ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy of Huayu Tongluo Formula （化瘀通络方， HTF） in patients with mid-stage diabetic kidney disease of blood stasis syndrome and explore its potential mechanisms. MethodsA multi-center， randomized， double-blind， placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted. Ninety patients of mid-stage diabetic kidney disease of blood stasis syndrome were divided into a control group of 46 cases and a treatment group of 44 cases. Both groups received conventional western medicine treatment， the treatment group additionally taking HTF， while the control group taking a placebo of the formula. The treatment was administered once daily for 24 weeks. The primary outcomes included 24-hour urine total protein （24 h-UTP）， serum albumin （Alb）， glycated hemoglobin （HbA1c）， and serum creatinine （Scr）.The secondary outcomes included changes in levels of endothelin-1 （ET-1）， nitric oxide （NO）， vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF）， and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores before and after treatment. Clinical efficacy was evaluated based on TCM syndrome scores and overall disease outcomes. Adverse reactions and endpoint events were recorded. ResultsIn the treatment group after treatment， 24 h-UTP， ET-1， and VEGF levels significantly decreased （P＜0.05）， Alb and NO levels significantly increased （P＜0.05）； while the TCM syndrome scores for edema， lumbar pain， numbness of limbs， dark purple lips， dark purple tongue or purpura， and thin， rough pulse all significantly decreased （P＜0.05）. In the control group， no significant changes were observed in any of the indicators after treatment （P＞0.05）.Compared with the control group， the treatment group showed significant reductions in 24 h-UTP， ET-1， and VEGF levels， and increases in Alb and NO levels （P＜0.05）. The TCM syndrome scores for edema， lumbar pain， dark purple tongue or purpura， and thin， rough pulse were all lower in the treatment group than in the control group （P＜0.05）. The total effective rate of TCM syndrome in the treatment group was 59.09% （26/44）， and the overall clinical effective rate was 45.45% （20/44）. In the control group， these rates were 15.22% （7/46） and 8.7% （4/46）， respectively， with the treatment group showing significantly better outcomes （P＜0.05）. A total of 7 adverse events occurred across both groups， with no significant difference （P＞0.05）. No endpoint events occurred during the study. ConclusionOn the basis of conventional treatment of Western medicine， HTF can further reduce urinary protein levels and improve clinical symptoms in patients with mid-stage diabetic kidney disease of blood stasis syndrome. The mechanism may be related to its effects on endothelial function.

Objective: To investigate the association between bedtime screen use and sleep health among fourth and fifthgrade primary school students, so as to provide evidence to support interventions for improving sleep quality. Methods: From April to June 2024, a survey was conducted among 4 232 fourth and fifthgrade students from nine primary schools in a district of Beijing. A selfdesigned questionnaire assessed bedtime screen use behavior and sleep health indicators. Generalized linear models and Logistic regression were used to analyze the associations. Results: Among the surveyed students, 28.3% reported bedtime screen use. Mean sleep duration every day was (9.31±0.90) hours on school days and (10.08±1.36) hours on weekends. Compared to nonusers, students with bedtime screen use exhibited every day: later bedtimes on school days (10.18 min delay, 95%CI=6.88-13.47) and weekends (22.09 min delay, 95%CI=17.33-26.85) (P<0.05); later weekend wake times (7.97 min delay, 95%CI=1.78-14.16, P<0.05); reduced sleep duration on school days (-9.82 min, 95%CI=-13.62 to -6.03) and weekends (-14.12 min, 95%CI=-20.24 to -8.00) (P<0.05); greater weekend-school day bedtime discrepancy (β=1.15, 95%CI=1.08-1.23, P<0.01). Additionally, they had lower odds of falling asleep within 20 minutes (OR=0.62, 95%CI=0.54-0.72), daytime alertness (OR=0.66, 95%CI=0.56-0.77), and subjective sleep satisfaction (OR=0.57, 95%CI=0.49-0.66)(P<0.01). Conclusions Bedtime screen use is associated with adverse effects on multiple dimensions of sleep health in primary school students. Reducing screen exposure before bed may help improve their sleep quality.

Objective: To develop a health literacy evaluation scale for Chinese high school students, providing a tool for dynamic monitoring of health literacy among high school students and evaluating the effectiveness of health school construction. Methods: Through theoretical research, an evaluation index system for health literacy of Chinese high school students was constructed. Two rounds of Delphi expert consultations were conducted to quantitatively screen the items, and the item pool was revised based on expert opinions to compile the health literacy evaluation scale for Chinese students. Two focus group interviews were held to collect suggestions from health educators, high school teachers, and high school students regarding optimized scale length, question types, difficulty and wording of the scale. The scale was revised accordingly. A pilot survey was conducted in Beijing and Tianjin in November 2024, and the reliability and validity of the scale were evaluated based on the pilot survey data. Results: The response rate in both rounds of Delphi expert consultations was over 80%, and the expert authority coefficient was over 0.70. The expert opinions were highly concentrated, and the dispersion was small. The revised item pool based on expert opinions contained 39 items. The revised scale based on the suggestions and opinions collected from the focus group interviews had a moderate number of questions and difficulty level. The pilot survey obtained 800 valid responses, with the response rate of 89.39%. The Cronbach α coefficient of the scale was 0.911, χ 2/df =3.321, the root mean square error of approximation was 0.054, the adjusted goodness-of-fit index was 0.991 , and the factor loadings of some items were less than 0.40. Conclusion The health literacy evaluation scale for Chinese high school students demonstrates scientific rigor and practical applicability, with good internal consistency and structural validity.

Objective: To explore the influencing factors of recurrence in postoperative patients with renal cell carcinoma，construct machine learning prediction models and evaluate their performance. Methods: Clinical data of 915 patients with renal cell carcinoma treated in our hospital during 2013 and 2021 were retrospectively collected.The data were randomly divided into a training set (n=510) and a validation set (n=218) in a 7∶3 ratio.In the training set，LASSO regression algorithm was used to screen important variables，and machine learning prediction models were constructed to predict the recurrence risk.In the validation set，the effectiveness of the models was compared combined with the area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC)，accuracy rate，F1 value and other indicators. Results: LASSO regression screened out the risk factors，including smoking history，tumor size，N stage，Fuhrman grade，thrombin time and fibrinogen，based on which，the logistic model，decision tree model，random forest model，and Bayes model were constructed.In the validation set，the AUC of the above 4 models was 0.862，0.792，0.843 and 0.861，respectively; the accuracy was 0.917，0.908，0.904 and 0.927，respectively; F1 value was 0.357，0.286，0.323 and 0.600，respectively.The Bayes model had the most stable performance and best differentiation. Conclusion: In this data set，the prediction model based on Bayes algorithm has a good performance and can provide reference for clinical decision making.

Oral health is closely related to facial aesthetics, mastication, pronunciation, and systemic diseases. Flexible sensors can improve current deficiencies in clinical diagnosis and treatment through oral health monitoring. This paper reviews the research on and application of flexible sensors in oral health monitoring in recent years, providing a reference for the further development of flexible sensors in the oral field. The structural basis of flexible sensors includes a flexible substrate, stretchable electrodes, and an active layer, and each part is designed through material selection to adapt to the oral environment. The sensing mechanisms of sensors involve electricity, optics, electrochemistry, and immunology, among which electro-chemical, biological, and optical sensors are particularly prominent in the oral field. The monitored signals include physical signals such as orthodontic force, bite force, respiratory humidity, and implant temperature; chemical signals such as saliva metabolites and oral gases; and biological signals such as periodontal disease and oral cancer markers. At present, flexible sensors still face many challenges in this special oral environment. Future research directions include improving the biocompatibility, moisture resistance, and flexible fitting ability of sensors in the oral cavity; using temperature-insensitive materials and protective films to improve stability; and introducing artificial receptors and sensor arrays to improve factors such as selectivity. In addition, multi-disciplinary cooperation is crucial for breaking through current bottlenecks and achieving more accurate disease diagnosis and health monitoring. In the field of stomatology, finding specific biomarkers related to corresponding oral diseases is the key to sensor health monitoring. Through these efforts, flexible sensors are expected to gain more extensive applications in the field of oral health monitoring.

Objective: To develop and validate a health literacy assessment scale for junior high school students, providing an effective tool for evaluating and monitoring health literacy among Chinese adolescents. Methods: Based on school health education policy documents, a health literacy assessment framework was constructed, comprising five horizontal and four vertical dimensions. From May to June and August to September in 2024, the framework was refined through Delphi expert consultations and focus group discussions, leading to the development of the Health Literacy Assessment Scale for Junior High School Students. In September 2024, a convenience sample of 625 students from three junior high schools in Beijing and Tianjin completed the questionnaire. Item analysis, reliability, and validity tests were conducted to evaluate the scale. Results: The recovery rate for two rounds of expert consultation questionnaires was 100%. The expert authority coefficients ( Cr ) were 0.86 and 0.87 respectively (both >0.70), with Kendall W values of 0.34 and 0.27 ( P <0.05). The focus group discussions followed a rigorous structure, and after multiple rounds of item screening and revision, the version 3.0 of the junior high school students health literacy assessment scale was developed, comprising 57 items. Three items that failed to meet the comprehensive screening criteria were preliminarily removed, and the final scale contained 54 items. The scale demonstrated excellent reliability, with an overall Cronbach s α coefficient of 0.92 and split half reliability of 0.93. Confirmatory factor analysis [ χ 2/df =2.094, root mean square error of approximation ( RMSEA )=0.042, comparative fit index ( CFI )=0.911, Tucker Lewis index ( TLI )=0.907] indicated good model fit indices. Conclusions The preliminary development of the health literacy assessment scale for junior high school students follows a rigorous item screening process with well designed dimensions, demonstrating good reliability and validity, thus serving as an appropriate evaluation tool for adolescent health literacy.

Background High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a sensitive biomarker for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and can independently predict the risk of cardiovascular events. Although the association between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure and CVD risk has been widely reported, studies on the association between hs-CRP and PFAS remain limited. Objective To investigate the association between PFAS and hs-CRP levels, to provide a scientific basis for early identification and prevention of environment-related cardiovascular events. Methods This study utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database (2015–2018). Based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 3219 participants were included for subsequent analysis. Five PFAS with detection rates exceeding 90% were selected as exposure factors and log-transformed (lnPFAS) for subsequent analysis, including perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA). After selecting potential confounders through a change-in-estimate approach, logistic regression was employed to examine the effects of individual PFAS on serum hs-CRP level. Additionally, quantile g-computation and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were applied to assess the combined effects of PFAS mixtures on hs-CRP. Results The study included 3219 participants with a mean age of (50.4±17.6) years, of whom 1554 (48.28%) were male. The median concentrations of the five PFAS compounds were: 1.20 ng·mL⁻¹ (PFHxS), 0.50 ng·mL⁻¹ (PFNA), 1.50 ng·mL⁻¹ (PFOA), 5.20 ng·mL⁻¹ (PFOS), and 0.20 ng·mL⁻¹ (PFDA). The Wilcoxon rank-sum tests revealed statistically significant differences between the elevated serum hs-CRP (≥2 mg·L⁻¹) and normal (<2 mg·L⁻¹) groups for all five PFAS compounds (PFHxS: P=0.005; PFNA: P=0.009; PFOA: P<0.001; PFOS: P<0.001; PFDA: P<0.001). After adjusting for potential confounders, the analysis of individual PFAS exposure demonstrated significant negative associations between serum hs-CRP levels and both ln-PFOS (OR: 0.87; 95%CI: 0.79, 0.96; P=0.0036) and lnPFDA (OR: 0.78; 95%CI: 0.71, 0.86; P < 0.001). The joint effect analysis using quantile g-computation revealed an overall inverse association between PFAS mixtures and hs-CRP, with lnPFDA emerging as a primary contributor; an similar association was observed in males, but not significant in females. Further evaluation through BKMR showed that when PFAS mixture concentrations reached or exceeded P₇₀, their combined effect on hs-CRP became significantly lower than when all PFAS concentrations were at P₅₀, establishing a clear negative dose-response relationship. Conclusion The mixed exposure to PFAS showed a significant negative joint effect on serum hs-CRP levels, with PFDA being the key component contributing to this combined effect. Future prospective cohort studies are warranted to further validate these findings and elucidate the underlying mechanisms involved.

This study aimed to explore the therapeutic mechanisms of Colquhounia Root Tablets(CRT) in treating diabetic kidney disease(DKD) by integrating biomolecular network mining with animal model verification. By analyzing clinical transcriptomics data, an interaction network was constructed between candidate targets of CRT and DKD-related genes. Based on the topological eigenvalues of network nodes, 101 core network targets of CRT against DKD were identified. These targets were found to be closely related to multiple pathways associated with type 2 diabetes, immune response, and metabolic reprogramming. Given that immune-inflammatory imbalance driven by metabolic reprogramming is one of the key pathogenic mechanisms of DKD, and that many core network targets of CRT are involved in this pathological process, receptor for advanced glycation end products(RAGE)-reactive oxygen species(ROS)-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)-protein kinase B(AKT)-nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)-NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3(NLRP3) signaling axis was selected as a candidate target for in-depth research. Further, a rat model of DKD induced by a high-sugar, high-fat diet and streptozotocin was established to evaluate the pharmacological effects of CRT and verify the expression of related targets. The experimental results showed that CRT could effectively correct metabolic disturbances in DKD, restore immune-inflammatory balance, and improve renal function and its pathological changes by inhibiting the activation of the RAGE-ROS-PI3K-AKT-NF-κB-NLRP3 signaling axis. In conclusion, this study reveals that CRT alleviates the progression of DKD through dual regulation of metabolic reprogramming and immune-inflammatory responses, providing strong experimental evidence for its clinical application in DKD.
Animals ; Diabetic Nephropathies/metabolism* ; Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products/genetics* ; NF-kappa B/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Rats ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/genetics* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Male ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics* ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; Humans ; Plant Roots/chemistry* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tablets/administration & dosage*

BACKGROUND: Prior studies have shown that drivers with type 2 diabetes are more likely to be involved in motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) compared to the general population. Certain meteorological factors have been increasingly recognized as contributors to MVC risk. This study aims to examine the association of MVCs with temperature, rainfall, wind speed, and sunshine duration among drivers with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Using Taiwan's National Health Insurance data (2019-2021), we identified individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and linked their records to the Police-Reported Traffic Accident Registry to obtain daily MVC counts. Meteorological data were sourced from the Central Weather Administration. Associations between daily weather conditions and MVCs were assessed using a Distributed Lag Non-Linear Model. RESULTS: Over the 1,096-day study period, 170,468 MVC events involving drivers with type 2 diabetes were recorded. A U-shaped association was observed between same-day temperature and MVC rates. Compared with the reference temperature of 17.5 °C, both lower temperatures (≤15 °C; rate ratio [RR] = 1.014-1.053) and higher temperatures (≥30 °C; RR = 1.062) were associated with increased MVC risk. Rainfall showed an inverse relationship with MVCs. Compared with 70 mm of rainfall, the lowest MVC rate occurred at 129 mm (RR = 0.873), while the highest was on rain-free days (0 mm; RR = 1.068). Stronger effects were observed when lag periods up to 14 days were considered. Wind speed and sunshine duration were not significantly associated with MVC risk. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that drivers with type 2 diabetes should exercise greater caution on days with extreme temperatures or in days with lesser rainfall, as these conditions may elevate MVC risk.
Humans ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/epidemiology* ; Taiwan/epidemiology* ; Accidents, Traffic/statistics & numerical data* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Weather ; Aged ; Adult ; Temperature ; Risk Factors