Aim To study the mechanism of action of licorice in alleviating cisplatin liver injury.Methods Forty-eight SD rats were randomly divided into a blank group,a model group,a positive control group and lico-rice administration groups(450,900 and 1 800 mg·kg-1).After 5 days of prophylactic administration,8 mg·kg-1 of cisplatin was injected intraperitoneally in-to the model,positive control,and licorice administra-tion groups to establish an acute liver injury model.LC-MS/MS untargeted metabolomics was used to ana-lyze the differential metabolites and metabolic pathways of licorice to alleviate cisplatin acute liver injury.Re-sults PLS-DA score plots showed significant separa-tion of metabolomics samples.The analysis yielded 119 differential metabolites associated with cisplatin liver injury,of which 31 differential metabolites were signifi-cantly regressed after licorice intervention and were mainly involved in D-arginine and D-ornithine metabo-lism;parathyroid hormone synthesis,secretion,and ac-tion;tyrosine metabolism;biosynthesis of phenylala-nine,tyrosine,and tryptophan;β-alanine metabolism;and amino acid and nucleotide sugar metabolism.Con-clusions Metabolomics analysis indicates that licorice can alter the metabolic profile of cisplatin-induced he-patic injury rats,and its mechanism of action may be related to its improvement of the levels of differential metabolites and its involvement in the regulation of a-mino acid metabolism and other related pathways.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the underlying mechanism of inhibition by Jinkui Shenqi Pills (JKSQP) on glucocorticoid-enhanced axial length elongation in experimental lens-induced myopia (LIM) guinea pigs. METHODS: Sixty 2-week old male guinea pigs were randomly divided into 4 groups with 15 guinea pigs in each group, according to the random numbers generated by SPSS software: control, LIM, saline and JKSQP groups. The control group includes animals with no treatment, while the guinea pigs in the other 3 groups received lens-induced myopization on the right eyes throughout the experiment (for 8 weeks). The saline and JKSQP groups were given daily intraperitoneal injections of 10 mg/kg hydrocortisone for 2 consecutive weeks at the same time, and then orally administered either saline or JKSQP [13.5 g/(kg•d) for 6 consecutive weeks. Body weight, anal temperature and animal appearance were observed and recorded to evaluate the GC-associated symptoms. The ocular parameters, including refraction and axial length, were measured by streak retinoscopy and A-scan ultrasonography, respectively. The levels of plasma hormones associated with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA), including free triiodothyronine, free thyroxine, estradiol and testosterone, were measured by radioimmunoassay, and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In addition, the mRNA and protein expressions of retinal amphiregulin (AREG) was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting, respectively. RESULTS: JKSQP effectively increased body weight and anal temperature, improved animal appearance and suppressed axial length elongation in glucocorticoid-enhanced myopic guinea pigs with normalization of 4 HPAA-associated plasma hormones (all P<0.05). The plasma level of cAMP was significantly increased, whereas the plasma level of cGMP and the mRNA and protein expressions of retinal AREG were decreased after treatment with JKSQP (all P<0.05). CONCLUSION JKSQP exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on axial length elongation with decreased expression of AREG in the retina, and normalized 4 HPAA-associated plasma hormones and the expression of cAMP and cGMP in GC-enhanced myopic guinea pigs.
Guinea Pigs ; Male ; Animals ; Glucocorticoids ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System ; Pituitary-Adrenal System ; Myopia/metabolism* ; Body Weight ; RNA, Messenger ; Disease Models, Animal

Objective:To evaluate the relationship between preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and postoperative delirium (POD) in the patients.Methods:Six hundred and twenty-five patients, aged ≥60 yr, of American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification Ⅰ-Ⅱ, scheduled for elective total knee and hip arthroplasty under combined spinal-epidural anesthesia, were included. Peripheral blood samples were collected before surgery, and serum creatinine levels were measured by the sarcosine oxidase method, and eGFR was calculated using the MDRD equation. After successful spinal-epidural puncture, cerebrospinal fluid 2 ml was collected for determination of β-amyloid 42 (Aβ42), total tau protein (T-tau) and phosphorylated tau protein (P-tau) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The patients were divided into POD group and non-POD group (NPOD group) according to the occurrence of POD. The logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for POD, and the mediating effect of CSF biomarkers was analyzed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to evaluate the accuracy of eGFR and biomarkers in predicting POD.Results:A total of 514 patients were finally enrolled in this study, and the incidence of POD was 16.7%. The logistic regression analysis showed that decreased eGFR and increased levels of P-tau and T-tau in CSF were risk factors for POD, while increased CSF Aβ42 level, Aβ42/P-tau ratio and Aβ42/T-tau ratio were protective factors for POD after adjusting for multiple confounding variables ( P<0.05). Analysis of mediating effet: The direct effect of eGFR on POD was -0.0 005 267, the total effect was 0.0 046 446, T-tau had a partly mediating role and the mediating effect accounted for 11.3% of the total effect. The area under the ROC curve of eGFR and CSF biomarker in predicting POD was 0.812( P<0.001). Conclusions:Preoperative decrease in eGFR is a risk factor for POD, and T-tau in CSF serves as a key mediator in the relationship between eGFR and POD.

Probe electrospray ionization (PESI) is one of the typical types of ambient ionization technology, but its application in quantitative analysis is limited due to its poor sampling stability. Previously, we developed a new micro-pen electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (μPen-ESI-MS/MS) method based on PESI. In this study, a μPen-ESI-MS/MS method to measure testosterone and dextromethorphan in liver microsome samples was developed and validated to further applicate in evaluating drug metabolism stability and CYP450 enzyme activity. A μPen-ESI-MS/MS method for detecting the CYP3A4 substrate testosterone and CYP2D6 substrate dextromethorphan in the liver microsome incubation system were developed, and the linearity, precision and accuracy of the method was validated. The validated method was further used to detect the metabolic stability of testosterone in the liver microsome incubation system. The results showed that the μPen-ESI-MS/MS had high efficiency with 0.3 min spraying time of each sample. The standard curve of the testosterone and dextromethorphan has good linearity (R² > 0.99), the intra- and inter-batch accuracy of testosterone and dextromethorphan was 95.9%-109.3% and 90.5%-107.3%, respectively; the intra- and inter-batch precision was acceptable with RSD values of 2.4%-13.5% and 3.4%-12.1%. The half-lives of testosterone and dextromethorphan in the liver microsome incubation system were 12 min and 14 min, respectively. This study provided a rapid and sensitive μPen-ESI-MS/MS method for the assay of testosterone and dextromethorphan in liver microsome samples, and provided a new strategy for the evaluation of drug metabolism stability and CYP3A4/CYP2D6 activity.

Objective: To analyze the situation and influencing factors of school meals leftover among primary and secondary school students in the area of the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students, improve the quality of school meals, develop healthy dietary behavior, and reduce food waste. Methods: In 2019, among the 50 monitoring counties that implemented the Compulsory Education Student Nutrition Improvement Program, two primary schools and two junior schools were randomly selected according to different food supply patterns.This study randomly selected one or two classes from grade 3 to grade 9. Basic information and school meals of 26 778 students were collected by using a student questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of leftovers rate. Results: 54.93% (14 709) of students wasted school meals, in which the highest rate was the staple food, with the main reason as "not in favor". 11.87% (1 743) of the students wasted school meals 6-7 days a week, with 54.20% (7 957) of students wasted but in less amount. The leftover rate of staple food was the highest (29.78%), followed by vegetables and meat. The main reason of leftovers was that they didn't like this kind of food (33.52%). The rate of school meal waste was higher for girls (OR=1.19,95%CI:1.13-1.25), junior high school students (OR=1.17, 95%CI: 1.11-1.25), resident students (OR=1.06, 95%CI: 1.00-1.12), lower economic level (OR=1.06, 95%CI: 1.00-1.12), parents working outside their houses (OR=1.22, 95%CI: 1.13-1.30), health education classes (OR=1.70, 95%CI: 1.40-2.06), company-based meals (OR=1.89, 95%CI: 1.71-2.07) and school meals were not as good as home food(OR=1.89, 95%CI: 1.78-2.00)(P<0.05). Conclusions: It is common for poor rural primary and middle school students in central and western China to waste school meals, and the reasons were affected by many factors. Reducing food waste requires the joint efforts of individuals, families, schools and society.
Female ; Food Services ; Humans ; Meals ; Refuse Disposal ; Schools ; Students

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence of extrauterine growth retardation (EUGR) and its risk factors in very preterm infants (VPIs) during hospitalization in China. METHODS: A prospective multicenter study was performed on the medical data of 2 514 VPIs who were hospitalized in the department of neonatology in 28 hospitals from 7 areas of China between September 2019 and December 2020. According to the presence or absence of EUGR based on the evaluation of body weight at the corrected gestational age of 36 weeks or at discharge, the VPIs were classified to two groups: EUGR group (n=1 189) and non-EUGR (n=1 325). The clinical features were compared between the two groups, and the incidence of EUGR and risk factors for EUGR were examined. RESULTS: The incidence of EUGR was 47.30% (1 189/2 514) evaluated by weight. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher weight growth velocity after regaining birth weight and higher cumulative calorie intake during the first week of hospitalization were protective factors against EUGR (P<0.05), while small-for-gestational-age birth, prolonged time to the initiation of total enteral feeding, prolonged cumulative fasting time, lower breast milk intake before starting human milk fortifiers, prolonged time to the initiation of full fortified feeding, and moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia were risk factors for EUGR (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS It is crucial to reduce the incidence of EUGR by achieving total enteral feeding as early as possible, strengthening breastfeeding, increasing calorie intake in the first week after birth, improving the velocity of weight gain, and preventing moderate-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia in VPIs.
Female ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Gestational Age ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors

Objective To investigate the role of complement in radiation-induced lung injury in mice after chest irradiation with ⁶⁰Co γ-rays at a single dose of 20 Gy. Methods C57BL/6 mice underwent chest irradiation with ⁶⁰Co γ-rays at a single dose of 20 Gy, followed by observation for the inflammatory reaction of the lung tissue in the early stage (within 15 d) and pulmonary fibrosis in the later stage (30 and 180 d). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the levels of C2, C3a, C4, and C5b-9 in the lung tissues at 1, 3, 7, 15, 30, and 180 d after irradiation. The expression of complement mRNA in BEAS-2B cells after irradiation was determined using RT-PCR. Results Radiation-induced lung injury in micepresented as inflammatory response in the early stage and fibrosis in the late stage. Complement C2, C4, and C5b-9 complexes were increased in the early period (3 or 7 d) after irradiation (P < 0.05), which might be associated with the inflammatory response induced by irradiation. During 3 to 180 d, complement C3a was significantly higher in the irradiated mice than in the control mice, suggesting a close relationship between C3a and radiation-induced lung injury. The irradiated cells showed increased mRNA expression of C2 and C3, with no changes in the mRNA levels of C4 and C5. Conclusion Different complement proteins have varying responses to radiation-induced lung injury, among which C3a is closely related to radiation-induced lung injury, suggesting that regulating C3a and its receptors may be a new way to prevent and treat radiation-induced lung injury.

Objective: To analyze the daily drinking behavior and related factors of primary and middle school students in the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students (NIPRCES) pilot regions. Methods: Multi-stage stratified random cluster sampling method was used to select one to three national pilot counties in 22 provinces in central and western China where the NIPRCES was implemented in 2019. According to different feeding patterns, two primary schools and two middle schools were selected as key monitoring schools. One or two classes were selected from grade 3 to grade 9. The student questionnaire was used to collect the basic information and daily drinking behavior. Taking whether the drinking water ≥5 cups every day as the dependent variable, multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the related factors of drinking behavior among students. Results: A total of 27 374 students were included. On average, primary and middle school students in the regions where NIPRCES was implemented had 3.9 cups of water every day. Logistic regression model showed that boys (OR=1.230, P<0.001), primary school students (OR=1.379, P<0.001), father worked outside the home (OR=1.169, P<0.001), both parents worked outside the home (OR=1.228, P<0.001), non-resident students (OR=1.142, P<0.001), the school in the village (OR=1.638, P<0.001) or township (OR=1.358, P<0.001), school feeding (OR=1.252, P<0.001), the school building with flush toilets (OR=1.384, P<0.001) and the central regions (OR=1.300, P<0.001) students were more likely to drink ≥5 cups water every day. Conclusion: The water consumption of primary and middle school students in the pilot regions of NIPRCES is low, and their drinking behaviors are affected by many factors.
Male ; Humans ; Health Behavior ; China ; Drinking Behavior ; Students ; Drinking Water ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Objective: To evaluate snack consumption and the influencing factors associated with student participation in the Nutrition Improvement Program, and to provide a scientific basis for improving the program. Methods: Among the 50 monitoring counties that implemented the Compulsory Education Student Nutrition Improvement Program, two primary schools and two junior schools were randomly selected according to different food supply patterns (i.e., school, company, and mix). This study randomly selected one or two classes from each grade, which ranged from grade 3 to grade 9. A questionnaire, which addressed snack consumption and choice, was distributed to 27 374 students. Results: The findings revealed that 14.0% of students from poor rural areas in central and western regions consumed snacks two or more times per day, and 21.6% of students spent 3 yuan or more on snacks each day. The top three choices of snacks included fruit and vegetables (50.6%), biscuits and bread (50.1%), and puffed food (40.0%). Students who had mothers who worked outside the home, parents who worked outside the home, who consumed corporate meals, and who had access to a small shop on campus were more likely to consume snacks one or more times per day(OR=1.35，1.19，1.11，1.51，P<0.05). Conclusion The phenomenon of snack consumption among primary and middle school students from poor rural areas in central and western regions is common, and the selection of unhealthy snacks was identified as a problem. A health education system with comprehensive support and guidance from individuals, families, schools, and society should be established to guide students to opt for healthier snacks.

Objective: To explore the intervention effect of multiple nutritional health guidelines for school-aged children on the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of primary school students in Chengdu. Methods: A primary school in Chengdu, which had a school canteen, was selected as the intervention school, and another similar primary school was selected as the control school. Students from the intervention school received nutritional education for six months, while the control school did not provide such intervention measures. A total of 589 students from grades 3 to 5 were selected to participate in the questionnaire survey(eligible 558, missing 31). Results: Before the intervention, no significant difference was found in the rate of awareness regarding nutritional knowledge, including dietary attitudes and dietary behavior. After the intervention, the rate of awareness of nutritional knowledge and the overall awareness rate reached more than 80% in the intervention group, which was significantly higher than that observed in the control group(P<0.05). The intervention group consumed less than one type of breakfast food(26.6%), which was less than the control group(49.4%). The frequency of weekly egg and milk consumption was higher in the experimental group than in the control group. The proportion of students who consumed three or more types of vegetables daily was higher in the intervention group than in the control group. The proportion of leftovers was lower in the intervention group (15.8%) than in the control group(57.9%). Conclusion The comprehensive nutritional education based on a variety of nutritional health guidelines for school-age children can enhance students awareness of nutritional knowledge and healthier dietary behaviors.