Abstract To promote the development of sexuality education for Chinese adolescents, the study analyses Ireland s relationships and sexuality education (RSE) curriculum and concludes that it centers on student development in terms of curriculum philosophy and objectives, emphasizing its educational value. At the content level, it employs a staged teaching approach to achieve comprehensive coverage based on students physical and mental development characteristics. In terms of implementation, it adopts a spiral organization to ensure the scientific integrity of the curriculum. In addition, it utilizes diverse evaluation methods to strengthen the systematic nature of the curriculum. Based on these insights, China could collaborate with multiple stakeholders to advance the development of RSE, establish a scientific and systematic framework for RSE, and constructing a comprehensive implementation and teacher support system, thereby promoting the refinement and innovation of RSE programs.

BACKGROUND: Whether adherence to a healthy lifestyle is associated with a lower risk of developing pneumonia and a better long-term prognosis remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate associations of individual and combined lifestyle factors (LFs) with the incidence risk and long-term prognosis of pneumonia hospitalization. METHODS: Using data from the China Kadoorie Biobank study, we used the multistate models to investigate the role of five high-risk LFs, including smoking, excessive alcohol drinking, unhealthy dietary habits, physical inactivity, and unhealthy body shape, alone or in combination in the transitions from a generally healthy state at baseline to pneumonia hospitalization or cardiovascular disease (CVD, regarded as a reference outcome), and subsequently to mortality. RESULTS: Most of the five high-risk LFs were associated with increased risks of transitions from baseline to pneumonia and from pneumonia to death, but with different risk estimates. The greater the number of high-risk LFs, the higher the risk of developing pneumonia and long-term mortality risk after pneumonia, with the strength of associations comparable to that of LFs and CVD. Compared to participants with 0-1 high-risk LF, the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for transitions from baseline to pneumonia and from pneumonia to death in those with five high-risk LFs were 1.43 (1.28-1.60) and 1.98 (1.61-2.42), respectively. Correspondingly, the respective HRs (95% CIs) for transitions from baseline to CVD and from CVD to death were 2.00 (1.89-2.11) and 1.44 (1.30-1.59), respectively. The risk estimates changed slightly when further adjusting for the presence of major chronic diseases. CONCLUSION In this Chinese population, unhealthy LFs were associated with an increased incidence and long-term mortality risk of pneumonia.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Cardiovascular Diseases/etiology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Life Style ; Pneumonia/etiology* ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors ; Smoking

Heart failure (HF) is the end-stage of all cardiac diseases, characterized by high prevalence, high mortality, and heavy social and economic burden. Early warning of HF exacerbation is of great value for outpatient management and reducing readmission rates. Currently, remote dynamic monitoring technology, which captures changes in hemodynamic and physiological parameters of HF patients, has become the primary method for early warning and is a hot research topic in clinical studies. This paper systematically reviews the progress in this field, which was categorized into invasive monitoring based on implanted devices, non-invasive monitoring based on wearable devices, and other monitoring technologies based on audio and video. Invasive monitoring primarily involves direct hemodynamic parameters such as left atrial pressure and pulmonary artery pressure, while non-invasive monitoring covers parameters such as thoracic impedance, electrocardiogram, respiration, and activity levels. These parameters exhibit characteristic changes in the early stages of HF exacerbation. Given the clinical heterogeneity of HF patients, multi-source information fusion analysis can significantly improve the prediction accuracy of early warning models. The results of this study suggest that, compared with invasive monitoring, non-invasive monitoring technology, with its advantages of good patient compliance, ease of operation, and cost-effectiveness, combined with AI-driven multimodal data analysis methods, shows significant clinical application potential in establishing an outpatient management system for HF.
Humans ; Heart Failure/physiopathology* ; Monitoring, Physiologic/methods* ; Wearable Electronic Devices ; Remote Sensing Technology ; Early Diagnosis ; Electrocardiography ; Hemodynamics

PURPOSE: To investigate the regulatory role of nerve injury-induced protein 1 (NINJ1) in the anti-inflammatory function of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) co-stimulated by interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). METHODS: hUC-MSCs were expanded in vitro using standard protocols, with stem cell characteristics confirmed by flow cytometry and multilineage differentiation assays. The immunomodulatory properties and cellular activity of cytokine-co-pretreated hUC-MSCs were systematically evaluated via quantitative reverse transcription RT-qPCR, lymphocyte proliferation suppression assays, and Cell Counting Kit-8 viability tests. Transcriptome sequencing, Western blotting and small interfering RNA interference were integrated to analyze the regulatory mechanisms of NINJ1 expression. Functional roles of NINJ1 in pretreated hUC-MSCs were elucidated through gene silencing combined with lactate dehydrogenase release assays, Annexin V/Propidium Iodide apoptosis analysis, macrophage co-culture models, and cytokine Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. Therapeutic efficacy was validated in a cecal ligation and puncture-induced septic mouse model: 80 mice were randomly allocated into 4 experimental groups (n=20/group): sham group (laparotomy without cecal ligation); phosphate-buffered saline-treated group (cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) + 0.1 mL phosphate-buffered saline); hUC-MSCs (small interfering RNA (siRNA)-interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha co-stimulation (IT))-treated group (CLP + hUC-MSCs transfected with scrambled siRNA); and hUC-MSCs (siNINJ1-IT)-treated group (CLP + hUC-MSCs with NINJ1-targeting siRNA). RESULTS: hUC-MSCs demonstrated compliance with International Society for Cellular Therapy criteria, confirming their stem cell identity. IFN-γ/TNF-α co-pretreatment enhanced the immunosuppressive capacity of hUC-MSCs, accompanied by the reduction of cellular viability, while concurrently upregulating pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 and interleukin-1β. This co-stimulation significantly elevated NINJ1 expression in hUC-MSCs, whereas genetic silencing of NINJ1 effectively suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokine production and attenuated damage-associated molecular patterns release through inhibition of programmed plasma membrane rupture. Furthermore, the NINJ1 interference potentiated the ability of cytokine-pretreated hUC-MSCs to suppress LPS-induced pro-inflammatory responses in RAW264.7 macrophages. In cecal ligation and puncture-induced sepsis model, NINJ1-silenced hUC-MSCs exhibited enhanced therapeutic efficacy, manifested by reduced systemic inflammation and multi-organ damage. CONCLUSION Our findings shed new light on the immunomodulatory functions of cytokine-primed MSCs, offering groundbreaking insights for developing MSC-based therapies against inflammatory diseases via interfering the expression of NINJ1.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells/drug effects* ; Animals ; Interferon-gamma/pharmacology* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/pharmacology* ; Humans ; Mice ; Umbilical Cord/cytology* ; Cells, Cultured ; Apoptosis ; Male

Objective:This study aimed to explore the performance of renal resistive index (RRI), semiquantitative power Doppler ultrasound (PDU) score, and renal venous Doppler waveform (RVDW) pattern in predicting 28-day renal dysfunction in critically ill patients and establish nomogram model.Methods:This was a prospective, observational study. Critically ill patients admitted to the emergency intensive care unit (ICU) of Cangzhou Central Hospital from January 2018 to October 2022 were included. Patients underwent renal ultrasound examination to obtain RRI, PDU score and RVDW pattern within 24 h after ICU admission. The following clinical variables were collected during the renal ultrasound examination session, including heart rate, mean arterial pressure, type and dose of vasoactive drugs, oxygen therapy parameters, and average urine volume per hour derived from a period of 6 h prior to the ultrasound examination. The data on duration of AKI and mortality were recorded on the 28th day of follow-up. Patients were divided into 28-day normal renal function group and 28-day renal dysfunction group according to 28-day renal dysfunction. 28-days of renal dysfunction was defined as failure to achieve renal function recovery within 28 days of ICU admission. The difference of each index between the two groups was compared. Associated factors for 28-day renal dysfunction were determined by univariate and multivariate COX regression analyses. A nomogram was developed based on the independently factors associated with 28-day renal dysfunction. Survival receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to assess diagnostic performance in predicting 28-day renal dysfunction. Delong’s test was used to compare area under the curves (AUC) between each predictor.Results:187 patients were enrolled for the final analysis: 97 with no AKI, 48 with AKI stage 1, 24 with AKI stage 2, and 18 with AKI stage 3 upon enrollment. At 28-day follow up, 16 patients had renal dysfunction and 2 required continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). The multivariate COX regression showed that RVDW and SCr upon enrollment were the independent risk predictors. Nomogram based on RVDW and SCr upon enrollment showed the best performance in predicting 14-day renal dysfunction (AUC = 0.918, 95% CI:0.871-0.964, P<0.05), and the AUC was statistically significantly higher than single index (all P<0.05). Nomogram also showed the best performance in predicting 28-day renal dysfunction (AUC = 0.924, 95% CI:0.865-0.983, P<0.05), and the AUC was statistically significantly higher than single index (all P<0.05) except for SCr upon enrollment. The optimal cutoff for nomogram in predicting 28-day renal dysfunction was ≤89.5 (sensitivity, 81.2%; specificity, 90.6%; Youden index, 0.719). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the median duration of renal dysfunction in the groups with total nomogram score >85.9 and ≤85.9 was 0 and 22 days (HR=0.220, 95% CI:0.129-0.376, P<0.001). Conclusions:SCr and RVDW pattern within 24 h from ICU admission were independent factors associated with 28-day renal dysfunction in critically ill patients. The value of the nomogram model based on these two factors in predicting 28-day renal dysfunction is superior to each single intrarenal Doppler spectrum indicator and clinical indicator.

Macroautophagy (referred to as autophagy hereafter) is a major intracellular lysosomal degradation pathway that is responsible for the degradation of misfolded/damaged proteins and organelles. Previous studies showed that autophagy protects against acetaminophen (APAP)-induced injury (AILI) via selective removal of damaged mitochondria and APAP protein adducts. The lysosome is a critical organelle sitting at the end stage of autophagy for autophagic degradation via fusion with autophagosomes. In the present study, we showed that transcription factor EB (TFEB), a master transcription factor for lysosomal biogenesis, was impaired by APAP resulting in decreased lysosomal biogenesis in mouse livers. Genetic loss-of and gain-of function of hepatic TFEB exacerbated or protected against AILI, respectively. Mechanistically, overexpression of TFEB increased clearance of APAP protein adducts and mitochondria biogenesis as well as SQSTM1/p62-dependent non-canonical nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) activation to protect against AILI. We also performed an unbiased cell-based imaging high-throughput chemical screening on TFEB and identified a group of TFEB agonists. Among these agonists, salinomycin, an anticoccidial and antibacterial agent, activated TFEB and protected against AILI in mice. In conclusion, genetic and pharmacological activating TFEB may be a promising approach for protecting against AILI.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect and mechanism of acute exposure to sodium cyanide(NaCN)on brain nerve damage induced by closed hypoxia in mice.METHODS ① Mice were randomly divided into hypoxia+NaCN 0(hypoxia control group),2.56,3.8,and 5.1 mg·kg-1 groups.After ip adminis-tration of different concentrations of NaCN,the mice were immediately placed into a closed hypoxic tank and the hypoxia survival time was observed.②Mice were divided into normal control,NaCN 3.8 mg·kg-1,hypoxia(30 and 60 min)and NaCN 3.8 mg·kg-1+hypoxia(30 and 60 min)groups.After grouping,the pH,oxygen saturation(sO2),oxygen tension(pO2)and carbon dioxide partial pressure(pCO2)of arterial blood of mice were detected using an arterial blood gas analyzer.The cortical cerebral blood flow of mice was detected using a laser speckle imager.The dry and wet brain tissue were weighed separately,and the brain moisture content was calculated.The kit was used to detect the activity of total superoxide dismutase(T-SOD)and the content of malondialdehyde(MDA)in the hippocampus.TUNEL staining was used to detect the apoptosis rate of cells in the hippocampus.HE staining was used to detect path-ological changes in the hippocampus.RESULTS ①Compared with the hypoxic control group,the sur-vival time of mice in the hypoxic+NaCN groups was significantly prolonged(P<0.01).②Compared with the normal control group,the hypoxia 30 min group showed upregulation of arterial blood p CO2(P<0.05),downregulation of p O2(P<0.05).The hypoxia 60 min group showed upregulation of arterial blood p CO2(P<0.05)and downregulation of cortical cerebral blood flow(P<0.05).In the NaCN 3.8 mg·kg-1 group,arterial blood p O2 and s O2 were significantly downregulated(P<0.05),so was cortical cerebral blood flow(P<0.01),but MDA content and T-SOD activity were significantly upregulated(P<0.01),and the brain moisture content was increased(P<0.01).Compared with the hypoxia 30 min group,s O2 and p O2 of arterial blood in the NaCN+hypoxia 30 min group were significantly upregulated(P<0.05),while p CO2 was significantly downregulated(P<0.05).Compared with the hypoxia group at corresponding time points,the NaCN+hypoxia 30 or 60 min groups showed significant downregulation of cerebral blood flow(P<0.01),significant upregulation of MDA content and T-SOD activity(P<0.01),and signifi-cant upregulation of brain moisture content(P<0.01).HE staining results showed that the NaCN 3.8 mg·kg-1 group and the NaCN+hypoxia group(30 or 60 min)showed significant cell swelling and vacuolization in cells in the hippocampal tissue,a decrease in the number of neurons,nuclear pyknosis and deep staining.TUNEL fluorescence results showed that the NaCN 3.8 mg·kg-1 group significantly increased the apop-tosis rate of the mouse hippocampus compared with the normal control group(P<0.05).The NaCN+ hypoxia 30 and 60 min groups significantly increased the apoptosis rate of the mouse hippocampus compared with the hypoxia group at corresponding time points(P<0.05).CONCLUSION NaCN can exacerbate hypoxia induced decrease in cerebral blood flow,oxidative stress in brain tissue,and neuro-nal apoptosis in mice,thereby reducing oxygen consumption in closed hypoxic tanks and prolonging their survival time.The mechanism is related to reduced utility of cell oxygen,delaying CO2 accumulation and increasing free oxygen in vivo.

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of procalcitonin to platelet ratio (PPR) and C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR) in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and the value of SAP and concomitant acute liver injury (ALI).Methods:Total of 195 patients with AP from June 2021 to December 2022 from 374 patients were screened for inclusion in the study and were divided into non-severe acute pancreatitis (NSAP) and SAP groups. The ALI group was divided into non-acute liver injury (NALI) and ALI groups according to ALI criteria, and then into hepatocellular ALI subgroup, cholangiocellular ALI subgroup and mixed ALI subgroup. Laboratory tests for procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin and platelet (PLT) were completed within 48 h. Risk factors for SAP, ALI and each subgroup of ALI were analysed by binary logistic regression. Subject work characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted and the optimal thresholds for PPR and CAR were calculated. The predictive value of PPR, CAR and their combination for SAP, ALI and each type of ALI was determined.Results:The AUCs for predicting SAP by plotting ROC curves and calculating the bedside index score of acute pancreatitis severity (BISAP score), PPR, CAR, PPR combined with CAR, PPR combined with BISAP score, CAR combined with BISAP score and combined PPR, CAR and BISAP score were 0.82, 0.85, 0.79 and 0.86. The areas under the ROC curves for PPR, CAR and combined prediction of ALI were 0.81, 0.85 and 0.88, respectively; the areas under the ROC curves for PPR, CAR and combined prediction of hepatocellular ALI were 0.93, 0.77 and 0.92, respectively; and the areas under the ROC curves for PPR, CAR and combined prediction of cholangiocellular ALI were 0.76, 0.76 and 0.77, respectively. The area under the ROC curves for PPR, CAR and combined prediction of mixed ALI were 0.83, 0.76 and 0.82Conclusions:Elevated PPR and CAR are risk factors for SAP and for the development of ALI in AP. PPR has better predictive value than CAR for hepatocellular and mixed ALI, and CAR has better predictive value than PPR for cholangiocellular ALI.

Objective:To investigate the value of fibrinogen to albumin ratio (FAR), creatinine to albumin ratio (CAR) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in predicting the poor prognosis of hyperlipidemic acute pancreatitis (HLAP).Methods:Clinical data of HLAP patients admitted to the hospital from January 2021 to January and December 2023 were retrospectively collected. According to the prognosis, the patients were divided into two groups: good prognosis group and poor prognosis group.The independent risk factors of HLAP in different prognostic groups were obtained by multivariate Logistic regression analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to evaluate the prognostic value of FAR, CAR and PLR alone and in combination.Results:A total of 118 patients with HLAP were included, including 69 patients with good prognosis and 49 patients with poor prognosis.The difference of heart rate, lymphocyte, triglyceride, albumin, creatinine, urea nitrogen, blood calcium, blood glucose, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, fibrinogen, FAR, CAR, PLR, Bedside indicator of acute pancreatitis Severity score, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health status score, hospitalization time assessment between the two groups was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that FAR (odds ratio ( OR) = 25.949, 95% confidence interval (95% CI):3.190 ~ 211.080, P = 0.002), CAR ( OR = 1.453, 95% CI:1.095 ~ 1.928, P = 0.010) and PLR ( OR = 1.005, 95% CI: 1.001 ~ 1.009, P = 0.020) were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in HLAP patients. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of FAR, CAR and PLR to predict poor prognosis of HLAP patients were 0.823, 0.781 and 0.652, respectively.The AUC of FAR combined with CAR, FAR combined with PLR and CAR combined with PLR were 0.840, 0.845 and 0.849, respectively.The combined ability of FAR, CAR and PLR to predict poor prognosis in HLAP patients was (AUC=0.875,95% CI:0.814 ~ 0.937). When the cut-off value was 0.387, the sensitivity was 83.7%, and the specificity was 79.7%. Conclusions:The prognostic value of FAR, CAR and PLR in HLAP patients is better than that of single or pairwise combination.

Objective:To assess the accuracy of two-dimensional (2D) photographs in measuring esthetic parameters of the maxillary anterior teeth by comparing them with measurements obtained from three-dimensional (3D) dental models.Methods:A total of one hundred volunteers (49 males, 51 females, aged 18-23 years) were recruited from School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University from January to February 2024. 3D digital models of their dentitions were obtained using an intraoral scanner, and standardized frontal 2D intraoral photographs were captured with a digital camera. The lengths, widths and width/length ratio of the bilateral incisors, lateral incisors and canines were measured on both the 3D digital models and the 2D intraoral photographs. The width ratios of adjacent maxillary anterior were also calculated on the 2D intraoral photographs and the frontal view of 3D digital models.Results:The widths of lateral incisors [(5.85±0.60) mm] and canines [(4.73±0.71) mm] and the lengths of canines [(8.72±0.96) mm] in the 2D intraoral photographs were significantly lower than those in 3D digital models [(6.65±0.59), (7.76±0.60), (8.90±0.86) mm] ( t=-18.24, P<0.001; t=-54.43, P<0.001; t=-4.40, P<0.001), while there were no significant differences in the lengths and widths of the other teeth ( P>0.05). The width/length ratios measured from the 2D intraoral photographs for the lateral incisors and canines (0.74±0.08, 0.55±0.08) were significantly lower than those measured in the 3D digital models (0.84±0.09, 0.88±0.09) ( t=-19.68, P<0.001; t=-50.21, P<0.001), and the width/length ratio of the central incisors showed no significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05). The width ratios of canines/lateral incisors and lateral incisors/central incisors measured on the 2D intraoral photographs (0.72±0.06, 0.85±0.11) were significantly smaller than those measured in the frontal view of 3D digital models (0.75±0.06, 0.89±0.11) ( t=-9.31, P<0.001; t=-6.58, P<0.001). Conclusions:There is a difference between 2D and 3D measurement results of teeth in the esthetic area and the magnitude of the difference varies with their position in the dental arch. When analyzing the measurement of the anterior teeth, it is necessary to choose the appropriate method according to the target tooth position.