BACKGROUND: It is inaccurate to reflect the level of dust exposure through working years. Furthermore, identifying a predictive indicator for lung function decline is significant for coal miners. The study aimed to explored whether club cell secretory protein (CC16) levels can reflect early lung function changes. METHODS: The cumulative respiratory dust exposure (CDE) levels of 1,461 coal miners were retrospectively assessed by constructed a job-exposure matrix to replace working years. Important factors affecting lung function and CC16 were selected by establishing random forest models. Subsequently, the potential of CC16 to reflect lung injury was explored from multiple perspectives. First, restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were used to compare the trends of changes in lung function indicators and plasma CC16 levels after dust exposure. Then mediating analysis was performed to investigate the role of CC16 in the association between dust exposure and lung function decline. Finally, the association between baseline CC16 levels and follow-up lung function was explored. RESULTS: The median CDE were 35.13 mg/m³-years. RCS models revealed a rapid decline in forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV₁), and their percentages of predicted values when CDE exceeded 25 mg/m³-years. The dust exposure level (<5 mg/m³-years) causing significant changes in CC16 was much lower than the level (25 mg/m³-years) that caused changes in lung function indicators. CC16 mediated 11.1% to 26.0% of dust-related lung function decline. Additionally, workers with low baseline CC16 levels experienced greater reductions in lung function in the future. CONCLUSIONS CC16 levels are more sensitive than lung indicators in reflecting early lung function injury and plays mediating role in lung function decline induced by dust exposure. Low baseline CC16 levels predict poor future lung function.
Uteroglobin/blood* ; Humans ; Dust/analysis* ; Occupational Exposure/analysis* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Retrospective Studies ; Lung Injury/chemically induced* ; Coal Mining ; Biomarkers/blood* ; China/epidemiology* ; Air Pollutants, Occupational ; Female

Osteoporosis （OP） is a systemic metabolic bone disease characterized by bone microstructure degeneration and bone mass loss， which has a high prevalence and disability rate. Effective prevention and treatment of OP is a major difficulty in the medical community. The nature of OP is that multiple pathological factors lead to the imbalance of human bone homeostasis maintained by osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Ferroptosis is a non-apoptotic cell death pathway， and its fundamental cause is cell damage caused by iron accumulation and lipid peroxidation. Studies have shown that ferroptosis is involved in and affects the occurrence and development of OP， which leads to OP by mediating the imbalance of bone homeostasis. Ferroptosis is an adjustable form of programmed cell death. The intervention of ferroptosis can regulate the damage degree and death process of osteoblasts and osteoclasts， which is beneficial to maintain bone homeostasis， slow down the development process of OP， improve the clinical symptoms of patients， reduce the risk of disability， and improve their quality of life. However， there are few studies on ferroptosis in OP. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） is a medical treasure with unique characteristics and great application value in China. It has been widely used in China and has a long history. It has the multi-target and multi-pathway advantages in the treatment of OP， with high safety， few toxic and side effects， and low treatment cost， and has a significant effect in clinical application. The intervention of TCM in ferroptosis to regulate bone homeostasis may be a new direction for the prevention and treatment of OP in the future. This article summarized the regulatory mechanisms related to ferroptosis， discussed the role of ferroptosis in bone homeostasis， and reviewed the current status and progress of active ingredients in TCM compounds and monomers in the regulation of OP through ferroptosis， so as to provide a theoretical basis for the participation of TCM in the prevention and treatment of OP in the future.

Objective:To investigate the chain mediation effect of psychological flexibility and dyadic coping between perceived social support and family function in parents of pediatric liver transplant recipients.Methods:Totally 320 parents of pediatric liver transplant recipients who were treated at the Department of Pediatric Organ Transplantation, Tianjin First Central Hospital from April to October 2023 were selected by convenience sampling. The participants were surveyed using a general information questionnaire, the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-Ⅱ (AAQ-Ⅱ), the Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI), and the Family APGAR Index (APGAR). Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine the relationships between perceived social support, psychological flexibility, dyadic coping, and family function in these parents. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed using Amos 26.0 to analyze the chain mediation effect of psychological flexibility and dyadic coping between perceived social support and family function, with the Bootstrap method used for model testing.Results:A total of 320 questionnaires were distributed, with 312 valid responses, yielding a response rate of 97.50% (312/320). The scores for the 312 parents were as follows: PSSS (59.29±15.64), AAQ-Ⅱ (20.35±9.07), DCI (124.64±32.65), and APGAR (6.98±2.74). Family function was positively correlated with perceived social support and dyadic coping ( P<0.01), and perceived social support was positively correlated with dyadic coping ( P<0.01). Psychological flexibility was negatively correlated with family function, perceived social support, and dyadic coping ( P<0.01). SEM results showed that psychological flexibility and dyadic coping had a significant chain mediation effect between perceived social support and family function, with a mediation effect value of 0.059. The chain mediation effect of psychological flexibility and dyadic coping accounted for 13.81% of the total effect (0.059/0.427) . Conclusions:Perceived social support directly affects family function in parents of pediatric liver transplant recipients and also indirectly influences family function through the chain mediation effect of psychological flexibility and dyadic coping.

Objective To establish a human α-synuclein nuclear localization signal transgenic mouse model and investigate the effects of α-synuclein nuclear localization on the behavior of mice.Methods Human α-synuclein nuclear localization signal and EGFP lentiviral vectors were constructed.Transgenic mice were created with the microinjection method.Using PCR and Western Blot method to identify the genotypes and protein expression of the transgenic founder mice and their offsprings.The immunofluorescence was used to examine the localization of human α-synuclein in the mouse brain tissue.The behavioral changes of the transgenic mice were evaluated by the open field test,rotarod test,and O maze test.Results The h SNCA-NLS gene was successfully inserted into the mouse genome,the human α-syn was successfully expressed,and the human α-syn has localized with the nuclear.Further studies found that human α-synuclein nuclear localization signal transgenic mice had significant motor dysfunction,astrocyte proliferation and inflammatory response at 2 months of age and exhibited significant anxiety-like symptoms and reduced expression of the γ-aminobutyric acid(GABA)gene at 9 months of age,which persisted until 12 months of age.Conclusions A human α-synuclein nuclear localization signal transgenic mouse model has been successfully established.The mice exhibit significant motor dysfunction and anxiety-like symptoms.The successful establishment of this model provides a foundation for studying the role of α-syn nuclear localization in Parkinson's disease.

Objective:To determine the content of the released nickel ion through the 7 extraction media to extract the Ni-Ti wires and to plot the curve of the released nickel ion so as to identify a leaching medium that can be substituted for blood for in vitro Ni release evaluation. Methods:The release of Ni through microwave digestion/inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in the goat serum was determined. Because of the high content of Ni release, it could be determined by diluting the extraction medium, and other extraction media could be determined directly. Ni release standard curves were plotted by the release amount and different time point variables. Though the different extraction media Ni release curves confirm the specificity of extraction media instead of blood.Results:By analyzing the Ni release curves of seven leaching media, it was found that none of these seven extraction media was suitable for the evaluation of Ni release in in vitro leaching media. Considering the safety of the leaching medium and the simplicity of preparation, hydrochloric acid solution was chosen as the leaching medium, but the concentration needed to be diluted accordingly. Finally, a hydrochloric acid solution was created as an alternative to blood for the in vitro study of Ni release from Ni-Ti alloy cardiovascular products, with a volume fraction of 0.005%. Conclusions:The in vitro leaching medium that can replace blood was found to be hydrochloric acid for the time being, but its concentration was too high, resulting in too much Ni release as well, which deviated from the actual situation. Therefore, the hydrochloric acid solution was diluted step by step, and the Ni release curve was examined until it was close to the clinical release level, and the actual concentration was determined, thus laying a solid foundation for the subsequent evaluation of the safety and risk.

Objective To observe the value of nomogram model based on clinical and ultrasonic characteristics for diagnosing lymphoma.Methods Data of 176 patients with suspected lymphoma due to enlarged superficial lymph nodes were retrospective analyzed.The patients were divided into lymphoma group(n=90,invasive subgroup[n=40]and non-invasive subgroup[n=50])or non-lymphoma group(n=86)based on pathological results.Clinical and ultrasonic data were compared between groups and subgroups.Multivariate logistic regression was used to screen the independent risk factors of lymphoma,and then a nomogram was constructed.Receiver operating characteristic curves were drawn to evaluate the efficacy of conventional ultrasound,conventional contrast-enhanced ultrasound(C-CEUS),high-frame-rate contrast-enhanced ultrasound(H-CEUS)and nomogram for diagnosing lymphoma.Results Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age＞59 years,cortical stripe/reticular hyperecho of lymph nodes and"centrifugal firework"enhancement pattern showed with H-CEUS were all independent risk factors of lymphoma(all P＜0.05).Taken 59 years as the best cut-off value of patients'age,the sensitivity,specificity,accuracy and the area under the curve(AUC)for diagnosing lymphoma was 67.78%,58.10%,63.06%and 0.630,respectively.The sensitivity,specificity,accuracy and AUC of cortical stripe/reticular hyperecho of lymph nodes for diagnosing lymphoma was 73.33%,58.10%,65.91%and 0.657,respectively,while of"centrifugal firework"pattern enhancement in H-CEUS was 77.78%,69.80%,73.86%and 0.738,respectively.AUC of conventional ultrasound,C-CEUS,H-CEUS and nomogram for diagnosing lymphoma was 0.657,0.540,0.738 and 0.844,respectively.Conclusion Nomogram model based on clinical and ultrasonic characteristics had good diagnostic efficacy for lymphoma,and"centrifugal firework"pattern enhancement in H-CEUS could be regarded as the specific characteristic of lymphoma.

This article systematically studied the moxibustion methods embedded in the 15 medical books of the Mawangdui medical literature. Starting from the origin of the medical moxibustion culture in Mawangdui， this paper comprehensively analyzed the records of moxibustion. By analyzing the Classic of Moxibustion to Eleven Foot-arm Channels （《足臂十一脉灸经》） and Classic of Moxibustion to Eleven Yin-yang Channels （《阴阳十一脉灸经》） as well as Formulas for Fifty-two Diseases （《五十二病方》）， which have relatively rich records of moxibustion， it is found that moxibustion involves more than 170 diseases and syndromes， covering 12 categories such as limb diseases related to meridians and collaterals， lung system diseases， and heart and brain diseases. In summary， the distinctive characte-ristics of moxibustion in Mawangdui medical books include primitive simplicity， combination of witch culture and medical practices， philosophical deduction， centripetal circulation， diverse moxibustion materials， extensive cove-rage of diseases and syndromes， taboos in moxibustion， and the integration of prevention and treatment. The ideas and applications of moxibustion mainly manifest in preventing diseases before they occur and preventing changes in existing diseases， distinguishing and treating each disease based on different causes， and combining treatment based on meridians， collaterals and comprehensive diseases.

Objective:To investigate the value of soluble interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor (sIL-6R) level in predicting ultrafiltration insufficiency in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients.Methods:It was a prospective cohort study. The patients who received continuous ambulatory PD and regular follow-up between November 2016 and July 2018 in the PD Center of Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University were enrolled. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine dialysate sIL-6R and its appearance rate (AR) was calculated. Patients were divided into high sIL-6R AR group and low sIL-6R AR group according to median value of sIL-6R AR and prospectively followed up until death, PD cessation, or the end of the study (December 31, 2022). Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the related factors of sIL-6R AR. Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to compare the survival rate difference of ultrafiltration insufficiency between high sIL-6R AR group and low sIL-6R AR group. Multivariate Cox regression and multivariate competing risk models were used to assess the risk factors associated with occurrence of ultrafiltration insufficiency.Results:A total of 198 PD patients were enrolled, including 115 (58.1%) males, with age of (54.9±13.7) years old and PD duration of 22.5 (6.6, 65.0) months. The sIL-6R AR of the cohort was 2 094.7 (1 672.4, 2 920.9) pg/min. Compared with low sIL-6R AR（<2 094.7 pg/min）group, high sIL-6R AR（>2 094.7 pg/min）group had older age ( t=-3.269, P=0.001), higher body mass index ( t=-3.248, P=0.001), proportion of combined diabetes mellitus ( χ2=8.890, P=0.003), 24 h glucose exposure ( Z=-2.257, P=0.024), 24 h ultrafiltration capacity ( Z=-2.515, P=0.012), 4 h dialysate creatinine to serum creatinine ratio ( t=-2.609, P=0.010), mass transfer area coefficient of creatinine ( Z=-2.308, P=0.021), IL-6 AR ( Z=-3.533, P<0.001) and solute glycoprotein 130 AR ( Z=-8.670, P<0.001), and lower serum albumin ( t=2.595, P=0.010) and residual renal function ( t=2.133, P=0.033). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that body mass index ( β=0.194, P=0.005), serum albumin ( β=-0.215, P=0.002) and dialysate lg[IL-6 AR] ( β=0.197, P=0.011) were independently correlated with sIL-6R AR. By the end of the study, 57 (28.8%) patients developed ultrafiltration insufficiency. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that high sIL-6R AR group had a significantly inferior ultrafiltration insufficiency-free survival rate than that in low sIL-6R AR group (log-rank χ 2=5.375, P=0.020). Multivariate Cox regression analysis and multivariate competing risk models showed that high dialysate sIL-6R AR (>2 094.7 pg/min) was an independent influencing factor of ultrafiltration insufficiency ( HR=2.286 , 95% CI 1.254-4.165 , P=0.007 ; SHR=2.074, 95% CI 1.124-3.828, P=0.020) in PD patients. Conclusions:Dialysate sIL-6R level was associated with body mass index, serum albumin and dialysate IL-6 level. Dialysate sIL-6R may be a predictive factor of ultrafiltration insufficiency in PD patients.

The neurovascular unit (NVU) is highly responsible for cerebral homeostasis and its dysfunction emerges as a critical contributor to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Hence, rescuing NVU dysfunction might be a viable approach to AD treatments. Here, we fabricated a self-regulated muti-functional nano-modulator (siR/PIO@RP) that can intelligently navigate to damaged blood-brain barrier and release therapeutical cargoes for synergetic AD therapy. The resulting siR/PIO@RP enables self-regulation of its distribution in accordance with the physio/pathological state (low/high RAGE expression) of the target site via a feedback loop. siR/PIO@RP is capable of performing intricate tasks and goes beyond the capabilities of single-target therapeutic agents utilized in AD therapy, such as reducing cerebral Aβ load, relieving neuroinflammation, and alleviating the dysfunction of NVU. Overall, the current study provides proof of concept that normalizing NVU holds promise as a means of alleviating AD symptoms.

Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose is a major cause of liver injury. Neural precursor cell expressed developmentally downregulated 4-1 (NEDD4-1) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that has been implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous liver diseases; however, its role in APAP-induced liver injury (AILI) is unclear. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the role of NEDD4-1 in the pathogenesis of AILI. We found that NEDD4-1 was dramatically downregulated in response to APAP treatment in mouse livers and isolated mouse hepatocytes. Hepatocyte-specific NEDD4-1 knockout exacerbated APAP-induced mitochondrial damage and the resultant hepatocyte necrosis and liver injury, while hepatocyte-specific NEDD4-1 overexpression mitigated these pathological events both in vivo and in vitro. Additionally, hepatocyte NEDD4-1 deficiency led to marked accumulation of voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1) and increased VDAC1 oligomerization. Furthermore, VDAC1 knockdown alleviated AILI and weakened the exacerbation of AILI caused by hepatocyte NEDD4-1 deficiency. Mechanistically, NEDD4-1 was found to interact with the PPTY motif of VDAC1 through its WW domain and regulate K48-linked ubiquitination and degradation of VDAC1. Our present study indicates that NEDD4-1 is a suppressor of AILI and functions by regulating the degradation of VDAC1.