Fibrosis, the pathological scarring of vital organs, is a severe and often irreversible condition that leads to progressive organ dysfunction. It is particularly pronounced in organs like the liver, kidneys, lungs, and heart. Despite its clinical significance, the full understanding of its etiology and complex pathogenesis remains incomplete, posing substantial challenges to diagnosing, treating, and preventing the progression of fibrosis. Among the various molecular players involved, platelet-derived growth factor-C (PDGF-C) has emerged as a crucial factor in fibrotic diseases, contributing to the pathological transformation of tissues in several key organs. PDGF-C is a member of the PDGFs family of growth factors and is synthesized and secreted by various cell types, including fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells, and endothelial cells. It acts through both autocrine and paracrine mechanisms, exerting its biological effects by binding to and activating the PDGF receptors (PDGFRs), specifically PDGFRα and PDGFRβ. This binding triggers multiple intracellular signaling pathways, such as JAK/STAT, PI3K/AKT and Ras-MAPK pathways. which are integral to the regulation of cell proliferation, survival, migration, and fibrosis. Notably, PDGF-C has been shown to promote the proliferation and migration of fibroblasts, key effector cells in the fibrotic process, thus accelerating the accumulation of extracellular matrix components and the formation of fibrotic tissue. Numerous studies have documented an upregulation of PDGF-C expression in various fibrotic diseases, suggesting its significant role in the initiation and progression of fibrosis. For instance, in liver fibrosis, PDGF-C stimulates hepatic stellate cell activation, contributing to the excessive deposition of collagen and other extracellular matrix proteins. Similarly, in pulmonary fibrosis, PDGF-C enhances the migration of fibroblasts into the damaged areas of lungs, thereby worsening the pathological process. Such findings highlight the pivotal role of PDGF-C in fibrotic diseases and underscore its potential as a therapeutic target for these conditions. Given its central role in the pathogenesis of fibrosis, PDGF-C has become an attractive target for therapeutic intervention. Several studies have focused on developing inhibitors that block the PDGF-C/PDGFR signaling pathway. These inhibitors aim to reduce fibroblast activation, prevent the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix components, and halt the progression of fibrosis. Preclinical studies have demonstrated the efficacy of such inhibitors in animal models of liver, kidney, and lung fibrosis, with promising results in reducing fibrotic lesions and improving organ function. Furthermore, several clinical inhibitors, such as Olaratumab and Seralutinib, are ongoing to assess the safety and efficacy of these inhibitors in human patients, offering hope for novel therapeutic options in the treatment of fibrotic diseases. In conclusion, PDGF-C plays a critical role in the development and progression of fibrosis in vital organs. Its ability to regulate fibroblast activity and influence key signaling pathways makes it a promising target for therapeutic strategies aiming at combating fibrosis. Ongoing research into the regulation of PDGF-C expression and the development of PDGF-C/PDGFR inhibitors holds the potential to offer new insights and approaches for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of fibrotic diseases. Ultimately, these efforts may lead to the development of more effective and targeted therapies that can mitigate the impact of fibrosis and improve patient outcomes.

Objective To make an epidemiological investigation on traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)dampness syndrome manifestations in the population at risk of cerebrovascular diseases in Guangdong area.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted to analyze the clinical data related to the risk of cerebrovascular diseases in 330 Guangdong permanent residents.The diagnosis of dampness syndrome,quantitative scoring of dampness syndrome and rating of the risk of stroke were performed for the investigation of the distribution pattern of dampness syndrome and its influencing factors.Results(1)A total of 306(92.73%)study subjects were diagnosed as dampness syndrome.The percentage of dampness syndrome in the risk group was 93.82%(258/275),which was slightly higher than that of the healthy group(48/55,87.27%),but the difference was not statistically significant(χ2 = 2.91,P = 0.112).The quantitative score of dampness syndrome in the risk group was higher than that of the healthy group,and the difference was statistically significance(Z =-2.24,P = 0.025).(2)Among the study subjects at risk of cerebrovascular disease,evaluation time(χ2 = 26.11,P = 0.001),stroke risk grading(χ2= 8.85,P = 0.031),and history of stroke or transient ischemic attack(TIA)(χ2 = 9.28,P = 0.015)were the factors influencing the grading of dampness syndrome in the population at risk of cerebrovascular disease.Conclusion Dampness syndrome is the common TCM syndrome in the population of Guangdong area.The manifestations of dampness syndrome are more obvious in the population with risk factors of cerebrovascular disease,especially in the population at high risk of stroke,and in the population with a history of stroke or TIA.The assessment and intervention of dampness syndrome should be taken into account for future project of stroke prevention in Guangdong.

Objective To explore the severity of loneliness among the elderly in communities in Shanghai,and to identify factors associated with social and emotional loneliness respectively.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in older adults aged 65 years or above in Pudong New Area,Jing'an District and Huangpu District in Shanghai from Mar to Jun 2021.In Pudong New Area,multi-stage stratified random sampling was conducted based on the age and gender distribution of Shanghai,while in Huangpu District and Jing'an District convenience sampling was conducted.A total of 635 samples were included in the study.Loneliness was assessed using the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale with social and emotional loneliness subscales.Logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with social and emotional loneliness.Results Among the 635 participants,only 53 older adults(8.4%)were not lonely.Female(OR=0.46,95%CI:0.31-0.70),higher self-efficacy(OR=0.97,95%CI:0.94-1.00),more objective social support(OR=0.96,95%CI:0.93-0.99)were associated with less severe social loneliness.Meanwhile,higher level of education(secondary education,OR=0.56,95%CI:0.34-0.95;college or above,OR=0.30,95%CI:0.11-0.83)and higher self-efficacy(OR=0.96,95%CI:0.93-0.99)were associated with less severe emotional loneliness,while depression(OR=3.41,95%CI:1.76-6.60)and worse social capital(OR=2.02,95%CI:1.29-3.16)were associated with more severe emotional loneliness.Conclusion Up to 91.6%of the elderly in our study sample were moderately lonely or above.The factors associated with social loneliness include self-efficacy,gender and social support.The factors associated with emotional loneliness are self-efficacy,education level,depression,and social capital.

Objective To investigate the biological basis of disease and syndrome by studying the spectrum of myocardial tissue metabolites in the rat model of coronary heart disease with heart blood stasis syndrome.Methods SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group and model group.The left anterior descending coronary artery was ligated to prepare the rat model of coronary heart disease with heart blood stasis syndrome.The general condition was observed,and the tongue chromaticity,electrocardiogram,cardiac function were detected.HE staining and transmission electron microscopy were used to observe myocardial tissue morphology and ultrastructure.UPLC-MS technology was used to investigate the differential metabolites in rat myocardial tissue,and enrichment analysis was conducted on metabolic pathways.Results Compared with the sham-operation group,the tongue chromaticity R,G,B values of model group rats were significantly reduced(P<0.05),ECG heart rate and ST segment elevation amplitude significantly increased(P<0.05),LVEF and LVFS significantly decreased,and LVIDs and LVIDd significantly increased(P<0.05).Myocardial tissue pathology revealed that the structure was blurred,inflammatory cells infiltrated,mitochondria swelled,ruptured,and dissolved,and crista structure fracture decreased.A total of 29 potential biomarkers with significant differences between the sham-operation group and the model group were identified in metabolomics(7 upregulated and 22 downregulated),with the majority of 10 pathways enriched in thiamine metabolism,arginine biosynthesis,purine metabolism,aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis,alanine,aspartate and glutamate metabolism,pentose and glucuronate interconversions,glycolysis/gluconeogenesis,valine,leucine and isoleucine degradation,TCA cycle,pyruvate metabolism.Conclusion Ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery can mimic the pathological process of coronary heart disease with blood stasis syndrome in a good way,and its pathological mechanism involves the disruption of multi-level metabolic networks such as glucose metabolism,mitochondrial energy metabolism,amino acid metabolism,protein biosynthesis,and purine metabolism.

BackgroundWomen may develop severe symptoms of stress disorder following childbirth， which may be exposed to a risk of developing mental health problems， and even lead to the recurrence of the illness in female patients with schizophrenia， while comparatively limited research has been undertaken concerning the clinical characteristics and treatment of puerperal schizophrenia in China. ObjectiveTo explore the clinical characteristics of puerperal schizophrenia， so as to provide references for the clinical treatment. MethodsA total of 24 patients with puerperal schizophrenia who were hospitalized in the female ward of adult psychiatry department of the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from 2012 to 2020 and met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders， fourth edition （DSM-IV） diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia were included as puerperal group. Another 48 non-puerperal women with schizophrenia were concurrently enrolled as control group. Then the basic data， scores on Positive and Negative Symptom Scale （PANSS） and the discharge medication were recorded. ResultsThe percentages of newly onset and positive family history of psychosis in puerperal group were larger than those in control group， with statistical significance （χ²=9.321， 5.240， P<0.05 or 0.01）. Puerperal group scored higher on PANSS excitement factor （t=-2.220， P<0.05） and lower on negative factor （t=3.377， P<0.01） compared with control group. In terms of discharge medication， puerperal group reported a higher dosage of antipsychotic drugs （t=-2.095， P<0.05）， and a larger proportion of combined use of benzodiazepines or antidepressants （χ²=21.316， 5.114， P<0.05 or 0.01） compared with control group， with statistical significance. ConclusionPatients with puerperal schizophrenia display increased ratings of excitement symptoms and decreased ratings of negative symptoms， which necessitates the use of high doses of antipsychotic drugs， and combined use of benzodiazepines and antidepressants.

In the case of cardiac dysfunction， energy metabolism changes and the metabolism of myocardial substrates is reconstructed， as manifested by variation in the selection and utilization of energy substrates such as fatty acids and glucose. Persistent metabolic disorders of substrates will decrease energy supply， thus resulting in the occurrence and development of heart failure. Metabolic remodeling of substrate is resulted from the decline of visceral function and the accumulation of pathological products. Deficient Qi stagnation is the core pathogenesis. Deficient Qi （heart Qi deficiency， insufficient energy） is the root cause， which exists in the whole disease course. Stagnation （phlegm， blood stasis， fluid， lipid toxic products， lactic acid， etc.） is the symptom， which evidences the aggravation of the disease. Deficient Qi and stagnation are intertwined and causal， which form a spiral vicious circle. The typical syndrome is excess resulted from deficiency and deficiency-excess in complexity. The treatment principle is reinforcing healthy Qi and tonifying deficiency， dredging and removing pathogen. At the early stage， the method of reinforcing healthy Qi and tonifying deficiency （benefiting Qi） should be used， and the method of dredging and removing pathogen （activating blood） can be applied according to the conditions of patients. At the middle and late stages， both reinforcing healthy Qi and tonifying deficiency （benefiting Qi and warming Yang） and dredging and removing pathogen （activating blood， resolving stasis， and excreting water） should be emphasized. Chinese medicine can be applied according to the pathogenesis， thereby promoting the utilization of fatty acids， glucose， and other substrates and reducing the accumulation of toxic products derived from metabolic remodeling of substrate. Thus， both the root cause and symptoms can be alleviated， further improving cardiac energy metabolism and heart function.

Nowadays potential preclinical drugs for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) have failed to achieve expected therapeutic efficacy because the pathogenic mechanisms are underestimated. Inactive rhomboid protein 2 (IRHOM2), a promising target for treatment of inflammation-related diseases, contributes to deregulated hepatocyte metabolism-associated nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) progression. However, the molecular mechanism underlying Irhom2 regulation is still not completely understood. In this work, we identify the ubiquitin-specific protease 13 (USP13) as a critical and novel endogenous blocker of IRHOM2, and we also indicate that USP13 is an IRHOM2-interacting protein that catalyzes deubiquitination of Irhom2 in hepatocytes. Hepatocyte-specific loss of the Usp13 disrupts liver metabolic homeostasis, followed by glycometabolic disorder, lipid deposition, increased inflammation, and markedly promotes NASH development. Conversely, transgenic mice with Usp13 overexpression, lentivirus (LV)- or adeno-associated virus (AAV)-driven Usp13 gene therapeutics mitigates NASH in 3 models of rodent. Mechanistically, in response to metabolic stresses, USP13 directly interacts with IRHOM2 and removes its K63-linked ubiquitination induced by ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2N (UBC13), a ubiquitin E2 conjugating enzyme, and thus prevents its activation of downstream cascade pathway. USP13 is a potential treatment target for NASH therapy by targeting the Irhom2 signaling pathway.

The latest epidemiological data suggests that the situation of adult diabetes in China is severe, and metabolic diseases have become significant chronic illnesses that have a serious impact on public health and social development. After more than six years of practice, the National Metabolic Management Center(MMC) has developed distinctive approaches to manage metabolic patients and has achieved a series of positive outcomes, continuously advancing the standardized diagnosis and treatment model. In order to further improve the efficiency, based on the first edition, the second edition guideline was composed by incorporating experience of the past six years in conjunction with the latest international and domestic guidelines.

Objective To investigate the expression of Member RAS Oncogene Family(RAB10)in pancreatic cancer(PAAD)and its effects on the proliferation,migration,invasion and apoptosis of SW1990 cells(human pancreatic cancer cells).Methods The expression of RAB1 0 mRNA in PAAD tissues wasanalyzed by the cancer gene database GEPIA(Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis)and TCGA(The Cancer Genome Atlas).Cox regression analysis was used to detect relationship between RAB10 mRNA expression and the prognosis of pan-creatic cancer patients.We targeted small interfering RNA(R4B10-siRNA)targeting RAB10 as the silence group,and constructed an overexpression plasmid(RAB10-OE)for overexpression of RAB10 as the overexpression group.The effects of silencing and overexpressionweredetected by Q-PCR;protein expression levelsweredetected by West-ern blot.EdUcellproliferation test,wound healing test,Transwelltestand flow cytometry test were used to determine the effects of RAB10 on the proliferation,migration,invasion and apoptosis of SW1990 pancreatic cancer cells.Re-sults RAB10 mRNA expression in PAAD tissues was higher than that innormal pancreatic tissues(P＜0.05).The results of EdUcellproliferation testshowed that the proliferation rate of SW1990 cells in the RAB10-OE group was higher thanthat in the control group,and the proliferation rate of SW1990 cells in the RAB10-siRNA group was lower than that inthe control group(P＜0.05).The results of the Transwell test and wound healing test showed that the invasion rate and mobility rate of RAB10-OE group were higher thanthose of the control group,and the mobility and invasion rate of RAB10-siRNA group were lower than those of the control group(P＜0.05).The re-sults of flow cytometry test showed that the apoptosis rate was lower in the RAB10-OE group than the control group,and the apoptosis rate in the RAB10-siRNA group was higher than the control group(P＜0.05).The median sur-vival time of RAB10 high expression group was significantly lower than that of RAB10 low expression group(P＜0.05).Cox regression analysis showed that clinical grade,T stage,M stage and RAB10 mRNA expression were re-lated to survival and prognosis of pancreatic cancerpatients(P＜0.05).Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the expression level of RAB10 mRNA was the independent risk factor affecting the prognosis of pancre-atic cancer patients(P＜0.05).Conclusion RAB10 is highly expressed in PAAD tissues and RAB10 can pro-mote the proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells,accelerate the ability to invade and migrate,and inhibit the apop-tosis of pancreatic cancer cells.RAB10 is an independent risk factor for survival prognosis in patients with pancreat-ic cancer.

Objective To investigate the food preferences and explore the potential association between dietary knowledge and food preferences in residents aged 18 and over in China,so as to provide a basis for promoting healthy diets.Methods The latent class analysis was carried out with the 2015 cross-sectional data of China health and nutrition survey to categorize the food preferences among 8 783 residents aged 18 and over.Multinomial Logistic regression was adopted to assess the association between and dietary knowledge and food preferences.Results The food preferences of the residents aged 18 and over in China were classified into preference for less vegetable(3.28%),lack of preference(11.20%),diverse preferences(4.19%),and preference for healthy diets(81.33%).The proportion of the adults with dietary knowledge was 36.87%(3 238/8 783).The dietary knowledge varied in the adults with different food preferences(all P<0.001).After adjusting for gender,age,urban and rural distribution,education background,and annual household income,for each point increase in the dietary knowledge score,there was an estimated reduction of 22% in the probability of preferring less vegetables(OR=0.78,95%CI=0.76-0.80, P<0.001),13% in the probability of lacking preference(OR=0.87,95%CI=0.86-0.89, P<0.001),and 3% in the probability of having diverse preferences(OR=0.97,95%CI=0.94-1.00, P=0.030).Compared with those lacking dietary knowledge,the individuals with dietary knowledge had a 77% less probability of preferring less vegetables(OR=0.23,95%CI=0.16-0.32, P<0.001),a 55% less probability of lacking preference(OR=0.45,95%CI=0.39-0.53, P<0.001),and a 23% less probability of having diverse preferences(OR=0.77,95%CI=0.61-0.96, P=0.023).Conclusions The residents aged 18 and over in China presented four food preferences,including preference for less vegetables,lack of preference,diverse preferences,and preference for healthy diets,the last of which had the highest proportion.The individuals with lower levels of dietary knowledge have higher probability of preferring unhealthy food.
Adult ; Humans ; Adolescent ; Food Preferences ; Latent Class Analysis ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diet ; Nutrition Surveys ; China