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 analyze the change trends in the body shape indicators and proportions of students in Harbin from 2010 to 2024, and to investigate ergonomic compatibility of functional dimensions of school desks and chairs with current student shape indicators, so as to provide a reference for revising furniture standards of desks and chairs. Methods: Between September and November of both 2010 and 2024, a combination of convenience sampling and stratified cluster random sampling was conducted across three districts in Harbin, yielding samples of 6 590 and 6 252 students, respectively. Anthropometric shape indicators cluding height, sitting height, crus length, and thigh length-and their proportional changes were compared over the 15-year period. The 2024 data were compared with current standard functional dimensions of school furniture. The statistical analysis incorporated t-test and Mann-Whitney U- test. Results: From 2010 to 2024, average height increased by 1.8 cm for boys and 1.5 cm for girls; sitting height increased by 1.5 cm for both genders; crus length increased by 0.3 cm for boys and 0.4 cm for girls; and thigh length increased by 0.5 cm for both genders. The ratios of sitting height to height, and sitting height to leg length increased by less than 0.1 . The difference between desk chair height and 1/3 sitting height ranged from 0.4-0.8 cm. Among students matched with size 0 desks and chairs, 22.0% had a desk to chair height difference less than 0, indicating that the desk to chair height difference might be insufficient for taller students. The differences between seat height and fibular height ranged from -1.4 to 1.1 cm; and the differences between seat depth and buttock popliteal length ranged from -9.8 to 3.4 cm. Among obese students, the differences between seat width and 1/2 hip circumference ranged from -20.5 to -8.7 cm, while it ranged from -12.2 to -3.8 cm among non obese students. Conclusion Current furniture standards basically satisfy hygienic requirements; however, in the case of exceptionally tall and obese students, ergonomic accommodations such as adaptive seating allocation or personalized adjustments are recommended to meet hygienic requirements.

The sterile electrode acupuncture needle for single use is an innovative product that combines traditional acupuncture with modern electronic technology, and it has obtained Class Ⅱ medical device registration certificate. This acupuncture device consists of a needle body and a handle. The diameter of the needle body ranges from 0.16 mm to 0.55 mm, and the length from 7 mm to 150 mm. The spiral spray technology is adopted to modify the micron-level insulating coat on stainless steel needle body. The needle holder is connected to the electroacupuncture device (conductive), the micro-film insulated needle body (non-conductive) and the membrane-free needle tip (conductive) can provide a precise electrical stimulation for different tissue layers of acupoints (such as deep nerves and fascia). The intradermal stimulation test, cytotoxicity test and hypersensitivity reaction test have showed a favorable biocompatibility, laying a solid and reliable safety for clinical application. This acupuncture device is suitable for the in-depth invasive stimulation at the sites of human body surface in combination with electroacupuncture equipment in medical institutions.
Humans ; Needles ; Acupuncture Therapy/instrumentation* ; Electrodes ; Equipment Design ; Electroacupuncture/instrumentation* ; Acupuncture Points ; Animals

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder among the elderly, and BuChE has emerged as a potential therapeutic target. In this study, we reported the development of compound 8e, a selective reversible BuChE inhibitor (eqBuChE IC₅₀ = 0.049 μmol/L, huBuChE IC₅₀ = 0.066 μmol/L), identified through extensive virtual screening and lead optimization. Compound 8e demonstrated favorable blood-brain barrier permeability, good drug-likeness property and pronounced neuroprotective efficacy. Additionally, 8e exhibited significant therapeutic effects in zebrafish AD models and scopolamine-induced cognitive impairments in mice. Further, 8e significantly improved cognitive function in APP/PS1 transgenic mice. Proteomics analysis demonstrated that 8e markedly elevated the expression levels of very low-density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR), offering valuable insights into its potential modulation of the Reelin-mediated signaling pathway. Thus, compound 8e emerges as a novel and potent BuChE inhibitor for the treatment of AD, with significant implications for further exploration into its mechanisms of action and therapeutic applications.

Objective To observe the application effect of precision movement cloud technology system on the population with abnormal blood pressure.Methods A total of 100 people with abnormal blood pres-sure in the Chronic Disease Management Center of this hospital from March 1 to December 31,2022 were se-lected as the study subjects and divided into the blood pressure high value group and the grade 1 hypertension group according to the blood pressure situation,50 cases in each group.After the conventional physical exami-nation,questionnaire survey and exercise measurement,"five-in-one"individualized interventional guidance was carried out,the remote monitoring and management was implemented,the movement intensity was moni-tored by the heart rate for supervising the implementation of precise movement,furthermore the changes of various indicators before intervention and in 3 months after intervention were compared between the two groups.Results Compared with before intervention,the body weight,BMI,systolic pressure,diastolic pres-sure,central arterial pressure and vascular growth index after intervention in the blood pressure high value group were decreased,the cardiorespiratory endurance,glycosylated hemoglobin,high-density lipoprotein and cholesterol levels were increased,the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).Compared with be-fore intervention,the body weight,BMI,systolic pressure,diastolic pressure,central arterial pressure and vas-cular growth index after intervention in the grade 1 hypertension group were decreased,the cardiorespiratory endurance was increased,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).Compared with before intervention,the body weight,BMI,systolic pressure,diastolic pressure,central arterial pressure,triglyceride and vascular growth index after intervention in all the subjects were decreased,the cardiorespiratory endur-ance,blood creatinine and blood glucose levels were increased,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion The precision movement cloud technology system is correlated with the improvement of blood pressure,and it is recommended to promote its use in the people with blood pressure high value and grade I hypertension.

Humans ; Aminoquinolines/therapeutic use* ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/genetics* ; Lung Neoplasms/genetics* ; Mutation/genetics* ; Standard of Care

Objective:To develop a risk prediction model for the recurrence of diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) in diabetic patients and primarily validate its predictive value.Methods:Meta-analysis combined with retrospective cohort study was conducted. The Chinese and English papers on risk factors related to DFU recurrence publicly published in China Biology Medicine disc, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, VIP Database, and PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, and the search time was from the establishment date of each database until March 31 st, 2022. The papers were screened and evaluated, the data were extracted, a meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4.1 statistical software to screen risk factors for DFU recurrence, and Egger's linear regression was used to assess the publication bias of the study results. Risk factors for DFU recurrence mentioned in ≥3 studies and with statistically significant differences in the meta-analysis were selected as the independent variables to develop a logistic regression model for risk prediction of DFU recurrence. The medical records of 101 patients with DFU who met the inclusion criteria and were admitted to Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University from January 2019 to June 2022 were collected. There were 69 males and 32 females, aged (63±14) years. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the predictive performance of the above constructed predictive model for DFU recurrence was drawn, and the area under the ROC curve, maximum Youden index, and sensitivity and specificity at the point were calculated. Dataset including data of 8 risk factors for DFU recurrence and the DFU recurrence rates of 10 000 cases was simulated using RStudio software and a scatter plot was drawn to determine two probabilities for risk division of DFU recurrence. Using the β coefficients corresponding to 8 DFU recurrence risk factors ×10 and taking the integer as the score of coefficient weight of each risk factor, the total score was obtained by summing up, and the cutoff scores for risk level division were calculated based on the total score × two probabilities for risk division of DFU recurrence. Results:Finally, 20 papers were included, including 3 case-control studies and 17 cohort studies, with a total of 4 238 cases and DFU recurrence rate of 22.7% to 71.2%. Meta-analysis showed that glycosylated hemoglobin >7.5% and with plantar ulcer, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, diabetic peripheral vascular disease, smoking, osteomyelitis, history of amputation/toe amputation, and multidrug-resistant bacterial infection were risk factors for the recurrence of DFU (with odds ratios of 3.27, 3.66, 4.05, 3.94, 1.98, 7.17, 11.96, 3.61, 95% confidence intervals of 2.79-3.84, 2.06-6.50, 2.50-6.58, 2.65-5.84, 1.65-2.38, 2.29-22.47, 4.60-31.14, 3.13-4.17, respectively, P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in publication biases of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, diabetic peripheral vascular disease, glycosylated hemoglobin >7.5%, plantar ulcer, smoking, multidrug-resistant bacterial infection, or osteomyelitis ( P>0.05), but there was a statistically significant difference in the publication bias of amputation/toe amputation ( t=-30.39, P<0.05). The area under the ROC curve of the predictive model was 0.81 (with 95% confidence interval of 0.71-0.91) and the maximum Youden index was 0.59, at which the sensitivity was 72% and the specificity was 86%. Ultimately, 29.0% and 44.8% were identified respectively as the cutoff for dividing the probability of low risk and medium risk, and medium risk and high risk for DFU recurrence, while the corresponding total scores of low, medium, and high risks of DFU recurrence were <37, 37-57, and 58-118, respectively. Conclusions:Eight risk factors for DFU recurrence are screened through meta-analysis and the risk prediction model for DFU recurrence is developed, which has moderate predictive accuracy and can provide guidance for healthcare workers to take interventions for patient with DFU recurrence risk.

Objective To explore the effect and mechanism of miR-581 on the autophagy of ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells. Methods miR-581 mimics and miR-581 NC were transfected into SKOV3 cells, and the transfection efficiency was detected by qRT-PCR. After successful transfection, Western blot was used to detect autophagy-related proteins expression in SKOV3 cells. TargetScanHuman database predicted miR-581 target genes, and Western blot verified the role of miR-581 and target genes. Results Overexpression of miR-581 significantly inhibited the expression of autophagy-related proteins LC3 Ⅱ and Beclin1 (P < 0.01); miR-581 negatively regulated FOXO1 expression (P < 0.01) and FOXO1 promoted autophagy of SKOV3 cells (P < 0.01). Conclusion miR-581 affects the autophagy of ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells by regulating the expression of FOXO1.

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether it is necessary to choose NIPT-plus for the prenatal screening of pregnant women. METHODS: The results of NIPT and NIPT-plus sequencing data, fetal DNA concentration, prenatal diagnosis and pregnancy outcome of 50 pregnant women were compared. RESULTS: Compared with NIPT, NIPT-plus attained similar fetal DNA concentration and a 4.4-fold increase in sequencing data. NIPT was able to detect 4 cases of 21-trisomy, 2 cases of 18-trisomy, and 9 cases of sex chromosome aneuploidies (SCAs) signaled by NIPT-plus, but missed one 18-trisomy, and failed to detect rare chromosome aneuploidies (RCAs) and microdeletion/microduplication syndromes (MMS). The PPVs of NIPT-plus for 21-trisomy, 18-trisomy, SCAs, MMS and RCAs were 100%, 100%, 44.4%, 30.4% and 0%, respectively. And those of NIPT for 21-trisomy, 18-trisomy, and SCAs were 100%, 100%, and 44.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION It is necessary for pregnant women to select NIPT-plus to improve the detection rate of common trisomies, SCAs and disease-specific MMS, therefore reduce the occurrene of birth defect.
Aneuploidy ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Trisomy ; Trisomy 13 Syndrome ; Trisomy 18 Syndrome

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical effect of expanded non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT-plus) for prenatal screening. METHODS: The screening result, prenatal diagnosis and pregnancy outcome of 3700 pregnant women who volunteered NIPT-plus screening at our center from September 2018 to December 2019 were reviewed. RESULTS: Among the 3700 pregnant women, 74(2.0%) were scored positive for clinically significant fetal chromosomal abnormalities and underwent NIPT-plus screening. Sixty three women with a high risk underwent invasive prenatal diagnosis, among whom 19 were diagnosed, which yielded a positive predictive value (PPVs) of 30.2% (19/63). Statistical analysis showed that NIPT-plus has higher PPVs for common aneuploidies and low-to-medium PPVs for sex chromosome aneuploidies and microdeletion/microduplication syndromes. CONCLUSION As a screening technique, NIPT-plus has broader applications compared with conventional techniques, and has reference value for clinicians and pregnant women during pregnancy.
Aneuploidy ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Sex Chromosome Aberrations