1.Assessment of ergonomics risk in typical upper limb operations of electricians based on RULA
Zekai LIANG ; Guanlin LI ; Shiheng ZHU ; Jiajie LI ; Qingsong CHEN
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2025;42(3):254-259
Background A large number of power supply workers are involved in live working and are exposed to multiple risk factors for long periods of time during outdoor work, which in turn causes occupational health problems. Objective To identify potential ergonomic factors related to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) and estimate the ergonomic risk of electricians. Methods A total of 31 workers were randomly selected from a training base under a power supply enterprise in Guangxi, and their operation processes were recorded by video. Using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method, the workers were scored by the posture of their arms, neck, and torso during operation, and the final scores were summarized to assess their risk level. Two independent samples t-tests were used to compare the differences in RULA scores. Results A total of 31 videos for mounting/dismounting insulation mask and 29 videos for breaking/connecting contact terminal were collected. The RULA score for mounting/dismounting insulation mask was 6.6 ± 0.7 (left side) and 7.0 ± 0.2 (right side), most of the workers had a score of 7 (71.0% on the left side and 96.8% on the right side), and the upper limb and overall scores on the right side were higher than those on the left side (P < 0.05). The RULA score for breaking/connecting contact terminal was 6.9 ± 0.4 (both right and left sides), most of workers had a score of 7 (89.7% on the left side and 93.1% on the right side), and the difference of the overall scores between the right and left side for this operation were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The ergonomic risk levels for both operations were level 3 or higher. Conclusion Mounting/dismounting insulation mask and breaking/connecting contact terminal are typical upper limb operations, and have a high level of ergonomics risk, requiring effective preventive and protective measures.
2.Effect of Lymph Node Clearance Modalities on Chronic Cough after Surgery in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.
Zekai ZHANG ; Gaoxiang WANG ; Zhengwei CHEN ; Mingsheng WU ; Xiao CHEN ; Tian LI ; Xiaohui SUN ; Mingran XIE
Chinese Journal of Lung Cancer 2025;28(6):434-440
BACKGROUND:
Lung cancer has the highest mortality rate among all malignant tumors, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for about 80%-85% of all lung cancers. Lobectomy and lymph node dissection are one of the most important treatment methods, and lymph node dissection, as an important part, has attracted much attention. And its mode and scope of dissection may affect postoperative complications, particularly the occurrence of chronic cough. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of lymph node dissection on postoperative chronic cough in patients with NSCLC undergoing lobectomy, and to provide clinical evidence for optimizing surgical strategy and reducing postoperative chronic cough.
METHODS:
A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 365 NSCLC patients who underwent lobectomy at the First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China from December 2020 to December 2023. The relationship between clinical characteristics and postoperative chronic cough was analyzed. The Chinese version of the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ-MC) scores were collected from the patients at 2 time points: 1 day before surgery and 8 weeks after surgery. Patients were divided according to lymph node dissection methods, to explore the relationship between lymph node dissection and chronic cough after lobectomy. Additionally, patients were divided into chronic cough and non-chronic cough groups based on the presence of postoperative chronic cough, to investigate whether perioperative data, lymph node dissection methods, and lymph node dissection regions were influencing factors.
RESULTS:
Patients undergoing lobectomy were more likely to have chronic cough after surgery in the systematic lymph node dissection group than in the lymph node sampling group (P<0.05). LCQ-MC scale evaluation showed that the psychological, physiological, social and total score of the patients in systematic lymph node dissection group were significantly lower than those in lymph node sampling group (P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that anesthesia time, operation site, lymph node dissection method, whether to perform upper mediastinal lymph node dissection, number of upper mediastinal lymph node dissection, whether to perform lower mediastinal lymph node dissection and total number of lymph node dissection were independent risk factors for postoperative chronic cough in NSCLC patients (P<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
When NSCLC patients underwent lobectomy, lymph node sampling was associated with a significantly lower risk of chronic cough than systematic lymph node dissection. Dissecting lymph nodes in the upper and lower mediastinal regions and the number of lymph nodes dissected may increase the risk of postoperative cough and reduce the quality of life of patients after surgery.
Humans
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Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/surgery*
;
Male
;
Female
;
Lung Neoplasms/surgery*
;
Middle Aged
;
Cough/etiology*
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Lymph Node Excision/methods*
;
Aged
;
Chronic Disease
;
Postoperative Complications/etiology*
;
Adult
;
Lymph Nodes/surgery*
;
Pneumonectomy/adverse effects*
;
Chronic Cough
3.A novel dual-targeting strategy of nanobody-driven protein corona modulation for glioma therapy.
Yupei ZHANG ; Shugang QIN ; Tingting SONG ; Zhiying HUANG ; Zekai LV ; Yang ZHAO ; Xiangyu JIAO ; Min SUN ; Yinghan ZHANG ; Guang XIE ; Yuting CHEN ; Xuli RUAN ; Ruyue LIU ; Haixing SHI ; Chunli YANG ; Siyu ZHAO ; Zhongshan HE ; Hai HUANG ; Xiangrong SONG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(9):4917-4931
Glioma represents the most prevalent malignant tumor of the central nervous system, with chemotherapy serving as an essential adjunctive treatment. However, most chemotherapeutic agents exhibit limited ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This study introduced a novel dual-targeting strategy for glioma therapy by modulating the formation of nanobody-driven protein coronas to enhance the brain and tumor-targeting efficiency of hydrophobic cisplatin prodrug-loaded lipid nanoparticles (C8Pt-Ls). Specifically, nanobodies (Nbs) with fibrinogen-binding capabilities were conjugated to the surface of C8Pt-Ls, resulting in the generation of Nb-C8Pt-Ls. Within the bloodstream, Nb-C8Pt-Ls could bound more fibrinogen, forming the protein corona that specifically interacted with LRP-1, a receptor highly expressed on the BBB. This interaction enabled a "Hitchhiking Effect" mechanism, facilitating efficient trans-BBB transport and promoting effective brain targeting. Additionally, the protein corona interacted with LRP-1, which is also overexpressed in glioma cells, achieving precise tumor targeting. Computational simulations and SPR detection clarified the molecular interaction mechanism of the Nb-fibrinogen-(LRP-1) complex, confirming its binding specificity and stability. Our results demonstrated that this strategy significantly enhanced C8Pt accumulation in brain tissues and tumors, induced apoptosis in glioma cells, and improved therapeutic efficacy. This study provides a novel framework for glioma therapy and underscores the potential of protein corona modulation-based dual-targeting strategies in advancing treatments for brain tumors.
4.Thymosin α1 alleviates pulpitis by inhibiting ferroptosis of dental pulp cells.
Jie WU ; Qimei GONG ; Wenxuan LIU ; Aijia CHEN ; Zekai LIAO ; Yihua HUANG ; Wenkai JIANG ; Zhongchun TONG
International Journal of Oral Science 2025;17(1):68-68
Tooth pulpitis is a prevalent oral disorder. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of pulpitis and developing effective treatment strategies hold great significance. Ferroptosis has recently emerged as a new form of cell death, but the role of ferroptosis in pulpitis remains largely unknown. In our study, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was used to identify cellular heterogeneity between 3 pulpitis tissue and 3 healthy pulp tissue, and explored ferroptosis occurrence in pulpitis tissue and inflamed dental pulp cells (DPCs). In scRNA-seq, 40 231 cells (Pulpitis: 17 814; Healthy pulp: 22 417) were captured, and visualized into 12 distinct cell clusters. Differentially expressed ferroptosis-related genes (DE-FRGs) were almost presented in each cluster in pulpitis vs healthy pulp. ROS and Fe2+ levels significantly rose, and immunohistochemistry showed low expression of GPX4 and high expression of PTGS2 in pulpitis. In LPS-stimulated DPCs, thymosin α1 increased the expression of GPX4 and FTL, and decreased expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and Fe2+ levels. In rat pulpitis models, both prothymosin α (PTMA, precursor of thymosin α1) gelatin sponge placed at the hole of pulp (LPS-P(gs)) and PTMA injection in pulp (LPS-P(i)) significantly reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells and expression of PTGS2, and increased the expression of GPX4. In RNA sequencing, the expression of DE-FRGs were reversed when thymosin α1 were added in LPS-stimulated DPCs. Collectively, single-cell atlas reveals cellular heterogeneity between pulpitis and healthy pulp, and ferroptosis occurrence in pulpitis. Thymosin α1 may reduce ferroptosis in DPCs to alleviate pulpitis and thus potentially has the ability to treat pulpitis.
Ferroptosis/drug effects*
;
Dental Pulp/drug effects*
;
Animals
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Pulpitis/pathology*
;
Rats
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Thymalfasin/pharmacology*
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Humans
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Male
;
Thymosin/pharmacology*
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Disease Models, Animal
;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
5.Research Progress of Artificial Intelligence and Molecular Simulation in Drug Design
Minquan ZHANG ; Mingcheng GONG ; Zekai CHEN ; Zhenhua CHEN ; Liangliang ZHOU
Herald of Medicine 2024;43(1):78-84
With the deepening of modern drug research,traditional computer simulation can not meet the needs of future drug design experiments.As a classic technology of standard computer simulation,molecular simulation can construct and analyze complex molecular models to study the dynamic processes of molecular motion.However,the simulation results are easy to be affected by human factors.In recent years,the integration of artificial intelligence and molecular simulation has become a new method of drug design research.Artificial intelligence technology uses big data to screen out the corresponding compounds for molecular simulation and feedback on the simulation results to the artificial intelligence system to optimize the artificial neural network.The combination of artificial intelligence and molecular simulation technology improves the efficiency of drug design research,reduces the influence of human factors on simulation results,and increases the credibility of simulation results.In this review,we summarized the progress of artificial intelligence and molecular simulation technology in drug design to provide a reference for the change from computer assisted drug design(CADD)to artificial intelligence-aided drug design(AIDD)in future pharmaceutical development.
6.Establishment of a Predictive Model for Chronic Cough after Pulmonary Resection
CHEN ZHENGWEI ; WANG GAOXIANG ; WU MINGSHENG ; WANG YU ; ZHANG ZEKAI ; XIA TIANYANG ; XIE MINGRAN
Chinese Journal of Lung Cancer 2024;27(1):38-46
Background and objective Chronic cough after pulmonary resection is one of the most common complications,which seriously affects the quality of life of patients after surgery.Therefore,the aim of this study is to explore the risk factors of chronic cough after pulmonary resection and construct a prediction model.Methods The clinical data and postoperative cough of 499 patients who underwent pneumonectomy or pulmonary resection in The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China from January 2021 to June 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were randomly divided into training set(n=348)and validation set(n=151)according to the principle of 7:3 randomization.According to whether the patients in the training set had chronic cough after surgery,they were divided into cough group and non-cough group.The Mandarin Chinese version of Leicester cough questionnare(LCQ-MC)was used to assess the severity of cough and its impact on patients'quality of life before and after surgery.The visual analog scale(VAS)and the self-designed numerical rating scale(NRS)were used to evaluate the postoperative chronic cough.Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the independent risk factors and construct a model.Receiver operator characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the discrimination of the model,and calibration curve was used to evaluate the consistency of the model.The clinical application value of the model was evaluated by decision curve analysis(DCA).Results Multivariate Logistic analysis screened out that preoperative forced expiratory volume in the first second/forced vital capacity(FEV1/FVC),surgical procedure,upper mediastinal lymph node dissection,subcarinal lymph node dissection,and postoperative closed tho-racic drainage time were independent risk factors for postoperative chronic cough.Based on the results of multivariate analysis,a Nomogram prediction model was constructed.The area under the ROC curve was 0.954(95%CI:0.930-0.978),and the cut-off value corresponding to the maximum Youden index was 0.171,with a sensitivity of 94.7%and a specificity of 86.6%.With a Bootstrap sample of 1000 times,the predicted risk of chronic cough after pulmonary resection by the calibration curve was highly consistent with the actual risk.DCA showed that when the preprobability of the prediction model probability was be-tween 0.1 and 0.9,patients showed a positive net benefit.Conclusion Chronic cough after pulmonary resection seriously af-fects the quality of life of patients.The visual presentation form of the Nomogram is helpful to accurately predict chronic cough after pulmonary resection and provide support for clinical decision-making.
7.Research progress on minimally invasive and non-invasive blood glucose detection methods.
Xinyu GAO ; Zekai XU ; Liqun CHEN
Journal of Biomedical Engineering 2023;40(2):365-372
Blood glucose monitoring has become the weakest point in the overall management of diabetes in China. Long-term monitoring of blood glucose levels in diabetic patients has become an important means of controlling the development of diabetes and its complications, so that technological innovations in blood glucose testing methods have far-reaching implications for accurate blood glucose testing. This article discusses the basic principles of minimally invasive and non-invasive blood glucose testing assays, including urine glucose assays, tear assays, methods of extravasation of tissue fluid, and optical detection methods, etc., focuses on the advantages of minimally invasive and non-invasive blood glucose testing methods and the latest relevant results, and summarizes the current problems of various testing methods and prospects for future development trends.
Humans
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Blood Glucose
;
Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring/methods*
;
Diabetes Mellitus/diagnosis*
;
Monitoring, Physiologic/methods*
;
Tears
8.Dose response relationship between daily steps counts and fat loss in obese children and adolescents
CHEN Zekai, ZHU Lin, LI Zhanquan
Chinese Journal of School Health 2022;43(9):1329-1332
Objective:
To investigate whether there is a nonlinear relationship and threshold effect between the number of daily steps counts and fat loss in obese children and adolescents.
Methods:
Forty eight obese children and adolescents were randomly recruited to undergo 4 week closed exercise training during July to August 2021. Actigraphy GT3X+ was used to monitor the daily steps, and fat loss effect was evaluated by changes of body composition indicators before and after the intervention. Paired samples t test was used to compare the indicators before and after the intervention; the dose response relationship between daily steps counts and fat loss was analyzed by linear regression and piecewise regression, and the nonlinear relationship was analyzed by restricted cubic spline (RCS).
Results:
Body fat mass, percentage of body fat, lean body mass and skeletal muscle mass decreased (27.50± 7.33 )kg, (36.17±5.59)%, (47.55±6.48)kg, (26.14±3.84)kg, respectively compared with those before intervention[(31.97± 7.82 )kg,(39.06±5.12)%,(49.08±6.93)kg,(27.08±4.15)kg] ( t=21.04, 13.32, 7.65, 8.35, P <0.05). There was a significant nonlinear doseresponse relationship between daily steps counts and the change of these indicators ( P <0.05). After adjusting for age, sex and baseline BMI, each 1 000 step increase in daily walking number, BMI increased by 0.44(95% CI =0.03-0.84)kg and body fat percentage by 0.61%(95% CI =0.17%-1.04%). After adjusting for age, sex, and baseline BMI, each 1 000 step increased in daily number of steps occurred when the daily number of steps ranged from 8 300 to 11 400, lean body weight increased by 0.58(95% CI =0.11-1.04)kg, skeletal muscle mass increased by 0.29(95% CI =0.03-0.54)kg.
Conclusion
There is a non linear dose response relationship between daily steps and fat loss in obese children and adolescents, for optimal fat loss efficiency, daily steps to 8 300-11 400 appropriate.
9.Research and clinical primary application on 3D modeling and printing of fetal hearts based on ultrasound spatio-temporal image correlation imaging technology
Na HOU ; Yitong GUO ; Zekai ZHANG ; Yuntao CHEN ; Zhuojun MAO ; Jiahe LIANG ; Jiangpu YI ; Tiesheng CAO ; Lijun YUAN
Chinese Journal of Ultrasonography 2022;31(4):295-303
Objective:To explore the feasibility and accuracy of three-dimensional (3D) modeling methods based on ultrasound imaging data for normal and abnormal fetal cardiac structures, and to construct a methodology system for 3D printing of fetal heart based on ultrasound.Methods:A total of 93 fetuses examined in Tangdu Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University from January to December 2019 were selected. Fetal echocardiography was obtained using spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC). Ninety-three hearts were 3D modeled by blood flow modeling, blood pool modeling and cavity modeling, and printed by stereolithography technique. The data measured on the 3D digital models and 3D printed solid models were compared with the corresponding fetal echocardiographic images respectively in order to evaluate the accuracy of the modeling methods.Results:The fetal cardiac blood flow models based on Doppler flow image data showed the malformation and trend of small blood vessels. The fetal cardiac structure models printed based on blood pool modeling displayed the malformation of heart and large blood vessels. Models printed based on cavity modeling method accurately displayed valve and structural defects.For 83 normal fetal hearts, the long diameters of left and right ventricles measured on echocardiography [(15.3±1.9)mm, (13.2±1.9)mm] were compared with those measured on digital models [(15.1±1.9)mm, (12.9±1.9)mm] and 3D printed models[(15.1±1.9)mm, (13.0±1.9)mm], respectively, and there were no significant differences between any two groups of them ( P>0.05). Bland-Altman showed good consistency for all measurements within and between operators. Conclusions:The three modeling methods, including blood flow modeling, blood pool modeling and cavity modeling, have their own advantages in displaying different types of fetal heart malformations. Appropriate modeling methods should be selected for 3D modeling and printing to make up for the limitations of single modeling method. The consistency between measurements on 3D models and those on echocardiography is high, and the repeatability between operators is good.
10.Visualization analysis of research on executive function in overweight or obesity
Zhanquan LI ; Zekai CHEN ; Lin ZHU ; Fuxian LIU
Sichuan Mental Health 2022;35(5):460-466
ObjectiveTo study the current status and development trend of research on the executive function in overweight or obesity, and to grasp the research hotspots in this field. MethodsA total of 1 321 literatures relevant to the executive function in overweight or obesity collected in Web of Science Core Collection database from 2010 to 2021 were selected. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used to generate knowledge graphs for visualization analysis, then the number of articles issued, countries/regions, institutions and the co-occurrence, clustering and burst of keywords were analyzed. Results①In terms of the trend of the number of articles issued from 2010 to 2021, the annual quantity of published articles about the executive function in overweight or obesity presented a rapid growth over 2010-2014, then entered into a slow growth stage over 2014-2017, and emerged a rapid growth over 2017-2021. ②From the perspective of countries / regions, a total of 64 countries and regions participated in the research. The largest number of articles issued in this field was the USA, which had the most frequent cooperation and exchanges with other countries and regions, and exerted the greatest academic influence, occupying the core position of this research field. ③From the perspective of research institutions, a total of 1 627 institutions participated in this research field, among which the Illinois University published the most papers and closely cooperated with many productive institutions, forming a research group with a certain scale. ④From the perspective of keywords, the research content mainly involved dietary behavior research, prevention and intervention research, risk factor assessment, and analysis of the characteristics of different groups. ConclusionResearches on executive function in overweight or obesity have been developing rapidly, attracting international attention and covering a wide range of areas.


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