Objective To investigate the causal relationship between gut microbiota and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Methods Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) data of gut microbiota and IPF were obtained from MiBioGen and IEU OpenGWAS, respectively. Instrumental variables were screened by means of significance, linkage disequilibrium, weak instrumental variable screening, and removal of confounding factors (genetics, smoking, host characteristics). Inverse variance weighted (IVW) was used as the main Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis method, and the weighted median, simple mode, MR-Egger, and weighted mode were used to perform MR to reveal the causal effect of gut microbiota and IPF. The Cochrane's Q, leave-one-out, MR-Egger-intercept, and Mendelian randomization pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO) and Steiger tests were used to analyze the heterogeneity, horizontal pleiotropy, outliers, and directionality, respectively. Results IVW analysis results showed that Actinobacteria [OR=1.773, 95%CI (1.323, 2.377), P<0.001], Erysipelatoclostridium [OR=2.077, 95%CI (1.107, 3.896), P=0.023], and Streptococcus [OR=1.35, 95%CI (1.100, 1.657), P=0.004] could increase the risk of IPF. Bifidobacterium [OR=0.668, 95%CI (0.620, 0.720), P<0.001], Ruminococcus [OR=0.434, 95%CI (0.222, 0.848), P=0.015], and Tyzzerella [OR=0.479, 95%CI (0.304, 0.755), P=0.001] could reduce the risk of IPF. No significant heterogeneity, horizontal pleiotropy, outliers, and reverse causality were found. Conclusion Actinobacteria, Erysipelatoclostridium and Streptococcus may increase the risk of IPF, while Bifidobacterium, Ruminococcus and Tyzzerella may reduce the risk of IPF. Regulation of the above gut microbiota may become a new direction in the study of the pathogenesis of IPF.

OBJECTIVE To explore the improvine mechanism of Yifei xuanfei jiangzhuo formula （YFXF） on vascular dementia （VAD） model rats based on the growth factor receptor-bound protein 2 （GRB2）/extracellular signal-regulated kinase （ERK）/cardiolipin synthase 1 （CRLS1） pathway. METHODS VAD rat model was established by permanent bilateral common carotid artery ligation. Forty-eight successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into the model group （normal saline）， donepezil hydrochloride group （positive control group， 0.2 g/kg）， and YFXF low- and high-dose groups （12.18 and 24.36 g/kg， calculated based on the total amount of crude drug）， respectively. In addition， a sham operation group （normal saline） was set up. There were 12 rats in each group. Daily intragastric administration of drug or normal saline was performed for 30 consecutive days. After the last administration， the spatial cognitive ability of the rats was evaluated， the pathological morphology of the hippocampus was observed， the contents of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interleukin-4 （IL-4） in serum were detected， the expression levels of GRB2/ERK/CRLS1 pathway-related proteins and the mRNA levels of GRB2， CRLS1， NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1（ND1）， Tafazzin （TAZ）， phospholipid scramblase 3（PLSCR3） and the ATP content in hippocampal tissue were measured. RESULTS Compared with the sham operation group， the escape latency of rats in the model group was significantly prolonged （ P ＜0.05）， and the number of crossing platform was significantly reduced （ P ＜0.05）， while the number of pyramidal cells and Nissl bodies in the hippocampus decreased sharply； the content of TNF-α in serum was significantly increased （ P ＜0.05）， and the content of IL-4 was significantly decreased （ P ＜0.05）； the expression levels of GRB2 and CRLS1 proteins， the phosphorylation level of ERK protein， the relative expression levels of GRB2， CRLS1，ND1， TAZ， and PLSCR3 mRNA， and the content of ATP in hippocampal tissue were significantly decreased （ P ＜0.05）. Compared with the model group， the above pathological changes in the hippocampal tissue of each administration group were alleviated， and the quantitative indicators were significantly restored （ P ＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS YFXF may improve hippocampal neuron injury in VAD rats by activating the GRB2/ERK/CRLS1 pathway, maintaining cardiolipin homeostasis， and improving mitochondrial energy metabolism.

Background/Aims: The World Health Organization set the goal of eliminating hepatitis C virus (HCV) by 2030, with 80% and 65% reductions in HCV incidence and mortality rates, respectively. We aimed to evaluate the health benefits, cost-effectiveness and return on investment (ROI) of HCV elimination. Methods: Using an HCV transmission compartmental model, we evaluated the benefits and costs of different strategies combining screening and treatment for Chinese populations. We identified strategies to achieve HCV elimination and calculated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) per disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted for 2022–2030 to identify the optimal elimination strategy. Furthermore, we estimated the ROI by 2050 by comparing the required investment with the economic productivity gains from reduced HCV incidence and deaths. Results: The strategy that results in the most significant health benefits involves conducting annual primary screening at a rate of 14%, re-screening people who inject drugs annually and the general population every five years, and treating 95% of those diagnosed (P14-R4-T95), preventing approximately 5.75 and 0.44 million HCV infections and deaths, respectively, during 2022–2030. At a willingness-to-pay threshold of $12,615, the P14-R4-T95 strategy is the most cost-effective, with an ICER of $5,449/DALY. By 2050, this strategy would have a net benefit of $120,997 million (ROI=0.868). Conclusions Achieving HCV elimination in China by 2030 will require significant investment in large-scale universal screening and treatment, but it will yield substantial health and economic benefits and is cost-effective.

ObjectiveTo analyze the epidemiological characteristics of foodborne disease outbreaks in Wuhan from 2006 to 2023, and to provide a scientific basis for the development of foodborne disease prevention and control measures. MethodsDescriptive statistical analyses were performed on foodborne disease outbreaks confirmed by the district and municipal center for disease control and prevention (CDC) in Wuhan from 2006 to 2023, and the attack rate and case fatality rate were calculated as well. ResultsA total of 182 foodborne disease outbreaks were reported in Wuhan from 2006 to 2023, with a cumulative of 2 820 cases. Among which, 3 cases were dead, with an annual average attack rate of 1.22% and a case fatality rate of 0.11%. The highest number of outbreaks occurred in collective canteens (43.96%, 80/182), the highest attack rate was observed in catering facilities (11.03%), and the highest case fatality rate was found in households (1.45%). Among the foodborne disease outbreaks with identified etiologies, microbial factors were the leading causes (36.26%, 66/182), with the main pathogens being norovirus, Bacillus cereus, and other unspecified bacteria. Fungal factors were mainly attributed to poisonous mushrooms, with a relatively high fatality rate of 2.22% (2/90). Outbreaks caused by bacterial factors were more common in the central urban area (30.28%, 33/109), while fungal-related outbreaks were more frequent in the outlying urban areas (24.66%, 18/73). ConclusionCollective canteens are the main venues for foodborne disease outbreaks in Wuhan. Microbial factors are the main pathogenic factors, and poisonous mushrooms are the leading causes to death. It is necessary to strengthen the supervision on collective canteens, carry out various forms of public awareness campaigns on poisonous mushroom poisoning, and, if required, cooperate with the gardening department to eradicate wild poisonous mushrooms in the green belts. A collaborative cooperation involving multiple departments is essential to reduce the occurrence of foodborne disease outbreaks.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and mechanism of Wenpi tongluo kaiqiao formula （WPTL） against neuronal necroptosis in Alzheimer’s disease （AD） mice based on the Z-DNA binding protein 1 （ZBP1）/mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein （MLKL） signaling pathway. METHODS Forty APP/PS1 transgenic AD mice were randomly divided into model group， WPTL low-dose （WPTL-L） group （10.4 g/kg， calculated by the raw medicine）， WPTL high-dose （WPTL-H） group （20.8 g/kg， calculated by the raw medicine） and donepezil hydrochloride group （3 mg/kg）， with 10 mice in each group； another 10 C57BL/6J mice were selected as normal control group. Intragastric administration， once a day， for 30 consecutive days. Twenty-four hours after the last administration， Morris water maze test was performed to evaluate learning and memory abilities； the pathological morphology of hippocampal tissues was observed； the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interleukin-4 （IL-4） were determined； the expressions of amyloid precursor protein （APP）， Tau protein， and ZBP1/MLKL signaling pathway-related proteins in hippocampal tissues were detected； the positive expression of phosphorylated receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 （p-RIPK3） in the neurons of hippocampal tissues and mRNA expression of ZBP1 were measured in hippocampal tissues. RESULTS Compared with normal control group， the escape latency of mice in model group was prolonged significantly on day 3 to 5 （P＜0.05）， the times of crossing platform reduced significantly （P＜0.05）， and obvious pathological changes were observed in the hippocampal tissue. The level of TNF- α， the expressions of APP， p-Tau and ZBP1， the phosphorylation levels of RIPK1， RIPK3 and MLKL， the fluorescence intensity of p-RIPK3 as well as the mRNA expression of ZBP1 were significantly increased （P＜0.05）， while the serum level of IL-4 was decreased significantly （P＜0.05）. Compared with model group， above indexes were reversed significantly in administration groups （P＜0.05）， and pathological damage of hippocampal tissue was alleviated. CONCLUSIONS WPTL can inhibit the ZBP1/MLKL signaling pathway， reduce neuronal necroptosis in AD mice， and inhibit inflammatory responses， thereby improving learning and spatial memory abilities in AD mice.

Objective:To investigate the impact of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) subfraction cholesterol, measured by the vertical auto profile (VAP) technique based on vertical density gradient ultracentrifugation, on the occurrence and progression of coronary heart disease.Methods:This retrospective case-control study consecutively enrolled 94 inpatients diagnosed with coronary artery disease (CAD) by percutaneous coronary angiography at Ningbo University Affiliated First Hospital between June 2023 and June 2024 (CAD group), and 48 outpatients from the cardiology department without carotid or coronary atherosclerosis(non-CAD group). The VAP technique was employed to measure HDL subfraction cholesterol levels (HDL 3-C and HDL 2-C) and their subtypes (HDL 2a-C, HDL 2b-C, HDL 2c-C; HDL 3a-C, HDL 3b-C, HDL 3c-C, HDL 3d-C). Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between HDL subfraction composition and CAD. CAD patients were further stratified by the number of affected coronary vessels (left anterior descending artery, left circumflex artery, and right coronary artery): 44 with single-vessel disease, 22 with double-vessel disease, and 28 with triple-vessel disease for correlation analysis. All CAD patients underwent 6-month clinical and telephone follow-up to record major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including acute myocardial infarction, stroke, and repeat revascularization. Using the median HDL 3d-C level (0.064 mmol/L) as cutoff, CAD patients were divided into high-level ( n=48) and low-level ( n=46) subgroups for Kaplan-Meier survival analysis with log-rank testing. Results:Compared with non-CAD controls, CAD patients showed significantly higher HDL 3d-C [0.064 (0.041, 0.095) mmol/L vs 0.055 (0.038, 0.067) mmol/L] and HDL 3b-C [0.031 (0.001, 0.054) mmol/L vs 0.007 (0.004, 0.029) mmol/L], lower HDL 3c-C (0.220±0.080 mmol/L vs 0.254±0.062 mmol/L) and HDL 3a-C [0.282 (0.224, 0.351) mmol/L vs 0.334 (0.269, 0.433) mmol/L] (all P<0.05). Logistic regression revealed that HDL2b-C was a protective factor against atherosclerosis severity ( OR=0.914, 95% CI 0.896-0.987, P<0.001); HDL 3d-C served as both a CAD risk factor ( OR=2.303,95% CI 1.740-3.047, P<0.001) and disease progression indicator ( OR=1.224, 95% CI 1.123-1.335, P=0.025). MACE patients ( n=6) had elevated HDL3d-C versus non-MACE cases ( n=88) [0.120 (0.083, 0.173) mmol/L vs 0.061 (0.037, 0.092) mmol/L, P<0.05]. The high HDL 3d-C subgroup demonstrated significantly lower 6-month survival (χ2=4.777, P=0.029). Conclusion:Contrary to conventional understanding, our study reveals that HDL2b serves as a protective factor against coronary artery disease progression, whereas HDL 3d-C acts not only as a pathogenic factor for CAD but also as a critical determinant of CAD-related adverse events.

Glucagonoma is a rare neuroendocrine tumor derived from the pancreatic α cells, and alopecia is an uncommon clinical manifestation. We report a case of glucagonoma presenting with marked alopecia, aiming to raise clinicians′ awareness of this rare presentation.

Objective:To evaluate the preservation efficacy of 7 non-inactivating virus preservation solutions.Methods:Equal amounts of H1N1 virus were added to 7 commercially available non-inactivating virus preservation solutions, and the samples were stored at -20 ℃, 4 ℃, 25 ℃ and 37 ℃ for 1 hour, 6 hours, 1 day, 3 days, and 5 days. The viral nucleic acid in each simulated sample under different storage conditions was measured using real-time quantitative PCR. The hemagglutination (HA) titer was determined through viral isolation culture and hemagglutination assay, comparing the differences in viral growth activity across different storage solutions and conditions.Results:Except for solution E, the other solutions effectively protected viral nucleic acid at the 4 storage temperatures. In terms of viral activity, solutions A, B, C, and D effectively maintained viral viability. A and B showing the best performance, E and F showed poorer performance, and G performed the worst.Conclusions:Most non-inactivating virus preservation solutions effectively protect viral nucleic acid, but there are significant differences in their ability to maintain viral viability. To ensure optimal virus preservation, it is recommended that medical institutions evaluate the effectiveness of preservation solutions before use.

Objective:To compare the infection status of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) between the non-endemic area (Yixian county, Huangshan city) and the endemic area (Qianshan city, Anqing city) in Anhui province, and to explore the possibility of Yixian county being a natural focus of SFTS, thereby providing a scientific basis for the formulation of prevention and control strategies.Methods:In Xidi town, Yixian county, and Shuihou town, Qianshan city, one administrative village with the highest number of reported cases in the past three years was selected as the study village in each area, along with one control village with no reported cases. The study investigated the total antibody positivity rates of SFTS virus (SFTSV) in natural populations and host animals, as well as the density and virus-carrying rate of the vector ticks. Differences in total antibody positivity rates between the two regions were compared.Results:The total SFTSV antibody positivity rates in the natural population and host animals in the surveyed villages (control villages) of Qianshan city and Yi county were 8.7% and 8.0% (3.3%, 4.1%) and 0.0%, 9.1% (50.0%, 66.7%), respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the infection rates of the natural population and host animals between the surveyed villages (control villages) in different endemic regions (all P>0.05). In the surveyed villages of Qianshan city and Yi county, the free-living tick densities were 1.4 ticks/hour per flag and 1.7 ticks/hour per flag, respectively; the parasitic tick densities were 0.4 ticks/host and 2.5 ticks/host, respectively; the tick infestation rates were 33.3% and 35.3%, respectively; and the tick density indices were 1.3 ticks/host and 7.2 ticks/host, respectively. Conclusions:The natural populations and host animals in some areas of Yixian county exhibit high SFTSV infection rates, and the tick density is also high, suggesting that the region may have become a natural focus of SFTS. Therefore, it is necessary to further strengthen capabilities in surveillance, diagnosis, and clinical treatment to address the potential risk of SFTS outbreaks.

BACKGROUND: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the predominant subtype of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Damage-specific DNA binding protein 1 (DDB1), as a core protein of the CUL4-DDB1 ubiquitin ligase complex, is involved in the regulation of DNA damage repair, epigenetic modification, and cell cycle checkpoint activation. While the involvement of DDB1 in tumour progression through DNA repair and RNA transcriptional regulation has been reported, its expression and role in LUAD remain to be elucidated. This study aims to investigate the expression and role of DDB1 in LUAD. METHODS: The expression, clinicopathological features and prognosis of DDB1 in LUAD were analysed using databases such as UALCAN, Kaplan-Meier Plotter and GEPIA; The interaction network and enriched functional pathways were constructed by GeneMANIA and Metascape; the correlation between DDB1 and immune cells by combining with TISIDB infiltration was evaluated, and the clustering results of cell subtypes and the expression of DDB1 in different immune cell subpopulations were analysed by single-cell sequencing; finally, tissue microarrays were used to further verify the expression and prognostic value of DDB1 in LUAD. RESULTS: The mRNA and protein expression of DDB1 in LUAD tissues were significantly higher than those in normal tissues (P<0.01), and the high expression correlated with later clinical stage (P<0.001), lymph node metastasis (P<0.001) and poor prognosis (P<0.001). Functional enrichment showed that DDB1 was involved in DNA repair and RNA transcriptional regulation, and TISIDB evaluation revealed that DDB1 was negatively correlated with the expression level of immune cells, suggesting the potential regulation of the immune microenvironment. Single cell analysis showed that DDB1 was mainly expressed in T cells, alveolar macrophages and dendritic cells. Tissue microarrays confirmed that overall survival was shorter in the DDB1 high expression group (P<0.001), and Cox multifactorial analysis showed that DDB1 was an independent predictor of LUAD prognosis. CONCLUSIONS DDB1 is highly expressed in LUAD, which is associated with poor prognosis, and is closely related to tumor immune cell infiltration, and is involved in tumourigenesis and development through DNA repair and RNA transcriptional regulation. DDB1 can be used as a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target for LUAD.
Humans ; Adenocarcinoma of Lung/immunology* ; DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism* ; Lung Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Prognosis ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged