Environmental pollution is a significant public health challenge worldwide, and investigating the causal relationship between environmental exposure and population health outcomes is a key objective of environmental epidemiology research. In recent years, the complexity of environmental exposures has increasingly come to the forefront, making it challenging for observational studies that dominate environmental epidemiology to accurately estimate causal effects. Causal inference methods are particularly advantageous in controlling for confounding factors, thus holding great potential in environmental epidemiology research. Researchers can use appropriate causal inference methods to simulate the process of randomization, providing strong support for revealing the causal relationship between environmental exposure and health outcomes. However, there is a lack of reviews on the application of causal inference methods in environmental epidemiology studies in China. Therefore, this study introduced the basic principles of common causal inference statistical methods in environmental epidemiology, summarized the applicable conditions, advantages and disadvantages of various methods, and provided R software implementation codes for these methods, aiming to offer guidance for optimizing research design and practicing causal inference statistical methods.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of Tongdu Tiaoshen acupuncture (for unblocking the obstruction in the governor vessel and regulating the spirit) on depression-like behavior and the hippocampal Endophilin A1/reactive oxygen species (ROS) pathway in the chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) model rats, and explore the mechanism of this therapy for depression. METHODS: Forty-eight male SD rats of SPF grade were randomly divided into a normal group (n=12) and a modeling group (n=36). In the modeling group, CUMS was performed to establish depression model. The successfully-modeled rats were randomized into a model group, a Tongdu Tiaoshen acupuncture group (referred to as the acupuncture group), and a fluoxetine group, with 12 rats in each group. In the acupuncture group, "Baihui" (GV20), "Shenting" (GV24), "Shuigou" (GV26) and "Dazhui" (GV14) were stimulated with acupuncture. This intervention measure was delivered once a day, continuously for 6 days; it was discontinued on day 7 and was completed in 28 days. In the fluoxetine group, intragastric administration was done with fluoxetine solution (2.1 mg/kg), once a day, and for 28 consecutive days. Before and after modeling, and after intervention completion, the body mass, sucrose preference rate and the total distance of movement and the boxes of horizontal crossing in the open field experiment were observed in each group. After intervention, using HE staining, the hippocampal neuron morphology was observed; using Nissl staining, the hippocampal Nissl body number was counted. The hippocampal mitochondria was observed under transmission electron microscopy. The average fluorescence intensity of ROS in hippocampal was determined using flow cytometry. With Western blot method, the protein expression of Endophilin A1, growth associated protein 43 (GAP-43), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in hippocampal was detected; and with RT-qPCR method, the mRNA expression of Endophilin A1, GAP-43, and BDNF was recorded. Using the immunofluorescence, the average fluorescence intensity of Endophilin A1, GAP-43, and BDNF in hippocampal tissue was determined. RESULTS: Compared with the normal group, in the model group, the body mass, sucrose preference rate, and the total distance of movement and the boxes of horizontal crossing in the open field experiment decreased (P<0.01); the hippocampal neuronal structure was unclear, the matrix was relatively loose, and the number of Nissl body decreased (P<0.01); mitochondrial structure was disarranged, the outer membrane was ruptured, mitochondrial cristae was irregular or missed; the average fluorescence intensity of ROS in hippocampal tissue, the protein and mRNA expression and the average fluorescence intensity of Endophilin A1 in hippocampal tissue increased (P<0.01), while the protein and mRNA expression of GAP-43 and BDNF and its average fluorescence intensity decreased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the acupuncture group and the fluoxetine group showed the increase in body mass, sucrose preference rate, the total distance of movement and the boxes of horizontal crossing in the open field experiment (P<0.05, P<0.01); the hippocampal neuronal structure became relatively clear, the matrix was relatively dense, and the number of Nissl body was elevated (P<0.01); mitochondrial structure got normal and disarranged slightly, the average fluorescence intensity of ROS in hippocampal tissue, the protein and mRNA expression and the average fluorescence intensity of Endophilin A1 in hippocampal tissue were reduced (P<0.01), while the protein and mRNA expression of GAP-43 and BDNF and the average fluorescence intensity rose (P<0.01, P<0.05). Compared with the fluoxetine group, the acupuncture group presented the increase in the average fluorescence intensity of ROS, the protein expression and the average fluorescence intensity of Endophilin A1, the protein expression of GAP-43 and the mRNA expression of BDNF (P<0.01, P<0.05), and the decrease of the protein expression and the average fluorescence intensity of BDNF, the mRNA expression of Endophilin A1, and the average fluorescence intensity of GAP-43 (P<0.01, P<0.05). CONCLUSION Tongdu tiaoshen acupuncture alleviates depression-like behaviors in CUMS model rats and protects hippocampal neurons, which may be related to suppressing Endophilin A1/ROS signaling pathway and attenuating oxidative stress reactions.
Animals ; Male ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Depression/psychology* ; Humans ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Acupuncture Points

Objective:To compare the differences in the evaluation of hemolysis performance of cellulose hemostatic materials using different detection methods and test media,and to explore a m ore reasonable testing plan for such products.Methods:Hemolysis tests were conducted on cellulose hemostatic materials using the absorbance measurement hemolysis method and hemoglobin concentration measurement hemolysis method in accordance with YY/T 1651.1-2019 standard.We compared the changes in hemolysis rate,pH value,and osmotic pressure under different experimental media.Results:Under the same experimental method,compared to SC,the hemolysis results using PBS as the extraction medium are smaller,and the changes in pH and osmotic pressure are closer to the normal range of human body changes.Conclusions:The changes in pH and osmotic pressure may be one of the reasons for the high hemolysis rate of cellulose hemostatic materials.Choosing PBS with buffering effect as the leaching medium may be more suitable for evaluating the hemolysis performance of cellulose hemostatic materials.

Aging is comprehensively influenced by multiple fac-tors such as internal genes,cellular metabolism,external envi-ronment,and lifestyle habits.Among them,epigenetic regula-tion plays a core role.Epigenetic modifications,including DNA methylation,histone modification,heterochromatin remodeling,and non-coding RNA regulation,act in concert with the three-di-mensional genome architecture to precisely regulate gene expres-sion.This review elaborates on the factors influencing epigenetic regulation,as well as the mechanisms of how epigenetics affects the occurrence of organismal aging and the corresponding inter-vention strategies,providing relevant insights for uncovering the mechanisms of aging and preventing/treating aging-related disea-ses.

Objective:Invasive pulmonary mucormycosis(PM)is a rare but highly lethal opportunistic infection.COVID-19 associated mucormycosis(CAM)is difficult to diagnose,often leading to misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis,and has poor treatment outcomes.This study reports a case of successfully treated CAM and explores optimized diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.Methods:A retrospective analysis of the diagnosis and treatment process in a 50-year-old female patient with COVID-19 associated with diabetic ketoacidosis(DKA)and invasive pulmonary mucormycosis was conducted.Combined with a literature review,the therapeutic efficacy of local bronchoscopic instillation in conjunction with systemic treatment using liposomal Amphotericin B(L-AmB)was specifically evaluated.Results:The patient was rapidly diagnosed with Rhizopus microsporus infection through metagenomic next-generation sequencing(mNGS).She subsequently received antifungal treatment with intravenous L-AmB combined with local bronchoscopic instillation.After treatment,the patient was significantly improved,with imaging studies showing gradual absorption of the lesions.Follow-up at six months revealed no recurrence.A literature review suggests that early diagnosis and multimodal therapy are key to improving survival rates in patients with CAM.Conclusion:mNGS can significantly improve the early diagnosis rate of CAM.The combination of local and systemic treatment with L-AmB is valuable in improving prognosis.Early diagnosis,multimodal antifungal therapy,and individualized management are key to increasing the survival rate of patients with CAM.

In order to study whether there is a direct interaction between the key variant gene(AP-PV-YN-Mut)protein of atypical porcine pestivirus(APPV)Yunnan strain and the host protein signal sequence receptor subunit 4(SSR4),the physical and chemical properties,spatial structure and subcellular localization of SSR4 protein were analyzed and predicted using online software such as ProtParam,PredictProtein and TMHMM.The recombinant vectors pCMV-Tag4A-SSR4 and pET-GST-Mut were constructed for GST pull-down test in vitro.The recombinant vectors pBiFC-VN173-SSR4 and pBiFC-VC155-Mut were constructed and the bimolecular fluorescence comple-mentary test(BiFC)was performed in cells to verify whether there was direct interaction between APPV-YN-Mut and host protein SSR4 in vitro and in cells.The results showed that SSR4 protein was a hydrophobic stable protein with no transmembrane structure and signal peptide.The second-ary structure was mainly irregular curl,and the tertiary structure was stable,mainly located in the endoplasmic reticulum.GST pull-down and BiFC experiments showed that APPV-YN-Mut interac-ted directly with host protein SSR4 in vitro and in cells.

Aim To investigate the protective effects of methyl rosmarinate(MR)on myocardial injury in-duced by high-altitude hypoxia and explore its underly-ing mechanisms.Methods BALB/c mice were ran-domly divided into a control group,a model group,and low-,medium-,and high-dose MR groups(25,50,and 75 mg·kg-1,respectively).Except for the control group,all other groups were exposed to a hypobaric hypoxia chamber and administered MR via intraperitoneal injection daily for three days.After the experiment,myocardial tissues were collected for he-matoxylin and eosin(HE)staining to observe morpho-logical changes.Levels of malondialdehyde(MDA),glutathione(GSH),and superoxide dismutase(SOD)were measured to evaluate the anti-myocardial injury activity of MR.Network pharmacology was employed to predict drug-disease interaction targets,construct a protein-protein interaction(PPI)network,and identify core targets.Functional enrichment analysis was car-ried out using Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyoto Ency-clopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathways.Molecular docking was used to verify the binding affini-ty of MR to core targets,and Western blot was conduc-ted to detect the expression of related proteins.Results MR significantly alleviated myocardial injury caused by high-altitude hypoxia.Network pharmacology analy-sis identified EGFR,Bcl-2,STAT3,MMP9,ESR1,and MTOR as key targets.Molecular docking con-firmed strong binding between MR and these core tar-gets.Western blot results demonstrated that MR im-proved myocardial injury by regulating the expression of STAT3,Bax,and Bcl-2 proteins.Conclusion MR may exert its protective effects on high-altitude hypoxi-a-induced myocardial injury through a multi-target mechanism.

In order to study whether there is a direct interaction between the key variant gene(AP-PV-YN-Mut)protein of atypical porcine pestivirus(APPV)Yunnan strain and the host protein signal sequence receptor subunit 4(SSR4),the physical and chemical properties,spatial structure and subcellular localization of SSR4 protein were analyzed and predicted using online software such as ProtParam,PredictProtein and TMHMM.The recombinant vectors pCMV-Tag4A-SSR4 and pET-GST-Mut were constructed for GST pull-down test in vitro.The recombinant vectors pBiFC-VN173-SSR4 and pBiFC-VC155-Mut were constructed and the bimolecular fluorescence comple-mentary test(BiFC)was performed in cells to verify whether there was direct interaction between APPV-YN-Mut and host protein SSR4 in vitro and in cells.The results showed that SSR4 protein was a hydrophobic stable protein with no transmembrane structure and signal peptide.The second-ary structure was mainly irregular curl,and the tertiary structure was stable,mainly located in the endoplasmic reticulum.GST pull-down and BiFC experiments showed that APPV-YN-Mut interac-ted directly with host protein SSR4 in vitro and in cells.

Objective To explore the magnetic resonance(MR)imaging characteristics of joint damage caused by Chikungunya virus(CHIKV)and its correlation with pain severity,and analyze the value of T2-Mapping in asse-ssing the severity and prognosis of such damage.Methods A multicenter retrospective study design was adopted,and patients with CHIKV infection accompanied by joint pain were included in analysis.Multi-joint MR scans were performed to assess joint effusion,synovial thickening,bone marrow edema,and cartilage damage.T2-Mapping values were measured.Pain severity was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale(VAS),and imaging findings were independently assessed by two radiologists.Results A total of 131 patients were included in the study.The inci-dence of joint cavity and/or synovial sac effusion was the highest(77.1％,n=101),with knee and ankle joint effu-sion accounting for 81.2％(severe,mild-moderate were 17 and 65 cases,respectively),other joint effusion were mild.78 cases had synovial thickening(14 and 64 were severe and mild-moderate cases,respectively),27 cases had tenosynovitis,21 cases had bone marrow edema(primarily in the knee and ankle joints).19 cases had cartilage damage,114 cases presented muscle soft tissue edema(17 and 97 were severe and mild-moderate cases,respective-ly),28 cases had Kager's fat pad edema.Patients with elevated T2-Mapping values exhibited more pronounced chronic joint pain,with T2-Mapping values in the cartilage damage site increasing by 40％-60％compared with normal cartilage site(19 cases in total).The T2-Mapping value for severely damaged soft tissue was(52.3+6.7)ms,while for mildly to moderately damaged soft tissue was(42.3±5.2)ms,both significantly higher than normal refe-rence values(＜35 ms,both P＜0.05).Among 17 patients with severe soft tissue damage,12 experienced persistent pain for over one month,with statistically significant differences in T2 values compared with those with mild-mode-rate damage(P＜0.05).This further suggested that the degree of elevation in T2-Mapping values was closely related to the duration of pain and the severity of damage.After one-month follow-up,103 patients had pain relief.Among the 28 patients with ongoing pain,17 developed into subacute bone joint pain.Bone marrow edema(81.0％),ele-vation of T2-Mapping value of cartilage(89.5％),and severe synovial thickening(71.4％)were high-risk MR manifestations of subacute bone joint pain.The incidences of subacute joint cavity/sac effusion and subacute tenosy-novitis were 3.0％and 7.4％,respectively.Conclusion MR can clearly display the inflammatory and structural changes in CHIKV joint damage,and T2-Mapping values may serve as a potential imaging measurement parameter for assessing severity and prognosis of damage.

Objective To explore the relationship between PANoptosis and hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HIRI), and to screen the key genes of PANoptosis in HIRI. Methods PANoptosis-related differentially expressed genes (PDG) were obtained through the Gene Expression Omnibus database and GeneCards database. Gene ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) were used to explore the biological pathways related to PDG. A protein-protein interaction network was constructed. Key genes were selected, and their diagnostic value was assessed and validated in the HIRI mice. Immune cell infiltration analysis was performed based on the cell-type identification by estimating relative subsets of RNA transcripts. Results A total of 16 PDG were identified. GO analysis showed that PDG were closely related to cellular metabolism. KEGG analysis indicated that PDG were mainly enriched in cellular death pathways such as apoptosis and immune-related signaling pathways such as the tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway. GSEA results showed that key genes were mainly enriched in immune-related signaling pathways such as the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Two key genes, DFFB and TNFSF10, were identified with high accuracy in diagnosing HIRI, with areas under the curve of 0.964 and 1.000, respectively. Immune infiltration analysis showed that the control group had more infiltration of resting natural killer cells, M2 macrophages, etc., while the HIRI group had more infiltration of M0 macrophages, neutrophils, and naive B cells. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction results showed that compared with the Sham group, the relative expression of DFFB messenger RNA in liver tissue of HIRI group mice increased, and the relative expression of TNFSF10 messenger RNA decreased. Cibersort analysis showed that the infiltration abundance of naive B cells was positively correlated with DFFB expression (r=0.70, P=0.035), and the infiltration abundance of M2 macrophages was positively correlated with TNFSF10 expression (r=0.68, P=0.045). Conclusions PANoptosis-related genes DFFB and TNFSF10 may be potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for HIRI.