Objective To investigate the prevalence, distribution characteristics, and influencing factors of mental health problems among the elderly, and to provide a scientific basis for policy-making.  Methods A convenience sampling method was used to investigate depression, anxiety, and cognitive function among permanent residents aged 65 and older at 59 mental health care sites for the elderly in Hubei Province. Multinomial logistic regression was employed to analyze influencing factors. Results The screening rates for depression, anxiety, and cognitive function at critical/high-risk levels among the elderly in Hubei Province were 9.7%, 5.4%, and 12.2%, respectively. Urban elderly had lower risks of depression and cognitive function at critical/high-risk levels compared to rural elderly (OR for critical depression = 0.640, P < 0.001; OR for high-risk depression = 0.595, P = 0.012; OR for critical cognitive function = 0.448, P < 0.001; OR for high-risk cognitive function = 0.188, P < 0.001). Six key population groups had higher risks of depression, anxiety, and cognitive function at critical/high-risk levels than others (OR for critical depression = 1.463, P < 0.001; OR for high-risk depression = 1.912, P < 0.001; OR for critical anxiety = 1.462, P < 0.001; OR for high-risk anxiety = 2.882, P < 0.001; OR for critical cognitive function = 1.381, P < 0.001; OR for high-risk cognitive function = 2.345, P < 0.001). A higher number of chronic diseases was associated with increased risks of critical and high-risk depression (OR for critical = 1.316, P < 0.001; OR for high-risk = 3.677, P < 0.001) and cognitive impairment (OR for critical depression = 1.316, P < 0.001; OR for high-risk depression = 3.677, P < 0.001; OR for critical anxiety = 1.512, P < 0.001; OR for high-risk anxiety = 1.801, P < 0.001). Conclusion It is recommended to expand mental health care sites in rural areas, improve the layout of mutual-support elderly care facilities, and explore sustainable models for rural elderly care. Efforts should also focus on enhancing social participation among the elderly through community-based activities, and strengthening cognitive screening and emotional regulation interventions, with particular attention to the mental health needs of older, isolated, and chronically ill individuals.

ObjectiveTo investigate the association between noninvasive liver fibrosis markers and carotid plaque （CP） in patients with lean metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD）， and to provide a basis for screening high-risk populations. MethodsA total of 957 patients with lean MAFLD who underwent physical examination in Subei People’s Hospital from January 2021 to June 2023 was enrolled as the observation cohort， with the presence or absence of CP as the outcome， and fibrosis-4 （FIB-4） index and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score （NFS） were used to assess liver fibrosis degree. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups， and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups； the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The multivariate logistic regression analysis， the restricted cubic spline analysis， the receiver operating characteristic curve， and the mediation effect analysis were used to investigate the association between liver fibrosis degree and CP. ResultsThe prevalence rate of CP was 36.6% in the lean MAFLD population. Compared with the non-CP group（n=607）， the CP group （n=350） had a significantly higher proportion of male patients， a significantly higher proportion of patients with smoking/diabetes/hypertension， and significantly higher levels of age， creatinine， blood urea nitrogen， triglycerides， fasting blood glucose， aspartate aminotransferase， aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio， NFS， and FIB-4 index， as well as significantly lower levels of platelet count and albumin （all P<0.05）. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that after adjustment for confounding factors， FIB-4 index （odds ratio［OR］=2.979， 95% confidence interval［CI］：2.141 — 4.219， P<0.001） and NFS （OR=1.747， 95%CI： 1.499 — 2.046， P<0.001） were positively correlated with CP. Both FIB-4 index and NFS had a good value in predicting CP. Hypertension had a significant indirect effect on the prevalence rate of CP through its impact on liver fibrosis markers， and its mediating effect accounted for 39.5% — 40.8% of the total effect （P<0.001）. ConclusionIn patients with lean MAFLD， NFS and FIB-4 index are significantly positively correlated with the prevalence rate of CP， and they can be used as potential epidemiological predictive indicators. Liver fibrosis markers may play a mediating role in the association between hypertension and CP. Interventions targeting hypertension and liver fibrosis markers may help to prevent and delay the progression of CP.

ObjectiveTo investigate the regulatory effect of overexpressed protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 2 （Ptpn2） on the inflammatory response of mouse alveolar macrophages （MH-S） induced by SiO₂. MethodsCells with overexpressed Ptpn2 were constructed and induced by SiO₂. The experimental groups were divided into four groups： the negative control group with an empty vector （NC）， the overexpressed Ptpn2 group （P）， the negative control group with an empty vector + SiO₂ induction （NS）， and the overexpressed Ptpn2 + SiO₂ induction group （PS）. Isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification （iTRAQ） combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （LC-MS/MS） were used to screen differential proteins， followed by Gene Ontology （GO） and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） database analyses. Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the expressions of Tumor necrosis factor （TNF） α， Gasdermin D （GSDMD）， and Transforming growth factor （TGF）-β1. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of PTPN2， Toll-like receptor 4 （TLR4）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3）， and proteins related to the TGF-β1 signaling pathway in the cells of each group. ResultsiTRAQ results identified 144 differential proteins among the four groups. GO analysis showed that in biological processes （BP）， these differential proteins were mainly enriched in IκB kinase/nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB） signaling， cell activation and signal transduction involved in immune responses， and regulation of receptor signaling pathways by signal transducer and activator of transcription （STAT）， etc. KEGG analysis revealed that the differential proteins were mainly enriched in Toll-like receptor signaling pathway， NF-κB signaling pathway， NOD-like receptor signaling pathway， TGF-β signaling pathway， and TNF signaling pathway. The results of immunofluorescence staining showed that compared with the NC group， the expressions of TNF α， GSDMD， and TGF-β1 in the cells of the NS group increased （P < 0.05）； compared to the NS group， the expression of the aforementioned proteins in the PS group decreased in cellular proteins（P < 0.05）. The results of Western blot showed that compared with the NC group， the protein expression levels of PTPN2， p-NF-κB，MyD88，TLR4，NLRP3，GSDMD，Caspase-1，IL-1β， TGF-βR1， TGF-βR，p-Smad2/3 in the NS group were significantly upregulated （P < 0.05）； compared with the NS group， the expression levels of the aforementioned proteins in the PS group were significantly downregulated （P < 0.05）. ConclusionOverexpression of Ptpn2 can inhibit the protein expressions of TLR4-TNF-α signaling， NLRP3 signaling， and TGF-β1 signaling closely related to inflammatory response in SiO₂-mediated MH-S macrophages.

ObjectiveTo investigate the association of liver fibrosis scores and inflammation markers with gallstones in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD）， as well as the mediating role of liver fibrosis scores in the relationship between inflammation markers and gallstones. MethodsA total of 14 567 patients who received physical examination and were diagnosed with MAFLD in Subei People’s Hospital from January 2014 to June 2023 were enrolled in this study， and according to the results of abdominal color Doppler ultrasound， they were divided into gallstone group with 1 724 patients and non-gallstone group with 12 843 patients. Related clinical data were collected from all patients， including demographic data， medical history， family history， physical examination， Color Doppler ultrasound， and biochemical parameters. The biomarkers associated with metabolic disorders and insulin resistance included triglyceride-glucose index （TyG）， TyG-body mass index （BMI） index， atherogenic index of plasma （AIP）， and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio （NHHR）； the biomarkers associated with inflammation and nutritional status included neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio （NLR）， neutrophil percentage-to-albumin ratio （NPAR）， and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio （MLR）； the biomarkers for assessing liver fibrosis degree and liver function included albumin-bilirubin （ALBI） score， NAFLD fibrosis score （NFS）， fibrosis-4 （FIB-4） index， and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index （APRI）. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups， while the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups； the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis， restricted cubic spline analysis， and mediating effect analysis were used to assess the association of liver fibrosis markers and inflammation markers with the risk of gallstones. ResultsThe prevalence rate of gallstones was 11.8% among the MAFLD patients. There were significant differences between the gallstone group and the non-gallstone group in sex， age， smoking history， diabetes， hypertension， lymphocytes， platelets， glucose， albumin， serum uric acid， alanine aminotransferase， aspartate aminotransferase， red blood cell， NLR， NPAR， MLR， NFS， FIB-4 index， and ALBI score （all P<0.05）. The multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that NLR （odds ratio ［OR］=1.091， 95% confidence interval ［CI］： 1.028　—　1.160， P<0.05）， NPAR （OR=1.073， 95%CI： 1.042　—　1.105， P<0.05）， MLR （OR=1.142， 95%CI： 1.057　—　1.232， P<0.05）， NFS （OR=1.239， 95%CI： 1.190　—　1.291， P<0.05）， and FIB-4 index （OR=1.326， 95%CI： 1.241　—　1.417， P<0.05） were influencing factors for the prevalence rate of gallstones. The restricted cubic spline analysis showed a significant non-linear association between NFS/FIB-4 index and the risk of gallstone （non-linear P<0.05）. The mediating effect analysis further showed that the association of NLR， MLR， and NPAR with gallstones was partially mediated by NFS or FIB-4 index， with a mediating effect accounting for 36.79%、28.09%、29.67% and 18.31%、17.70、11.57%， respectively. ConclusionNFS and FIB-4 index have a non-linear association with the prevalence rate of gallstones in MAFLD patients， and they also mediate the association of NLR， NPAR， and MLR with the risk of gallstone.

This paper summarizes professor LI Guolie's clinical experience in treating orthostatic hypotension （OH） based on the theory of "raising the clear and directing the turbid downward". It is considered that the core pathogenesis of OH lies in the body's transition from a supine to an upright position， during which dysfunction of the middle jiao （焦） transformation and transportation， along with impaired pivot function， hinders the ascending of clear yang and the descending of turbid yin. Treatment should follow the general principle of "ascending the clear and directing the turbid downward"， placing emphasis on distinguishing the primary and secondary aspects. For cases where the clear yang fails to ascend， the self-formulated Li's Shengqing Jiangzhuo Decoction （李氏升清降浊汤）is used to supplement qi， raise the clear， and strengthen the middle jiao. For cases where the turbid yin fails to descend， the self-formulated Wuxiang Qingzhuo Beverage（五香清浊饮）with modifications is applied to resolve phlegm， eliminate stasis， harmonize the middle， and descend the turbid.

This paper summarizes professor LI Guolie's clinical experience in treating orthostatic hypotension （OH） based on the theory of "raising the clear and directing the turbid downward". It is considered that the core pathogenesis of OH lies in the body's transition from a supine to an upright position， during which dysfunction of the middle jiao （焦） transformation and transportation， along with impaired pivot function， hinders the ascending of clear yang and the descending of turbid yin. Treatment should follow the general principle of "ascending the clear and directing the turbid downward"， placing emphasis on distinguishing the primary and secondary aspects. For cases where the clear yang fails to ascend， the self-formulated Li's Shengqing Jiangzhuo Decoction （李氏升清降浊汤）is used to supplement qi， raise the clear， and strengthen the middle jiao. For cases where the turbid yin fails to descend， the self-formulated Wuxiang Qingzhuo Beverage（五香清浊饮）with modifications is applied to resolve phlegm， eliminate stasis， harmonize the middle， and descend the turbid.

Objective To investigate the protective effect of verapamil on hyperuricemia nephropathy(HN)in mice through modulating TXNIP/NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway.Methods Thirty-two male C57BL/6J mice(8 weeks old,weighing 18～22 g)were randomly divided into a blank control group,a model group,an allopurinol group(10 mg/kg),and a verapamil group(40 mg/kg),with 8 animals in each group.Except for the control mice,the other mice were given 10%fructose water and adenine to establish a mouse model of HN.After successful establishment of model mice,the corresponding interventions were administered to the mice of the other 3 groups for 4 consecutive weeks.The levels of serum uric acid(UA),creatinine(Cr),urea(UREA),aspartate aminotransferase(AST)and alanine aminotransferase(ALT)were measured.HE staining was used to assess the alterations in renal morphology and the infiltration of inflammatory cells,while Masson's staining was employed to evaluate renal fibrosis.Moreover,ELISA was employed to measure the contents of IL-1β and IL-6 in kidney tissue,while serum levels of malondialdehyde(MDA),superoxide dismutase(SOD),and glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px)were detected by colorimetric assay.Furthermore,immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis were conducted to examine the expression of TXNIP,NLRP3,IL-1β,MMP7,FN1,CD68,and MPO proteins in the kidney.Results Compared to the control group,HN mice exhibited increased serum UA,Cr,and UREA levels(P<0.05),renal pathological changes including renal tubular regeneration,interstitial or periglomerular fibrosis and prominent infiltration of inflammatory cells,and significantly increased renal contents of IL-1β and IL-6 and serum MDA level(P<0.05),while reduced serum SOD and GSH-Px contents(P<0.05),as well as up-regulation of kidney proteins TXNIP,NLRP3,IL-1β,CD68,MPO,FN1 and MMP7(P<0.01).Verapamil treatment notably reduced serum UA and Cr levels(P<0.01),improved kidney lesions to some extents,decreased collagen volume fraction(CVF)(P<0.01),and restored pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress markers(P<0.05)when compared with the levels in the model group.Further research found that the expression of kidney proteins TXNIP,NLRP3,IL-1β,CD68,MPO,FN1,and MMP7 was significantly down-regulated by verapamil treatment(P<0.05).Conclusion Verapamil exhibits a renal protective effect on HN mice through its anti-inflammatory,antioxidant,and antifibrotic properties,and its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of the TXNIP/NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway.

Metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)are porous materials composed of metal ions or metal clusters and organic ligands by coordination,which have the advantages of large specific surface area,good thermal stability and adjustable pore size,and have a promising application in gas chromatographic separation.In recent years,MOFs materials have been used as stationary phases for gas chromatography mainly including ZIF,MIL,UiO-66,HKUST-1,IRMOFs,etc.Based on the molecular sieve effect,van der Waals forces,hydrogen bonding and π-π interactions,the pore size,pore microenvironment,unsaturated metal site and special functional group of the MOFs stationary phase materials can be specifically designed and regulated.MOFs materials as stationary phases have unique separation performance for n-alkanes and their isomers,aromatic compounds and their isomers,alcohols/ketones/aldehydes and their isomers,and chiral compounds.The combination of organic polymers and novel nanomaterials with MOFs materials can improve the separation performance and stability of MOFs.Therefore,MOFs materials are expected to be the promising stationary phase that can be applied to gas separation in complex environments.In this article,the research advances of various stationary phases based on MOFs for gas chromatography in recent years were reviewed.The separation performance and separation mechanism of MOFs stationary phases for mixed gas samples were discussed,and the development trends in the future were prospected.

In this work,near infrared carbon quantum dots(NIR-CDs)were synthesized by hydrothermal method using biomass material Clausena lansium leaves.The synthesized NIR-CDs emitted maximum fluorescence signal at 677 nm,which was independent of excitation wavelength.The characterization results showed that there were abundant groups on the surface of NIR-CDs.Pd2+could form non-fluorescent compounds with the surface groups of NIR-CDs,resulting in fluorescence quenching(Fluorescence signal was denoted as F0).Because chlorpromazine hydrochloride(CPZ)parent nucleus contained unoxidized S atom,CPZ could form stable colored complex with Pd2+under acidic conditions.In the presence of CPZ,Pd2+dissociated from the surface of NIR-CDs and bonded with CPZ,so that the fluorescence signal could be restored(Fluorescence signal was denoted as F).An"on-off-on"fluorescence sensor was thus constructed.The fluorescence signal recovery value of NIR-CDs(△F=F-F0)showed a good linear relationship with the concentration of CPZ in the range of 5.68-28.43 μg/mL,and the detection limit(3σ)was 0.078 μg/mL.The sensor was applied to determination of CPZ in pharmaceutical preparations,and the recoveries were 94％-106％.The developed fluorescence sensor was expected to be used in quality control of actual pharmaceutical preparations.

A novel analytical method was developed in this study by combining online solid phase extraction with ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(Online SPE-UPLC-MS/MS)for simultaneous determination of 50 kinds of steroid hormones in surface water.Specifically,after high-speed centrifugation of 4 mL water samples,the supernatant was directly injected into an Oasis HLB online SPE column for enrichment and purification.Subsequently,the target compounds were transferred to the analytical column via valve switching for separation and analysis.The chromatographic separation was performed on a Thermo Acclaim RSLC C18 column(100 mm×2.1 mm,2.2 μm),using a mobile phase composed of 5 mmol/L ammonium fluoride aqueous solution and acetonitrile.Mass spectrometric detection was conducted in positive ion mode,utilizing multiple reaction monitoring(MRM)with quantification achieved by the internal standard method.The method validation demonstrated that the limits of detection(LOD)for the 50 kinds of steroid hormones ranged from 0.02 to 0.50 ng/L,while the limits of quantification(LOQ)were between 0.08 and 1.67 ng/L.The average recoveries in surface water samples at spiked concentrations of 5,20 and 200 ng/L were between 74.1％and 119％,with relative standard deviations(RSDs)of 0.2％to 9.9％.This method was applied to analyze 11 surface water samples collected from sites surrounding a pharmaceutical and chemical industrial park.A total of 44 kinds of steroid hormones were detected,with concentrations ranging from 0.11 to 88.6 ng/L,revealing the presence of hormone contamination in the environmental waters surrounding industrial areas.Compared with the traditional offline SPE methods,the proposed online SPE technique significantly reduced sample volume requirements and pretreatment time,while minimizing the loss of target compounds during the pretreatment process.Moreover,compared to reported online SPE techniques,this method achieved high-throughput analysis of multiple classes of steroid hormones,with lower detection limits and higher recoveries.Overall,this method provided rapid sample preparation,high sensitivity,and excellent stability,making it suitable for the direct analysis of trace steroid hormones in surface water.