Background Although current evidence suggests a link between outdoor air pollution and depressive symptoms, the effect of solid fuel use (a significant indoor air pollutant) on depressive symptoms in China's rural middle-aged and elderly population remains poorly understood. Objective To explore the association between solid fuel use for cooking and depressive symptoms among middle-aged and elderly people in rural areas of China, and to provide a basis for the prevention and control of depressive symptoms among residents in rural areas. Methods Data were obtained from the 2020 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), depressive symptoms were assessed using 8-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and cooking fuel type was self-reported. Subsequently, two-level binary unconditional logistic regression models were fitted to assess the impact of solid fuel use for cooking on depressive symptoms. Results A total of 7991 participants aged 45 years and older [mean age (58.52±9.18) years] were included in the study, with a mean CES-D score of 6.07±4.48 and a mean positive depressive symptoms rate of 34% (40.54% in the solid fuel group and 30.81% in the clean fuel group, χ²=74.40, P<0.001). After controlling for potential confounding covariates, rural middle-aged and elderly residents in the solid fuel group had a higher risk of reporting depressive symptoms than those in the clean fuel group (OR=1.36, 95%CI: 1.20-1.54), an association that was unaffected by participant characteristics and was positive across age and gender groups. Conclusion There is a positive association between solid fuel use for cooking and depressive symptoms in middle-aged and elderly people in rural areas of China. It is recommended that rural areas promote the upgrading of stoves through the installation of ventilation equipment or the switch from solid cooking fuel to clean fuel. This approach is directed toward reducing exposure to household air pollution, alleviating the prevalence of depression among middle-aged and elderly residents in vast rural areas, and enhancing their mental health.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of traditional Chinese Five-body balance exercise on patients with preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm). METHODS: Fifteen patients with PRISm and 15 patients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were recruited from the Outpatient Department of Guang'anmen Hospital and Beijing Niujie Health Service Center from April to December, 2023. Participants in both groups attended supervised Five-body balance exercise training twice a week for 12 weeks. Patients with COPD continued their regular medication regimen during the intervention period. The endpoints were mean changes in the 6-min walk test (6MWT), St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) score, cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), pulmonary function, and scores of COPD assessment test (CAT), modified British Medical Research Council, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, and Self-Rating Depression Scale from baseline to 12 weeks. Adverse events were monitored throughout the study. RESULTS: The PRISm group showed a significant improvement from baseline to week 12 in 6MWT, SGRQ symptom score, and forced vital capacity (FVC) compared to the COPD group (P<0.05). No significant between-group changes were observed in other outcome measurements (P>0.05). In addition, compared with baseline, both groups exhibited improvements in 6MWT, SGRQ score, and CPET at week 12 (P<0.05). The PRISm group also showed a significant increase in forced expiratory volume in 1 s and FVC, as well as a significant decrease in CAT score at week 12 (P<0.05). No adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION Patients with PRISm may benefit from Five-body balance exercise training, which can improve the exercise capacity, health-related quality of life, and lung function. (Registration No. ChiCTR2200059290).
Humans ; Spirometry ; Male ; Female ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/therapy* ; Lung/physiopathology* ; Middle Aged ; Exercise Tolerance/physiology* ; Exercise Therapy ; Aged ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Respiratory Function Tests ; East Asian People

Local anesthetics (LAs), such as articaine (AT), exhibit limited efficacy in inflammatory environments, which constitutes a significant limitation in their clinical application within oral medicine. In our prior research, we developed AT-17, which demonstrated effective properties in chronic inflammatory conditions and appears to function as a novel oral LA that could address this challenge. In the present study, we further elucidated the beneficial effects of AT-17 in acute inflammation, particularly in oral acute inflammation, where mitochondrial-related apoptosis played a crucial role. Our findings indicated that AT-17 effectively inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nerve cell apoptosis by ameliorating mitochondrial dysfunction in vitro. This process involved the inhibition of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) production and the subsequent activation of the NRF2 pathway. Most notably, improvements in mitochondria-related apoptosis were key contributors to AT-17's inhibition of voltage-gated sodium channels. Additionally, AT-17 was shown to reduce mtROS production in nerve cells through the Na⁺/NCLX/ETC signaling axis. In conclusion, we have developed a novel local anesthetic that exhibits pronounced anesthetic functionality under inflammatory conditions by enhancing mitochondria-related apoptosis. This advancement holds considerable promise for future drug development and deepening our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of action.

The objective of this study was to observe the effect of Astragalus membranaceus on high sugar-induced Caenorhabditis elegans, and to explore its mechanism of action. UPLC-MS method was used to identify the components of Astragalus membranaceus. A high glucose model was established by using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism, and the effects of Astragalus membranaceus on body length, body bending, swallowing frequency, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) of the nematode were determined; the effects of Astragalus membranaceus on the expression of mRNA of genes related to the protein skinhead-1 (SKN-1) signaling pathway were examined by using the real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results showed that compared with the normal group, the nematode body length, body bending, and swallowing frequency expression were significantly reduced and the ROS content in the body was significantly increased in the high glucose state; after the administration of Astragalus membranaceus, the body length, body bending, and swallowing frequency expression were significantly increased, and the ROS content was significantly reduced (P < 0.01). Compared with the normal group, SKN-1, superoxide dismutas-3 (SOD-3), glutathione S-transferase 4 (GST-4), and glutathione S-transferase 7 (GST-7) expression were significantly decreased in Caenorhabditis elegans in the high glucose condition; SKN-1, SOD-3, GST-4, and GST-7 expression were significantly increased after administration of Astragalus membranaceus (P < 0.01). In the present study, we demonstrated that Astragalus membranaceus has an effect on high glucose-induced Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes, and its mechanism of action may be through the modulation of the SKN-1 signaling pathwaym in order to ameliorate the oxidative stress response induced by high glucose.

Objective: To investigate the mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) for treating depression and to explore the role of brevican in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in modulating stress susceptibility and the antidepressant effects of EA in rats. Methods: Twenty-four Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats were equally divided into three groups: green fluorescent protein (GFP) + control, GFP + chronic unpredicted mild stress (CUMS), and short-hairpin RNA targeting on brevican (shBcan) + CUMS. Another 24 SD rats were equally divided into CUMS + GFP, CUMS + GFP + EA, and CUMS + shBcan + EA groups. Behavioral tests were conducted to assess depression-like behavior. Western blot analysis was used to evaluate the expression of brevican, aggrecan, GLuA1, and PSD95 in mPFC subregions. Results: Behavioral parameter evaluation show that rats in the shBcan + CUMS group exhibited a significantly reduced sucrose preference (P = .0002) and increased immobility time (P = .0011) compared to those in rats in the GFP + CUMS group. Western blotting showed that brevican expression was significantly downregulated in the PrL of the shBcan + CUMS group compared with that in the GFP + CUMS group (P = .0192). Furthermore, compared to the CUMS + GFP + EA group, the CUMS + shBcan + EA group exhibited a significantly decreased sucrose preference (P = .0334), increased immobility time (P = .0465), and increased latency to food (P = .0261). In the CUMS + shBcan + EA group, the EA-induced brevican and PSD95 overexpression was reversed, compared with that in the CUMS + GFP + EA group (P = .0454 and P = .0198, respectively). Conclusion EA exerts its antidepressant effects through the modulation of brevican expression in rats. Our findings highlight the important role for brevican in stress susceptibility, which could be a potential target for treating depression.

Objective:To analyze the clinical phenotype and genetic characteristics for a child with Canavan disease.Methods:A child who was admitted to the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University on April 9, 2021 for inability to uphold his head for 2 months and increased muscle tone for one week was subjected to whole exome sequencing, and candidate variants were verified by Sanger sequencing.Results:Genetic testing revealed that the child has harbored compound heterozygous variants of the ASPA gene, including a paternally derived c. 556_559dupGTTC (p. L187Rfs*5) and a maternally derived c.919delA (p. S307Vfs*24). Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, both variants were predicted to be pathogenic (PVS1+ PM2_Supporting+ PM3). Conclusion:The c. 556_559dupGTTC (p.L187Rfs*5) and c. 919delA (p.S307Vfs*24) compound heterozygous variants of the ASPA gene probably underlay the pathogenesis of Canavan disease in this child.

Objective:To explore the clinical and genetic features of two Chinese pedigrees affected with Autosomal dominant intellectual developmental disorder 49 (MRD49).Methods:Two MRD49 pedigrees which were admitted to the Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University respectively on January 28, 2021 and November 10, 2022 were selected as the study subjects. Clinical data of the two pedigrees were collected and analyzed. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples of the probands and their family members. The probands were subjected to mutational analysis by high-throughput sequencing. Candidate variants were validated using real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (q-PCR) or Sanger sequencing and bioinformatic analysis. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University (No. SDFE-IRB/T-2022002).Results:Proband 1 had presented with language delay, motor retardation and intellectual disability, and his maternal grandmother, mother, aunt and cousin all had various degrees of intellectual disability. Sequencing results showed that proband 1 had deletion of exons 3 ~ 7 of the TRIP12 gene. q-PCR verification showed that his mother, aunt, maternal grandmother and cousin had all harbored the same deletion. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), the variant was classified as pathogenic (PVS1+ PM2_Supporting+ PP1). Proband 2, who had mainly presented with language delay, motor retardation and intellectual disability, and was found to harbor a heterozygous c.3010C>T (p.Arg1004*) variant of the TRIP12 gene, which was verified to be de novo in origin. Based on the guidelines from the ACMG, the variant was classified as pathogenic (PVS1+ PS2+ PM2_Supporting). Conclusion:This study had diagnosed two MRD49 families through high-throughput sequencing. Above findings have enriched the phenotypic and mutational spectrum of MRD49 in China, which has also facilitated genetic counseling for the two pedigrees.

Objective To investigate the protective effect of dandelion flavone(DF)on lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced colon epithelial cell injury by intervening oxidative stress and inflammation with AT-specific binding protein 2(SATB2).Methods Colon epithelial cells FHC were cultured.FHC cells were randomly divided into control group(normal cultured),LPS group(10 μg·mL-1 LPS),experimental-L group(10 μg·mL-1 LPS+1 μmol·L-1 DF),experimental-H group(10 μg·mL-1 LPS+5 μmol·L-1 DF),experimental-H+sh-NC group(transfected with sh-NC+10 μg·mL-1 LPS+5 μmol·mL-1 DF),experimental-H+sh-SATB2 group(transfected with sh-SATB2+10 μg·mL-1 LPS+5μmol·L-1 DF).The relative expression level of SATB2 protein in FHC cells was detected by Western blotting.The survival rate of FHC cells in each group was determined by tetramethylazolium blue(MTT).The apoptosis rate of FHC cells in each group was detected by flow cytometry.The levels of malondialdehyde(MDA)and interleukin-6(IL-6)in FHC cells were detected by the kit.Results The relative expression levels of SATB2 protein in control group,LPS group,experimental-H group,experimental-H+sh-NC group and experimental-H+sh-SATB2 group were 0.83±0.09,0.19±0.03,0.66±0.05,0.62±0.07 and 0.23±0.03,respectively;cell viability rates were(100.00±1.00)％,(48.16±4.31)％,(85.31±5.83)％,(81.39±6.47)％and(58.75±5.24)％,respectively;cell apoptosis rates were(3.27±0.81)％,(41.26±2.09)％,(11.35±1.04)％,(10.29±1.26)％and(35.87±2.15)％,respectively;MDA levels were(13.16±1.73),(52.87±3.49),(23.19±2.05),(20.98±3.17)and(44.87±3.05)μmol·L-1,respectively;IL-6 levels were(507.18±103.26),(2 132.09±198.15),(883.16±136.92),(801.69±119.85)and(1 736.29±206.91)pg·mL-1,respectively.The above indicators in the LPS group showed significant differences compared to the control group(all P＜0.05);the above indicators in the experimental-H group showed significant differences compared to the LPS group(all P＜0.05);the above indicators in the experimental-H+sh-SATB2 group showed significant differences compared to the experimental-H+sh-NC group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion DF has a protective effect on LPS-induced colon epithelial cell injury by intervening oxidative stress and inflammation through SATB2.

Humans ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; Herpesvirus 4, Human

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical and genetic characteristics of three Chinese pedigrees affected with Citrullinemia type I (CTLN1). METHODS: Three children diagnosed at the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University from 2017 to 2020 were selected as the study subjects. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples of the probands and their parents. Next generation sequencing (NGS) was carried out to detect pathological variants of the probands. Sanger sequencing was used for validating the candidate variant among the pedigrees. RESULTS: The probands have respectively carried compound heterozygous variants of c.207_209delGGA and c.1168G>A, c.349G>A and c.364-1G>A, c.470G>A and c.970G>A of the ASS1 gene, which were respectively inherited from their parents. CONCLUSION The newly discovered c.207_209delGGA and c.364-1G>A variants have enriched the mutational spectrum of the ASS1 gene. And the mutation spectrum of Chinese CTLN1 patients is heterogeneous.
Child ; Humans ; Argininosuccinate Synthase/genetics* ; Citrullinemia/genetics* ; East Asian People ; Mutation ; Pedigree