OBJECTIVE To predict and validate the mechanisms of Chaiqi yigan granules （CQYG） improving hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC）. METHODS The signaling pathways of CQYG intervention in HCC were predicted using network pharmacology. A mice model of transplanted hepatocellular carcinoma was established by injecting H22 hepatoma cells into the axilla. Successfully modeled mice were randomly divided into model group （normal saline）， sorafenib group （positive control， 50 mg/kg）， and CQYG low-， medium- and high-dose groups （24.83， 49.66， 99.32 g/kg）， with 10 mice in each group. Mice in each group were administered the corresponding drug solution or normal saline intragastrically， once a day， for 14 consecutive days. After last administration， pathological morphological changes in the tumor tissues of mice were observed in each group. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect the expression of the nuclear proliferation antigen Ki-67 in tumor tissues of mice. Western blot assay was used to measure the expression of proteins related to epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT） [N-cadherin， E-cadherin， Vimentin， matrix metalloproteinase 7 （MMP7）] and the mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） signaling pathway [p38 MAPK， phosphorylated p38 MAPK， c-Jun N-terminal kinase （JNK）， phosphorylated JNK， extracellular regulated protein kinase 1/2 （ERK1/2）， phosphorylated ERK1/2] in tumor tissue of mice. RESULTS Network pharmacology analysis revealed that metabolic pathways， pathways in cancer， and the MAPK signaling pathway were key signaling pathways through which CQYG exert their anti-hepatocellular carcinoma effects. In animal experiments， the tumor tissues of mice in the model group exhibited dense tumor cells and vigorous growth. Compared with model group， CQYG high-dose group showed a decreased density of tumor cells in the tumor tissues of mice. Moreover， the expression levels of Ki-67， N-cadherin， MMP7 and Vimentin proteins， along with the phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2 and JNK proteins， were all significantly reduced （ P ＜0.05）. The expression level of E-cadherin protein was significantly increased （ P ＜0.05）， the phosphorylation level of p38 MAPK protein was increased， the difference was not statistically significant （ P ＞0.05）. CONCLUSIONS CQYG can inhibit EMT by regulating the MAPK signaling pathway， thereby suppressing tumor cell invasion and metastasis and ultimately exerting a therapeutic effect in improving HCC.

Background With the progression of industrialization, an increasing number of emerging contaminants are entering aquatic environments, posing significant threats to the safety of drinking water. Therefore, establishing a system for identifying unknown hazardous factors and implementing safety warning mechanisms for drinking water is of paramount importance. Among these efforts, non-target screening plays a critical role, but its effectiveness is largely constrained by the scope of coverage of sample pre-treatment methods. Objective To integrate modern chromatography/mass spectrometry techniques with advanced data mining methods to develop a non-discriminatory sample pre-treatment method for comprehensive enrichment of unknown contaminants in drinking water, laying a technical foundation for the discovery and identification of unknown organic hazardous factors in drinking water. Methods A non-discriminatory pre-treatment method based on supramolecular and solid-phase extraction was developed. The final target compounds including 333 pesticides, 194 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), and 59 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) were used for optimizing the pre-treatment method, confirming its coverage. The impacts of different eluents on the absolute recovery rates of target compounds were compared to select the conditions with the highest recovery for sample pre-treatment. The effects of different supramolecular solvents and salt concentrations on target compound recovery were also evaluated to determine the most suitable solvent and salt concentration. Results The solid-phase extraction elution solvents, supramolecular extraction solvents, and salt concentrations were optimized based on the target compound recovery rates. The optimal recovery conditions were achieved using 2 mL methanol, 2 mL methanol (containing 1% formic acid), 2 mL ethyl acetate, 2 mL dichloromethane, hexanediol supramolecular solvent, and 426 mg salt. The detection method developed based on these conditions showed a good linear relationship for all target compounds in the range of 0.1-100.0 ng·mL⁻¹, with R² > 0.99. The method’s limit of detection ranged from 0.01 ng⁻¹ to 0.95 ng⁻¹, and 95% of target compounds were recovered in the range of 20%-120%, with relative standard deviation (RSD) less than 30%, indicating good precision. Conclusion The combined pre-treatment method of solid-phase extraction and supramolecular solvent extraction can effectively enrich contaminants in drinking water across low, medium, and high polarities, enabling broad-spectrum enrichment of diverse trace contaminants in drinking water. It provides technical support for broad-spectrum, high-throughput screening and identification of organic pollutants in drinking water, and also serves as a reference for establishing urban drinking water public safety warning systems.

ObjectiveTo explore the biological mechanism of bone loss caused by perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) through transcriptomic analysis, and to provide new insights into regulating perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) applications and the prevention of hazards affecting bone health. MethodsMouse embryonic osteoblast precursor cells (MC3T3-E1) were exposed to 0.1, 1, 10, and 100 μmol·L^-¹ PFOA for 24 hours to assess the effects on cell viability and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and to determine the critical concentration of PFOA toxicity. The transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) induced by PFOA. Gene ontology (GO) analysis and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were conducted to identify significantly affected gene pathways. Additionally, Seahorse XF metabolic phenotyping and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to validate the key pathways. ResultsExposure to 10 and 100 μmol·L^-¹ PFOA significantly reduced the cell viability and ALP activity of MC3T3-E1 cells. Therefore, the results of transcriptomic analysis for 10 μmol‧L^-1 PFOA exposure found that a total of 80 DEGs were identified, including 32 upregulated genes and 48 downregulated genes. According to GO analysis, PFOA mainly affected cellular components such as mitochondrion and nucleus, molecular functions involving GTPase activity and GTP binding, as well as biological process related to mRNA processing. GSEA identified the downregulation of the β-oxidation of fatty acid pathway in mitochondria. Metabolic phenotyping reserches showed that PFOA indeed reduced mitochondrial aerobic respiration capacity and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production, and the ratio of ATP production from cellular aerobic respiration to glycolysis was significantly decreased as well. The mRNA expression of glucose metabolism-related genes (GK, G6PD, and CS), as well as fatty acid metabolism-related genes (CPT1A and CPT2), were significantly downregulated. ConclusionPFOA reduces bone formation by inhibiting energy metabolism and β-oxidation of fatty acid pathways in osteoblasts, whihc lays the foundation for revealing the mechanism of PFOA exposure induced bone loss.

BACKGROUND: Whether adherence to a healthy lifestyle is associated with a lower risk of developing pneumonia and a better long-term prognosis remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate associations of individual and combined lifestyle factors (LFs) with the incidence risk and long-term prognosis of pneumonia hospitalization. METHODS: Using data from the China Kadoorie Biobank study, we used the multistate models to investigate the role of five high-risk LFs, including smoking, excessive alcohol drinking, unhealthy dietary habits, physical inactivity, and unhealthy body shape, alone or in combination in the transitions from a generally healthy state at baseline to pneumonia hospitalization or cardiovascular disease (CVD, regarded as a reference outcome), and subsequently to mortality. RESULTS: Most of the five high-risk LFs were associated with increased risks of transitions from baseline to pneumonia and from pneumonia to death, but with different risk estimates. The greater the number of high-risk LFs, the higher the risk of developing pneumonia and long-term mortality risk after pneumonia, with the strength of associations comparable to that of LFs and CVD. Compared to participants with 0-1 high-risk LF, the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for transitions from baseline to pneumonia and from pneumonia to death in those with five high-risk LFs were 1.43 (1.28-1.60) and 1.98 (1.61-2.42), respectively. Correspondingly, the respective HRs (95% CIs) for transitions from baseline to CVD and from CVD to death were 2.00 (1.89-2.11) and 1.44 (1.30-1.59), respectively. The risk estimates changed slightly when further adjusting for the presence of major chronic diseases. CONCLUSION In this Chinese population, unhealthy LFs were associated with an increased incidence and long-term mortality risk of pneumonia.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Cardiovascular Diseases/etiology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Life Style ; Pneumonia/etiology* ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors ; Smoking

Objective: To evaluate the radiation dose, operational standardization, and image quality of computed tomography (CT) Ningbo City Medical Imaging Cloud Platform, so as to provide references for optimizing the quality of CT examinations. Methods: Six CT devices were randomly selected from the Ningbo City Medical Imaging Cloud Platform. Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) image data from CT examinations of the head, neck, chest, and abdomen in males aged 36 to 60 years were collected from January 2023 to December 2024. The radiation dose levels were evaluated using the volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) and dose length product (DLP). The coefficient of variation (CV) of CTDIvol and scan length were calculated to assess scan stability. Operational standardization was evaluated using the redundancy rate of scan length and protocol matching degree. Imaging quality was assessed using the signal to noise ratio (SNR) and contrast to noise ratio (CNR). Results: A total of 28 897 DICOM images were collected, including 6 730 axial scans of the skull, 2 778 plain scans of the neck, 15 496 plain scans of the chest, and 3 893 plain scans of the abdomen. The typical values of CTDIvol and DLP radiation doses for the head, neck, and chest were all lower than the diagnostic reference levels. The maximum typical values of CTDIvol and DLP for the abdomen were 22.49 mGy and 941.45 mGy·cm, respectively, which were higher than the diagnostic reference levels. The CV values of CTDIvol and scan length ranged from 14.59% to 37.88% and from 8.27% to 44.96%, respectively. The scan stability of head CT was relatively poor, with CV values ranging from 21.74% to 37.88% and from 12.66% to 44.96%, respectively. The redundancy rate of scan length ranged from 6.02% to 74.40%, and the protocol matching degree ranged from 79.80% to 100.00%. The operational standardization of neck CT was relatively poor, with redundancy rates ranging from 45.70% to 74.40% and protocol matching degrees ranging from 79.80% to 95.36%. The mean SNR and mean CNR of the pulmonary arteries in the chest were relatively high, ranging from 15.81 to 17.65 and from 6.33 to 7.41, respectively. Conclusions The radiation doses from abdominal CT examinations on some CT devices exceed the diagnostic reference levels. The scan stability of head CT examinations and the operational standardization of neck CT examinations represent weak points in quality control. It is recommended to carry out targeted quality control training to enhance the overall quality level of CT examinations.

Objective To explore the factors affecting the prognosis of patients with symptomatic severe intracranial artery stenosis after interventional therapy,and to construct a nomogram prediction model accordingly.Methods The clinical data of 121 patients with symptomatic severe intracranial artery stenosis,who received interventional treatment at the First People's Hospital of Zhengzhou from June 1,2021 to October 31,2024,were retrospectively analyzed.The general data,characteristics of vascular lesions,treatment-related factors and prognosis of patients were collected.According to the modified Rankin scale(mRS)score,the patients were divided into good prognosis group(mRS score ≤2 points)and poor prognosis group(mRS score＞2 points).The clinical data were compared between the two groups.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify and determine independent factors affecting patient's outcomes,to construct a nomogram prediction model and to validate this model.Results Among the 121 patients,31(25.61％)had poor prognosis and 90(74.38％)had good prognosis.The postoperative 3-month mRS score was lower than preoperative mRS score value(P＞0.05).There were significant differences in hypertension history,stenosis site,stenosis degree,collateral circulation state,interventional therapeutic mode,cholesterol level,platelet count,lesion length and preoperative NIHSS score(P＜0.05)between the poor prognosis group and the good prognosis group.Multivariate analysis showed that hypertension history,stenosis degree,collateral circulation status,cholesterol level,platelet count,lesion's length and preoperative NIHSS score were the independent influencing factors for the prognosis of patients with symptomatic severe intracranial artery stenosis.The predicted AUC of the nomogram model was 0.931(95％ CI=0.873-0.989),and the calibration curve showed that the predicted value was in good agreement with the actual value.Conclusion Hypertension history,stenosis degree,collateral circulation status,cholesterol level,platelet count,lesion length and preoperative NIHSS score are the important influencing factors for the prognosis of patients with symptomatic severe intracranial artery stenosis.The nomogram prediction model constructed in this study shows a high accuracy in predicting the prognosis of patients,and it can provide important reference for clinical decision-making.

Retzius-sparing robot assisted radical prostatectomy (RS-RARP) can significantly improve the immediate urinary continence without increasing the positive rate of surgical margin.However, the learning curve is long, and fewer than 10% of the surgeons can master it.Therefore,we have optimized the procedures of RS-RARP, applying radical prostatectomy with retrograde release of neurovascular bundle to preserve it to the maximum extent.Urethral anastomosis can be performed with only one suture, which eliminates the need for Hem-o-lok and reduces subsequent complications.Our team routinely carries out this operation, and conlcudes that this surgical method can achieve good tumor control, good urinary continence, fast recovery of sexual function, few complications, and strong operability.This article details the key steps and operation experience of this technique.

Objective To evaluate the noise hazard level of a coal mining enterprise, and identify high-risk operation types and people, and to provide a basis for preventing and controlling the health damage caused by noise. Methods A large coal mining enterprise in Shaanxi Province was selected as the research object. The noise monitoring data of the coal mine over the years was used to calculate the noise exposure matrix of each post in the enterprise, and the classification of occupational hazards at workplaces (GBZ/T 229.4-2012) was used to assess the occupational health risk levels. Results Among the 22 noise-exposed positions in the enterprise, the 8-hour working day equivalent sound level in positions of shearer driver, horseshoe driver, crusher driver, shuttle driver, relaxation screen driver, and grading screen driver were all higher than the occupational exposure limit of noise. In 2021, the noise exposure levels of shearer drivers, crusher drivers, and coal-selecting workers were all higher than 90 dB (A), and the occupational hazard level was moderate hazard level. In addition, the noise exposure levels of most other jobs also exceeded the occupational exposure limit. Conclusion The noise hazards in the coal mine industry are mainly concentrated in the posts of the coal mining system, tunneling system, and screening workshop. Among them, the shearer driver, the crusher driver, and the coal preparation workers have higher noise exposure levels. It is recommended to take corresponding noise reduction measures and strengthen the protection level to reduce the noise exposure risk of workers.

Background Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of persistent organic pollutants that possess potential toxicity to the human body. The production and utilization of diverse emerging PFAS have resulted in widespread human exposure. Therefore, it is imperative to establish a quantitative methodology encompassing a wide range of PFAS for a comprehensive assessment of human exposure to these compounds. Objective To establish a high-throughput quantitative method for the simultaneous determination of 53 PFAS in human serum based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-Q Exactive high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q Exactive HRMS). Methods The extraction recoveries of hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) column, weak anionexchange (WAX) column, and 96-well WAX μElution plate were compared to select the SPE column with the highest recovery. The retention time and peak shape of the target compounds were compared between ACQUITY UPLC BEH C₁₈ column and Accucore aQ column, and the more cost-effective column was chosen. The effects of adding different levels of ammonium formate (0, 2, 5 and 10 mmol·L⁻¹) in mobile phase on peak shape and target response were compared to determine the optimal buffer salt concentration. The optimal spray voltage was obtained by comparing −2 kV and −4 kV. The proposed method was validated from the aspects of selectivity, standard curve, limits of detection, precision, accuracy, and matrix effect. The method was applied to 142 umbilical serum samples. Results The best recovery rate (64%-118%) was achieved by using 96-well WAX μElution plate. The optimal separation and peak shape were obtained by utilizing Accucore aQ column with H₂O-methanol (containing 5 mmol·L⁻¹ ammonium formate) as the mobile phase. Less in-source collision and better target response were observed when the spray voltage was set to −2 kV. All target analytes had a good linearity, with R² > 0.99. The limits of detection ranged from 0.01 to 0.50 μg·L⁻¹, and the recovery ranged from 69% to 127% with the precision less than 26%. A total of 31 PFAS were detected in the 142 actual samples, among which 14 PFAS had a detection frequency over 50%. Perfluorooctanoic acid showed the highest median concentration of 4.16 μg·L⁻¹, followed by 6:2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate and perfluorooctane sulfonates (3.50 μg·L⁻¹ and 1.59 μg·L⁻¹, respectively). Conclusion In this study, we establish a UPLC-Q Excative HRMS method for simutanious determination of 53 PFAS concentrations in serum. This method has the advantages of wide coverage of PFAS, good selectivity, and easy operation, and is suitable for biological detection with a large sample size.