Background The moderation role of environmental factors in the spread of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) has attracted much attention, but the existing conclusions are inconsistent. For example, some scholars believe that high temperature, high humidity, and high concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) increase the risk of HFMD, but other scholars have reached the opposite conclusion, or believe that there is no significant relationship. Objective Based on distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM), to investigate the relationship between the incidence of HFMD and meteorological and air pollutant variables in Lianyungang City, and to provide scientific basis for early warning. Methods Daily data of meteorological factors and air pollutants in Lianyungang City from 2021 to 2024 were retrieved. Meteorological factors included average daily temperature, average wind speed, average air pressure, and relative humidity. Air pollutant indicators included PM_2.5, inhalable particulate matter (PM₁₀), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), NO₂, and ozone (O₃). Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze their correlations with HFMD, and the R package (version 4.3.1) dlnm was used to construct a DLNM model. Results During the study period, a total of 10503 cases were reported, with a male to female ratio of 1.47∶1 and the highest proportion of scattered children (49.97%). The Spearman correlation analysis results showed that daily average temperature (r=0.40), relative humidity (r=0.17) and O₃ (r=0.14) were positively correlated with the incidence of HFMD (all Ps<0.01), while average air pressure (r=−0.34), PM_2.5 (r=−0.24), PM₁₀ (r=−0.24), CO (r=−0.22), and NO₂ (r=−0.06) were negatively correlated with it (all Ps<0.05). There was no statistical relationship of SO₂ and average wind speed with the incidence of HFMD (both Ps>0.05). The cumulative risk effect was greatest when the daily average temperature was 28.50 ℃ (CRR=4.63, 95%CI: 2.68, 8.01). The average wind speed below 0.50 m·s⁻¹ and in the range of 2.50-3.50 m·s⁻¹ showed an acute risk effect, and low pressure (below 1016.00 hPa) could immediately increase the risk of the disease. The cumulative risk effect was greatest when the relative humidity was 100% (CRR=3.16, 95%CI: 1.77, 5.65). The greatest cumulative protective effects of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ were present at concentrations of 158.00 μg·m⁻³ (CRR=0.12, 95%CI: 0.01, 0.99) and 561.50 μg·m⁻³ (CRR=0.01, 95%CI: 0.01, 0.99) respectively. The protective effect of CO was the strongest at the highest concentration (67.00 μg·m⁻³) (RR=0.67, 95%CI: 0.34, 0.64). The cumulative protective effects of SO₂ and NO₂ were both most significant at the concentration of 0.50 μg·m⁻³. Low concentrations of O₃ (below 48.00 μg·m⁻³) showed a risk effect, and the single-day protective effect was significant when the concentration was 141.00 μg·m⁻³. Conclusion There is a nonlinear and hysteretic relationship between environmental factors and the incidence of HFMD. A rational and efficient early warning and prevention and control system can be constructed accordingly.

The functional realization of proteins and other biological macromolecules depends on conformational dynamics and allosteric regulation, and elucidating their molecular mechanisms is an important foundation for understanding life processes. Molecular dynamics simulations are a powerful tool for investigating conformational evolution at the atomic level. However, traditional methods are limited by simulation timescales and high free-energy barriers, making it difficult to effectively capture rare conformations and their transition pathways. As a result, the development of enhanced sampling techniques has become key to overcoming this bottleneck. As a classical enhanced sampling technique, metadynamics suffers from several shortcomings, including strong dependence on collective variables and significant errors caused by bias potential accumulation. This article reviews three major improvement strategies. The first combines stochastic resetting with metadynamics, using trajectory-resetting mechanisms to improve sampling efficiency while avoiding the difficulty of optimizing collective variables. The second, SinkMeta, employs a “sinking” bias effect to enable efficient exploration of specific regions and paths. The third, OPES-based hybrid methods, improve the stability of free-energy estimation by optimizing the target distribution or the way the bias is constructed. These methods provide new ideas for characterizing free-energy landscapes and studying conformational transitions in complex biological systems, while also promoting the continued development of enhanced sampling methodologies.

Objective: To investigate the associations of screen time (ST) and dietary behavior with sleep quality among first-year junior high school students, and further analyze the joint exposure effect of weekend ST and dietary usage, so as to provide scientific evidence for improving adolescent sleep quality and developing related health intervention measures. Methods: From September 19 to October 18, 2023, a combination of cluster sampling and convenience sampling method was used to select 733 first-year junior high school students from 4 public junior high schools in Jinshan District, Shanghai. ST on weekdays and weekends of students was investigated. The Chinese Diet Quality Questionnaire and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were applied to assess dietary behaviors and sleep quality. Binary Logistic regression was used to analyze the associations of ST and dietary behavior with sleep quality during weekdays and weekends. Results: The proportion of students with high level ST was 31.8% on weekdays and 65.3% on weekends. Students with poor dietary quality accounted for 45.3%, and the detection rate of poor sleep quality was 14.6 %. Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that, compared with students with low level ST on weekend and good dietary quality, those with high level ST on weekend and those with poor dietary quality had increased risks of poor sleep quality [ OR (95% CI )=1.89(1.10-3.26), 2.30(1.47-3.58), both P <0.05]. Combined exposure showed that compared to students with good diet quality and low level ST on weekend, students with good dietary quality and high level ST on weekend, those with poor dietary quality and low level ST on weekend, and those with poor dietary quality and high level ST on weekend also had increased risks of poor sleep quality [ OR (95% CI )=3.00(1.25-7.25), 4.07(1.60-10.33), 5.72(2.37-13.81), all P <0.05]. Conclusion Excessive weekend ST and poor dietary quality are associated with poor sleep quality among first-year junior high school students, and their co-occurrence further increases the risk.

Objective: To investigate the association of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) and screen time (ST) with emotional and behavioral problems in middle school students, so as to provide a basis for improving the mental health level of adolescents. Methods: Four public junior high schools in Jinshan District, Shanghai were selected by random cluster method from September 19 to October 18, 2023, with 779 first grade students included. Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), as well as physical activity and screen time were collected. Binary Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between MVPA, ST and different dimensions of emotional and behavioral problems. Results: Students with MVPA<60 min/d accounted for 82.4%, and with ST>2 h/d accounted for 29.5%. The abnormal rate of SDQ dimensions among students ranged from 6.8 % to 19.3%, with the highest abnormal rate observed in behavioral problems. The results of binary Logistic regression analysis showed that, compared with high level of MVPA, students with low level of MVPA had a significantly increased risk of developing problems in prosocial behavior [ OR (95% CI )=2.16(1.37-3.41), P <0.05]. Compared with low level ST, students with high level had an increased risk of experiencing emotional symptoms, behavioral problems and peer interaction problems [ OR (95% CI )=2.00(1.25-3.22), 2.00(1.41-2.84), and 1.69(1.22-2.33), P <0.05]. Compared with high MVPA and low ST, students with low MVPA and high ST had an increased risk of developing problems in the dimensions of conduct problems, prosocial behavior, and overall difficulty score [ OR (95% CI )=1.92(1.13-3.23), 2.73(1.56-4.77), and 2.07(1.19-3.60), P <0.05]. Conclusions Physical activity and screen time are related to emotional and behavioral problems in middle school students. Insufficient physical activity time and excessive screen time might increase the risk of emotional and behavioral problems. Interventions can be administered on physical activity and screen time among adolescents to promote their mental health.

This study aimed to characterize and identify the non-volatile components in aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the stems and leaves of Rhododendron tomentosum by using sensitive and efficient ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS) combined with a self-built information database. By comparing with reference compounds, analyzing fragment ion information, searching relevant literature, and using a self-built information database, 118 compounds were identified from the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of R. tomentosum, including 35 flavonoid glycosides, 15 phenolic glycosides, 12 flavonoids, 7 phenolic acids, 7 phenylethanol glycosides, 6 tannins, 6 phospholipids, 5 coumarins, 5 monoterpene glycosides, 6 triterpenes, 3 fatty acids, and 11 other types of compounds. Among them, 102 compounds were reported in R. tomentosum for the first time, and 36 compounds were identified by comparing them with reference compounds. The chemical components in the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of R. tomentosum leaves and stems showed slight differences, with 84 common chemical components accounting for 71.2% of the total 118 compounds. This study systematically characterized and identified the non-volatile chemical components in the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of R. tomentosum for the first time. The findings provide a reference for active ingredient research, quality control, and product development of R. tomentosum.
Rhododendron/chemistry* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Plant Leaves/chemistry*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Tongmai Hypoglycemic Capsule (THC) on myocardium injury in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) rats. METHODS: A total of 24 Sprague Dawley rats were fed for 4 weeks with high-fat and high-sugar food and then injected with streptozotocin intraperitoneally for the establishment of the DCM model. In addition, 6 rats with normal diets were used as the control group. After modeling, 24 DCM rats were randomly divided into the model, L-THC, M-THC, and H-THC groups by computer generated random numbers, and 0, 0.16, 0.32, 0.64 g/kg of THC were adopted respectively by gavage, with 6 rats in each group. After 12 weeks of THC administration, echocardiography, histopathological staining, biochemical analysis, and Western blot were used to detect the changes in myocardial structure, oxidative stress (OS), biochemical indexes, protein expressions of myocardial fibrosis, and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related faactor 2 (Nrf2) element, respectively. RESULTS: Treatment with THC significantly decreased cardiac markers such as creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, and creatine kinase-MB, etc., (P<0.01); enhanced cardiac function indicators including heart rate, ejection fraction, cardiac output, interventricular septal thickness at diastole, and others (P<0.05 or P<0.01); decreased levels of biochemical indicators such as fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, aspartate transaminase, (P<0.05 or P<0.01); and decreased the levels of myocardial fibrosis markers α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and collagen I (Col-1) protein (P<0.01), improved myocardial morphology and the status of myocardial interstitial fibrosis. THC significantly reduced malondialdehyde levels in model rats (P<0.01), increased levels of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione (P<0.01), and significantly increased the expression of Nrf2, NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1, heme oxygenase-1, and superoxide dismutase 2 proteins in the left ventricle of rats (P<0.01). CONCLUSION THC activates the Nrf2 signaling pathway and plays a protective role in reducing OS injury and cardiac fibrosis in DCM rats.
Animals ; Diabetic Cardiomyopathies/physiopathology* ; Oxidative Stress/drug effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Myocardium/metabolism* ; Fibrosis ; Male ; Capsules ; Hypoglycemic Agents/therapeutic use* ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/metabolism* ; Rats ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/drug therapy*

ObjectiveTo investigate the incidence and relevant factors of visual acuity abnormalities in preschool children undergoing kindergarten entrance physical examinations in Shannan City, Xizang, in 2022, so as to formulate policies for protecting children’s visual acuity and provide a basis for optimizing the children’s health service system in this region. MethodsA cross sectional study was conducted among the children undergoing kindergarten entrance physical examinations in Shannan City in 2022. A diopter examination was performed for these children, and a questionnaire survey was administered to their caregivers. Additionally, factors affecting children’s visual acuity abnormalities were analyzed using the χ² test and binary logistic regression analysis. ResultsA total of 759 children were included in the analysis, with an incidence rate for visual acuity abnormalities of 11.20%. Univariate analysis showed that statistically significant differences were observed in the incidence rate for visual acuity abnormalities among preschool children in terms of different family monthly income (χ²=17.395, P<0.001), father’s education level (χ²=5.133, P=0.023), postnatal vitamin A and D supplementation (χ²=9.575, P=0.008), and feeding method within the first 6 months after birth (χ²=9.330, P=0.009). Multivariate analysis results indicated that family monthly income <5 000 yuan (OR=2.599, P=0.003), insufficient postnatal vitamin A and D supplementation (OR=1.912, P=0.011), and formula feeding (OR=2.131, P=0.010) were relevant factors for abnormal visual development in children. ConclusionThe incidence of visual acuity abnormalities in preschool children in Shannan City is slightly higher than that previously reported in other regions of Xizang. The occurrence of visual acuity abnormalities in children is related to factors such as family monthly income, postnatal vitamin A and D supplementation, and feeding method within the first 6 months after birth. Future interventions should be strengthened on the promotion and dissemination of knowledge related to eye use, such as improve parental awareness of eye care, promote timely vitamin A and D supplementation and encourage breast feeding for children after birth, more specifically, attentions need to be focused on the visual acuity problems of children from low-income families to safeguard the visual health in preschool children in Shannan City, Xizang.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that severely affects the health of the elderly, marked by its incurability, high prevalence, and extended latency period. The current approach to AD prevention and treatment emphasizes early detection and intervention, particularly during the pre-AD stage of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which provides an optimal “window of opportunity” for intervention. Clinical detection methods for MCI, such as cerebrospinal fluid monitoring, genetic testing, and imaging diagnostics, are invasive and costly, limiting their broad clinical application. Speech, as a vital cognitive output, offers a new perspective and tool for computer-assisted analysis and screening of cognitive decline. This is because elderly individuals with cognitive decline exhibit distinct characteristics in semantic and audio information, such as reduced lexical richness, decreased speech coherence and conciseness, and declines in speech rate, voice rhythm, and hesitation rates. The objective presence of these semantic and audio characteristics lays the groundwork for computer-based screening of cognitive decline. Speech information is primarily sourced from databases or collected through tasks involving spontaneous speech, semantic fluency, and reading, followed by analysis using computer models. Spontaneous language tasks include dialogues/interviews, event descriptions, narrative recall, and picture descriptions. Semantic fluency tasks assess controlled retrieval of vocabulary items, requiring participants to extract information at the word level during lexical search. Reading tasks involve participants reading a passage aloud. Summarizing past research, the speech characteristics of the elderly can be divided into two major categories: semantic information and audio information. Semantic information focuses on the meaning of speech across different tasks, highlighting differences in vocabulary and text content in cognitive impairment. Overall, discourse pragmatic disorders in AD can be studied along three dimensions: cohesion, coherence, and conciseness. Cohesion mainly examines the use of vocabulary by participants, with a reduction in the use of nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adjectives in AD patients. Coherence assesses the ability of participants to maintain topics, with a decrease in the number of subordinate clauses in AD patients. Conciseness evaluates the information density of participants, with AD patients producing shorter texts with less information compared to normal elderly individuals. Audio information focuses on acoustic features that are difficult for the human ear to detect. There is a significant degradation in temporal parameters in the later stages of cognitive impairment; AD patients require more time to read the same paragraph, have longer vocalization times, and produce more pauses or silent parts in their spontaneous speech signals compared to normal individuals. Researchers have extracted audio and speech features, developing independent systems for each set of features, achieving an accuracy rate of 82% for both, which increases to 86% when both types of features are combined, demonstrating the advantage of integrating audio and speech information. Currently, deep learning and machine learning are the main methods used for information analysis. The overall diagnostic accuracy rate for AD exceeds 80%, and the diagnostic accuracy rate for MCI also exceeds 80%, indicating significant potential. Deep learning techniques require substantial data support, necessitating future expansion of database scale and continuous algorithm upgrades to transition from laboratory research to practical product implementation.

Objective To summarise the best evidence on non-pharmacological management in children and to provide evidence-based guidelines for clinical practice.Methods With the 6S evidence pyramid model,a comprehensive and systematic search across multiple databases was conducted,including UpToDate,BMJ Best Practice,Joanna Briggs Institute of Australia's Centre for Evidence-based Health Care Database(JBI),National Guideline Clearing-house(NGC),Guidelines International Network(GIN),The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence(NICE)website,Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network(SIGN),American Dental Association,Canadian Dental Association,Cochrane Library,CINAHL,Embase,PubMed,SinoMed,CNKI and Wanfang Data.The search focused on literature pertaining to the improvement of non-pharmacological strategies for compliance with paediatric oral treatment,encompassing clinical decisions,evidence summaries,clinical guidelines,systematic reviews,expert consensus,best practices,and randomised controlled trials.The literature search encompassed all available publications from the inception of databases up to 5th November,2023.A quality assessment of the literature was independently conducted by four researchers trained by evidence-based nursing courses,while evidence extraction and summarisation were handled by two researchers.Results A total of 16 papers were included,comprising 2 clinical decisions,2 evidence summaries,3 guidelines,5 systematic evaluations,1 best practice,2 expert consensus and 1 randomised controlled trial.Nineteen pieces of evidence were extracted and classified into six categories:outpatient setting,assessment and management of children,pre-treatment non-pharmacological management,in-treatment non-pharmacological management,post-treatment non-pharmacological management and training and assessment.Conclusion This study summarises the best evidences for non-pharmacological management aiming to improve the oral treatment compliance in children.Healthcare providers can facilitate the translation of this evidence into clinical practice by considering the specific clinical context as well as factors such as the age and psychological characteristics of children.

[Purpose]To analyze the lifetime risk of developing and dying from lung cancer at global and regional levels.[Methods]Data of lung cancer incidence and mortality were obtained from GLOBOCAN 2022 and the population and all-cause mortality data were obtained from the United Nations.The lifetime risk of developing and dying from lung cancer globally and across different regions was estimated by multiple primary adjustment method.[Results]The global lifetime risk of developing lung cancer was 3.59％[95％confidence interval(CI):3.58％～3.59％],ranking third among all cancer types.There were significant gender and regional differences in lifetime risk values.The risk for male was 4.43％(95％CI:4.42％～4.44％),which was higher than that for female(2.71％,95％CI:2.70％～2.72％),with a male-to-female ratio of 1.63.Among regions with varying human development index(HDI)levels,the risk increased with HDI levels,in very high HDI re-gions risk was 5.36％(95％CI:5.34％～5.37％),while in low HDI regions the risk was 0.34％(95％CI:0.33％～0.34％).Among the 20 global regions,East Asia had the highest lifetime risk of 7.53％(95％CI:7.52％～7.55％),while West Africa had the lowest risk of 0.16％(95％CI:0.16％～0.17％).The global lifetime risk of dying from lung cancer was 2.78％(95％CI:2.78％～2.78％),ranking the first among all cancer types.There were significant sex and regional differ-ences in lifetime death risk values.The risk for male was 3.64％(95％CI:3.63％～3.64％),which was higher than that for female(1.89％,95％CI:1.89％～1.90％),with a male-to-female ratio of 1.93.Among regions with varying HDI levels,the risk increased with HDI levels,in very high HDI re-gions the risk was 3.98％(95％CI:3.97％～3.99％),while in low HDI regions the risk was 0.31％(95％CI:0.31％～0.31％).Among the 20 global regions,the Federated States of Micronesia/Poly-nesia had the highest death risk of 5.80％(95％CI:4.98％～6.62％),while West Africa had the lowest risk of 0.15％(95％CI:0.15％～0.16％).The lifetime risk of developing and dying from lung cancer in China was 7.54％(95％CI:7.52％～7.56％)and 5.88％(95％CI:5.87％～5.90％),respec-tively,both ranking the first among all cancer types.[Conclusion]The lifetime risk of developing and dying from lung cancer remains high globally and across different regions,with a particularly heavy burden in high-HDI areas.In China,both the lifetime risk of developing and dying from lung cancer are higher than the global average.This highlights the need for continued enhance-ment of comprehensive prevention and control measures,including addressing lung cancer-related risk factors,as well as improving screening,early diagnosis,and treatment efforts to reduce the lung cancer burden.