO. The activation of the USP29-ACSL5 axis may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for MASLD.

Background/Aims: Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a chronic liver disease characterized by hepatic steatosis. Ubiquitin-specific protease 29 (USP29) plays pivotal roles in hepatic ischemiareperfusion injury and hepatocellular carcinoma, but its role in MASLD remains unexplored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to reveal the effects and underlying mechanisms of USP29 in MASLD progression. Methods: USP29 expression was assessed in liver samples from MASLD patients and mice. The role and molecular mechanism of USP29 in MASLD were assessed in high-fat diet-fed and high-fat/high-cholesterol diet-fed mice and palmitic acid and oleic acid treated hepatocytes. Results: USP29 protein levels were significantly reduced in mice and humans with MASLD. Hepatic steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis were significantly exacerbated by USP29 deletion and relieved by USP29 overexpression. Mechanistically, USP29 significantly activated the expression of genes related to fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) under metabolic stimulation, directly interacted with long-chain acyl-CoA synthase 5 (ACSL5) and repressed ACSL5 degradation by increasing ACSL5 K48-linked deubiquitination. Moreover, the effect of USP29 on hepatocyte lipid accumulation and MASLD was dependent on ACSL5. Conclusions USP29 functions as a novel negative regulator of MASLD by stabilizing ACSL5 to promote FAO. The activation of the USP29-ACSL5 axis may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for MASLD.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of blueberry-derived tectorigenin （TEC） on hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines HepG2 and Huh7 and its mechanism. MethodsTEC was extracted from blueberries and purified， and a bioinformatics analysis was performed to identify potential target genes and signaling pathways. HepG2 and Huh7 cell lines were used and divided into 0， 30， 60， and 90 μg/mL groups according to the concentration of TEC. CCK-8 assay was used to measure cell viability； wound healing assay and Transwell assay were used to assess the migration ability of cells； flow cytometry was used to measure cell apoptosis rate； Western Blot was used to measure the protein expression levels of CCNB1， p53， MDM2， Bax， Bcl-2， and active-Caspase 3. Cell models with low CCNB1 expression （NC group， si-NC group， si-NC+TEC group， si-CCNB1 group， and si-CCNB1+TEC group） and CCNB1 overexpression （OE-NC group， OE-NC+TEC group， OE-CCNB1 group， and OE-CCNB1+TEC group） were established to validate the targets. A one-way analysis of variance or two factors analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups， and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. The Wilcoxon signed rank sum test was used to compare the expression levels of genes between cancer tissue and paracancerous tissue. ResultsIn HepG2 and Huh7 cells under the same concentration of TEC， cell viability at 24 hours of TEC intervention was significantly lower than that at 12 and 48 hours （all P<0.05）， and at 24 hours of intervention， the TEC 90 μg/mL group had a significantly lower cell viability than the other groups （all P<0.05）. Therefore， TEC intervention for 24 hours at a concentration of 90 μg/mL was used for subsequent studies. Compared with the TEC 0 μg/mL group， the 30， 60， and 90 μg/mL groups had significant reductions in the number of migrated cells and wound healing rate （all P<0.05）， and compared with the NC group and si-NC group， the si-NC+TEC group and the si-CCNB1 group for HepG2 and Huh7 cells had significant reductions in the number of migrated cells and wound healing rate （all P<0.05）. Compared with the NC group and si-NC group， the si-NC+TEC group and the si-CCNB1 group for HepG2 and Huh7 cells had a significant increase in cell apoptosis rate （all P<0.05）. For HepG2 cells， compared with the 0 μg/mL group， the 30， 60， and 90 μg/mL groups had significant reductions in the protein expression levels of CCNB1 and Bcl-2 （all P<0.05）， and the 60 and 90 μg/mL groups had significant increases in the protein expression levels of p53， Bax， and active-Caspase 3 （all P<0.001） and a significant reduction in the protein expression level of MDM2 （both P<0.05）. For Huh7 cells， compared with the 0 μg/mL group， the 30， 60， and 90 μg/mL groups had a significant reduction in the protein expression level of CCNB1 （all P<0.01）； the 60 and 90 μg/mL groups had significant increases in the protein expression levels of p53 and Bax and a significant reduction in the protein expression level of MDM2 （all P<0.05）； the 90 μg/mL group had a significant reduction in the protein expression level of Bcl-2 and a significant increase in the protein expression level of active-Caspase 3 （both P<0.01）. Compared with the si-NC group， the si-NC+TEC group and the si-CCNB1 group for HepG2 and Huh7 cells had significant reductions in the protein expression levels of CCNB1， MDM2， and Bcl-2 and significant increases in the protein expression levels of p53 and Bax （all P<0.05）. Compared with the OE-NC group， the OE-NC+TEC group for HepG2 and Huh7 cells had significant reductions in the protein expression levels of CCNB1 and MDM2 and a significant increase in the protein expression level of p53 （all P<0.05）， while the OE-CCNB1 group had significant increases in the protein expression levels of CCNB1 and MDM2 and a significant reduction in the protein expression level of p53 （all P<0.05）， and there were no significant differences in the protein expression level of CCNB1， MDM2， and p53 between the OE-CCNB1 group and the OE-CCNB1+TEC group （all P>0.05）. ConclusionTEC can inhibit the proliferation and migration of HepG2 and Huh7 cells and promote their apoptosis in vitro， possibly by downregulating the expression of CCNB1 and activating the p53 signaling pathway.

Objective:To assess the effectiveness of a 6-month Ba Duan Jin exercise program in improving the balance of community-dwelling older adults.Methods:A two arms, parallel-group, cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in 1 028 community residents aged 60-80 years in 40 communities in 5 provinces of China. Participants in the intervention group (20 communities, 523 people) received Ba Duan Jin exercise 5 days/week, 1 hour/day for 6 months, and three times of falls prevention health education, and the control group (20 communities, 505 people) received falls prevention health education same as the intervention group. The Berg balance scale (BBS) score was the leading outcome indicator, and the secondary outcome indicators included the length of time of standing on one foot (with eyes open and closed), standing in a tandem stance (with eyes open and closed), the closed circle test, and the timed up to test.Results:A total of 1 028 participants were included in the final analysis, including 731 women (71.11%) and 297 men (28.89%), and the age was (69.87±5.67) years. After the 3-month intervention, compared with the baseline data, the BBS score of the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group by 3.05 (95% CI: 2.23-3.88) points ( P<0.001). After the 6-month intervention, compared with the baseline data, the BBS score of the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group by 4.70 (95% CI: 4.03-5.37) points ( P<0.001). Ba Duan Jin showed significant improvement ( P<0.05) in all secondary outcomes after 6 months of exercise in the intervention group compared with the control group. Conclusions:This study showed that Ba Duan Jin exercise can improve balance in community-dwelling older adults aged 60-80. The longer the exercise time, the better the improvement.

Objective: To investigate the status and influencing factors of abnormal spinal curvature among middle school students in Zhejiang Province, so as to provide insights into formulating intervention measures of abnormal spinal curvature among students. Methods: Middle school students were selected from 90 counties (cities or districts) for abnormal spinal curvature screening using the stratified random cluster sampling method based on the Student Common Diseases and Influencing Factors Program in 2022. Basic information, nutritional status, sedentary time and sleep time were collected through questionnaire surveys and physical examination. Influencing factors for abnormal spinal curvature among middle school students were identified using a multivariable logistic regression model. Results: Totally 93 988 students were recruited, and 92 559 students responded effectively, with a response rate of 98.48%. There were 48 578 males (52.48%) and 43 981 females (47.52%). A total of 1 690 students with abnormal spinal curvature were detected, accounting for 1.83%. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the students who were female (OR=1.331, 95%CI: 1.204-1.471), lived in suburb areas (OR=1.254, 95%CI: 1.135-1.385), were at ages of 14 years and above (14 to 16 years, OR=1.252, 95%CI: 1.108-1.414; >16 years, OR=1.273, 95%CI: 1.090-1.486) and had sedentary time greater than 10 h/d (OR=1.162, 95%CI: 1.034-1.305) might have higher risks of abnormal spinal curvature, while the students who were overweight or obesity (OR=0.491, 95%CI: 0.426-0.565), regularly adjust the heights of the desks and chairs (OR=0.883, 95%CI: 0.797-0.979), and slept 8 hours or more per day (OR=0.850, 95%CI: 0.765-0.945) might have lower risks of abnormal spinal curvature. Conclusions The prevalence of abnormal spinal curvature among middle school students in Zhejiang Province is associated with gender, region, age, nutritional status, regularly adjusting the heights of desks and chairs, sedentary time and sleep time.

Objective To explore the predictive value of serum cathepsin S(CTSS),progranulin(PGRN)and chemo-kine ligand 12(CXCL12)for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD).Methods A total of 202 patients with COPD who were admitted to the Tongling Municipal Hospital from January 2020 to February 2023 were selected as the research subjects.The patients were divided into an acute exacerbation group(n=64)and a non-acute exacerbation group(n=138)according to whether acute exacerbation occurred.Clinical data such as serum CTSS,PGRN and CXCL12 levels,age,gender,body mass index(BMI),disease course,smoking history,forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity ratio(FEV1％),and COPD assessment test(CAT)score in the stable period were collected.Univariate analysis was made to compare the differences in relevant indicators between the two groups,and multivariate logistic regression analysis was made to identify the independent risk factors for acute exacerbation in COPD patients.The Pearson correlation method was used to analyze the correlation between serum CTSS,PGRN,CXCL12 levels and FEV1％,CAT score.Relative risk analysis was used to evaluate the influence of different CTSS,PGRN and CXCL12 levels on acute exacerbation in COPD patients.The predictive efficacy of serum CTSS,PGRN and CXCL12 levels on acute exacerbation in COPD patients was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results Univariate analysis showed that there was no significant difference in age,sex,BMI and disease course of patients between the two groups(P＞0.05),while there were significant differences in the propor-tion of patients with smoking history,FEV1％,CAT score,and serum CTSS,PGRN and CXCL12 levels between the two groups(P＜0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that elevated serum CTSS,PGRN and CXCL12 levels were risk factors for acute exacerbation in COPD patients(P＜0.05).There were significant differences in serum CTSS,PGRN and CXCL12 levels among patients with different FEV1％and CAT scores(P＜0.05).Pearson correlation analysis showed that serum CTSS,PGRN and CXCL12 levels were negatively correlated with FEV1％and positively correlated with CAT score(P＜0.05).Risk analysis showed that the risk of acute exacerbation in COPD patients with high serum CTSS,PGRN and CXCL12 levels was 2.089 times[95％confidence interval(CI):1.341-3.253],2.294 times(95％CI:1.363-3.862)and 2.359 times(95％CI:1.459-3.815)of the COPD patients with low serum CTSS,PGRN and CXCL12 levels.ROC analysis indica-ted that the area under the curve for predicting the risk of acute exacerbation in COPD patients based on serum CTSS,PGRN and CXCL12 levels alone was 0.780,0.811 and 0.755,respectively;the area under the curve for predicting the risk of acute exacerbation in COPD patients based on the combination of serum CTSS,PGRN and CXCL12 levels was 0.923.Conclusion Serum CTSS,PGRN and CXCL12 levels are risk factors for acute exacerbation of COPD.Abnormal elevation of serum CTSS,PGRN and CXCL12 levels can significantly increase the risk of acute exacerbation of COPD.The combination of serum CTSS,PGRN and CXCL12 levels is more effective in predicting the risk of acute exacerbation of COPD.