Background In recent years, the increasingly widespread application of nuclear and medical radiation technologies has resulted in a large number of occupational populations exposed to low-dose ionizing radiation (LDIR). At present, there is no consistent conclusion on the effects of long-term exposure to LDIR on the metabolic health of the occupational population. Objective To explore the association between long-term exposure to LDIR and metabolic syndrome (MetS) among medical radiologists. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted to enroll 6431 medical radiologists who ordered occupational health checkups from January 2022 to December 2023, and basic information such as demographic characteristics, occupational characteristics, lifestyles, and dietary habits was collected through questionnaires. Physical examinations were conducted using a standardized protocol. Individual dose equivalents of occupational external exposure were monitored by dosimeters worn by medical radiologists. Logistic regression model was used for identifying influencing factors of MetS and sensitivity analysis, and restricted cubic spline model was used to explore the dose-response relationship between cumulative effective dose and MetS. Two-stage linear regression was used to evaluate threshold effect of association between cumulative effective dose and MetS. Results The positive rate of MetS was 13.6% (877/6431) among the enrolled 6431 study participants. The logistic regression showed that gender, age, monthly income, body mass index (BMI), cumulative effective dose, and smoking were influencing factors for MetS. The risk of MetS was higher in males (OR=1.511, 95%CI: 1.209, 1.888); using the < 30 years old group as reference, the risk of MetS was higher in the 30-39 years old (OR=1.509, 95%CI: 1.095, 2.079), 40-49 years old (OR=2.214, 95%CI: 1.551, 3.161), and ≥50 years old (OR=3.480, 95%CI: 2.338, 5.181) groups; using the <10000 yuan group as reference, the risk of MetS was lower in the group with a monthly income of 10000-14999 yuan (OR=0.715, 95%CI: 0.582, 0.878); the risk of MetS was higher in the BMI ≥ 24 kg·m⁻² group (OR=7.548, 95%CI: 6.223, 9.156); using the < 0.76 mSv group as reference, the risk of MetS was higher in the cumulative effective dose of 0.76-2.73 mSv group (OR=1.270, 95%CI: 1.017, 1.586); the risk of MetS was higher in the smoking group (OR=1.734, 95%CI: 1.428, 2.107). The results of restricted cubic spline showed that the cumulative effective dose was nonlinearly correlated with MetS (P _{non-linearity}=0.028), with an inflection point of 1.25 mSv. The risk of developing MetS increased by 34.1% for each unit increase in cumulative effective dose up to 1.25 mSv, whereas above 1.25 mSv, the statistical association was not significant. The sensitivity analysis results showed that after excluding the self-reported hypertensive and diabetic patients, the cumulative effective dose 0.76-2.73 mSv group still had an increased risk of developing MetS compared with the < 0.76 mSv group (P < 0.05), and the results were robust. Conclusion Among medical radiologists, male, age, BMI, and smoking are positively correlated with MetS, and monthly income is negatively correlated with MetS; cumulative effective dose is non-linearly correlated with MetS among medical radiologists.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of 2,6-dimethoxy-1,4-benzoquinone (DMQ) for alleviating dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) in mice. METHODS: Eighteen male C57BL/6J mice were equally randomized into control group, DSS group and DMQ treatment group. In DSS and DMQ groups, the mice were treated with DSS in drinking water to induce UC, and received intraperitoneal injections of sterile PBS or DMQ (20 mg/kg) during modeling. The changes in body weight, disease activity index (DAI), colon length, spleen weight, and colon histological scores of the mice were examined, and the percentages of Th17 and IFN-γ⁺ CD8⁺ T cells in the mesenteric lymph nodes and spleen were analyzed using flow cytometry. The expressions of tight junction proteins (Occludin and ZO-1), proteins associated with inflammasome activation (caspase-1 and p20), IL-1β and TNF-α in the colon tissues were detected using Western blotting or ELISA. In the cell experiment, mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) primed with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were treated with DMQ, followed by stmulation with nigericin to activate the classical NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. In cultured human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) treated with either LPS alone or LPS plus nigericin, the effects of DMQ on inflammasome activation, pyroptosis, and cytokine release were evaluated via Western blotting, ELISA, and flow cytometry. RESULTS: In DSS-treated mice, DMQ treatment significantly alleviated DSS-induced body weight loss, colon shortening, spleen enlargement, and colon inflammation. The DMQ-treated mice showed significantly reduced percentages of Th17 cells and IFN-γ⁺ CD8⁺ T cells in the mesenteric lymph nodes and spleen, with increased occludin and ZO-1 expressions and decreased caspase-1 expression in the colon tissue. DMQ obviously inhibited classical NLRP3 inflammasome activation in mouse BMDMs and both the classical and alternative pathways of NLRP3 activation in human PBMCs, causing also suppression of caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis. CONCLUSIONS DMQ ameliorates DSS-induced UC in mice by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation.
Animals ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Colitis, Ulcerative/metabolism* ; Dextran Sulfate/adverse effects* ; Male ; Inflammasomes/metabolism* ; Mice ; Benzoquinones/therapeutic use* ; Th17 Cells ; Caspase 1/metabolism*

AIM: To investigate the influence of relevant inflammatory markers in peripheral blood on the progression of neovascular glaucoma(NVG)secondary to diabetic retinopathy(DR)patients.METHODS: Retrospective case-control study. Patients were categorized into two groups based on the presence or absence of NVG: those with proliferative diabetic retinopathy(PDR)alone(PDR group, n=148)and those with NVG secondary to PDR(NVG secondary to PDR group, n=142). Peripheral blood inflammatory markers were evaluated, including white blood cell-related indices, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio(PLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio(MLR), and systemic immune-inflammation index(SII). The distinctions in peripheral blood inflammatory markers between the two groups of patients and their relationships with NVG secondary to PDR were analyzed.RESULTS:No statistically significant differences were observed in basic characteristics between the two groups, confirming their comparability. However, significant differences were found in eosinophil percentage and MLR between the PDR group and the NVG secondary to PDR group(all P<0.05), with both values being significantly higher in the NVG secondary to PDR group. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that the eosinophil percentage and the MLR were factors influencing the development of patients with NVG secondary to PDR.CONCLUSION: Eosinophil percentage and MLR may be associated with the progression of PDR to NVG, and could serve as potential predictive markers for NVG development in PDR patients.

Objective:To study and analyze radiation doses to the eye of the lens dose in interventional radiology staff of Guandong medical institutions from 2019 to 2023.Methods:Employing a convenience sampling method, the lens dose and chest dose was monitored with TLD dosimeters in 34 level A tertiary medical institutions. The monitoring data were analyzed on the basis of a summary, and the relationship between the two was explored.Results:A total of 1 033 interventional radiology staff were monitored. The ocular lens doses were in the range of (

Objective:To construct a teaching model for Geriatric Nursing based on metacognitive strategy and to test its effectiveness in teaching undergraduate nursing students.Methods:A quasi-experimental research design was adopted. The intervention group consisted of 49 undergraduate nursing students enrolled in 2019 at Sun Yat-sen University, while the control group was made up of 49 undergraduate nursing students enrolled in 2018. The same teaching staff were assigned to both groups. Geriatric Nursing was taught in the intervention group using a teaching model based on metacognition from April to June 2022, while the control group was taught using the traditional teaching model from April to June 2021. Student satisfaction and teaching effectiveness in the intervention group were assessed using a self-designed teaching evaluation questionnaire. SPSS 25.0 software was used for two-sample t test. Results:The intervention and control groups showed individual assignment scores of (85.33±5.96) and (82.36±7.25) and total scores of (84.44±4.31) and (82.61±5.05), respectively. The individual assignment score of the intervention group was significantly higher than that of the control group, while there was no significant difference in the total score. In terms of satisfaction, over 90% of the students in the intervention group expressed satisfaction with the teaching model. The item with the highest proportion of students rating it as "very good" was "being required to submit a plan for completing individual assignments in advance" ( n=32, 76.19%). In terms of teaching effectiveness, all students recognized the teaching effectiveness of this course. Conclusions:It is necessary to adopt the teaching model based on metacognitive strategies in teaching Geriatric Nursing for undergraduates, which can significantly promote their individual assignment performance as well as the evaluation of teaching strategies and teaching effectiveness.

Objective To investigate the value of integrin subunit αM(ITGAM)and integrin subunit β2(ITGB2)levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMC)in the diagnosis and prognosis evaluation for patients with severe acute pancreatitis(SAP)complicated with acute lung injury(ALI).Methods A total of 205 patients with SAP admitted from November 2022 to February 2024 in the hospital were selected,and they were divided into ALI group(103 cases)and non-ALI group(102 cases)according to whether they were com-plicated with ALI.Meanwhile,110 healthy people who underwent the physical examination were selected as the control group.The differences of the levels of ITGAM and ITGB2 in PBMC in different groups were com-pared.Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors for ALI in patients with SAP.The re-ceiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the diagnostic value of levels of ITGAM and ITGB2 in PBMC for SAP patients complicated with ALI and the predictive value for poor prognosis.Results The levels of ITGAM,ITGB2 in PBMC,and serum amylase and urine amylase levels in ALI group were higher than those in non-ALI group and control group(P＜0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression anal-ysis showed that the increase of ITGAM,ITGB2 and serum amylase levels were risk factors for ALI in pa-tients with SAP(P＜0.05).ROC curve results showed that the area under the curve(AUC)of ITGAM com-bined with ITGB2 in diagnosing ALI in patients with SAP was significantly higher than those of ITGAM and ITGB2 alone(P＜0.05).The levels of ITGAM and ITGB2 in PBMC in the poor prognosis group were higher than those in the good prognosis group(P＜0.05).ROC curve results showed that the AUC of ITGAM com-bined with ITGB2 in predicting poor prognosis in patients with SAP complicated with ALI was significantly higher than those of ITGAM and ITGB2 alone(P＜0.05).Conclusion Increased levels of ITGAM and IT-GB2 in PBMC are risk factors for ALI in patients with SAP.ITGAM combined with ITGB2 has a good predic-tive efficacy for the poor prognosis in patients with SAP complicated with ALI,which has important value in clinical practice and is expected to become potential biomarkers.

Objective To explore the factors associated with respiratory syncytial virus(RSV)infection in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(AECOPD)and its correlation with serum levels of heat shock protein 70(HSP70),Krüppel-like factor 5(KLF5),and macrophage inflammatory protein-2(MIP-2).Methods A total of 195 AECOPD patients were prospectively enrolled and categorized into an RSV-infected group(n=95)and an uninfected group(n=100)based on RSV infection status.The infected group was further subdivided by disease severity into mild,moderate,and severe subgroups(31 cases,35 cases,29 cases),and by prognosis into poor prognosis(n=51)and good prognosis subgroups(n=44).ELISA method was used to measure the serum levels of HSP70,KLF5,and MIP-2 in each group,and their correlation with relevant clinical indicators was analyzed.Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to explore risk factors for RSV infection in AECOPD patients.Relative risk analysis was used to explore the impact of high and low levels of HSP70,KLF5,and MIP-2 on the prognosis of AECOPD patients with RSV infection.Kaplan-Meier survival curves analyzed patient survival outcomes.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were plotted to analyze the predictive value of serum HSP70,KLF5,and MIP-2 levels for the prognosis of AECOPD patients with RSV infection.Results The infected group had significantly higher proportions of respiratory failure,higher number of exacerbations within one year,and higher levels of CRP,HSP70,KLF5,and MIP-2 compared to the non-infected group(P<0.05),while FEV1%pred were significantly lower(P<0.05).Serum HSP70,KLF5,MIP-2 levels were positively correlated with respiratory failure,number of exacerbations within one year,and CRP levels(P<0.05),and negatively correlated with FEV1%pred(P<0.05).Multivariate Cox regression identified respiratory failure,number of AECOPD exacerbations within one year≥3 times,low FEV1%pred,and high levels of CRP,HSP70,KLF5,and MIP-2 as independent risk factors for RSV infection in AECOPD patients(P<0.05).As the condition worsens,the levels of serum HSP70,KLF5,and MIP-2 gradually increase(P<0.05).The poor prognosis subgroup had prominently higher serum levels than the good prognosis subgroup(P<0.05).Patients with high levels of HSP70,KLF5,and MIP-2 have a greater risk of poor prognosis and a lower 28-day progression-free survival rate(P<0.05).The areas under the ROC curve(AUC)predicted by the combination of the three indicators was significantly better than that predicted by a single indicator(P=0.015).Conclusion Respiratory failure,the number of AECOPD exacerbations within one year≥3 times,low FEV1%pred,high CRP level,and high serum levels of HSP70,KLF5,and MIP-2 are risk factors for RSV infection in AECOPD patients.Serum levels of HSP70,KLF5,MIP-2 are closely related to disease severity and prognosis in AECOPD patients with RSV infection.The combined detection of the three biomarkers has significant predictive value for patient prognosis,which is helpful for early clinical assessment and the formulation of intervention strategies.

Objective To explore the protective effect of 7,8-dihydroxyflavone(7,8-DHF)on the retina of diabetic rats and its mechanism.Methods A total of 18 SPF-grade male Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats were selected and randomly divided into three groups:the normal group,the model group,and the experimental group,with six rats in each group.Rats in the normal group were fed with a normal diet,while those in the remaining two groups were fed with a high-fat emulsion through oral gavage continuously for 2 weeks to establish a diabetes model.Rats in the experimental group were provided with 7,8-DHF(5 mg?kg-1)by continuous intraperitoneal injection,while those in the normal and model groups were provided with an equal volume of normal saline.The rats in all groups received intervention once a day for 2 weeks.The changes in the body mass and fasting blood glucose(FBG)were observed before and after modeling.Besides,the changes in the retina of rats in each group were observed by fundus fluorescence angiography(FFA)after 2 weeks.Moreo-ver,the changes and apoptosis of retinal neuronal cells were detected by hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining,CD31 im-munofluorescence,and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling(TUNEL)assays.Results After 2 weeks of continuous intervention,compared with the normal group,the body mass of rats in the model and experimental groups decreased(both P＜0.05),and the FBG increased significantly(both P＜0.05);compared with the model group,the experimental group showed an increase in the body mass(P＜0.05)and a decrease in the FBG(P＜0.05).The fundus photography and FFA of rats in the three groups did not reveal any fundus features of diabetic retinopathy.The HE staining results showed that the retina of rats in the normal and experimental groups was structurally intact,with neatly arranged cells and uniform thickness;the retinal structure of rats in the model group remained clear.However,the thickness of the inner layers of the retina of rats in the model group was thinner compared with the normal and experimental groups,exhibi-ting significant differences(both P＜0.05).The CD31 immunofluorescence assay results indicated that the CD31 immuno-fluorescence intensity values of rats in the three groups were roughly comparable,without significant differences(all P＞0.05).The TUNEL assay results suggested that the apoptosis of retinal neurons increased in rats in the model group com-pared with the normal group,exhibiting significant differences(P＜0.001);compared with the model group,the apoptosis of retinal neurons of rats in the experimental group decreased significantly,displaying significant differences(P＜0.001).Conclusion The apoptosis of retinal neurons in diabetic rats may precede vascular endothelial cell injury.7,8-DHF can improve the body mass,decrease the blood glucose level,and protect the retinal neurons in diabetic rats.

Objective:To investigate impact of leonurine(Leo)on necrotic apoptosis in rats with myocardial ischemia/reperfu-sion(MIR)injury by regulating receptor interacting protein 1(RIP1)-receptor interacting protein 3(RIP3)-mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein(MLKL)pathway.Methods:Fifteen rats were randomly selected as sham surgery group(Sham),left anterior descending coronary artery of remaining rats were ligated to construct MIR model,and randomly grouped into MIR group,Leo group(15 mg/kg),Compound 6i group(1 mg/kg RIP1-RIP3-MLKL pathway activator Compound 6i)and Leo+Compound 6i group(15 mg/kg Leo+1 mg/kg Compound 6i),with 15 rats in each group.MIR group and Sham group were injected with equal amounts of physiological saline.Cardiac function indicators were observed through ultrasound electrocardiogram;ELISA was applied to detect myocardial injury indicators and inflammatory factor levels;HE staining was applied to observe pathological damage of heart;TTC staining was applied to detect myocardial infarction area;TUNEL staining was applied to detect cell apoptosis;Western blot was applied to detect expres-sions of RIP1-RIP3-MLKL pathway proteins.Results:Myocardial cells in Sham group were intact and arranged in an orderly manner;arrangement of myocardial cells was disordered and swollen,myofibril contracted,and sarcolemma was destroyed in MIR group,ejec-tion fraction(EF)and cardiac output(CO)level were obviously lower than Sham group(P<0.05),Mb,cTnⅠ,CK-Mb contents,IL-6,IL-18 levels,myocardial infarction area,myocardial cell apoptosis rate,RIP1,RIP3 and MLKL protein levels were obviously increased(P<0.05);compared with MIR group,Leo group had improved cell arrangement disorder and edema,and obviously increased EF and CO levels(P<0.05),Mb,cTnⅠ,CK-Mb contents,IL-6,IL-18 levels,myocardial infarction area,myocardial cell apoptosis rate,RIP1,RIP3 and MLKL protein levels were obviously reduced(P<0.05),trend of Compound 6i group was opposite;myocardial tissue structure of Leo+Compound 6i group was similar to MIR group,and Compound 6i eliminated cardioprotective effect of Leo on MIR rats.Conclusion:Leo may alleviate myocardial necrosis apoptosis in MIR rats by down-regulating RIP1-RIP3-MLKL pathway,thus playing a therapeutic role in MIR.

Objective:To investigate the effects of multimodal and multisensory stimulation training on feeding-swallowing and neurological functions in stroke patients with dysphagia.Methods:Stroke patients with dysphagia treated at Henan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2023 to October 2024 were enrolled. Patients were randomly divided into three groups according to the random number table method, with 36 patients in each group. These three groups underwent different interventions for a period of 8 weeks: multisensory stimulation intervention (stimulation group), multimodal rehabilitation training intervention (rehabilitation group), and innovative multimodal and multisensory stimulation training intervention (combined group). The Kubota water swallow test and functional oral intake scale (FOIS) were used to assess the effective improvement rate of feeding function. Differences in scores of modified Mann assessment of swallowing (MMASA), swallowing quality of life (SWAL-QOL), and National Institute of Health Stroke scale (NIHSS) among the three groups were compared before intervention, and at 4 and 8 weeks post-intervention. SPSS 27.0 software was used to analyze the data by one-way ANOVA, repeated measures ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis H test, Mann-Whitney U test and Pearson correlation analysis. Results:(1) After 8 weeks of intervention, the effective improvement rates of feeding function were 75.00%(27/36) and 72.22%(26/36) in the stimulation group and rehabilitation group, respectively, which were both lower than that in the combined group (94.44%(34/36), both P<0.05). (2) The interaction effect between time and group was significant in MMASA scores among the three groups before and after intervention ( F=2.569, P<0.05). MMASA scores at 8 weeks post-intervention were higher than those at 4 weeks post-intervention and baseline in all groups (all P<0.05), and scores at 4 weeks post-intervention were also higher than those at baseline (all P<0.05). At 4 and 8 weeks post-intervention, MMASA scores in the combined group (85.64±11.26, 92.56±10.55) were higher than those in the stimulation group (73.52±12.65, 82.97±12.84) and rehabilitation group (72.47±11.38, 84.39±12.29) (all P<0.05). (3) The interaction effect between time and group was significant in SWAL-QOL total scores among the three groups before and after intervention ( F=18.561, P<0.05). SWAL-QOL total scores at 8 weeks post-intervention were higher than those at 4 weeks post-intervention and baseline in all groups ( P<0.05), and scores at 4 weeks post-intervention were also higher than those at baseline (all P<0.05). At 4 and 8 weeks post-intervention, SWAL-QOL total scores in the combined group (115.64±9.26, 135.68±9.55) were higher than those in the stimulation group (108.42±8.65, 113.75±8.84) and rehabilitation group (108.37±8.38, 114.39±9.29) (all P<0.05). (4) The interaction effect between time and group was significant in NIHSS scores among the three groups before and after intervention ( F=7.890, P<0.05). NIHSS scores at 8 weeks post-intervention were lower than those at 4 weeks post-intervention and baseline in all groups (all P<0.05), and scores at 4 weeks post-intervention were also lower than those at baseline (all P<0.05). At 4 and 8 weeks post-intervention, NIHSS scores in the combined group (8.36±1.35, 5.22±1.05) were lower than those in the stimulation group (11.65±2.11, 8.78±1.12) and rehabilitation group (11.32±2.03, 8.36±1.17) (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Multimodal and multisensory stimulation training can improve feeding-swallowing function and neurological impairment in stroke patients with dysphagia, with intervention effects superior to those of either approach used alone.