Objective: To explore the setting of gray zone of Treponema pallidum (TP) testing by retrospective analysis of blood donors with single reagent reactive anti-TP results, so as to improve blood utilization and supply safety. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 112 blood donors previously deferred due to single reagent reactive TP antibody results between January 2020 and December 2023, and subjected to dual ELISA reagents and TPPA test. The gray zone panel analysis was performed on the two ELISA reagents currently used in our department. The detection rate at each concentration of the gray zone panle was counted, and the corresponding concentrations for C , C , and C and gray zone cut-off were calculated. Results: Among the 50 samples deferred by reagent 1, 19 were confirmed reactive and 31 non-reactive in supplementary testing. Among the 62 samples deferred by reagent 2, 12 were confirmed reactive and 50 non-reactive in supplementary testing. For reagent 1, the detection rate of was 56% for S/CO≥1 and 20% for 0.5≤S/CO<1, retrospectively. For reagent 2, the detection rate was 27% for S/CO≥1 and 12.5% for 0.5≤S/CO<1, retrospectively. The detection rate for S/CO≥1 was higher than those for 0.5≤S/CO<1 for both reagents. All the 112 samples were negative in TPPA test. The C concentration of reagent 1 was 1.51 mIU/mL, and the concentration range of C ±20% was 1.21-1.81 mIU/mL. The C concentration of reagent 2 was 1.45 mIU/mL, and the concentration range of C ±20% was 1.16-1.74 mIU/mL. The C and C concentration of both reagents were within the C ±20% range, suggesting that the gray zone cutoff for both Reagent 1 and Reagent 2 should be set at S/CO=0.8 (80% of the CO value). Conclusion: All anti-TP single reagent reactive samples with S/CO value within the gray zone was tested negative by TPPA. It is necessary to consider the rationality and necessity of establishing the gray zone, so as to ensure blood safety and improve the utilization rate of blood resources.

BACKGROUND: The American Heart Association recently released a new cardiovascular health (CVH) metric, Life's Essential 8 (LE8), for health promotion. However, the association between LE8 scores and the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains uncertain. We aimed to explore the association of LE8 scores with new-onset CKD and examine whether socioeconomic deprivation and genetic risk modify this association. METHODS: A total of 286,908 participants from UK Biobank and without prior CKD were included between 2006 and 2010. CVH was categorized using LE8 scores: low (LE8 scores <50), moderate (LE8 scores ≥50 but <80), and high (LE8 scores ≥80). The study outcome was new-onset CKD, ascertained by data linkage with primary care, hospital inpatient, and death data. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to investigate the association between CVH categories and new-onset CKD. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 12.5 years, 8857 (3.1%) participants developed new-onset CKD. Compared to the low CVH group, the moderate (adjusted hazards ratio [HR], 0.50; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.47-0.53) and high CVH (adjusted HR, 0.31; 95% CI: 0.27-0.34) groups had a significantly lower risk of developing new-onset CKD. The population-attributable risk associated with high vs. intermediate or low CVH scores was 40.3%. Participants who were least deprived ( vs.  most deprived; adjusted HR, 0.75; 95% CI: 0.71-0.79) and with low genetic risk of CKD ( vs.  high genetic risk; adjusted HR, 0.89; 95% CI: 0.85-0.94) had a significantly lower risk of developing new-onset CKD. However, socioeconomic deprivation and genetic risks of CKD did not significantly modify the relationship between LE8 scores and new-onset CKD (both P -interaction >0.05). CONCLUSION Achieving a higher LE8 score was associated with a lower risk of developing new-onset CKD, regardless of socioeconomic deprivation and genetic risks of CKD.
Humans ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease/genetics* ; Aged ; Risk Factors ; Adult ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Socioeconomic Factors

Objective To screen and analyze the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to oxidative stress in a silicosis mouse model using transcriptome sequencing technology. Methods i) A total of 30 workers without occupational dust-exposed history were selected as the control group and 17 patients with silicosis were selected as the silicosis group using a judgment sampling method. The levels of glutathione and malondialdehyde in the plasma of workers in the two groups were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. ii) RAW264.7 cells in the logarithmic growth phase were randomly divided into the control group and the silica group, treated with 0 and 50 mg/L silica suspensions for 24 hours. Protein expression of superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the cells was determined by Western blotting. iii) The specific pathogen free male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the control group and the silicosis model group, with 10 mice in each group. Mice were exposed to 50 μL of 0.9% sodium chloride solution and silica suspension at a mass concentration of 100 g/L, respectively, using a single tracheal exposure method. After 28 days of exposure, the pathological changes of mouse lung tissues were observed. Transcriptome sequencing was used to screen DEGs in the lung tissues of the silicosis mouse model, and gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed. The expression of DEGs was verified using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Results i) The level of malondialdehyde in the patients′ plasma was higher (P<0.01), while the level of glutathione was lower (P<0.01) in the silicosis group than that of the control group. ii) The relative expression of SOD2 protein decreased (P<0.05), while the relative expression of IL-6 and TNF-α proteins increased (all P<0.05) in the silica group of RAW264.7 cells compared with the control group. iii) The pathological results of lung tissues showed that the alveolar structure of mice was destroyed and silicotic nodules were formed in the silicosis model group. Transcriptome sequencing identified 3 703 DEGs, of which 3 199 were significantly down-regulated and 504 were significantly up-regulated. The GO enrichment analysis results showed that the DEGs were significantly enriched in biological processes such as oxidative stress, inflammation, immunity and hypoxia, with cellular components mainly located in membranes, cytoplasm, and nucleus. Molecular functions were enriched in oxidoreductase activity, protein binding, and adenosine triphosphate binding. The KEGG enrichment analysis results showed that the DEGs were mainly involved in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-protein kinase B signaling pathway, cyclic adenosine monophosphate signaling pathway, chemokine signaling pathway, and apoptosis signaling pathway. A total of 28 DEGs involved in the "oxidative stress response" pathway were screened by GO enrichment analysis. The qPCR verification results showed that the relative expression of DEGs carbonic anhydrase 3 (Car3), matrix metalloproteinase 9 (Mmp9), and MutY DNA glycosylase (Mutyh) involved in the "oxidative stress response" of lung tissues in the silicosis model group were lower than those of the control group (all P<0.05). Conclusion Oxidative stress response exists in silicosis patients. The oxidative stress-related genes Car3, Mmp9, and Mutyh are altered in the mouse lung tissues of the silicosis model through the oxidative stress pathway, suggesting that they could be new targets for the treatment of silicosis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the carrier rate for thalassemia mutations in the ethnic Miao population of Qianxinan Prefecture. METHODS: Ethnic Miao people suspected for thalassemia trait at the People's Hospital of Qianxinan Prefecture, Guizhou Province between November 2020 to September 2024 were selected as the study subjects. Gap-PCR technology combined with high-throughput sequencing was used to screen a total of 666 individuals. ArcMap v10.8.2 was used to create a spatial distribution map of thalassemia based on the screening results. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the hospital (Ethics No.: 2016-01). RESULTS: In total 254 positive cases were detected, with an overall positive rate of 38.14%. Among these, 173 cases were α-thalassemia (25.98%), 77 cases were β-thalassemia (11.56%), and 4 cases were αβ compound thalassemia (0.60%). The most common genotypes for α-thalassemia were αα/--^SEA (positive rate = 10.06%, accounting for 38.73%), αα/-α^3.7 (positive rate = 8.86%, accounting for 34.10%), and α^CSα/αα (positive rate = 4.95%, accounting for 19.08%). The most common genotypes for β-thalassemia were β^41/42(-TTCT)/β^A (positive rate = 5.11%, accounting for 44.16%) and β^{17 (A>T)}/β^A(positive rate = 4.20%, accounting for 36.36%), with these two genotypes accounting for as much as 80.52%. The spatial distribution map indicated that the highest overall detection rate of thalassemia and α-thalassemia in the Miao population of Qianxinan Prefecture was in Xingyi City. The highest detection rate of β-thalassemia was in Zhenfeng County, and the highest detection rate of αβ compound thalassemia was in Wangmo County. CONCLUSION The detection rate of thalassemia among the ethnic Miaos from Qianxinan Prefecture is relatively high, which primarily consisted of α-thalassemia. Regular monitoring and educational outreach should be conducted.
Humans ; China/ethnology* ; Female ; Male ; Genetic Testing ; Adult ; alpha-Thalassemia/genetics* ; Thalassemia/ethnology* ; Ethnicity/genetics* ; Genotype ; beta-Thalassemia/ethnology* ; Adolescent ; Mutation ; Middle Aged ; Child ; Asian People/genetics* ; Young Adult

Objective:To explore the evaluation effect of ultrasonography and Pirani score on tarsal deformity, treatment effect and pseudo-correction of congenital clubfoot in infants and young children, and the correlation between the two methods.Methods:This is a retrospective case series study. The clinical data of 26 children (40 feet) with congenital clubfoot who were evaluated by ultrasonography in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2020 to January 2023 were retrospectively collected. There were 16 males and 10 females. The age at the first ultrasound examination was ( M(IQR)) 9.0 (18.0) days (range: 1 to 46 days). All patients were treated with Ponseti method by the same physician. The Pirani scores before and after treatment and at the last examination, and the talonavicular angle, calcaneocuboid angle and tibiocalcaneal angle measured by ultrasound were collected, and the treatment and follow-up were recorded. Paired sample t test, repeated measures analysis of variance or Kruskal-Wallis test were used for data comparison, and Spearman correlation analysis was used for correlation analysis. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to calculate the efficacy of ultrasound in evaluating different Pirani scores. Results:The number of plaster fixation in 26 children was 4.0 (1.0) times (range: 2 to 8 times). The medial talonavicular angle and posterior tibiocalcaneal angle were significantly improved after treatment and at the last follow-up compared with those before treatment, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.01). There was no difference in lateral calcaneocuboid angle before and after treatment and at the last follow-up ( F=1.971, P>0.05). Pseudo-correction occurred in 2 cases (2 feet) during the treatment, with an incidence of 5%. Correlation analysis showed that there was a moderate positive correlation between talonavicular angle and Pirani midfoot score ( r=0.480, P<0.01). There was no correlation between calcaneocuboid angle and Pirani midfoot score ( r=0.114, P=0.105). There was a moderate negative correlation between tibial heel angle and Pirani hindfoot score ( r=-0.566, P<0.01). The cut-off point of Pirani midfoot score of 1.5 was 38.78°, the sensitivity was 0.90, the specificity was 0.56, and the area under the curve was 0.75. The cut-off value of angle was 27.51 °, the sensitivity was 0.16, the specificity was 0.92, and the area under the curve was 0.44.The cut-off points of Pirani midfoot score of 3.0 were 45.08°and 9.96°, the sensitivity was 0.94 and 0.91, the specificity was 0.37 and 0.42, and the area under the curve was 0.59 and 0.62, respectively. The cut-off values of Pirani hindfoot score of 2.0 and 3.0 were 167.46° and 160.15°, respectively. The sensitivity was 0.75 and 0.67, the specificity was 0.81 and 0.83, and the area under the curve was 0.78 and 0.71, respectively. Conclusion:Ultrasound can complement with Pirani score, visually and dynamically observe the morphology and position changes of talonavicular joint, calcaneocuboid joint and tibiotalocalcaneal joint, monitor the recovery and pseudo-correction of tarsal bones, and better evaluate the therapeutic effect.

ObjectiveTo investigate the correlation among the botanical characteristics， biological characteristics， chemical composition， and medicinal properties and efficacy of traditional Chinese medicines （TCM） from latex-containing plants， so as to strengthen the theory of "identifying symptoms for qualities" and provide a reference for the development and utilization of the latex-containing plant resources. MethodStatistics on the meridians for properties and tastes， efficacy， medicinal parts， family and genus， and chemical components of TCM from latex-containing plants were carried out. A total of 53 TCM from latex-containing plants included in the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia were screened by mining the Chinese Botanical Journal， Chinese Materia Medica， Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicines， and related literature. In addition， their meridians for properties and tastes， medicinal parts， chemical components， and TCM classifications were summarized and statistically analyzed by using Excel 2013 and ChiPlot 2023.3.31 software. ResultIt was found that latex-containing plants were mainly distributed in one kingdom， one phylum， two classes， and 20 families， and most of the TCM from latex-containing plants belonged to Dicotyledonaceae under Angiosperms. In terms of properties and tastes， plain>cold>warm>cool>hot and bitter>pungent>sweet>sour>salty. In terms of meridians， liver>lung>kidney>spleen=large intestine=stomach>heart>bladder=gallbladder=small intestines. In terms of medicinal parts， roots （root， rhizomes， tuberous root， and root bark）>resin>seed>whole herb （whole herb and above-ground part）>stem （stem and branch）>fruit>leaf>flower=skin. In terms of research on chemical components， they were mostly glycosides. In terms of TCM classification， they were mostly medicines for activating blood circulation and removing blood stasis. ConclusionThe TCM from latex-containing plants is mainly plain， with a uniform warm and cold distribution. The tastes are mainly bitter and pungent， and the major meridians are the liver and lung. The roots and resins are mainly used as medicines. The components mostly contain glycosides， alkaloids， and volatile oils， and most of them are medicines for activating blood circulation and removing blood stasis， as well as for removing heat and toxins. There is a certain degree of correlation among the growth habits， medicinal parts， chemical components， and the properties， tastes， and efficacy of the TCM from latex-containing plants. It may provide a reference for resource development and utilization of TCM from latex-containing plants.

ObjectiveThe relevant laws among the biological characteristics， medicinal parts， growth environment， and medicinal properties and efficacy of traditional Chinese medicines （TCM） from fungi were excavated， so as to strengthen the theory of distinguishing symptoms for quality and provide a reference for the development and utilization of TCM from fungi. MethodThe medicinal parts， meridians for properties and tastes， heterotrophic mode， and efficacy of commonly used TCM from fungi were summarized. By consulting the Compendium of Materia Medica， Shennong Materia Medica， Flora of China， and literature， the TCM from fungi indexed in the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia and some local pharmacopeias were checked. ResultA total of 28 common TCM from fungi were selected. Different TCMs from fungi have different meridians for properties and tastes， medicinal parts， habits， and growth environments. The relevant information was counted. Among the four properties， plain>cold>warm. Among the five tastes， sweet>bitter>light>pungent=salty. In terms of medicinal parts， fruiting body>sclerotia>complex>spermia=outer skin=other. In terms of meridians， lung>liver=heart>spleen=kidney>stomach. In terms of habits， parasitism>saprophysis>symbiosis=facultative parasitism=facultative saprophysis. ConclusionTCM from fungi are mainly parasitic and saprophytic， and the plain property and sweet taste the most. The meridians are mostly lung， heart， and liver. Nourishment and diuresis are the main efficacy. There is a certain correlation between the color， habit， medicinal parts， and growth environment of TCM from fungi and their properties， tastes， and efficacy， providing comprehensive literature reference and theoretical basis for their in-depth research， clinical use， and resource development.

ObjectiveTo investigate the functions and characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） from plant skin and their Chinese patent medicines and explore the related laws of the medicinal tissue， property， taste， efficacy， and clinical application， so as to strengthen the theory of identifying symptoms for qualities and provide references for the development and utilization of TCM from plant skin and their Chinese patent medicines. MethodBy reviewing the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia and some local pharmacopeias， TCM from plant skin and their Chinese patent medicines were screened out， and the characteristics， functions， and precautions of TCM from plant skin and their Chinese patent medicines were summarized. Statistical analysis was carried out with Excel. ResultA total of 62 TCM from plant skin were found， mainly distributed in one kingdom， three phyla， and 31 families. In terms of the family genus， Rutaceae>Leguminosae>Cucurbitaceae. In terms of the medicinal tissue， bark>root bark>fruit bark>seed bark. In terms of property and taste， warm>cold>plain>cool>hot， and bitter>sweet=pungent>acidic. In terms of meridians， lung>liver>spleen>heart>colorectal>kidney>stomach=bladder. In terms of TCM classification， most of them belong to the category of heat-clearing medicines. There were 485 types of Chinese patent medicines from plant skin， with the most Chinese patent medicines containing Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium. Among the forms of administration， pills were the most predominant. In terms of the tastes of the medicines， bitter and sweet flavors predominated. In terms of functions， medicines for strengthening the body resistance were the most. For the precautions， contraindications during pregnancy were the most common. ConclusionThere is a correlation among medicinal tissue， property， taste， efficacy， and clinical application of TCM from plant skin. It is also necessary to pay attention to the contraindications of the medicines and rationally choose TCM from plant skin and their Chinese patent medicines under the guidance of TCM theory based on syndrome differentiation and treatment.

ObjectiveTo explore the correlations between botanical characteristics， biological characteristics， growth environment， and medicinal properties of common pteridophyte-derived Chinese medicinal materials， thus providing evidence for the theory of quality evaluation through morphological identification and giving insights into the extensive and reasonable application of pteridophytes in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. MethodThe medicine parts， habitats， natures， tastes， and effects of the commonly used pteridophyte-derived Chinese medicinal materials were summarized. The commonly used pteridophyte-derived Chinese medicinal materials were retrieved from the Pharmacopoeia of China， Dictionary of Chinese Materia Medica， and related literature. Excel 2016， ChiPlot， Cytoscape 3.7.1， SPSS 21.0， and weiciyun software were used for statistical analysis. ResultThe frequency of the habitats followed the trend of streamside wetland>tree trunk and rock crevices>sunslope>water surface. The frequency of medicinal parts presented the trend of whole plant>rhizome>leaf>dried aboveground part>spore. The frequency of natures was in the order of cool>cold>plain>warm>hot， and that of tastes was in an order of bitter>pungent>sweet>bland>salty. The frequency of meridian tropism followed the trend of liver meridian>stomach meridian>lung meridian>kidney meridian>bladder meridian>heart meridian>large intestine meridian>spleen meridian>small intestine meridian. The effects of the pteridophyte-derived Chinese medicinal materials followed a frequency trend of clearing heat and detoxifying>promoting urination and relieving stranguria>cooling blood and stopping bleeding>activating blood and resolving stasis>dispelling wind and eliminating dampness. ConclusionThe pteridophyte-derived Chinese medicinal materials mainly have a cool nature， a bitter taste， and tropism to the liver meridian. Whole plants and roots are mainly used for medicinal purposes， and most of these plants grow in the wetlands near rivers， under trees， and in tree trunk and rock crevices. The main effects of these medicinal materials are clearing heat and detoxifying， dispelling wind and removing dampness， cooling blood and stopping bleeding， activating blood and resolving stasis， and soothing meridians and dredging collaterals. There are certain correlations between the structures， habitats， medicinal parts， and effects of pteridophyte-derived Chinese medicinal materials， which provide reference for the development and utilization of pteridophyte-derived Chinese medicinal material resources.

Background::Whether functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are associated with the long-term risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the prospective association of FGIDs with CKD and examine whether mental health mediated the association.Methods::About 416,258 participants without a prior CKD diagnosis enrolled in the UK Biobank between 2006 and 2010 were included. Participants with FGIDs (including irritable bowel syndrome [IBS], dyspepsia, and other functional intestinal disorders [FIDs; mainly composed of constipation]) were the exposure group, and non-FGID participants were the non-exposure group. The primary outcome was incident CKD, ascertained from hospital admission and death registry records. A Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to investigate the association between FGIDs and CKD, and the mediation analysis was performed to investigate the mediation proportions of mental health.Results::At baseline, 33,156 (8.0%) participants were diagnosed with FGIDs, including 21,060 (5.1%), 8262 (2.0%), and 6437 (1.6%) cases of IBS, dyspepsia, and other FIDs, respectively. During a mean follow-up period of 12.1 years, 11,001 (2.6%) participants developed CKD. FGIDs were significantly associated with a higher risk of incident CKD compared to the absence of FGIDs (hazard ratio [HR], 1.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28–1.44). Similar results were observed for IBS (HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.17–1.38), dyspepsia (HR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.17–1.44), and other FIDs (HR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.43–1.79). Mediation analyses suggested that the mental health score significantly mediated 9.05% of the association of FGIDs with incident CKD and 5.63–13.97% of the associations of FGID subtypes with CKD. Specifically, the positive associations of FGIDs and FGID subtypes with CKD were more pronounced in participants with a high genetic risk of CKD.Conclusion::Participants with FGIDs had a higher risk of incident CKD, which was partly explained by mental health scores and was more pronounced in those with high genetic susceptibility to CKD.