1.Construction and validation of circadian rhythm genes-related prognostic risk model for lung adenocarcinoma
Yanqi CUI ; Hu ZHAO ; Yawei ZHANG ; Lin NI ; Duohuang LIAN ; Jingrong YANG ; Shixin YE ; Fengfeng XU ; Jincan ZHANG ; Zhiyong ZENG
Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2026;33(04):550-558
Objective To explore the relationship between circadian rhythm genes and the occurrence, development, prognosis, and tumor microenvironment (TME) of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Methods The Cancer Genome Atlas data were used to evaluate the expression, copy number variation, and somatic mutation frequency of circadian gene sets in LUAD. Gene ontology, Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes, and gene set enrichment analysis were used to explore the potential mechanisms by which circadian rhythm genes affected LUAD progression. Cox regression, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression, support vector machine recursive feature elimination, and random forest screened circadian genes and established prognostic models, and on this basis constructed nomogram to predict patients’ 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates. Kaplan-Meier survival curves, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and time-dependent ROC curves were drawn to evaluate the predictive ability of the model, and the external dataset of GEO further verified the prognostic value of the prediction model. In addition, we evaluated the association of the prognostic model with immune cells and immune checkpoint genes. Single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis was used to explore the molecular characteristics between prognostically relevant circadian genes and different immune cell populations in TME. Results Differentially expressed circadian rhythm genes were mainly enriched in biological processes related to cGMP-PKG signaling pathway, lipid and atherosclerosis, and JAK-STAT signaling pathway. Seven circadian rhythm genes: LGR4, CDK1, KLF10, ARNTL2, RORA, NPAS2, PTGDS were screened out, and a RiskScore model was established. According to the median RiskScore, samples were divided into a high-risk group and a low-risk group. Compared with patients in the low-risk group, patients in the high-risk group showed a poorer prognosis (P<0.001). Immunological characterization analysis showed that there were differences in the infiltration of multiple immune cells between the low-risk group and high-risk group. Most immune checkpoint genes had higher expression levels in the high-risk group than those in the low-risk group, and RiskScore was positively correlated with the expression of CD276, TNFSF4, PDCD1LG2, CD274, and TNFRSF9, and negatively correlated with the expression of CD40LG and TNFSF15. The scRNA-seq analysis showed that RORA and KLF10 were mainly expressed in natural killer cells. Conclusion The prognostic model based on seven feature circadian rhythm genes has certain predictive value for predicting survival of LUAD patients. Dysregulated expression of circadian genes may regulate the occurrence, progression as well as prognosis of LUAD through affecting TME, which provides a possible direction for finding potential strategies for treating LUAD from the perspective of mechanism by which circadian disorder affects immune cells.
2.Construction of a quality control index system for intravenous medication admixture
Gancheng WANG ; Yawei DU ; Yinchu CHENG ; Rongsheng ZHAO
China Pharmacy 2026;37(5):559-564
OBJECTIVE To construct a scientific and systematic quality control index system for intravenous medication admixture, so as to ensure the safety of drug use and improve the quality of medical service. METHODS Based on literature analysis and cross-sectional survey, an initial indicator framework was formulated. Opinions were then gathered through two rounds of Delphi expert consultations, and the expert authority coefficient and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance were calculated to evaluate the consistency. Ultimately, the analytic hierarchy process was employed to determine the weights of each indicator and test for consistency in order to establish a scientific and systematic quality control indicator system for intravenous medication admixture. RESULTS The study conducted two rounds of expert consultation with an average positive coefficient of 95.92% and an average authority coefficient of 0.983. In the second round of the Delphi consultation, the Kendall’s coefficients of concordance for the first-, second-, and third-level indicators were 0.306, 0.440, and 0.394, respectively, all significantly higher than those in the first round (0.211, 0.274, 0.379). The final quality control system for intravenous medication admixture consisted of 6 first-level indicators (personnel, medicines and consumables, facilities and equipment, process management, environmental hygiene, and outcomes), 17 second-level indicators (e.g., education and training, staffing structure, workload, medication management, consumables management, and equipment maintenance), and 44 third-level indicators (e.g., average daily workload per person, proportion of pharmacy professionals, competency assessment pass rate, work system assessment pass rate, continuing education frequency and pass rate, and medication inventory accuracy). CONCLUSIONS The quality control system for intravenous medication admixture developed in this study demonstrates strong authority and scientific rigor, providing a theoretical basis and practical tool for the standardized management of intravenous medication admixture quality in hospitals.
3.HydroMg alleviates doxorubicin-induced chronic cardiotoxicity by attenuating oxidative stress and improving mitochondrial function
Lu ZHANG ; Xiurui MA ; Yawei JIN ; Yuning ZHANG ; Xiong GAO ; Mohan LI ; Ze YUAN ; Yihua LU ; Wenjiang DING ; Zhiguang DING ; Xiaolei SUN ; Chunxiao ZHANG ; Jian AN
Chinese Journal of Clinical Medicine 2026;33(4):582-591
Objective To investigate the protective effect and underlying mechanisms of HydroMg, a novel sustained-release hydrogen donor, in a model of doxorubicin (DOX)-induced chronic cardiotoxicity. Methods H9C2 cells were treated with 1 μmol/L DOX and/or 1 μg/mL HydroMg, and mitochondrial membrane potential, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and apoptosis were measured. In the animal experiment, mice were divided into control, HydroMg, DOX, and DOX+HydroMg groups. The HydroMg group received intraperitoneal injection of HydroMg (100 mg/kg). Chronic cardiotoxicity was established by intraperitoneal injection of DOX (5 mg/kg every week) for four consecutive weeks; In the DOX+HydroMg group, HydroMg (100 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally 4–5 h prior to each DOX injection. Cardiac function and remodeling were evaluated by echocardiography and heart weight index (HWI). The long-term survival of mice were analyzed. Subsequently, transcriptome sequencing was performed on myocardial tissues from the DOX group to identify key molecular alterations compared with controls. Results At the cellular level, HydroMg treatment effectively reversed DOX-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress, as evidenced by restored membrane potential, reductions in total ROS and mitochondrial superoxide levels by approximately 30% and 9%, respectively, and a decrease in the apoptosis rate from 34.13% to 18.27%. In the animal model, compared with the DOX group, HydroMg intervention increased left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and fractional shortening (LVFS) by 9.62% and 5.82%, respectively, attenuated the reduction in HWI (4.41 mg/mm vs 3.53 mg/mm), and improved the 4-week survival rate (80% vs 60%). Transcriptomic analysis revealed that the core molecular features of DOX-induced cardiotoxicity, including widespread suppression of oxidative phosphorylation and antioxidant pathways. Conclusions HydroMg protects against DOX-induced chronic cardiotoxicity by alleviating oxidative stress and improving mitochondrial function, and provides a potential therapeutic strategy against DOX-related cardiotoxicity.
4.Effects of Electrothermal Acupuncture on the HIF-1α/S1P/S1PR3 Pathway and Macrophage Polarization in Epididymal White Adipose Tissue of Obese Model Mice
Xiaobo GE ; Yuanyuan LI ; Jiangyan WEI ; Limin NIE ; Xin YANG ; Quan MIAO ; Mina WANG ; Yawei XI ; Luopeng ZHAO ; Yine SONG ; Xinru SUN ; Lu LIU ; Bin LI
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(20):2227-2235
ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism underlying the weight loss effect of electrothermal acupuncture (ETA) in diet-induced obese (DIO) model mice based on the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α)/sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 3 (S1PR3) signaling pathway-mediated macrophage polarization. MethodsAn obesity mouse model was established by continuously feeding at a high-fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks. Twenty successfully modeled obese mice were randomly divided into a model group and an electrothermal acupuncture (ETA) group with 10 mice per group, both of which continued to receive the HFD till week 12. Another 10 mice were assigned to the normal group and fed a standard chow diet continuously for 12 weeks. Starting from week 9 of the experiment, mice in the ETA group received electrothermal acupuncture stimulation at Zhongwan (CV12), bilateral Tianshu (ST25), and bilateral Zusanli (ST36) for 30 minutes per session, with the instrument current set at (40±0.5)mA and a constant temperature of (40±0.5)℃. Mice in the normal group and the model group were restrained in the same manner for 30 minutes without acupuncture. All interventions were performed once every other day for a total of 4 weeks. Ten hours after the final intervention, the body weight, waist circumference, and body length of mice in each group were measured, and Lee's index was calculated. Serum biochemical analysis was performed to assess fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine (Cr). Serum leptin (LEP) and adiponectin (ADPN) levels, as well as sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) levels in epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT), were detected by ELISA. Histomorphological changes in eWAT were monitored via HE staining. Flow cytometry was used to analyze macrophage subtype-related indexes in eWAT, including the total proportion of macrophages, the proportion of M1 macrophages, the proportion of M2 macrophages, and the M1/M2 ratio. Antibody array technology was used to determine the levels of differentially expressed inflammatory factors in eWAT between the model and blank groups, as well as between the ETA and model groups. Western blot and qPCR were used to detect the protein and mRNA expression levels of HIF-1α and S1PR3 in the eWAT, respectively. ResultsCompared to the normal group, the model group showed significantly increased body weight, Lee's index, waist circumference, and FBG, TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C, AST, and ALT levels, upgraded LEP and S1P levels, decreased ADPN level and ADPN/LEP ratio, elevated proportion of M1 macrophages and the M1/M2 ratio, reduced proportion of M2 macrophages, and upregulated protein and mRNA expression levels of HIF-1α and S1PR3 (P<0.05 or P<0.01). With the exception of HDL-C, all the abovementioned indicators in the ETA group were significantly improved compared to the model group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Analysis of differentially expressed inflammatory cytokines revealed that, compared to the normal group, the levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-12p70 (IL-12p70) in the eWAT of the model group were elevated; conversely, the levels of interleukin-17 (IL-17), interleukin-5 (IL-5), IL-6, and interleukin-23 (IL-23) in the eWAT of the ETA group decreased compared to the model group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). ConclusionETA exerts a weight-reducing effect in obese model mice, and the mechanism may involve inhibition of the HIF-1α/S1P/S1PR3 signaling pathway activation, which shifts macrophage polarization from the M1 to M2 phenotype, thereby alleviating chronic inflammation.
5.Evaluation of serum cotinine cut-off value for distinguishing smoking status among Chinese adults
Changming DING ; Jin YIN ; Feng ZHAO ; Yawei LI ; Ying ZHU ; Yuebin LYU ; Xiaoming SHI
Chinese Journal of Preventive Medicine 2025;59(7):1063-1068
Objective:To determine the optimal cut-off value of serum cotinine for distinguishing smoking status among Chinese adults based on a large-scale national sample.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted among 8 987 Chinese adults aged 20-79 years from 152 administrative counties across 31 provinces during 2017-2018. Sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, smoking status, and health status were collected via questionnaires and physical examinations. Blood samples were analyzed for serum cotinine levels using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and for blood creatinine levels using the picric acid method. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed with serum cotinine concentration as the test variable and self-reported smoking status as the state variable. The optimal cut-off value was determined based on the maximum Youden′s index, and the bootstrap method was used for repeated sampling (2 000 times) to evaluate the confidence interval of the cut-off value. The net reclassification index (NRI) was used to evaluate the discrimination ability of the cut-off value of this study, the cut-off value of the American population 1 (total population: 3.3 μg/L, men: 4.1 μg/L, women: 3.0 μg/L) and the cut-off value of the American population 2 (the recommended value of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the total population: 10.0 μg/L) against the smoking status of the Chinese population. Statistical analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS 27 and Python 3.11, with a significance level of α=0.05.Results:The age of the research subjects was (49.2±15.2) years. Among them, males accounted for 49.8% (4 477); smokers accounted for 28.8% (2 586); the detection rate of serum cotinine was 94.6% (8 501), and the M ( Q1, Q3) concentration of serum cotinine was 0.9 (0.3, 85.4) μg/L. The ROC curve analysis results showed that the cut-off value (95% CI) of serum cotinine in the total population was 8.8 (6.7-11.7) μg/L, with the specificity (95% CI) about 93.6%(92.7%-94.3%), the sensitivity (95% CI) about 91.0%(89.7%-92.3%) and the area under the curve (AUC) (95% CI) about 0.93 (0.92-0.94). The cut-off value (95% CI) of cotinine for males was 17.1 (8.8-21.8) μg/L, with the specificity (95% CI) about 90.7%(87.9%-92.0%), the sensitivity (95% CI) about 89.4%(88.4%-92.2%) and the AUC (95% CI) about 0.92 (0.91-0.93). The cut-off value (95% CI) of cotinine for females was 7.4 (3.3-15.0) μg/L, with the specificity (95% CI) about 95.6%(92.7%-96.8%), the sensitivity (95% CI) about 87.6%(81.6%-92.8%) and the AUC (95% CI) about 0.92 (0.87-0.95). The NRI analysis results showed that compared with the cut-off value of the American population 2, the NRI of this study′s cut-off values in the total population, males and females were 0.020 ( P=0.015), 0.033 ( P=0.015) and 0.011 ( P=0.380), respectively, indicating that this study′s cutoff value could have better classification performance in the total population and males. Compared with the cut-off value of the American population 2, the NRI of the total population in this study was 0.001 ( P=0.285). Conclusion:The serum cotinine cut-off value based on the analysis of large sample data in China is more suitable for distinguishing the smoking status of Chinese adults.
6.Association of blood selenium exposure with sex hormones among men aged 18-79 years in China
Zheng LI ; Yingli QU ; Yawei LI ; Saisai JI ; Haocan SONG ; Qi SUN ; Miao ZHANG ; Wenli ZHANG ; Jiayi CAI ; Liang DING ; Ying ZHU ; Feng ZHAO ; Zhaojin CAO ; Yuebin LYU ; Lu WANG ; Xiaoming SHI
Chinese Journal of Preventive Medicine 2025;59(10):1632-1639
Objective:To investigate the association between blood selenium levels and sex hormones in Chinese men aged 18-79 years.Methods:Data were derived from the China National Human Biomonitoring survey conducted in 2017-2018, with a final sample size of 5 414 men. General demographic characteristics, behavioral habits, and dietary frequency were collected through questionnaires and physical examinations. Fasting blood samples were collected to measure blood lead, serum testosterone, and estradiol levels. Complex sampling linear regression models were used to analyze the associations between blood selenium levels and testosterone, estradiol, and the testosterone/estradiol ratio, adjusting for confounding factors including age, education level, marital status, smoking status, alcohol consumption, seafood intake, soy product intake, protein supplement intake, BMI, and diabetes status.Results:The mean age of the 5 414 participants was (46.85±27.91) years; 4 774 (91.65%) were of Han ethnicity and 4 505 (86.68%) were married. The median ( Q1, Q3) blood selenium concentration in men was 97.80 (80.64, 116.99) μg/L. After adjusting for confounding factors, the complex sampling linear regression model revealed negative associations between blood selenium levels and both testosterone levels and the testosterone/estradiol ratio, with a significant linear trend ( Ptrend<0.05). Compared with the Q1 group, the β (95% CI) values for testosterone in the Q2, Q3, and Q4 groups were -0.02 (-0.06 to 0.02), -0.03 (-0.08 to 0.01), and -0.06 (-0.09 to -0.02), respectively. Similarly, the β (95% CI) values for the testosterone/estradiol ratio in the Q2, Q3, and Q4 groups were -0.01 (-0.03 to 0.02), -0.01 (-0.04 to 0.04), and -0.03 (-0.06 to -0.01), respectively. Subgroup analysis indicated stronger associations between blood selenium levels and testosterone/estradiol levels in non-smoking and obese men (BMI≥28 kg/m2). Conclusion:Blood selenium levels are negatively associated with testosterone levels and the testosterone/estradiol ratio in Chinese adult males.
7.Association of cadmium internal exposure levels with blood lipid in adults aged 18 to 79 years in China
Haocan SONG ; Saisai JI ; Zheng LI ; Yawei LI ; Feng ZHAO ; Yingli QU ; Yifu LU ; Yingying HAN ; Junxin LIU ; Jiayi CAI ; Tian QIU ; Wenli ZHANG ; Xiao LIN ; Junfang CAI ; Yuebin LYU ; Xiaoming SHI
Chinese Journal of Preventive Medicine 2025;59(8):1254-1263
Objective:To explore the association of blood and urinary cadmium levels with lipid profile levels and dyslipidemia in Chinese adults aged 18 to 79 years.Methods:Based on the China National Human Biomonitoring (CNHBM) program, a cross-sectional survey was conducted from 2017 to 2018 using a multi-stage stratified random sampling method, including a total of 10 713 adults aged 18 to 79 years. Data was obtained through questionnaires, physical examinations, biological sample collection, and laboratory testing. Multiple linear mixed effect model (MLMM) and generalized linear mixed effect model (GLMM) were used to analyze the association of blood and creatinine-corrected urinary cadmium levels with lipid profile levels as well as dyslipidemia among adults.Results:The age of 10 713 participants was (47.23±0.24) years, with 5 372 males accounting for 61.3% of the national population. The weighted mean±standard error (SE) of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was (5.21±0.03), (1.86±0.03), (2.96±0.03), and (1.43±0.01) mmol/L, respectively. The prevalence rate of hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, mixed hyperlipidemia, low HDL-C, and high LDL-C was 16.0%, 21.6%, 6.6%, 13.5%, and 10.0%, respectively. MLMM showed that, after adjusting for relevant confounders, log-transformed blood cadmium levels were positively associated with increased levels of TC, TG and LDL-C ( P<0.05). When blood cadmium levels were categorized into quartiles, compared to the lowest exposure group ( Q1), participants in the highest blood cadmium exposure group ( Q4) had increases of 0.19 (95% CI: 0.06, 0.32) mmol/L in TC and 0.25 (95% CI: 0.08, 0.43) mmol/L in TG. GLMM indicated that, after adjusting for confounders, higher blood cadmium exposure levels were associated with increased risks of hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, mixed hyperlipidemia, and high LDL-C ( P<0.05). Further analysis by quartiles showed that, compared to the blood cadmium Q1 exposure group, the OR value (95% CI) for the Q4 group was 1.53 (1.12, 2.08) for hypercholesterolemia, 1.54 (1.09, 2.17) for hypertriglyceridemia, 2.24 (1.47, 3.40) for mixed hyperlipidemia, and 1.49 (1.07, 2.09) for high LDL-C. Conclusion:The cadmium internal exposure levels are associated with blood lipid profile levels as well as the incidence of dyslipidemia in Chinese adults aged 18 to 79.
8.Evidence-based practice of discharge preparation services for hip replacement patients
Lin HAN ; Chuchu YAN ; Yawei SHAN ; Haiying LU ; Ru CHEN ; Fei GAN ; Lijuan JIN
Chinese Journal of Nursing 2025;60(10):1157-1164
Objective To construct an evidence-based practice program of discharge preparation services for hip replacement patients based on the best evidence,and to evaluate its clinical effects,aiming to provide references for the implementation of relevant interventions.Methods Knowledge to Action Framework was used as a guide to summarise the best evidence on discharge preparation services for hip replacement patients and to select services based on clinical context.We selected 38 hip replacement patients and 17 healthcare professionals from the De-partment of Orthopaedic Surgery at a tertiary A hospital in Shanghai in September-October 2023 to conduct a baseline review,identify facilitating and hindering factors,and develop a practice protocol.We also selected 38 hip replacement patients and 17 healthcare professionals from November-December 2023 on this ward for evidence-based practice.Nurses'rates of completion of review indicators,levels of knowledge of discharge preparation ser-vices,and discharge planning competencies were compared before and after practice.Patients'readiness for dis-charge,hip function,and unplanned readmissions were also compared before and after the practice.Results After evidence-based practice,nurses'completion rates of review indicators,knowledge of discharge preparation services,and discharge planning competencies were higher than baseline levels(P<0.05).Hip replacement patients showed a significant improvement in readiness for discharge and hip function(P<0.001).Conclusion The implementation of an evidence-based practice program of discharge preparation services improves nurses'knowledge and skills,and also contributes to the discharge readiness and hip function of hip replacement patients.
9.Analysis of 15 Immunophenotypes of Peripheral Blood T Lymphocytes in Dalian Area
Zhaojie XU ; Jingxue WU ; Jiao WANG ; Yao TIAN ; Yawei TANG ; Jie ZHU
Journal of Modern Laboratory Medicine 2025;40(1):1-6,12
Objective To analyze the relationship between 15 immunophenotypes of peripheral blood T cells and age and gender in healthy adults in the Dalian area. Methods A total of 277 healthy adults admitted to the physical examination center of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University from October 2022 to June 2023 were selected as the research subjects,including 154 males and 123 females. They were divided into three groups according to age:young group(18~44 years,n=103),middle-aged group(45~60 years,n=114) and old age group(>60 years,n=60). Flow cytometry was used to determine immunophenotypes of T cells,including the absolute count and proportion of na?ve cells (N),central memory (CM),effector memory (EM),terminal effector memory (TEM),activation (HLA-DR+) and senescence (CD28-) CD4+and CD8+T cells,and the differences of them among age and gender were analyzed. Spearman correlation analysis was also used to evaluate the correlation between age and immunophenotypes of T cells. Results Compared with the young group,the absolute count and proportion of CD8+TEM,CD4+HLA-DR+,CD8+HLA-DR+and CD8+CD28-T lymphoaytes cells were increased in the middle-aged group and old age group (Z=2.009~6.607),while the absolute count and proportion of CD8+N T cells were decreased in the middle-aged group (Z=5.574~7.999) and old age group,and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05),respectively. Compared with the female group,the absolute count and proportion of CD8+CM,CD8+HLA-DR+and CD8+CD28-T cells were increased in the female group (Z=2.945~6.131),while the absolute count and proportion of CD3+,CD4+and CD8+N T cells were decreased in the male group (Z=2.075~4.225),and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05),respectively. Spearman correlation analysis showed that age was positively correlated with the absolute count and proportion of CD4+CM,CD4+HLA-DR+,CD4+CD28-,CD8+TEM,CD8+HLA-DR+and CD8+CD28-T lymphocytes cells (r=0.125~0.479,all P<0.05),while negatively correlated the absolute count and proportion of CD4+N and CD8+N T lymphocytes cells (r=-0.538~-0.148,all P<0.05). Conclusion The 15 immunophenotypes of peripheral blood T lymphocytes cells in healthy adults from Dalian area are affected by age and gender,so it is necessary to establish a suitable local reference interval to provide a more accurate reference for immune function assessment.
10.Evaluation of serum cotinine cut-off value for distinguishing smoking status among Chinese adults
Changming DING ; Jin YIN ; Feng ZHAO ; Yawei LI ; Ying ZHU ; Yuebin LYU ; Xiaoming SHI
Chinese Journal of Preventive Medicine 2025;59(7):1063-1068
Objective:To determine the optimal cut-off value of serum cotinine for distinguishing smoking status among Chinese adults based on a large-scale national sample.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted among 8 987 Chinese adults aged 20-79 years from 152 administrative counties across 31 provinces during 2017-2018. Sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, smoking status, and health status were collected via questionnaires and physical examinations. Blood samples were analyzed for serum cotinine levels using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and for blood creatinine levels using the picric acid method. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed with serum cotinine concentration as the test variable and self-reported smoking status as the state variable. The optimal cut-off value was determined based on the maximum Youden′s index, and the bootstrap method was used for repeated sampling (2 000 times) to evaluate the confidence interval of the cut-off value. The net reclassification index (NRI) was used to evaluate the discrimination ability of the cut-off value of this study, the cut-off value of the American population 1 (total population: 3.3 μg/L, men: 4.1 μg/L, women: 3.0 μg/L) and the cut-off value of the American population 2 (the recommended value of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the total population: 10.0 μg/L) against the smoking status of the Chinese population. Statistical analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS 27 and Python 3.11, with a significance level of α=0.05.Results:The age of the research subjects was (49.2±15.2) years. Among them, males accounted for 49.8% (4 477); smokers accounted for 28.8% (2 586); the detection rate of serum cotinine was 94.6% (8 501), and the M ( Q1, Q3) concentration of serum cotinine was 0.9 (0.3, 85.4) μg/L. The ROC curve analysis results showed that the cut-off value (95% CI) of serum cotinine in the total population was 8.8 (6.7-11.7) μg/L, with the specificity (95% CI) about 93.6%(92.7%-94.3%), the sensitivity (95% CI) about 91.0%(89.7%-92.3%) and the area under the curve (AUC) (95% CI) about 0.93 (0.92-0.94). The cut-off value (95% CI) of cotinine for males was 17.1 (8.8-21.8) μg/L, with the specificity (95% CI) about 90.7%(87.9%-92.0%), the sensitivity (95% CI) about 89.4%(88.4%-92.2%) and the AUC (95% CI) about 0.92 (0.91-0.93). The cut-off value (95% CI) of cotinine for females was 7.4 (3.3-15.0) μg/L, with the specificity (95% CI) about 95.6%(92.7%-96.8%), the sensitivity (95% CI) about 87.6%(81.6%-92.8%) and the AUC (95% CI) about 0.92 (0.87-0.95). The NRI analysis results showed that compared with the cut-off value of the American population 2, the NRI of this study′s cut-off values in the total population, males and females were 0.020 ( P=0.015), 0.033 ( P=0.015) and 0.011 ( P=0.380), respectively, indicating that this study′s cutoff value could have better classification performance in the total population and males. Compared with the cut-off value of the American population 2, the NRI of the total population in this study was 0.001 ( P=0.285). Conclusion:The serum cotinine cut-off value based on the analysis of large sample data in China is more suitable for distinguishing the smoking status of Chinese adults.

Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail