Objective: To explore the influencing factors of anxiety symptoms and to construct a predictive model based on machine learning algorithms, so as to provide support for the prevention and management of anxiety symptoms among junior high school students. Methods: From April to May 2023, a stratified random cluster sampling method was adopted to select 8 176 junior high school students from Zhengzhou and Shangqiu citys. All participants completed the Adolescent Self rating Life Events Checklist, the 10item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, the School Connectedness Scale, the Parent-Child Cohesion Questionnaire, and the 7 item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale. Logistic regression analysis identified the associated factors of anxiety symptoms among junior high school students. Predictive models were constructed using Logistic regression, Random Forest, and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithms, with SHapley Additive exPlanations analysis explaining the optimal model. Results: The detection rate of anxiety symptoms among junior high school students was 16.3%. Logistic regression analysis showed that junior high school students who were female ( OR =1.22), in the ninth grade ( OR =1.27), living in urban areas ( OR =1.37), having a father with a college education or above ( OR =1.26), having a mother with a senior high school education ( OR =1.26), and experiencing higher levels of negative life events ( OR =1.05) reported a higher risk of anxiety symptoms(all P <0.05). In contrast, those with moderate family economic status ( OR =0.71), moderate academic burden ( OR =0.59), low academic burden ( OR =0.54), moderate sleep quality ( OR =0.46), good sleep quality ( OR =0.26), excellent sleep quality ( OR =0.15), higher levels of psychological resilience ( OR =0.96), higher levels of school connectedness ( OR =0.96), and higher levels of parent-child cohesion ( OR =0.98) reported a lower risk of anxiety symptoms (all P <0.05). Three machine learning models demonstrated good predictive performance for anxiety symptoms among junior high school students (all AUC>0.8), with the XGBoost model achieving the best predictive performance. SHAP analysis revealed that negative life events, sleep quality, school connectedness, psychological resilience and parent-child cohesion were the top five relevant factors for predicting anxiety symptoms. Conclusions The detection rate of anxiety symptoms among junior high school students is relatively high. The XGBoost model is the optimal predictive model for anxiety symptoms in the population. Negative life events, sleep quality, school connectedness, psychological resilience, and parent-child cohesion are significant correlates of anxiety symptoms among junior high school students.

Objective This study reports on the obligatory parasitism of water mites Arrenurus sp. on Anopheles messeae at the Manzhouli Port, Inner Mongolia, China. Methods Duing July 2024, a survey on the mosquito diversity was conducted at the Manzhouli Port. Captured mosquitoes and their ectoparasites were identified to species level. Results A total of 1840 adult mosquitoes were collected, representing species from three genera: Culex(Cx. modestus, Cx. pipiens pallens), Aedes(Ae. dorsalis, Ae. flavidorsalis, Ae. flavescens), and Anopheles (An. messeae). Among all the mosqutioes specimens,3 out of 150 captured An. messeae were found to carry ectoparasitic mites, with number of 2,4,27 mites separately. Morphological and molecular identification reached the same result as water mites(Hydrachnidiae, Hydracrina). COI gene sequence showed 94% similarity with the closest species Arrenurus truncatellus. Conlusions Literature review suggests water mites are host-specific parasitism of mosquito species and herein with the first record of Arrenurus sp. parasiting on An. Messeae in the most high-latitude region globally.

Glycogen synthase 1 (GYS1) is the rate-limiting enzyme responsible for glycogen synthesis in skeletal muscle, heart, brain, and other extrahepatic tissues, playing a central role in systemic energy homeostasis. The human GYS1 gene maps to chromosome 19q13.33, comprises 16 exons, and encodes a 737-amino-acid polypeptide that is highly conserved across mammals. GYS1 activity is subject to multilayered and precisely coordinated regulation. At the transcriptional level, the GYS1 promoter contains a hypoxia response element (HRE) that mediates HIF-1α-dependent induction under low-oxygen conditions, as well as a muscle-specific enhancer harboring MEF2 and MyoD binding sites that confers tissue-restricted expression. At the post-translational level, a hierarchical phosphorylation cascade serves as the primary activity switch: glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) sequentially phosphorylates four C-terminal serine residues following casein kinase II priming, while protein kinase A (PKA) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) provide parallel inhibitory inputs at both N- and C-terminal sites. Dephosphorylation and reactivation are mediated by protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) through tissue-specific glycogen-targeting regulatory subunits such as PPP1R3A and PPP1R3B, which anchor PP1 to glycogen particles and direct its activity toward GYS1. The allosteric activator glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) binds at the dimer interface, simultaneously enhancing catalytic efficiency and promoting dephosphorylation susceptibility, thereby establishing a feed-forward activation loop that couples substrate availability to glycogen synthesis. Beyond phosphorylation, GYS1 is regulated by ubiquitination (mediated by the E3 ligase PJA1), acetylation, O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) modification, and SUMOylation, which collectively modulate protein stability, subcellular localization, and protein-protein interactions. Epigenetic mechanisms, including CpG island methylation and histone acetylation dynamics, govern chromatin accessibility at the GYS1 locus, while muscle-specific microRNAs such as miR-1 and miR-206 fine-tune GYS1 expression at the post-transcriptional level. Dysregulation of GYS1 has been identified as a central pathogenic driver in a spectrum of human diseases. In inherited glycogen storage disorders—including Lafora disease, adult polyglucosan body disease (APBD), and Pompe disease—loss of upstream regulatory control leads to GYS1 hyperactivation and the accumulation of structurally abnormal or excessive glycogen, resulting in progressive neurodegeneration, myopathy, and multiorgan dysfunction. In type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), impaired insulin signaling through the PI3K-AKT-GSK3β axis maintains GYS1 in a hyperphosphorylated inactive state in skeletal muscle, compromising postprandial glucose disposal and exacerbating hyperglycemia. In oncology, GYS1 exhibits context-dependent roles across multiple cancer types. In hepatocellular carcinoma, FMO2⁺ cancer-associated fibroblasts stabilize GYS1 by competitively inhibiting PJA1-mediated ubiquitination, and stabilized GYS1 subsequently activates NF‑κB/CCL19 signaling to promote tertiary lymphoid structure formation and enhance anti-PD-1 immunotherapy responsiveness. In clear cell renal cell carcinoma, GYS1 promotes tumor progression through non-canonical NF‑κB pathway activation via the scaffold protein RPS27A. In triple-negative breast cancer, GYS1 has been identified as a trigger of disulfidptosis and an activator of NF-κB signaling through non-enzymatic facilitation of IκBα degradation. In colorectal cancer, mitochondrial fission deficiency drives AMPK-dependent GYS1 upregulation and glycogen accumulation as a compensatory survival mechanism, while in cervical cancer, GYS1-maintained glycogen reserves fuel the pentose phosphate pathway to generate NADPH for ROS clearance, thereby conferring cisplatin resistance in cancer stem cells. Therapeutic strategies targeting GYS1 have gained substantial momentum across these disease contexts. For glycogen storage disorders, antisense oligonucleotides, small interfering RNAs (e.g., ABX1100), and small-molecule inhibitors (e.g., MZ-101) have demonstrated preclinical and early clinical efficacy in reducing pathological glycogen accumulation. For T2DM, pharmacological activation of GYS1 through GSK3β inhibition or enhancement of PP1-mediated dephosphorylation is being explored to restore insulin-stimulated glycogen synthesis. In cancer, GYS1-directed interventions—including targeted silencing to sensitize tumors to chemotherapy and immune microenvironment modulation to enhance immunotherapy—represent emerging precision oncology approaches. This review provides a comprehensive and integrated account of GYS1 gene structure, tissue-specific distribution, regulatory networks, and pathogenic roles in metabolic disorders and malignancies, with the aim of establishing a theoretical framework for the development of GYS1-targeted precision therapies.

Biomolecular condensates are formed through phase separation of biomacromolecules such as proteins and RNAs. These condensates exhibit liquid-like properties that can futher transition into more stable material states. They form complex internal structures via multivalent weak interactions, enabling precise spatiotemporal regulations. However, the use of inconsistent and non-standardized terminology has become increasingly problematic, hindering academic exchange and the dissemination of scientific knowledge. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss the terminology related to biomolecular condensates in order to clarify concepts, promote interdisciplinary cooperation, enhance research efficiency, and support the healthy development of this field.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative condition characterized by progressive cognitive decline and memory loss. As the incidence of AD continues to rise annually, researchers have shown keen interest in the active components found in natural plants and their neuroprotective effects against AD. Quercetin, a flavonol widely present in fruits and vegetables, has multiple biological effects including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant. Oxidative stress plays a central role in the pathogenesis of AD, and the antioxidant properties of quercetin are essential for its neuroprotective function. Quercetin can modulate multiple signaling pathways related to AD, such as Nrf2-ARE, JNK, p38 MAPK, PON2, PI3K/Akt, and PKC, all of which are closely related to oxidative stress. Furthermore, quercetin is capable of inhibiting the aggregation of β‑amyloid protein (Aβ) and the phosphorylation of tau protein, as well as the activity of β‑secretase 1 and acetylcholinesterase, thus slowing down the progression of the disease.The review also provides insights into the pharmacokinetic properties of quercetin, including its absorption, metabolism, and excretion, as well as its bioavailability challenges and clinical applications. To improve the bioavailability and enhance the targeting of quercetin, the potential of quercetin nanomedicine delivery systems in the treatment of AD is also discussed. In summary, the multifaceted mechanisms of quercetin against AD provide a new perspective for drug development. However, translating these findings into clinical practice requires overcoming current limitations and ongoing research. In this way, its therapeutic potential in the treatment of AD can be fully utilized.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the Wnt signaling pathway and miRNAs mechanism of extracts of Plastrum Testudinis (PT) in the treatment of osteoporosis (OP). METHODS: Thirty female Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into 5 groups by random number table method, including sham group, ovariectomized group (OVX), ovariectomized groups treated with high-, medium-, and low-dose PT (160, 80, 40 mg/kg per day, respectively), with 6 rats in each group. Except for the sham group, the other rats underwent bilateral ovariectomy to simulate OP and received PT by oral gavage for 10 consecutive weeks. After treatment, bone mineral density was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; bone microstructure was analyzed by micro-computed tomography and hematoxylin and eosin staining; and the expressions of osteogenic differentiation-related factors were detected by immunochemistry, Western blot, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. In addition, Dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1) was used to inhibit the Wnt signaling pathway in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and miRNA overexpression was used to evaluate the effect of miR-214 on the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Subsequently, PT extract was used to rescue the effects of Dkk-1 and miR-214, and its impacts on the osteogenic differentiation-related factors of BMSCs were evaluated. RESULTS: PT-M and PT-L significantly reduced the weight gain in OVX rats (P<0.05). PT also regulated the bone mass and bone microarchitecture of the femur in OVX rats, and increased the expressions of bone formation-related factors including alkaline phosphatase, bone morphogenetic protein type 2, collagen type I alpha 1, and runt-related transcription factor 2 when compared with the OVX group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Meanwhile, different doses of PT significantly rescued the inhibition of Wnt signaling pathway-related factors in OVX rats, and increased the mRNA or protein expressions of Wnt3a, β-catenin, glycogen synthase kinase-3β, and low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5 (P<0.05 or P<0.01). PT stimulated the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs inhibited by Dkk-1 and activated the Wnt signaling pathway. In addition, the expression of miR-214 was decreased in OVX rats (P<0.01), and it was negatively correlated with the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs (P<0.01). MiR-214 mimic inhibited Wnt signaling pathway in BMSCs (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conversely, PT effectively counteracted the effect of miR-214 mimic, thereby activating the Wnt signaling pathway and stimulating osteogenic differentiation in BMSCs (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION PT stimulates bone formation in OVX rats through β-catenin-mediated Wnt signaling pathway, which may be related to inhibiting miR-214 in BMSCs.
Animals ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; Female ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Wnt Signaling Pathway/genetics* ; Osteogenesis/genetics* ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/cytology* ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Bone Density/drug effects* ; Ovariectomy ; Osteoporosis/drug therapy* ; beta Catenin/metabolism* ; Rats ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill (STDP) in treating stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome by exercise duration and metabolic equivalents. METHODS: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial enrolled stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome from 22 hospitals. They were randomized 1:1 to STDP (35 mg/pill, 6 pills per day) or placebo for 56 days. The primary outcome was the exercise duration and metabolic equivalents (METs) assessed by the standard Bruce exercise treadmill test after 56 days of treatment. The secondary outcomes included the total angina symptom score, Chinese medicine (CM) symptom scores, Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) scores, changes in ST-T on electrocardiogram and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: This trial enrolled 309 patients, including 155 and 154 in the STDP and placebo groups, respectively. STDP significantly prolonged exercise duration with an increase of 51.0 s, compared to a decrease of 12.0 s with placebo (change rate: -11.1% vs. 3.2%, P<0.01). The increase in METs was significantly greater in the STDP group than in the placebo group (change: -0.4 vs. 0.0, change rate: -5.0% vs. 0.0%, P<0.01). The improvement of total angina symptom scores (25.0% vs. 0.0%), CM symptom scores (38.7% vs. 11.8%), reduction of nitroglycerin consumption (100.0% vs. 11.3%), and all domains of SAQ, were significantly greater with STDP than placebo (all P<0.01). The changes in Q-T intervals at 28 and 56 days from baseline were similar between the two groups (both P>0.05). Twenty-five participants (16.3%) with STDP and 16 (10.5%) with placebo experienced AEs (P=0.131), with no serious AEs observed. CONCLUSION STDP could improve exercise tolerance in patients with stable angina and phlegm-heat and blood stasis syndrome, with a favorable safety profile. (Registration No. ChiCTR-IPR-15006020).
Humans ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Angina, Stable/physiopathology* ; Aged ; Syndrome ; Treatment Outcome ; Placebos ; Tablets

Objective To investigate the suitable habitats of Phlebotomus chinensis in Gansu Province, so as provide insights into effective management of mountain-type zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (MT-ZVL). Methods The geographical coordinates of locations where MT-ZVL cases were reported were retrieved in Gansu Province from 2015 to 2023, and data pertaining to 26 environmental variables were captured, including 19 climatic variables (annual mean temperature, mean diurnal range, isothermality, temperature seasonality, maximum temperature of the warmest month, minimum temperature of the coldest month, temperature annual range, mean temperature of the wettest quarter, mean temperature of the driest quarter, mean temperature of the warmest quarter, mean temperature of the coldest quarter, annual precipitation, precipitation of the wettest month, precipitation of the driest month, precipitation seasonality, precipitation of the wettest quarter, precipitation of the driest quarter, precipitation of the warmest quarter, and precipitation of the coldest quarter), five geographical variables (elevation, annual normalized difference vegetation index, vegetation type, landform type and land use type), and two population and economic variables (population distribution and gross domestic product). Twelve species distribution models were built using the biomod2 package in R project, including surface range envelope (SRE) model, generalized linear model (GLM), generalized additive model (GAM), multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) model, generalized boosted model (GBM), classification tree analysis (CTA) model, flexible discriminant analysis (FDA) model, maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model, optimized maximum entropy (MAXNET) model, artificial neural network (ANN) model, random forest (RF) model, and extreme gradient boosting (XGBOOST) model. The performance of 12 models was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), true skill statistics (TSS), and Kappa coefficient, and single models with high performance was selected to build the optimal ensemble models. Factors affecting the survival of Ph. chinensis were identified based on climatic, geographical, population and economic variables. In addition, the suitable distribution areas of Ph. chinensis were predicted in Gansu Province under shared socioeconomic pathway 126 (SSP126), SSP370 and SSP585 scenarios based on climatic data during the period from 1991 to 2020, from 2041 to 2060 (2050s), and from 2081 to 2100 (2090s) . Results A total of 11 species distribution models were successfully built for prediction of potential distribution areas of Ph. chinensis in Gansu Province, and the RF model had the highest predictive accuracy (AUC = 0.998). The ensemble model built based on the RF model, XGBOOST model, GLM, and MARS model had an increased predictive accuracy (AUC = 0.999) relative to single models. Among the 26 environmental factors, precipitation of the wettest quarter (12.00%), maximum temperature of the warmest month (11.58%), and annual normalized difference vegetation index (11.29%) had the greatest contributions to suitable habitats distribution of Ph. sinensis. Under the climatic conditions from 1991 to 2020, the potential suitable habitat area for Ph. chinensis in Gansu Province was approximately 5.80 × 10⁴ km², of which the highly suitable area was 1.42 × 10⁴ km², and primarily concentrated in the southernmost region of Gansu Province. By the 2050s, the unsuitable and lowly suitable areas for Ph. chinensis in Gansu Province had decreased by varying degrees compared to that of 1991 to 2020 period, while the moderately and highly suitable areas exhibited expansion and migration. By the 2090s, under the SSP126 scenario, the suitable habitat area for Ph. chinensis increased significantly, and under the SSP585 scenario, the highly suitable areas transformed into extremely suitable areas, also showing substantial growth. Future global warming is conducive to the survival and reproduction of Ph. chinensis. From the 2050s to the 2090s, the highly suitable areas for Ph. chinensis in Gansu Province will be projected to expand northward. Under the SSP126 scenario, the suitable habitat area for Ph. chinensis in Gansu Province is expected to increase by 194.75% and 204.79% in the 2050s and 2090s, respectively, compared to that of the 1991 to 2020 period. Under the SSP370 scenario, the moderately and highly suitable areas will be projected to increase by 164.40% and 209.03% in the 2050s and 2090s, respectively, while under the SSP585 scenario, they are expected to increase by 195.98% and 211.66%, respectively. Conclusions The distribution of potential suitable habitats of Ph. sinensis gradually shifts with climatic changes. Intensified surveillance and management of Ph. sinensis is recommended in central and eastern parts of Gansu Province to support early warning of MT-ZVL.

ObjectiveBased on functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we investigated the brain activity characteristics of gross motor tasks in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and motor dysfunctions (MDs) to provide a theoretical basis for further understanding the mechanism of MDs in children with ASD and designing targeted intervention programs from a central perspective. MethodsAccording to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 48 children with ASD accompanied by MDs were recruited into the ASD group and 40 children with typically developing (TD) into the TD group. The fNIRS device was used to collect the information of blood oxygen changes in the cortical motor-related brain regions during single-handed bag throwing and tiptoe walking, and the differences in brain activation and functional connectivity between the two groups of children were analyzed from the perspective of brain activation and functional connectivity. ResultsCompared to the TD group, in the object manipulative motor task (one-handed bag throwing), the ASD group showed significantly reduced activation in both left sensorimotor cortex (SMC) and right secondary visual cortex (V2) (P<0.05), whereas the right pre-motor and supplementary motor cortex (PMC&SMA) had significantly higher activation (P<0.01) and showed bilateral brain region activity; in terms of brain functional integration, there was a significant decrease in the strength of brain functional connectivity (P<0.05) and was mainly associated with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and V2. In the body stability motor task (tiptoe walking), the ASD group had significantly higher activation in motor-related brain regions such as the DLPFC, SMC, and PMC&SMA (P<0.05) and showed bilateral brain region activity; in terms of brain functional integration, the ASD group had lower strength of brain functional connectivity (P<0.05) and was mainly associated with PMC&SMA and V2. ConclusionChildren with ASD exhibit abnormal brain functional activity characteristics specific to different gross motor tasks in object manipulative and body stability, reflecting insufficient or excessive compensatory activation of local brain regions and impaired cross-regions integration, which may be a potential reason for the poorer gross motor performance of children with ASD, and meanwhile provides data support for further unraveling the mechanisms underlying the occurrence of MDs in the context of ASD and designing targeted intervention programs from a central perspective.