Background: Sex-based differences often influence the therapeutic efficacy and safety of medications. Semen Cuscutae is a traditional tonic botanical drug with sex-specific characteristics, traditionally indicated for conditions such as impotence (exclusive to males) and restless fetus (exclusive to pregnant females). However, most existing studies have focused on a single sex. Objective: To evaluate the sex-specific biological effects of Semen Cuscutae in rats and explore its molecular mechanisms, with the aim of uncovering its pharmacological characteristics through a multiomics approach. Methods: A traditional aqueous extract of Semen Cuscutae (SCA) was used as the experimental material. Forty adult Sprague-Dawley rats (equal numbers of males and females) were randomly divided into 4 groups: male control, male SCA treatment (240 mg/kg), female control, and female SCA treatment (240 mg/kg), with 10 rats in each group. The biological effects were comprehensively evaluated using a combination of open field test, biochemical analyses, proteomics, and gut microbiota profiling. Results: As a tonic botanical drug, SCA appeared to directly affect the mental and behavioral state of rats. It significantly altered the time spent by rats in the center area during the open field test, showing a sex-dependent reversal of behaviors. Proteomic analysis of brain tissue identified 624 differentially expressed proteins across the groups, with 10 key differentially expressed proteins related to sex differences, including fibroblast growth factor receptor 3, transcription elongation factor A protein-like 1, 40S ribosomal protein S25, neural cell adhesion molecule, and anion exchange protein 2 (SLC4A2). Enrichment analysis revealed that in male rats, SCA upregulated proteins involved in biological processes such as ribosome function and energy derivation, supporting protein synthesis and enhancing energy supply, showing an overall gain effect. In contrast, in female rats, SCA downregulated proteins associated with processes such as positive regulation of target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling and vesicle transport, suggesting suppression of neuronal signaling and material transport, indicative of a shift toward a more restrained physiological state. Furthermore, SCA reduced gut microbiota diversity in female rats but increased it in males, including the abundance of Akkermansia, which may serve as a crucial mediator. Conclusion: Overall, the biological effects of SCA differ significantly between male and female rats, with evidence suggesting greater health benefits in males. These findings help elucidate the scientific basis of its traditional applications and provide guidance for the precise application of SCA as a functional health food.

Objective: To understand the incidence risk and risk factors of tuberculosis (TB) among middle school students in Chongqing, so as to provide a basis for formulating TB prevention and control strategies. Methods: From September to December 2022, 32 181 middle school students were selected as the study cohort from 15 administrative districts in Chongqing by using the stratified cluster random sampling method. All cohort members were screened with the tuberculin skin test (TST), and relevant information was collected from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2024. On the basis of active screening, the follow up data of the participants were compared with the National Tuberculosis Management Information System to obtain the incidence status of the study subjects. The Log rank test was used to compare the TB incidence rates among students with different characteristics, and a Cox proportional hazards model was established to analyze the incidence risk and risk factors of TB. Results: The TST screening rate of the cohort members was 93.0%. During the 2 year follow up period, a total of 36 TB cases occurred, with a cumulative incidence rate of 111.87/100 000 and an incidence density of 55.95/100 000. Among them, the cumulative incidence rate of students from public schools (170.44/ 100 000 ) was higher than that of students from private schools (41.16/100 000), the cumulative incidence rate of students in schools located in high epidemic areas (153.95/100 000) was higher than that in medium epidemic areas (69.00/100 000), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ 2=11.49, 4.73, both P <0.05). The Log-rank test for different TST results showed that the difference in TB comulative incidence rate between students with strongly positive TST results (216.55/ 100 000 ) and those with negative TST results (81.40/100 000) was statistically significant ( χ 2=5.85, P <0.05). Univariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model revealed that the risk of TB was lower in students from private schools ( HR=0.25, 95% CI = 0.10-0.59) and students in medium epidemic areas ( HR=0.46, 95%CI =0.23-0.94); whereas the risk of TB was increased in students with strongly positive TST results ( HR=1.39, 95%CI =1.05-1.84) (all P <0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the risk of TB in students from private schools was lower than that of students from public schools ( HR=0.23, 95%CI=0.08-0.62, P <0.05). Conclusions The annual average incidence rate of TB among middle school students in Chongqing is at a relatively high level. It is necessary to strengthen the management and intervention for student groups, including those in public schools, those in schools located in high epidemic areas, and those with strongly positive TST results, so as to reduce the incidence rate of TB.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between triglyceride glucose (TyG) index and major adverse cardiovascular events (maces) within 30 days after discharge in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and its predictive value.Methods:A single center retrospective study was conducted to select AMI patients with PCI in the chest pain center of the Fourth Hospital of Changsha from January 2023 to January 2024 by a convenience sampling method. The clinical data and follow-up information of the patients were collected. The relationship between TyG index and Maces and its predictive value were tested by correlation analysis and logistic regression model.Results:A total of 110 patients met the inclusion and exclusion criteria, including 88 males and 22 females, aged (61.46 ± 12.42) years old. Spearman correlation analysis showed that TyG index was positively correlated with maces 30 days after discharge ( r = 0.421, P<0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that TyG index was a risk factor for maces in AMI patients 30 days after discharge ( OR = 9.033, 95% CI 2.835-8.788, P<0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.854 (95% CI 0.765-0.943, P<0.001). Conclusions:TyG index has a significant positive correlation with maces within 30 days after discharge, which is an independent risk factor for maces within 30 days after discharge. Risk stratification by TyG index is more conducive to the management of clinical postoperative nursing and nursing education after discharge.

Objective:To test the difficulty, discrimination, and reliability of the ICU Nurse Pressure Injury Prevention and Care Knowledge Questionnaire.Methods:Two researchers independently translated the ICU Nurse Pressure Injury Prevention and Care Knowledge Questionnaire and cross-checked it to form a Chinese version of the questionnaire. The Chinese version of the ICU Nurse Pressure Injury Prevention and Care Knowledge Questionnaire consists of 24 items, with correct answers scoring one point and incorrect answers scoring zero points, with a total score of 24 points. Convenience sampling was used to select ICU nurses from 14 GradeⅢ Class A hospitals in five provinces/autonomous regions and two municipalities in China for the survey between April and July 2023. The difficulty index, discrimination index, and Cronbach's α coefficient of the questionnaire were analyzed.Results:A total of 1 121 questionnaires were distributed, with 1 020 valid responses, yielding a valid response rate of 90.99%. The mean score of the 1 020 ICU nurses on the Chinese version of the ICU Nurse Pressure Injury Prevention and Care Knowledge Questionnaire was (16.10±5.58) , with a minimum score of 4.00 and a maximum score of 24.00. The Cronbach's α coefficient of the Chinese version of the ICU Nurse Pressure Injury Prevention and Care Knowledge Questionnaire was 0.91. The questionnaire's overall difficulty and discrimination indexes were 0.67 and 0.59, respectively.Conclusions:The Chinese version of the ICU Nurse Pressure Injury Prevention and Care Knowledge Questionnaire has appropriate difficulty, moderate discrimination, and strong reliability, making it a valuable tool for assessing ICU nurses' knowledge of pressure injury-related topics.

Objective:Investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and moderate-to-severe coronary calcification lesions confirmed by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), and to compare the prevalence of moderate-to-severe calcification lesions among different clusters of patients with CAD.Methods:This cross-sectional study enrolled patients with coronary artery disease who underwent coronary angiography and IVUS at the General Hospital of Northern Theater Command from June 2016 to June 2023. Patients with mild calcification were excluded, and the remaining cohort was divided into moderate-to-severe calcification and non-calcification groups. The least absolute and selective operator logistic regression was used to identify baseline variables associated with mederate-to-severe calcification. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to identify similarities in clinical baseline data among patients, and the prevalence of moderate-to-severe coronary calcification was compared across different clusters of patients with CAD.Results:A total of 1 406 patients with CAD were enrolled (age (60.7±10.0) years; 963 males (68.5%)). A total of 563 patients were assigned in the moderate-to-severe calcification group and 843 patients were assigned in the non-calcification group. The least absolute and selective operator logistic regression identified 23 baseline variables associated with moderate-to-severe coronary artery calcification. Hierarchical cluster analysis based on these 23 variables divided all patients into Cluster 1 (500 cases) and Cluster 2 (906 cases). Patients in Cluster 1 were characterized by high age, high body mass index, high diastolic blood pressure, elevated mean arterial pressure, history of hypertension, history of diabetes, low endogenous creatinine clearance, high fasting blood glucose, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), high lipoprotein(a), high alkaline phosphatase, high glycated hemoglobin, low serum albumin, high triglycerides/HDL-C ratio, high HbA1c/HDL-C ratio, and high triglyceride glucose index. Cluster 1 (49.6%, 248/500) exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of moderate-to-severe coronary artery calcification compared to Cluster 2 (34.8%, 315/906, P=0.002). Conclusions:Patients with moderate-to-severe coronary artery calcification exhibited clinical heterogeneity compared to those without calcification. A subgroup characterized by high age, elevated body mass index, high diastolic blood pressure, elevated mean arterial pressure, history of hypertension, history of diabetes, low endogenous creatinine clearance, and high fasting blood glucose levels demonstrated a higher prevalence of moderate-to-severe coronary artery calcification.

Aim To analyze the correlation between N6-methyladenosine(m6 A)and ferroptosis in acute myo-cardial infarction(AMI).Methods Two microarray datasets GSE34198 and GSE59867 was explored from GEO data-base.Both AMI and control samples were analyzed for differentially expressed genes.GO,KEGG,and GSVA analysis of the screened differential genes was performed using R.Machine learning was used to screen ferroptosis associated genes for DRA,GBM,LASSO and randomForest characteristic genes.The expression data of the core ferroptosis gene and m6A-related genes were analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis,and the m6A modified genes and ferroptosis associated genes with strong correlation were screened.Finally,10 cases of AMI and 10 control whole blood samples from the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University were collected,and the expression of related genes was verified by RT-qPCR and Western blot.Results 431 common differentially expressed genes were extracted from two datasets,GO and KEGG analysis showed that these genes were mainly enriched in TNF signaling pathway,FoxO signaling pathway and B cell receptor signaling pathway.The enrichment pathways of differentially expressed genes by GSVA were cuproptosis,netotic cell death,entotic cell death,alkaliptosis and ferroptosis.The characteristic genes of ferroptosis associated genes were screened by machine learning,and 19 core ferroptosis associated genes were screened from them.The expression data of ferroptosis associated genes and m6A-related genes were analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis.LRPPRC-IREB2,LRPPRC-ATG5,YTHDC2-IREB2,HNRNPA2B1-IREB2 and YTHDC2-ATG5 were the most correlated top five genes.The results of RT-qPCR and Western blot showed that the gene expression levels of LRPPRC,YTHDC2,HNRN-PA2B1,IREB2 and ATG5 were significantly lower than those of the control group(P＜0.001),which was consistent with the gene expression in the database.Conclusion m6A methylation is associated with ferroptosis in AMI.By regula-ting m6A methylation-related genes,ferroptosis in AMI can be regulated.It provides a new idea for the further study of the pathogenesis of the disease.

Objective:Investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and moderate-to-severe coronary calcification lesions confirmed by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), and to compare the prevalence of moderate-to-severe calcification lesions among different clusters of patients with CAD.Methods:This cross-sectional study enrolled patients with coronary artery disease who underwent coronary angiography and IVUS at the General Hospital of Northern Theater Command from June 2016 to June 2023. Patients with mild calcification were excluded, and the remaining cohort was divided into moderate-to-severe calcification and non-calcification groups. The least absolute and selective operator logistic regression was used to identify baseline variables associated with mederate-to-severe calcification. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to identify similarities in clinical baseline data among patients, and the prevalence of moderate-to-severe coronary calcification was compared across different clusters of patients with CAD.Results:A total of 1 406 patients with CAD were enrolled (age (60.7±10.0) years; 963 males (68.5%)). A total of 563 patients were assigned in the moderate-to-severe calcification group and 843 patients were assigned in the non-calcification group. The least absolute and selective operator logistic regression identified 23 baseline variables associated with moderate-to-severe coronary artery calcification. Hierarchical cluster analysis based on these 23 variables divided all patients into Cluster 1 (500 cases) and Cluster 2 (906 cases). Patients in Cluster 1 were characterized by high age, high body mass index, high diastolic blood pressure, elevated mean arterial pressure, history of hypertension, history of diabetes, low endogenous creatinine clearance, high fasting blood glucose, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), high lipoprotein(a), high alkaline phosphatase, high glycated hemoglobin, low serum albumin, high triglycerides/HDL-C ratio, high HbA1c/HDL-C ratio, and high triglyceride glucose index. Cluster 1 (49.6%, 248/500) exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of moderate-to-severe coronary artery calcification compared to Cluster 2 (34.8%, 315/906, P=0.002). Conclusions:Patients with moderate-to-severe coronary artery calcification exhibited clinical heterogeneity compared to those without calcification. A subgroup characterized by high age, elevated body mass index, high diastolic blood pressure, elevated mean arterial pressure, history of hypertension, history of diabetes, low endogenous creatinine clearance, and high fasting blood glucose levels demonstrated a higher prevalence of moderate-to-severe coronary artery calcification.

Aim To analyze the correlation between N6-methyladenosine(m6 A)and ferroptosis in acute myo-cardial infarction(AMI).Methods Two microarray datasets GSE34198 and GSE59867 was explored from GEO data-base.Both AMI and control samples were analyzed for differentially expressed genes.GO,KEGG,and GSVA analysis of the screened differential genes was performed using R.Machine learning was used to screen ferroptosis associated genes for DRA,GBM,LASSO and randomForest characteristic genes.The expression data of the core ferroptosis gene and m6A-related genes were analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis,and the m6A modified genes and ferroptosis associated genes with strong correlation were screened.Finally,10 cases of AMI and 10 control whole blood samples from the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University were collected,and the expression of related genes was verified by RT-qPCR and Western blot.Results 431 common differentially expressed genes were extracted from two datasets,GO and KEGG analysis showed that these genes were mainly enriched in TNF signaling pathway,FoxO signaling pathway and B cell receptor signaling pathway.The enrichment pathways of differentially expressed genes by GSVA were cuproptosis,netotic cell death,entotic cell death,alkaliptosis and ferroptosis.The characteristic genes of ferroptosis associated genes were screened by machine learning,and 19 core ferroptosis associated genes were screened from them.The expression data of ferroptosis associated genes and m6A-related genes were analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis.LRPPRC-IREB2,LRPPRC-ATG5,YTHDC2-IREB2,HNRNPA2B1-IREB2 and YTHDC2-ATG5 were the most correlated top five genes.The results of RT-qPCR and Western blot showed that the gene expression levels of LRPPRC,YTHDC2,HNRN-PA2B1,IREB2 and ATG5 were significantly lower than those of the control group(P＜0.001),which was consistent with the gene expression in the database.Conclusion m6A methylation is associated with ferroptosis in AMI.By regula-ting m6A methylation-related genes,ferroptosis in AMI can be regulated.It provides a new idea for the further study of the pathogenesis of the disease.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between triglyceride glucose (TyG) index and major adverse cardiovascular events (maces) within 30 days after discharge in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and its predictive value.Methods:A single center retrospective study was conducted to select AMI patients with PCI in the chest pain center of the Fourth Hospital of Changsha from January 2023 to January 2024 by a convenience sampling method. The clinical data and follow-up information of the patients were collected. The relationship between TyG index and Maces and its predictive value were tested by correlation analysis and logistic regression model.Results:A total of 110 patients met the inclusion and exclusion criteria, including 88 males and 22 females, aged (61.46 ± 12.42) years old. Spearman correlation analysis showed that TyG index was positively correlated with maces 30 days after discharge ( r = 0.421, P<0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that TyG index was a risk factor for maces in AMI patients 30 days after discharge ( OR = 9.033, 95% CI 2.835-8.788, P<0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.854 (95% CI 0.765-0.943, P<0.001). Conclusions:TyG index has a significant positive correlation with maces within 30 days after discharge, which is an independent risk factor for maces within 30 days after discharge. Risk stratification by TyG index is more conducive to the management of clinical postoperative nursing and nursing education after discharge.

Objective:To test the difficulty, discrimination, and reliability of the ICU Nurse Pressure Injury Prevention and Care Knowledge Questionnaire.Methods:Two researchers independently translated the ICU Nurse Pressure Injury Prevention and Care Knowledge Questionnaire and cross-checked it to form a Chinese version of the questionnaire. The Chinese version of the ICU Nurse Pressure Injury Prevention and Care Knowledge Questionnaire consists of 24 items, with correct answers scoring one point and incorrect answers scoring zero points, with a total score of 24 points. Convenience sampling was used to select ICU nurses from 14 GradeⅢ Class A hospitals in five provinces/autonomous regions and two municipalities in China for the survey between April and July 2023. The difficulty index, discrimination index, and Cronbach's α coefficient of the questionnaire were analyzed.Results:A total of 1 121 questionnaires were distributed, with 1 020 valid responses, yielding a valid response rate of 90.99%. The mean score of the 1 020 ICU nurses on the Chinese version of the ICU Nurse Pressure Injury Prevention and Care Knowledge Questionnaire was (16.10±5.58) , with a minimum score of 4.00 and a maximum score of 24.00. The Cronbach's α coefficient of the Chinese version of the ICU Nurse Pressure Injury Prevention and Care Knowledge Questionnaire was 0.91. The questionnaire's overall difficulty and discrimination indexes were 0.67 and 0.59, respectively.Conclusions:The Chinese version of the ICU Nurse Pressure Injury Prevention and Care Knowledge Questionnaire has appropriate difficulty, moderate discrimination, and strong reliability, making it a valuable tool for assessing ICU nurses' knowledge of pressure injury-related topics.