Background The prevalence of hyperuricemia (HUA) among Chinese residents has been increasing annually, with occupational populations facing a higher risk of HUA due to shift work or obesity. Objective To investigate the impact of shift work and obesity on HUA among coal miners, and to provide scientific data for the prevention of HUA in this occupational group. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 25619 workers from a coal mining group in 2023 as the study population, using a questionnaire survey and occupational health check-ups. Workers who were retired or on medical leave, as well as those who provided incomplete responses to the questionnaire or did not complete anthropometric measurements or blood tests, were excluded. A total of 23173 participants were included in the study. An unconditional logistic regression model was used to analyze the association between HUA and selected factors such as shift work status, years of shift work, daily shift work hours, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and visceral adiposity index (VAI), as well as the interaction between obesity and shift work on HUA. Restricted cubic spline functions were used to analyze the dose-response relationship between years of shift work, daily shift work hours, and HUA. Results The average age of the included workers was (42.38 ± 9.82) years. A total of 6735 workers reported positive HUA, with a positive rate of 29.1%, and the prevalence was higher in men compared to women (31.8% vs. 13.9%). After adjusting for confounding factors, the restricted cubic spline model revealed a nonlinear dose-response relationship between years of shift work, daily shift work duration, and HUA: ① When the years of shift work exceeded 3.25 years, the risk of HUA in workers gradually increased with longer work duration. At 20 years of shift work, the risk increase showed a "saturation effect," meaning that the risk of HUA no longer increased with additional years of shift work. ② When daily shift work duration was below 10 h, the risk of HUA increased with the length of shift work, but after exceeding 10 h, the risk stabilized. After adjusting for confounding factors, the logistic regression model showed that, compared to non-shift workers, shift workers, those with 10-20 years and over 20 years of shift work experience, as well as those working less than 8 h and more than 8 h per day, had a higher risk of HUA, with odds ratios (OR) of 1.14 (95%CI: 1.06, 1.22), 2.42 (95%CI: 2.20, 2.67), 2.23 (95%CI: 2.00, 2.48), 1.41 (95%CI: 1.29, 1.54), and 1.90 (95%CI: 1.75, 2.06), respectively. Additionally, compared to individuals with normal obesity indices, those with overweight and obesity based on BMI, high and very high VAI and excessive WHtR had a higher risk of HUA, with ORs of 2.01 (95%CI: 1.85, 2.17), 3.51 (95%CI: 3.20, 3.84), 1.42 (95%CI: 1.32, 1.54), 2.10 (95%CI: 1.91, 2.30), and 1.82 (95%CI: 1.69, 1.97), respectively. The interaction analysis showed no interaction between shift work and obesity index (both P_s < 0.001). Conclusion Shift work, longer shift work years, and longer daily shift work hours increase the risk of HUA among coal miners. Additionally, the role of obesity in the development of HUA cannot be ignored.

This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 43 patients with large-volume renal calculi treated with flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy (FURL)at our hospital from August 2020 to August 2023. Among the patients, 26 were male and 17 were female; 22 had left-sided stones and 21 had right-sided stones. Thirty-three patients had preoperative placement of a double-J (D-J)stent, while 10 did not. The mean age was (42.7±11.1)years, the mean stone volume was (10.3±3.5)cm 3, and the mean operative time was (97.9±10.4)minutes. All procedures were completed using reusable flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy. Twenty-two patients received traditional methods of stone expulsion after FURL (control group), while 21 patients received a combination of traditional methods and extracorporeal physical vibration lithotripsy (EPVL) after FURL (experimental group). The experimental group showed a significantly higher stone-free rate at one month (85.7% vs. 54.5%)and a lower reoperation rate (4.8% vs. 31.8%)compared to the control group. The difference in reoperation rates between the experimental and control groups was statistically significant ( P< 0.05). These results suggest that the combination of reusable ureteroscopic lithotripsy and EPVL is a feasible treatment option for large-volume renal calculi.

BACKGROUND: The mechanisms distinguishing metabolically healthy from unhealthy phenotypes within the same BMI categories remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the associations between regional fat distribution and metabolically unhealthy phenotypes in Chinese adults across different BMI categories. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involving 11833 Chinese adults aged 20 years and older. Covariance analysis, adjusted for age, compared the percentage of regional fat (trunk, leg, or arm fat divided by whole-body fat) between metabolically healthy and unhealthy participants. Trends in regional fat percentage with the number of metabolic abnormalities were assessed by the Jonckheere-Terpstra test. Odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by logistic regression models. All analyses were performed separately by sex. RESULTS: In non-obese individuals, metabolically unhealthy participants exhibited higher percent trunk fat and lower percent leg fat compared to healthy participants. Additionally, percent trunk fat increased and percent leg fat decreased with the number of metabolic abnormalities. After adjustment for demographic and lifestyle factors, as well as BMI, higher percent trunk fat was associated with increased odds of being metabolically unhealthy [highest vs. lowest quartile: ORs (95%CI) of 1.64 (1.35, 2.00) for men and 2.00 (1.63, 2.46) for women]. Conversely, compared with the lowest quartile, the ORs (95%CI) of metabolically unhealthy phenotype in the highest quartile for percent arm and leg fat were 0.64 (0.53, 0.78) and 0.60 (0.49, 0.74) for men, and 0.72 (0.56, 0.93) and 0.46 (0.36, 0.59) for women, respectively. Significant interactions between BMI and percentage of trunk and leg fat were observed in both sexes, with stronger associations found in individuals with normal weight and overweight. CONCLUSIONS Trunk fat is associated with a higher risk of metabolically unhealthy phenotype, while leg and arm fat are protective factors. Regional fat distribution assessments are crucial for identifying metabolically unhealthy phenotypes, particularly in non-obese individuals.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; Adipose Tissue ; Body Fat Distribution ; Body Mass Index ; China/epidemiology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Health Surveys ; Phenotype

As space stations steadily progress into the application and development stage,astronauts will be regularly rotated for space missions,and the impact of the space environment on human health will become an important research topic.Under microgravity,astronauts lose 1%～2%bone mass per month.Astronauts'health phenotype,as well as animal experiments conducted in space,have shown that microgravity leads to significant loss of weight-bearing bone and reduction of ultimate loading in bones.Due to the limited conditions,it is not easy to conduct experiments in space,so various animal models have been used for simulated microgravity experiments to study the mechanisms of bone loss.This review summarizes many studies on osteoporosis under space microgravity and simulated microgravity on the ground,describing different types of bone loss and underlying molecular mechanisms caused by microgravity,as well as the similarities and differences of current conclusions.In addition,this review summarizes the effects of non-bone tissues such as muscles on bone loss under microgravity,and the current measures adopted in the space station to prevent osteoporosis.

Objective: To investigate the regulatory role of Porphyromonas gingivalis(Pg) infection on the EGFR/GSK3β signaling axis, and its impact on epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT) and cetuximab(Ctx) resistance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC). Methods: Single cell RNA sequencing was employed to perform differential analysis of cellular subpopulations, identifying differentially expressed genes in ESCC tissues infected and non-infected with Pg. IHC was conducted to assess the expression of Pg and epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) in ESCC tissues. Western blot, RT-PCR, and IF staining were performed to evaluate EGFR expression in Pg infected ESCC cell lines KYSE70 and TE1. ESCC cells were treated with Pg and EGFR inhibitor Ctx, and divided into four groups: control(NC) group, Pg group, Ctx group, Pg+Ctx group. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion abilities were evaluated using CCK-8, plate cloning, wound healing and Transwell assay. Western blot analysis was performed to detect the expression of EMT and EGFR/GSK3β signaling pathway-associated proteins and their phosphorylation levels. Transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1) was used to induce EMT in ESCC cells, promoting a transition from the epithelial phenotype to mesenchymal-like phenotype. The differential effects of Ctx on these two phenotypic states were subsequently compared. Results: Epithelial cells were predominantly enriched in Pg-positive tissues, and Pg infection promoted the upregulation of EGFR expression in ESCC cells. Compared to the NC group, Pg treatment significantly enhanced the proliferation, invasion and migration capabili-ties of ESCC cells, and also increased chemoresistance to Ctx and reduced its antitumor efficacy. Pg induced EMT in ESCC cellsviathe EGFR/GSK3β signaling pathway. Notably, Ctx exhibited markedly weaker inhibitory effects on mesenchymal-like cells compared to epithelial ESCC cells. Conclusion Pg promotes ESCC cells proliferation, invasion and migration by regulating EMT through the EGFR/GSK3β signaling pathway, and enhances chemoresistance to Ctx.

IgA vasculitis is a common childhood vasculitis disorder.Its primary clinical manifestation is cutaneous purpura,which is often accompanied by gastrointestinal and joint symptoms.Renal involvement can present as hematuria or proteinuria.This condition is recurrent and protracted,significantly affecting the health of children.The pathogenic factors in pediatric IgA vasculitis are diverse."Wind-toxin damaging collaterals"is presented as the core pathogenesis based on clinical practice and theoretical exploration.This concept essentially entails the latent attack of wind-toxin,collateral damage leading to blood extravasation,and healthy qi deficiency and lingering toxins,with the disease primarily located in the collateral vessels.The disease course is divided into three stages:acute,lingering,and recovery.Clinical practice should adhere to the pathogenesis principles and apply stage-based pattern differentiation and treatment.The acute stage involves wind-toxin attacking collaterals with dampness-heat accumulation.Treatment focuses on dispersing wind,clearing heat,and eliminating dampness to expel wind-toxin from the muscular exterior.The self-prescribed Qufeng Xiaodian Formula is a frequently selected modified formula.The lingering stage features latent wind-toxin in the collaterals and congealed accumulations in the kidney collaterals.Treatment aims to resolve wind-toxin,disperse stasis,and eliminate accumulation to remove densely accumulated wind-toxin.A modified Taohong Siwu Decoction is selected.The recovery stage involves deficient healthy qi with persistent wind assault and lingering toxins.Emphasis should be placed on cultivating the fundamental,strengthening the root,and nourishing yin,as well as supporting the healthy qi to dispel wind and expel toxins,while conditioning the body to prevent recurrence.A modified Guomin Decoction is selected.Clinical application emphasizes the combination of characteristic medicines,such as wind medicines to expel pathogens,insect medicines to identify collaterals,and vine medicines to unblock the meridians,to enhance the effects of identifying wind,resolving toxins,unblocking collaterals,and dispersing congealed accumulations.This study aims to systematically elaborate on the stage-based treatment strategy from the perspective of"wind-toxin damaging collaterals,"providing a theoretical basis and clinical practice reference for the traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment of pediatric IgA vasculitis.

IgA vasculitis is a common childhood vasculitis disorder.Its primary clinical manifestation is cutaneous purpura,which is often accompanied by gastrointestinal and joint symptoms.Renal involvement can present as hematuria or proteinuria.This condition is recurrent and protracted,significantly affecting the health of children.The pathogenic factors in pediatric IgA vasculitis are diverse."Wind-toxin damaging collaterals"is presented as the core pathogenesis based on clinical practice and theoretical exploration.This concept essentially entails the latent attack of wind-toxin,collateral damage leading to blood extravasation,and healthy qi deficiency and lingering toxins,with the disease primarily located in the collateral vessels.The disease course is divided into three stages:acute,lingering,and recovery.Clinical practice should adhere to the pathogenesis principles and apply stage-based pattern differentiation and treatment.The acute stage involves wind-toxin attacking collaterals with dampness-heat accumulation.Treatment focuses on dispersing wind,clearing heat,and eliminating dampness to expel wind-toxin from the muscular exterior.The self-prescribed Qufeng Xiaodian Formula is a frequently selected modified formula.The lingering stage features latent wind-toxin in the collaterals and congealed accumulations in the kidney collaterals.Treatment aims to resolve wind-toxin,disperse stasis,and eliminate accumulation to remove densely accumulated wind-toxin.A modified Taohong Siwu Decoction is selected.The recovery stage involves deficient healthy qi with persistent wind assault and lingering toxins.Emphasis should be placed on cultivating the fundamental,strengthening the root,and nourishing yin,as well as supporting the healthy qi to dispel wind and expel toxins,while conditioning the body to prevent recurrence.A modified Guomin Decoction is selected.Clinical application emphasizes the combination of characteristic medicines,such as wind medicines to expel pathogens,insect medicines to identify collaterals,and vine medicines to unblock the meridians,to enhance the effects of identifying wind,resolving toxins,unblocking collaterals,and dispersing congealed accumulations.This study aims to systematically elaborate on the stage-based treatment strategy from the perspective of"wind-toxin damaging collaterals,"providing a theoretical basis and clinical practice reference for the traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment of pediatric IgA vasculitis.

This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 43 patients with large-volume renal calculi treated with flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy (FURL)at our hospital from August 2020 to August 2023. Among the patients, 26 were male and 17 were female; 22 had left-sided stones and 21 had right-sided stones. Thirty-three patients had preoperative placement of a double-J (D-J)stent, while 10 did not. The mean age was (42.7±11.1)years, the mean stone volume was (10.3±3.5)cm 3, and the mean operative time was (97.9±10.4)minutes. All procedures were completed using reusable flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy. Twenty-two patients received traditional methods of stone expulsion after FURL (control group), while 21 patients received a combination of traditional methods and extracorporeal physical vibration lithotripsy (EPVL) after FURL (experimental group). The experimental group showed a significantly higher stone-free rate at one month (85.7% vs. 54.5%)and a lower reoperation rate (4.8% vs. 31.8%)compared to the control group. The difference in reoperation rates between the experimental and control groups was statistically significant ( P< 0.05). These results suggest that the combination of reusable ureteroscopic lithotripsy and EPVL is a feasible treatment option for large-volume renal calculi.

Objective:To explore the function and mechanism of transcription factor En1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).Methods:The correlations of En1 with prognosis were analyzed using the overall survival data of 9 397 pan-cancer patients and progression-free survival data of 4 349 pan-cancer patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The En1 expression data in 53 and 155 cases of ESCC and their paired adjacent tissues were from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and National Genomics Data Center-Genome Sequence Archive(NGDC-GSA)database. Lentivirus was used to generate En1 stable knockout cell lines KYSE180 and KYSE450. The proliferation ability of the cells was detected by cell counting kit 8 and clone formation assay. The migration ability of the cells was detected by Transwell assay. The effect of En1 on the proliferation of ESCC was detected by xenograft experiment in BALB/c-nu/nu mice. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expressions of En1, glioma-associated oncogene family zinc finger 1 (GLI1), glioma-associated oncogene family zinc finger 2 (GLI2) and smoothened (SMO).Results:Pan-cancer data from TCGA showed that patients with low En1 expression had longer overall survival and progression-free survival than patients with high En1 expression ( P< 0.001). Data from GEO and GSA databases also showed a high expression level of En1 in ESCC tissues compared with paired tissues ( P＜0.001). Proliferation was inhibited after knockout of En1 in KYSE180 and KYSE450 cells ( P＜0.001). The colony formation numbers decreased. The colony formation numbers of KYSE180 cells in the shEn1#1 group and the shEn1#2 group were 138.33±23.07 and 127.00±19.70, respectively, significantly lower than that of the shNC group 340.67±12.06 ( P<0.001). The colony formation numbers of KYSE450 cells in the shEn1#1 group and the shEn1#2 group were 65.33±2.52 and 9.00±3.00, respectively, significantly lower than that of the shNC group 139.00±13.00 ( P<0.001). The migration numbers was inhibited after knockout of En1 [the Transwell numbers of KYSE180 cells in the shEn1#1 group and the shEn1#2 group were 66.67±12.66 and 71.33±11.02, respectively, significantly lower than that of the shNC group 334.67±16.56 ( P<0.001). The Transwell numbers of KYSE450 cells in the shEn1#1 group and the shEn1#2 group were 112.33±14.57 and 54.33±5.51, respectively, significantly lower than that of the shNC group 253.33±21.03 ( P<0.001)]. Xenograft model showed a slower growth rate of shEn1#1 and shEn1#2 cell lines ( P＜0.001). The tumor weights of KYSE450 cells in the shEn1#1 group and the shEn1#2 group were (0.046±0.026)g and (0.047±0.025)g, respectively, significantly lower than that of the shNC group (0.130±0.038)g ( P＜0.001). After knockdown of En1, the relative expression levels of GLI1 in KYSE180 cells of the shEn1#1 group and the shEn1#2 group were 0.326±0.162 and 0.322±0.133, and the relative expression levels of GLI1 in KYSE450 cells of the shEn1#1 and shEn1#2 groups were 0.131±0.006 and 0.352±0.050, respectively, which were all lower than that in the shNC group ( P＜0.01). After knockdown of En1, overexpression of GLI1 attenuated the inhibitory effect of knockdown of En1 on cell proliferation ( P＜0.001), colony formation[the colony formation numbers of the shEn1#1-GLI1 group were 151.00±9.54, higher than 102.33±10.02 ( P=0.004) of the shEn1#1-vector group] and migration [the migration numbers of the shEn1#1-GLI1 group were 193.67±10.07, higher than 109.33±11.50 ( P<0.001) in the shEn1#1-vector group]. In clinical samples of ESCC, major regulatory factors of the Hedgehog pathway were up-regulated and the pathway was activated. Conclusion:En1 promotes the proliferation and migration of ESCC cells by regulating the Hedgehog pathway and can be used as a new potential target for targeted therapy of ESCC.

Objective:To explore the function and mechanism of transcription factor En1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).Methods:The correlations of En1 with prognosis were analyzed using the overall survival data of 9 397 pan-cancer patients and progression-free survival data of 4 349 pan-cancer patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The En1 expression data in 53 and 155 cases of ESCC and their paired adjacent tissues were from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and National Genomics Data Center-Genome Sequence Archive(NGDC-GSA)database. Lentivirus was used to generate En1 stable knockout cell lines KYSE180 and KYSE450. The proliferation ability of the cells was detected by cell counting kit 8 and clone formation assay. The migration ability of the cells was detected by Transwell assay. The effect of En1 on the proliferation of ESCC was detected by xenograft experiment in BALB/c-nu/nu mice. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expressions of En1, glioma-associated oncogene family zinc finger 1 (GLI1), glioma-associated oncogene family zinc finger 2 (GLI2) and smoothened (SMO).Results:Pan-cancer data from TCGA showed that patients with low En1 expression had longer overall survival and progression-free survival than patients with high En1 expression ( P< 0.001). Data from GEO and GSA databases also showed a high expression level of En1 in ESCC tissues compared with paired tissues ( P＜0.001). Proliferation was inhibited after knockout of En1 in KYSE180 and KYSE450 cells ( P＜0.001). The colony formation numbers decreased. The colony formation numbers of KYSE180 cells in the shEn1#1 group and the shEn1#2 group were 138.33±23.07 and 127.00±19.70, respectively, significantly lower than that of the shNC group 340.67±12.06 ( P<0.001). The colony formation numbers of KYSE450 cells in the shEn1#1 group and the shEn1#2 group were 65.33±2.52 and 9.00±3.00, respectively, significantly lower than that of the shNC group 139.00±13.00 ( P<0.001). The migration numbers was inhibited after knockout of En1 [the Transwell numbers of KYSE180 cells in the shEn1#1 group and the shEn1#2 group were 66.67±12.66 and 71.33±11.02, respectively, significantly lower than that of the shNC group 334.67±16.56 ( P<0.001). The Transwell numbers of KYSE450 cells in the shEn1#1 group and the shEn1#2 group were 112.33±14.57 and 54.33±5.51, respectively, significantly lower than that of the shNC group 253.33±21.03 ( P<0.001)]. Xenograft model showed a slower growth rate of shEn1#1 and shEn1#2 cell lines ( P＜0.001). The tumor weights of KYSE450 cells in the shEn1#1 group and the shEn1#2 group were (0.046±0.026)g and (0.047±0.025)g, respectively, significantly lower than that of the shNC group (0.130±0.038)g ( P＜0.001). After knockdown of En1, the relative expression levels of GLI1 in KYSE180 cells of the shEn1#1 group and the shEn1#2 group were 0.326±0.162 and 0.322±0.133, and the relative expression levels of GLI1 in KYSE450 cells of the shEn1#1 and shEn1#2 groups were 0.131±0.006 and 0.352±0.050, respectively, which were all lower than that in the shNC group ( P＜0.01). After knockdown of En1, overexpression of GLI1 attenuated the inhibitory effect of knockdown of En1 on cell proliferation ( P＜0.001), colony formation[the colony formation numbers of the shEn1#1-GLI1 group were 151.00±9.54, higher than 102.33±10.02 ( P=0.004) of the shEn1#1-vector group] and migration [the migration numbers of the shEn1#1-GLI1 group were 193.67±10.07, higher than 109.33±11.50 ( P<0.001) in the shEn1#1-vector group]. In clinical samples of ESCC, major regulatory factors of the Hedgehog pathway were up-regulated and the pathway was activated. Conclusion:En1 promotes the proliferation and migration of ESCC cells by regulating the Hedgehog pathway and can be used as a new potential target for targeted therapy of ESCC.