Background Silicosis, caused by inhalation of silica (SiO₂) dust, remains the most prevalent occupational pneumoconiosis in China. While galectin-3 (Gal-3) is known to play pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic roles in various diseases, its specific mechanism in the pathogenesis of silicosis has not been fully clarified. Objective To investigate the role and underlying mechanisms of Gal-3 in silicosis using clinical samples of silicosis and a silicosis mouse model. Methods Lung nodule biopsy samples were collected from patients with stage III pneumoconiosis. Concurrently a silicosis mouse model was constructed via non-exposed tracheal intubation with instillation of a SiO₂ suspension. The expression levels of Gal-3 mRNA and protein in the lung tissues of the silicosis model mice were then detected using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. Single-cell transcriptomic sequencing (scRNA-seq) was performed on both human and murine lung samples to analyze the expression of the Gal-3-encoding gene Lgals3 across different cell types. In vitro, RAW264.7 macrophages were treated with varying concentrations of SiO₂ suspension for 24 h and 48 h; the expression levels of Gal-3 mRNA and protein were measured by RT-qPCR and Western blot. The Gal-3 inhibitor TD139 was used to intervene in the SiO₂-induced in vitro macrophage model, and Western blot was used to detect the intracellular expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). Finally, mouse embryonic lung fibroblasts NIH/3T3 and Mlg2908 were treated with varying concentrations of recombinant mouse Gal-3 protein (rmGal-3) for 48 h, and Western blot was used to detect the expression of fibrosis markers [(Collagen I, Collagen III, Fibronectin, and α smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)] and proteins associated with the TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway. Results RT-qPCR and IHC staining showed that both the gene and protein expression levels of Gal-3 were significantly elevated at all consecutive time points in the silicosis mouse model (P < 0.05). scRNA-seq revealed that Lgals3 was aberrantly highly expressed in lung tissues from pneumoconiosis patients and silicosis mouse models, with the highest expression observed in macrophages. After treatment of macrophages with different concentrations of SiO₂ for 24 h and 48 h, the mRNA and protein expression levels of Gal-3 were significantly upregulated compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Following TD139 intervention, the protein expression levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and TGF-β1 in dust-exposed macrophages were markedly downregulated (P < 0.0001). After 48 h of stimulation with rmGal-3, the protein expression levels of Collagen I, Fibronectin, and α-SMA in mouse embryonic lung fibroblasts (NIH/3T3 and Mlg2908) were significantly increased in all treatment groups compared with the control group (P < 0.01). Moreover, Gal-3 treatment markedly upregulated TGF-β1 protein expression in Mlg2908 cells and enhanced the phosphorylation levels of Smad2 and Smad3 (P < 0.0001). Conclusion Gal-3 is abnormally expressed in silicotic lung tissues, which primarily originates from macrophages, and inhibition of Gal-3 suppresses SiO₂-induced inflammatory and pro-fibrotic responses. In addition, Gal-3 promotes fibroblast differentiation and extracellular matrix production by activating the TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway.

Background Silicosis, caused by inhalation of silica (SiO₂) dust, remains the most prevalent occupational pneumoconiosis in China. While galectin-3 (Gal-3) is known to play pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic roles in various diseases, its specific mechanism in the pathogenesis of silicosis has not been fully clarified. Objective To investigate the role and underlying mechanisms of Gal-3 in silicosis using clinical samples of silicosis and a silicosis mouse model. Methods Lung nodule biopsy samples were collected from patients with stage III pneumoconiosis. Concurrently a silicosis mouse model was constructed via non-exposed tracheal intubation with instillation of a SiO₂ suspension. The expression levels of Gal-3 mRNA and protein in the lung tissues of the silicosis model mice were then detected using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. Single-cell transcriptomic sequencing (scRNA-seq) was performed on both human and murine lung samples to analyze the expression of the Gal-3-encoding gene Lgals3 across different cell types. In vitro, RAW264.7 macrophages were treated with varying concentrations of SiO₂ suspension for 24 h and 48 h; the expression levels of Gal-3 mRNA and protein were measured by RT-qPCR and Western blot. The Gal-3 inhibitor TD139 was used to intervene in the SiO₂-induced in vitro macrophage model, and Western blot was used to detect the intracellular expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). Finally, mouse embryonic lung fibroblasts NIH/3T3 and Mlg2908 were treated with varying concentrations of recombinant mouse Gal-3 protein (rmGal-3) for 48 h, and Western blot was used to detect the expression of fibrosis markers [(Collagen I, Collagen III, Fibronectin, and α smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)] and proteins associated with the TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway. Results RT-qPCR and IHC staining showed that both the gene and protein expression levels of Gal-3 were significantly elevated at all consecutive time points in the silicosis mouse model (P < 0.05). scRNA-seq revealed that Lgals3 was aberrantly highly expressed in lung tissues from pneumoconiosis patients and silicosis mouse models, with the highest expression observed in macrophages. After treatment of macrophages with different concentrations of SiO₂ for 24 h and 48 h, the mRNA and protein expression levels of Gal-3 were significantly upregulated compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Following TD139 intervention, the protein expression levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and TGF-β1 in dust-exposed macrophages were markedly downregulated (P < 0.0001). After 48 h of stimulation with rmGal-3, the protein expression levels of Collagen I, Fibronectin, and α-SMA in mouse embryonic lung fibroblasts (NIH/3T3 and Mlg2908) were significantly increased in all treatment groups compared with the control group (P < 0.01). Moreover, Gal-3 treatment markedly upregulated TGF-β1 protein expression in Mlg2908 cells and enhanced the phosphorylation levels of Smad2 and Smad3 (P < 0.0001). Conclusion Gal-3 is abnormally expressed in silicotic lung tissues, which primarily originates from macrophages, and inhibition of Gal-3 suppresses SiO₂-induced inflammatory and pro-fibrotic responses. In addition, Gal-3 promotes fibroblast differentiation and extracellular matrix production by activating the TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effects and mechanism of Qidan Granules(QDG)on glucose and lipid metabolism disorders in type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).Methods Rats were randomly divided into normal group,model group,QDG low-dose group,QDG high-dose group,and QDG high-dose+PI3K inhibitor group.The normal group received standard chow,while other groups were fed a high-fat/high-sugar diet and injected with streptozotocin(STZ)to establish T2DM.After modeling,rats received corresponding treatments.General conditions were monitored,with body mass,fasting blood glucose(FBG),lipid profiles[total cholesterol(TC),triglycerides(TG),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)],and fasting insulin levels recorded.Homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR)was calculated.Hepatic mRNA expression of PI3K,AKT,and GSK3β was quantified via qRT-PCR,while protein levels of PI3K,AKT,GSK3β were measured by Western Blot.Results Compared with the model group,the QDG high-dose group showed reduced body mass(P＜0.05),reduced FBG(P＜0.05),decreased TC,TG,and LDL-C,elevated HDL-C,and lower HOMA-IR;mRNA levels of hepatic PI3K,AKT,and GSK3β and protein expression of p-PI3K,p-AKT,p-GSK3β were significantly upregulated,the differences being statistically significant(P＜0.05).The QDG low-dose and QDG high-dose+PI3K inhibitor groups exhibited attenuated improvements in these parameters versus the QDG high-dose group.Conclusion QDG ameliorates body mass loss,glucose/lipid metabolism,and insulin resistance in T2DM rats,likely by activating the PI3K/AKT/GSK3β pathway.

ObjectiveTo explore the effect of Ganoderma leucocontextum ethanol extract (GLE) on silicosis and its potential molecular mechanism using network pharmacology, molecular docking technology and animal experiments. Methods i) The components of GLE were analyzed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-Q Exactive-mass spectrometry (UPLC-QE-MS) method. The active components, potential molecular pathways and targets of GLE in the intervention of inflammation process of silicosis was explored using network pharmacology and molecular docking technology. ii) Specific pathogen free male C57BL6/J mice were divided into four groups with 10 mice in each group. The mice in the silicosis model group and GLE intervention group were given a dose of 80 μL silica suspension with a mass concentration of 50 g/L once by non-exposed tracheal instillation, and the mice in the blank control group and GLE control group were given an equal volume of sterile 0.9% sodium chloride solution. From the second day after modeling, GLE control group and GLE intervention group were given GLE at a dose of 200 mg/(kg•d) by gavage, while blank control group and silicosis model group were given the same volume of 0.9% sodium chloride solution by gavage, once per day for 35 days. After that, the histopathological changes of lung tissues of mice were observed, the lung mass coefficient, inflammation score and the ratio of collagen deposition area were calculated, and the levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) -α, interleukin (IL) -1β and IL-6 in the lung tissues of mice were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results i) A total of 76 active components of GLE were detected by UPLC-QE-MS. Among them, 36 ingredients met the screening criteria of the five principles of drug-like components. A total of 67 potential targets of the 36 GLE active ingredients to improve the inflammatory response of silicosis were screened based on the network pharmacology theory. The result of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis and Gene Ontology functional analysis showed that IL signaling and cytokine signaling of immune cells played a key role in the process of anti-silicosis of GLE. The results of molecular docking showed that the top 10 targets based on the 67 intersection targets were TNF, IL6, B-cell lymphoma 2, cellular tumor antigen p53, Caspase-3 subunit p12, JUN, epidermal growth factor receptor, IL1B, 67 kDa matrix metalloproteinase-9 and prostaglandin G/H synthase 2. The result of protein-protein interaction analysis showed that glycyrrhetinic acid had the strongest affinity with the key targets TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6, followed by ganoderma acid DM, alismatol C, ganoderma acid β and red sapogenin. ii) The results of histopathological examination showed that the inflammatory response and collagen deposition were alleviated in the lungs of mice with silicosis. The lung mass coefficient, inflammation score, ratio of collagen deposition area and IL-6 expression in lung were lower in mice of the GLE intervention group (all P<0.05), compared with the silicosis model group. However, there was no significant difference in the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in lung tissues between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion GLE may reduce silica-induced lung inflammation and fibrosis by inhibiting the IL-6 level in lung tissues of mice. Its mechanism is associated with the synergistic action of multi-components, multi-targets and multi-pathways.

Objective:To identify the factors associated with the care needs of the older adults aged 65-105 by age groups,and to compare these factors across different age groups.Methods:A total of 12 244 older adults from the Chinese longitudinal healthy longevity survey(CLHLS)conducted in 2018 were included in the analyses.The participants were categorized into three age groups:young-old(aged 65-79),middle-old(aged 80-89),and oldest-old(aged 90-105).The level of disability was measured by the disability index(DI)in four dimensions,reflecting their care needs.Potential factors associated with care needs were selected based on the health ecological model(HEM),including per-spectives of personal characteristics,behavioral characteristics,interpersonal network,living and working conditions,and policy environment.Multifactor analysis was performed using multinomial Logistic regres-sion.Results:Among China's 12 244 older adults,43.4％had medium or high care needs.Factors for higher care needs of older adults included higher age,higher number of chronic diseases,no exercise habit,excessive sleep duration(≥9 h/d),depressive tendency,living with children or spouse,and un-educated(all P＜0.05).In addition,the young-old group who were past smokers(OR=2.009,95％CI:1.019-3.959),were past drinkers(OR=2.213,95％CI:1.141-4.291),and reported self-per-ceived poverty(OR=2.051,95％CI:1.189-3.540),had higher level of care needs.The middle-old group who were female(OR=1.373,95％CI:1.038-1.817),never drank alcohol(OR=1.551,95％CI:1.059-2.269),and were lack of medical insurance(OR=1.598,95％CI:1.053-2.426),and had higher level of care needs.The oldest-old group who were female(medium care needs vs.low care needs:OR=1.412,95％CI:1.062-1.878;high care needs vs.low care needs:OR=1.506,95％CI:1.137-1.993),reported self-perceived poverty(OR=2.064,95％CI:1.282-3.323),and were lack of medical insurance(OR=1.621,95％CI:1.148-2.291),and had higher level of care needs.Conclusion:The identical factors associated with care needs across different age groups include age,chronic disease,exercise,sleep,depression,living arrangement,and education.Smoking,alcohol consumption,and economic status are specific factors among the young-old group of the older adults,while gender and medical insurance are specific factors among the middle-old and the oldest-old group of the older adults.We recommend conducting prospective cohort studies and intervention studies among specific age groups on the above factors to provide reliable evidence for policy formulation.

Objective To explore the risk factors for developing chronic pulmonary heart disease in patients with pneumoconiosis.Methods The medical records of pneumoconiosis patients admitted to an occupational disease hospital in Sichuan Province between January 2012 and November 2021 were collected.Kaplan-Meier(K-M)method,or product-limit method,was used to plot the incidence curves of pulmonary heart disease in the pneumoconiosis patients.Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors associated with chronic pulmonary heart disease in patients with pneumoconiosis.Results A total of 885 pneumoconiosis patients were included in this study.The follow-up time was 12 to 115 months and the median follow-up time was 43 months.A total of 138 patients developed chronic pulmonary heart disease and the incidence density of pulmonary heart disease was 38.50/1000 person-years.Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed that the influencing factors of pneumoconiosis inpatients developing chronic pulmonary heart disease included the following,being 50 and older(hazard ratio[HR]=1.85,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.25-2.74),stage Ⅲ pneumoconiosis(HR=2.43,95%CI:1.48-4.01),resting heart rate≥100 beats/min(HR=2.62,95%CI:1.63-4.21),the complication of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)(HR=4.52,95%CI:2.12-9.63),underweight(HR=2.40,95%CI:1.48-3.87),overweight and obesity(HR=0.54,95%CI:0.34-0.86),and triacylglycerol(TG)(HR=0.69,95%CI:0.49-0.99).Conclusion Old age,stage Ⅲ pneumoconiosis,high resting heart rate,low BMI,and the complication of COPD are risk factors for chronic pulmonary heart disease in pneumoconiosis patients,while overweight and obesity and TG are protective factors.Early identification of the risk factors and the adoption of the corresponding prevention measures are the key to preventing chronic pulmonary heart disease in patients with pneumoconiosis.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the genetic basis for a rare case of acute B-lymphocytic leukemia (B-ALL) with double Philadelphia chromosomes (Ph) and double derivative chromosome 9s [der(9)]. METHODS: A patient with double Ph and double der(9) B-ALL who presented at Shanghai Zhaxin Intergrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital in June 2020 was selected as the subject. Bone marrow morphology, flow cytometry, G-banding karyotyping, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), genetic testing and chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) were used to analyze bone marrow samples from the patient at various stages. RESULTS: At initial diagnosis, the patient's bone marrow morphology and flow immunotyping have both supported the diagnosis of B-ALL. G-banded karyotyping of the patient indicated double Ph, in addition with hyperdiploid chromosomes involving translocations between chromosomes 9 and 22. BCR-ABL1 fusion gene was positive. Genetic testing at the time of recurrence revealed presence of a heterozyous c.944C>T variant in the kinase region of the ABL1 gene. FISH showed a signal for ABL1-BCR fusion on both chromosome 9s. CMA showed that the mosaicism homozygosity ratio of chromosome 9 was about 40%, and the mosaicism duplication ratio of chromosome 22 was about 43%. CONCLUSION Since both der(9) homologs were seen in 40% of cells, the possible mechanism for the double der(9) in this patient may be similar to that of double Ph, which might have resulted from non-disjunction during mitosis in the Ph chromosome-positive cell clone.
Humans ; Philadelphia Chromosome ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence/methods* ; China ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/genetics* ; Translocation, Genetic ; Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl/genetics* ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 9/genetics*

Liver fibrosis is the result of the progressive development of various chronic liver diseases and can develop into liver cirrhosis and liver cancer with high mortality rates. Early diagnosis of liver fibrosis is of great significance for disease reversal. At present, liver biopsy is considered the gold standard for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis, but it cannot be used as a routine screening method due to its shortcomings. In recent years, progress has been made in various noninvasive imaging methods, and this article reviews the current status of the research on computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine, and ultrasound in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis.

Objective:To study the status quo of directive and nondirective support from family or friends among patients with diabetes in community and to explore the association between directive, nondirective support from family or friends and self-management behaviors.Methods: The data of the subjects were from the Community Diagnosis in Tongzhou District, Beijing survey.Questionnaire-based investigation, physical examination and glycated hemoglobin test were conducted on 474 eligible patients in community.The summary of diabetes self-care activities measure (SDSCA) was adopted to investigate the self-management behaviors, and directive and nondirective support scale among patients with diabetes (DNSS-PD) was adopted to measure the directive and nondirective support among patients with diabetes.Results: A total of 452 patients with diabetes were included in the analysis.The average score of directive support was 2.53±1.07, and only 27.6% patients had high level directive support.The average score of nondirective support was 3.13±1.12 and 50.8% patients had high level nondirective support.The average SDSCA total score was 35.38±14.21 and the corresponding scoring percentage was 45.95%.Only 20.6% patients had optimal self-management.The total score, score of diet and physical activity, general self-management situation, diet self-management situation and physical activity self-management situation of the patients in high level directive support group were significantly better than in low level directive support group.The total score, score of self-management behaviors in five aspects (diet, physical activity, blood glucose self-monitoring, foot care and smoking), general self-management situation, self-management situation of five aspects of patients in high level nondirective support group were significantly better than in low level nondirective support group.Gender (OR=2.729), nondirective support level (OR=4.890), age (OR=0.969) and body mass index (BMI) (OR=0.819) were important influencing factors of self-management behavior.Conclusion: The status quo of self-management among patients with diabetes is not optimistic.Patients obtain more nondirective support than directive support from family and friends.However, the support level of both nondirective and directive support should be improved in the future.Both high level directive support and high level nondirective support had positive correlation with better self-management behaviors.Nondirective support had positive correlation with five aspects of self-management behavior, while directive support had positive relation with self-management behavior in aspects of diet and physical activity.In addition, more consideration and support of self-management should be provided for older obese male patients with diabetes in community, especially nondirective support.

Objective:To study the physical activity level and its influence factors among residents in one suburb of Beijing,so as to provide specific interventions for different people in different circum-stances and to provide reference for health relevant policy-making in the future.Methods:In the study, 7 31 9 subjects aged 1 8 years or above were involved.The self-designed questionnaires based on Health Belief Model (HBM)had acceptable validity and reliability.The physical activity levels were calculated to classify sufficient or insufficient amount by a thousand-step equivalent greater than or equal to 6 or 1 0. Multiple variable Logistic regression was used to explore the influence factors of the physical activity among the residents.Results:The residents’median amount of physical activity in the suburb district of Beijing were 9.1 thousand-step equivalent with quartile of (3.8,20.4).The percentages of the thou-sand-step equivalent greater than or equal to 6 or 1 0 were 63.7% and 47.7%,respectively.The median amounts of physical activity from work or household chores,transportation and recreation physical activi-ties were 4.0,1 .0,0.0 and the components of the total amount of physical activity from those were 61 .7%,1 8.3% and 20.1 %,respectively.There were 8.6% residents whose life did notinvolve moder-ate or vigorous intensity activities.By using factor analysis,five factors were extracted from the scale based on the HBM;These factors together contributed to 63.7% of the sum of the squared loadings.The differences of physical activity levels on education level,age,gender,self-efficacy,cues,subjective and objective barriers were statistically significant (P <0.05).Those who were female,with older age,lower education level,higher self-efficacy,fewer cues,fewer subjective and objective barriers preferred to do more physical activities.Conclusion:The physical activity levels among the residents in the suburb dis-trict of Beijing are moderate and high,and most amount of physical activities from work or household chores.Those who are male and whose ages are from 1 8 to 29 years and whose education levels are of university or above should be focused on intervention.Specific interventions should be developed for dif-ferent people in different situations;More attention should be paid to improve the residents’self-efficacy and reduce the subjective and objective barriers of physical activity,and we also should actively advocate people to have more leisure exercise so as to improve the physical activity level among all residents.