AIM:To automatically identify and quantitatively assess myopia-related fundus structural changes by combining non-mydriatic color fundus photography with an artificial intelligence(AI)-powered quantitative fundus analysis system and to further analyze the correlations between these fundus parameters and spherical equivalent(SE), axial length(AL), and age, providing the objective basis for monitoring myopia progression and supporting the formulation of personalized myopia prevention and control strategies. METHODS:A cross-sectional study was conducted enrolling myopic patients aged 18-50 y who underwent myopia screening from March 2023 to December 2023. Patients were stratified into three groups based on SE: the -3.00 D

Background Workers in the cable manufacturing industry are exposed to high-speed machinery and equipment for a long time, coupled with heavy workload, which poses significant risks to their physical health. However, the issue of occupational injuries in this industry has not received enough attention yet. Objective To understand the incidence of occupational injury of workers in cable manufacturing industry and to analyze the influencing factors. Method A basic information questionnaire and an occupational injury questionnaire were developed to investigate the occupational injuries of 1 343 workers in a cable manufacturing enterprise in the past year, and a total of 1 225 valid questionnaires were recovered, with an effective rate of 91.2%. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the causes, injury locations, injury types, and other characteristics of employees’ occupational injuries. Chi-square test was used to analyze the occupational injury status of groups with different demographic characteristics, occupational characteristics, lifestyles, and interpersonal relationships. Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of occupational injuries. Result The incidence of occupational injuries among workers in a cable manufacturing enterprise in the past year was 8.6%, which mainly happened in male workers (80.0%) and occurred from May to July in summer (45.7%). The main causes were mechanical injuries (32.4%) and object blows (27.6%). The main sources of damage were machinery and equipment (36.2%) as well as raw materials and products (15.2%). The main injuries were located in upper limbs (53.3%) and lower limbs (22.9%). The main types of injuries were fractures (33.3%) and abrasions/contusions/puncture wounds (19.0%). The results of univariate analysis showed that there were statistically significant variations in the incidence of occupational injuries by gender, overtime, pre-job training, years of service in current position, alcohol consumption, physical exercise per week, and co-worker relationship (P<0.05). The logistic regression model showed that workers who exercised less than twice a week, did not participate in pre-job training, worked overtime, and had fair/poor/very poor colleague relationship had a higher risk of occupational injury, while women had a lower risk of occupational injury. Conclusion The distribution of occupational injury population is mainly male, and the time distribution is mainly from May to July. Gender, physical exercise, pre-job training, overtime, and colleague relationship are the influencing factors of occupational injuries. We should strengthen pre-job training, arrange work hours reasonably, and create a good working atmosphere to reduce the occurrence of occupational injuries.

Background Social psychological factors have emerged as a key area of research in occupational injury prevention. Occupational stress, a significant component of social psychology, has garnered widespread attention due to its potential impact on occupational injury. Objective To analyze the factors influencing occupational stress among cable manufacturing workers and explore the relationship between occupational stress and occupational injury, and to provide scientific evidence for reducing occupational stress and injury. Methods A questionnaire on basic demographics, occupational injury, and occupational stress (Effort-Reward Imbalance, ERI) was used to investigate 1343 workers in a cable enterprise. Chi-square test was employed to analyze the distribution of occupational stress across different worker characteristics. Logistic regression was used to identify factors influencing occupational stress, and a decision tree model was applied to assess the impact of occupational stress on injury risk. Results A total of 1225 valid questionnaires were collected, yielding a response rate of 91.2%. The positive rate of occupational stress was 28.7%, while the incidence of occupational injury in the past year was 8.6%. The results of univariate analysis revealed that workers who had experienced occupational injuries had a higher positive rate of occupational stress compared to those without injuries (P<0.05), and there were significant differences in the distribution of occupational stress by genders, overtime work, shift work, daily working hours, fatigue levels, sleep duration, family relationships, and colleague relationships (P<0.05). The logistic regression results showed that individuals who worked shifts, had fair/poor/very colleague relationships, and frequently worked overtime had a higher risk of occupational stress (P<0.05). The final decision tree model confirmed that occupational stress was a risk factor for occupational injury. Additional factors influencing occupational injury included physical exercise, colleague relationships, pre-job training participation, and gender. Workers who exercised less than twice per week and experienced occupational stress had a significantly higher risk of injury (23.6%) compared to those without occupational stress (10.9%). Conclusion Shift work, colleague relationships, and overtime work are correlated with the positive rate of occupational stress among cable manufacturing workers. Implementing a reasonable work schedule and fostering a positive work environment are recommended. Reducing occupational stress may help lower the risk of occupational injuries in this industry.

OBJECTIVES: To study genotype-phenotype correlations in children with FGFR3 variants and to improve clinical recognition of related disorders. METHODS: Clinical data of 95 patients aged 0-18 years harboring FGFR3 variants, confirmed by whole‑exome sequencing at Shanghai Children's Medical Center from January 2012 to December 2023, were retrospectively reviewed. Detailed phenotypic characterization was performed for 22 patients with achondroplasia (ACH) and 10 with hypochondroplasia (HCH). RESULTS: Among the 95 patients, 52 (55%) had ACH, 24 (25%) had HCH, 9 (9%) had thanatophoric dysplasia, 3 (3%) had syndromic skeletal dysplasia, 2 (2%) had severe achondroplasia with developmental delay and acanthosis nigricans, and 5 (5%) remained unclassified. A previously unreported FGFR3 variant, c.1663G>T, was identified. All 22 ACH patients presented with disproportionate short stature accompanied by limb dysplasia, commonly with macrocephaly, a depressed nasal bridge, bowed legs, and frontal bossing; complications were present in 17 (77%). The 10 HCH patients predominantly exhibited disproportionate short stature with limb dysplasia and depressed nasal bridge. CONCLUSIONS ACH is the most frequent phenotype associated with FGFR3 variants, and missense variants constitute the predominant variant type. The degree of FGFR3 activation appears to correlate with the clinical severity of skeletal dysplasia.
Humans ; Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 3/genetics* ; Child ; Male ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Infant ; Adolescent ; Dwarfism/genetics* ; Achondroplasia/genetics* ; Lordosis/genetics* ; Infant, Newborn ; Retrospective Studies ; Genetic Association Studies ; Bone and Bones/abnormalities* ; Phenotype ; Limb Deformities, Congenital

OBJECTIVES: To determine the pharmacological impact of hesperidin, the main component of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, on depressive behavior and elucidate the mechanism by which hesperidin treats depression, focusing on the gut-brain axis. METHODS: Fifty-four Sprague Dawley male rats were randomly allocated to 6 groups using a random number table, including control, model, hesperidin, probiotics, fluoxetine, and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium groups. Except for the control group, rats in the remaining 5 groups were challenged with chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) for 21 days and housed in single cages. The sucrose preference test (SPT), immobility time in the forced swim test (FST), and number in the open field test (OFT) were performed to measure the behavioral changes in the rats. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine the levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in brain tissue, and the histopathology was performed to evaluate the changes of colon tissue, together with sequencing of the V3-V4 regions of 16S rRNA gene on feces to explore the changes of intestinal flora in the rats. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, the rats in the model group showed notable reductions in body weight, SPF, and number in OFT (P<0.01). Hesperidin was found to ameliorate depression induced by CUMS, as seen by improvements in body weight, SPT, immobility time in FST, and number in OFT (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Regarding neurotransmitters, it was found that at a dose of 50 mg/kg hesperidin treatment upregulated the levels of 5-HT and BDNF in depressed rats (P<0.05). Compared to the control group, the colon tissue of the model group exhibited greater inflammatory cell infiltration, with markedly reduced numbers of goblet cells and crypts and were significantly improved following treatment with hesperidin. Simultaneously, the administration of hesperidin demonstrated a positive impact on the gut microbiome of rats treated with CUMS, such as Shannon index increased and Simpson index decreased (P<0.01), while the abundance of Pseudomonadota and Bacteroidota increased in the hesperidin-treated group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION The mechanism responsible for the beneficial effects of hesperidin on depressive behavior in rats may be related to inhibition of the expressions of BDNF and 5-HT and preservation of the gut microbiota.
Animals ; Hesperidin/therapeutic use* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Depression/drug therapy* ; Male ; Stress, Psychological/drug therapy* ; Brain/metabolism* ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/metabolism* ; Serotonin/metabolism* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Behavior, Animal/drug effects* ; Rats ; Brain-Gut Axis/drug effects* ; Chronic Disease ; Colon/drug effects*

Although clinical evidence suggests that nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is an established major risk factor for heart failure, it remains unexplored whether sleep disorder-caused hepatic damage contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Here, our findings revealed that sleep fragmentation (SF) displayed notable hepatic detrimental phenotypes, including steatosis and oxidative damage, along with significant abnormalities in cardiac structure and function. All these pathological changes persisted even after sleep recovery for 2 consecutive weeks or more, displaying memory properties. Mechanistically, persistent higher expression of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 4 (NOX4) in the liver was the key initiator of SF-accelerated damage phenotypes. SF epigenetically controlled the acetylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27ac) enrichment at the Nox4 promoter and markedly increased Nox4 expression in liver even after sleep recovery. Moreover, fine coordination of the circadian clock and hepatic damage was strictly controlled by BMAL1-dependent Sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) transcription after circadian misalignment. Accordingly, genetic manipulation of liver-specific Nox4 or Sirt1, along with pharmacological intervention targeting NOX4 (GLX351322) or SIRT1 (Resveratrol), could effectively erase the epigenetic modification of Nox4 by reducing the H3K27ac level and ameliorate the progression of liver pathology, thereby counteracting SF-evoked sustained CVD. Collectively, our findings may pave the way for strategies to mitigate myocardial injury from persistent hepatic detrimental memory in diabetic patients.

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of Tongdu Tiaoren Acupuncture Method combined with five-element music therapy in treating insomnia of heart-spleen deficiency type.Methods Sixty patients diagnosed with insomnia of heart-spleen deficiency type were enrolled from the Rehabilitation Department and Outpatient Clinic of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine between January 2023 and June 2024.Patients were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group using a random number table with 30 cases in each group.The control group received Tianmeng Capsules,while the observation group received Tongdu Tiaoren Acupuncture Method combined with five-element music therapy.Both groups were treated for 4 weeks.After one month of treatment,clinical efficacy was evaluated,and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI)scores,traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome scores were observed,and serum levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT)and dopamine(DA)were compared before and after treatment.Safety and adverse events were also assessed.Results(1)During the study,no dropouts occurred in the observation group,while one patient was lost to follow-up in the control group.Ultimately,30 cases in the observation group and 29 cases in the control group were included in the efficacy analysis.(2)The total effective rate was 93.33%(28/30)in the observation group and 72.41%(21/29)in the control group,with statistically significant superiority in the observation group(P＜0.05).(3)After treatment,both groups showed significant improvements in PSQI scores and TCM syndrome scores(P＜0.05),with the observation group demonstrating significantly greater improvements than the control group,the difference being statistically significant(P＜0.05).(4)Serum 5-HT and DA levels were significantly improved in both groups(P＜0.05),with the observation group showing superior outcomes compared to the control group(P＜0.05),the difference being statistically significant.Conclusion Tongdu Tiaoren Acupuncture Method combined with five-element music therapy significantly improves clinical symptoms,enhances sleep quality,and increases quality of life in patients with insomnia of heart-spleen deficiency type,demonstrating notable therapeutic efficacy.

Objective To explore the clinical efficacy of the medicated stick massage at meridian knot points in treating Qi stagnation and blood stasis type lumbar disc herniation(LDH)based on the meridian theory.Methods The patients with LDH in the ward 5 of orthopedics department in this hospital from Sep-tember 2024 to April 2025 were selected as the research subjects.On the basis of routine treatment and care,the control group adopted the medicated stick massage at points,while the experimental group adopted the medicated stick massage at meridian knots.The visual analogue scale(VAS)scores,Japanese Orthopaedic So-ciety(JOA)score,TCM syndrome scores and TCM syndrome therapeutic effects before intervention and in two weeks after intervention were compared between the two groups.Results The VAS scores,each item score and total score of JOA,TCM syndrome scores and TCM therapeutic effects after 2-week intervention in the experimental group all were superior to those in the control group,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion Selecting the medicated stick massage at the meridian knots under the guidance of meridian theory could significantly improve the pain symptoms,lumbar function,TCM syndrome scores,the therapeutic effects are definite,and is worthy of clinical promotion and application.

A major obstacle in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is sleep fragmentation (SF), which negatively affects testicular function. However, the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that SF induces testicular damage through a mechanism involving lipid metabolism, specifically mediated by melatonin (MEL) receptor 1a (MT1). T2DM mice with SF intervention displayed several deleterious phenotypes such as apoptosis, deregulated lipid metabolism, and impaired testicular function. Unexpectedly, sleep recovery (SR) for 2 consecutive weeks could not completely abrogate SF's detrimental effects on lipid deposition and testicular function. Interestingly, MEL and MT1 agonist 2-iodomelatonin (2IM) effectively improved lipid homeostasis, highlighting MEL/2IM as a promising therapeutic drug for SF-trigged testicular damage. Mechanistically, MEL and 2IM activated FGFR1 and sequentially restrained the crosstalk and physical interaction between TAB1 and TAK1, which ultimately suppressed the phosphorylation of TAK1 to block lipid deposition and cell apoptosis caused by SF. The ameliorating effect of MEL/2IM was overtly nullified in Fgfr1 knockout (Fgfr1-KO ^+/- ) diabetic mice. Meanwhile, testicular-specific overexpression of Tak1 abolished the protective effect of FGF1^mut on diabetic mouse testis. Our findings offer valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the testicular pathogenesis associated with SF and propose a novel therapeutic approach for addressing male infertility in T2DM.

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc displacement is one of the most significant subtypes of temporomandibular joint disorders, but its etiology and mechanism are poorly understood. In this study, we elucidated the mechanisms by which destruction of inflamed collagen fibrils induces alterations in the mechanical properties and positioning of the TMJ disc. By constructing a rat model of TMJ arthritis, we observed anteriorly dislocated TMJ discs with aggravated deformity in vivo from five weeks to six months after a local injection of Freund's complete adjuvant. By mimicking inflammatory conditions with interleukin-1 beta in vitro, we observed enhanced expression of collagen-synthesis markers in primary TMJ disc cells cultured in a conventional two-dimensional environment. In contrast, three-dimensional (3D)-cultivated disc cell sheets demonstrated the disordered assembly of inflamed collagen fibrils, inappropriate arrangement, and decreased Young's modulus. Mechanistically, inflammation-related activation of the nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) pathway occurs during the progression of TMJ arthritis. NF-κB inhibition reduced the collagen fibril destruction in the inflamed disc cell sheets in vitro, and early NF-κB blockade alleviated collagen degeneration and dislocation of the TMJ discs in vivo. Therefore, the NF-κB pathway participates in the collagen remodeling in inflamed TMJ discs, offering a potential therapeutic target for disc displacement.
Animals ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders/pathology* ; Temporomandibular Joint Disc/metabolism* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Disease Models, Animal ; Male ; Collagen/metabolism* ; Cells, Cultured ; Joint Dislocations/pathology* ; Interleukin-1beta ; Arthritis, Experimental