ObjectiveTo observe the clinical effectiveness and safety of Qingfei Shenshi Decoction （清肺渗湿汤） combined with western medicine for patients with bronchial asthma of heat wheezing syndrome， and to explore its potential mechanism of action. MethodsEighty-six participants with bronchial asthma of heat wheezing syndrome were randomly divided into treatment group and control group， each group with 43 participants. The control group received conventional western medicine， and the treatment group was additionally administered Qingfei Shenshi Decoction orally on the basis of the control group， 1 dose per day. Both groups were treated for 14 days. The primary outcome measure was clinical effectiveness； secondary outcome measures included traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome score， asthma control test （ACT） score， pulmonary function indices such as forced expiratory volume in 1 second （FEV₁）， forced vital capacity （FVC）， peak expiratory flow （PEF）， serum inflammatory factor levels including interleukin-4 （IL-4）， tumour necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein （hs-CRP）， and immune function indices including CD3⁺， CD4⁺， CD8⁺， CD4⁺/CD8⁺. All outcome measures were evaluated before and after treatment. Vital signs were monitored， and electrocardiography， blood routine， urine routine， liver function， and renal function tests were performed before and after treatment. Adverse events and reactions during the study were recorded. ResultsA total of 80 patients completed the trial with 40 in each group. The total clinical effective rate of the treatment group was 97.5% （39/40）， which was significantly higher than that of the control group （85.0%， 34/40， P＜0.05）. After treatment， both groups showed decreased TCM syndrome scores， IL-4， TNF-α， hs-CRP， and CD8⁺ levels， as well as increased ACT scores， CD3⁺， CD4⁺， CD4⁺/CD8⁺， FEV₁， FVC， and PEF levels （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Moreover， the improvements in these indices were more significant in the treatment group than in the control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. No significant abnormalities in safety indicators were observed in either group， and no adverse events or reactions occurred. ConclusionQingfei Shenshi Decoction combined with conventional western medicine for patients with bronchial asthma of heat wheezing syndrome can effectively improve the clinical symptoms， pulmonary function， and clinical effectiveness， with good safety. Its mechanism may be related to reducing inflammatory factor levels and regulating T lymphocyte subsets to improve immune function.

Objective: To explore the current status and influencing factors of eating behaviors in adolescents, so as to provide a theoretical foundation for health promotion education among adolescents. Methods: Based on the database from Survey of Chinese Family Health Index (2021), by a random number table method, 1 065 teenagers were selected from the provincial capitals of 22 provinces and 5 autonomous regions in China, as well as 4 municipalities directly under the central government. A general characteristic questionnaire, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Short Form of the Family Health Scale (FHS-SF), 10-item Short Version of the Big Five Personality(BFP-10), Content-based Media Exposure Scale (CM-E) and Sakata Eating Behavior Scale Short Form(EBS-SF) were used to collect information. Multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis was employed to identify and analyze related factors of eating behaviors among adolescents. Receiver operating characteristic was used to validate the predictive ability of the EBS-SF score for overweight and obesity among adolescents. Results: The average scores of BFI-10,C-ME, FHS-SF, PHQ-9 and EBS-SF were (33.08±4.64)(19.20±4.55)(38.48±6.65)(6.09±5.63)(16.75±4.36), respectively. Multivariate linear regression showed that family type (other types), agreeableness, conscientiousness, family health and depression were the main related factors of EBS-SF scores among adolescents( B =2.61,-0.42,0.20,-0.11,0.23, P <0.05).The analysis of receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the EBS-SF scores had a good ability in predicting obesity among male adolescents ( AUC= 0.73, P <0.01). Conclusions Family type, big five personality, family health,depression are the related factors of eating behaviors among adolescents. EBS-SF scores are predictive of obesity in adolescents, which would provide a new perspective for promoting healthy eating habits among adolescents.

ObjectiveTo clarify the associations between plasma fibrinogen （Fbg） and volumetric bone mineral density （vBMD） as well as osteoporosis measured by quantitative computed tomography （QCT）， and to explore the role of plasma Fbg in early screening and diagnosis of osteoporosis. MethodsPatients with hypertension who were hospitalized in the Department of Endocrinology of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2018 to June 2022 and underwent QCT examinations were included for cross-sectional analysis. The study analyzed the correlation between plasma Fbg and osteoporosis in patients. The diagnostic efficacy of plasma Fbg for osteoporosis was evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve （AUC）. ResultsTotally 441 subjects were included in the analysis， with an average age of 46.0±14.5 years and a prevalence of osteoporosis of 6.4% （28/441）. As the level of plasma fibrinogen increased， the incidence of osteoporosis significantly increased （P<0.000 1）while the average bone mineral density of L1 and L2 were significantly decreased （P<0.05）. Compared with the first quartile of plasma Fbg（1.99g/L -2.37g/L）， the risk of osteoporosis in the fourth quartile of plasma Fbg （3.67g/L-4.46g/L） increased by 8.85 times after adjusting for related confounding factors. ConclusionThis study found a negative correlation between plasma fibrinogen levels and bone density in patients with hypertension. Plasma fibrinogen levels may serve as a potential screening indicator for osteoporosis， aiding in early diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring. This discovery offers a new perspective for the study of bone metabolic diseases and warrants further investigation.

Objective To analyze epidemiological characteristics and influencing factors of atrial fibrillation (AF) in Suqian in 2019-2023. Methods A total of 1 869 patients with AF admitted to medical institutions in Suqian from January 2019 to December 2023 were selected as the survey subjects. The diagnosis and treatment data of the AF patients were retrospectively analyzed to explore epidemiological characteristics. A total of 2 000 healthy controls during the same period were selected as the control group. The influencing factors of AF were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Results The incidence of AF in Suqian increased with the increase of year, age and labor intensity. The incidence rate was higher (>50%) in patients with male gender, old age, education level of junior high school and below, city living, heavy physical labor, smoking history, drinking history and underlying diseases (coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, hyperuricemia, hyperthyroidism, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that hyperuricemia, hyperthyroidism, cognitive dysfunction and anxiety/depression were influencing factors of AF in Suqian (P<0.05). Conclusion From 2019 to 2023, AF risk is relatively high in patients in Suqian, which is closely related to hyperuricemia, hyperthyroidism, cognitive dysfunction and anxiety/depression.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of stone needle thermocompression and massage compared to flurbiprofen gel patch in relieving chronic musculoskeletal pain in the shoulder and back， and to explore the potential mediating mechanism through muscle elasticity. MethodsA total of 120 patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain in the shoulder and back were randomly assigned to either stone needle group or flurbiprofen group， with 60 patients in each. The stone needle group received stone needle thermocompression and massage for 30 minutes， three times per week； the flurbiprofen group received flurbiprofen gel patch twice daily. Both groups were treated for 2 weeks. Pain improvement， as the primary outcome， was assessed using the Global Pain Scale （GPS） at baseline， after 2 weeks of treatment， and again 2 weeks post-treatment. To explore potential mechanisms， a mediator analysis was conducted by measuring changes in superficial and deep muscle elasticity using musculoskeletal ultrasound at baseline and after the 2-week treatment period. ResultsThe stone needle group showed significantly greater pain relief than the flurbiprofen group 2 weeks post-treatment. After adjusting for confounders related to pain duration， the between-group mean difference was -8.8 ［95% CI （-18.2， -0.7）， P＜0.05］. Part of the therapeutic effect was mediated by changes in deep muscle elasticity， with a mediation effect size of -1.5 ［95% CI （-2.0， -0.9）， P = 0.024］， accounting for 17.9% of the total effect. ConclusionStone needle thermocompression and massage can effectively relieve chronic musculoskeletal pain in the shoulder and back， partly through a mediating effect of improved deep muscle elasticity.

Objective To investigate the effects and mechanisms of silica dust on the apoptosis of alveolar epithelial cell (AEC) through in vitro and animal experiments. Methods i) In vitro experiment. A549 cells were stimulated with 100 mg/L silica suspension for 0, 12, 24 and 48 hours. The cell apoptosis rate was detected by flow cytometry. ii) Animal experiment. Specific pathogen-free male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into control, 14-day, 28-day, and 56-day groups, with five mice in each group. The mice in the control group were sacrificed at 56 days after being treated with 40.0 μL 0.9% sodium chloride solution, and the mice in the last three groups were sacrificed at 14, 28 and 56 days after being treated with 40.0 μL silica suspension with a mass concentration of 125 g/L via tracheal exposure method. The lung tissues of mice were collected to measure lung organ coefficients. Masson staining was used to detect the degree of pulmonary fibrosis, and Ashcroft scores were evaluated. The apoptosis of AEC in mice was observed by TUNEL immunofluorescence assay. iii) The mRNA relative expression of apoptosis-related genes in A549 cells and mouse lung tissue was detected using reverse transcription and real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results i) In vitro experiment. The apoptosis rate of A549 cells increased with longer silica exposure (all P<0.05). The relative expression of B cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) mRNA in A549 cells in 24 h group and 48 h group decreased (both P<0.05), and the relative expression of BCL-2 associated X protein (BAX) mRNA increased (both P<0.05), compared with 0 h group. The mRNA relative expression of caspase (CASP) -3 and CASP-9 in A549 cells increased with longer silica exposure (all P<0.05). ii) Animal experiment. The lung organ coefficients and Ashcroft score in mice progressively increased (all P<0.05), the degree of pulmonary fibrosis was gradually aggravated, and TUNEL positive cells in lung tissue were gradually increased, while Bax, Casp-3 and Casp-9 mRNA relative expression increased with longer silica exposure (all P<0.05). Conclusion Silica dust may cause pulmonary fibrosis by inducing apoptosis of AEC, with a time-dependent effect. The mechanism may be related to the effect of silica dust on mitochondrial apoptosis through Bcl-2/Bax/Caspase-3 signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the expression of ubiquitin binding enzyme E2T (UBE2T) in breast cancer (BRCA) and its role and mechanism in the prognosis of BRCA patients. Methods The Tumor Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was used to analyze UBE2T expression in BRCA tissues, and the effects of UBE2T expression on disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival curve. In vitro, real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot were used to confirm the knock-down and overexpression efficiency, to analyze its effect on tumor cell biological behavior. The effect of UBE2T on cell epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) was studied by Western blot. A xenograft tumor model was established to verify the effect of UBE2T knockdown on the growth of BRCA cells in vivo. Results The UBE2T expression levels in BRCA and adjacent tissues were statistically different (P<0.001), and the expression was increased in tissues with distant metastasis or late stage (all P<0.05). The DFS and OS were decreased in the UBE2T high-level group (both P<0.05). UBE2T was highly expressed in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells and lowly expressed in MDA-MB-361 cells (all P<0.01). After UBE2T was silenced by shRNA, the proliferation ability of tumor cells significantly decreased, whereas it increased after UBE2T up-expression (all P<0.05). The apoptotic rates of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells in the silent groups were significantly higher than those in the shNC groups, while the apoptotic rates of MAD-MB-361 cells in the overexpression group decreased (all P<0.001). The mobility in the knockdown groups were lower than in the shNC groups, while the mobility in the overexpression group significantly increased (both P<0.01). The migration and invasion cells in the shUBE2T groups were lower than those in the shNC groups, and the migration and invasion cells in the UBE2T group were higher than those in the vector group (all P<0.01). Downregulation of UBE2T decreased the expression levels of N-cadherin, Snail, and Vimentin (all P<0.05) and increased that of E-cadherin; however, the result of UBE2T upregulation was opposite (all P<0.01). TIMER results showed that UBE2T was positively correlated with E-cadherin (P<0.001), N-cadherin (P=0.013), and Snail (P<0.001) and negatively correlated with Vimentin (P<0.001). In vivo experiments showed that downregulation of UBE2T slowed down the growth of transplanted tumors. Conclusion UBE2T is highly expressed in BRCA tissues and may affect the prognosis. UBE2T can promote the proliferation of BRCA cells, inhibit apoptosis, and increase the migration and invasion abilities by changing the expression levels of EMT-related proteins.

Objective: To understand the current status, international cooperation, research hotspots, and development trends of nutritional studies on patients with head and neck cancer from 2014 to 2024, and to predict future research trends. Methods: The Web of Science Core Collection database was searched to retrieve nutritional studies on patients with head and neck cancer from January 2014 to March 2024. The type of studies were “articles,” the language was English, CiteSpace 6.1 R6 software was used to conduct the bibliometric analysis, and the results were visualized to form a scientific knowledge map. Results: A total of 1 528 documents were retrieved, with a linear increase in the number of annual publications. The country with the highest number of publications was the United States, and the institution with the highest number of publications was the University of Queensland, with closer collaboration between authors and institutions. The most frequently cited publication was a set of nutrition guidelines, and the highest-impact articles were mainly concerned with performing percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. Keyword analysis showed that quality of life, radiotherapy, and weight loss were the keywords of highest interest. The keyword cluster analysis resulted in 17 clusters, which were divided into five main categories: head and neck cancer, treatment, outcome results, intervention modalities, and rehabilitation. Body composition, enteral nutrition, and accelerated postoperative rehabilitation were persistent research hotspots. Keyword highlighting revealed that “enhanced recovery after surgery” has been the focus of research in the last two years, with “index” and “model” emerging as theme words. Conclusion The number of publications in the literature related to nutrition for patients with head and neck cancer has increased annually over the past 10 years. The research hotspots mainly focus on the quality of life and weight loss during radiotherapy, the content and application prospect of body composition assessment, different modes of nutritional support interventions and enteral nutritional tube feeding routes, and perioperative nutritional management in enhanced recovery after surgery. The potential clinical value of preoperative nutritional intervention under the concept of enhanced recovery and the construction of new types of nutritional index are the trends of future research.

Objective To investigate the effects of Echinococcus multilocularis infection on levels of memory T (Tm) cells and their subsets in lymph nodes of mice at different stages of infection, so as to provide new insights into immunotherapy for alveolarechinococcosis. MethodsTwenty-four C57BL/6J mice aged 6 to 9 weeks were randomly divided into the infection group and the control group, of 12 mice in each group. Mice in the infection group were administered with 3 000 E. multilocularis protoscoleces via portal venous injection, while animals in the control group were administered with an equal volume of physiological saline. Three mice from each group were sacrificed 4, 12 weeks and 24 weeks post-infection, and lymph nodes were sampled and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) to investigate the histopathological changes of mouse lymph nodes in the infection group. The expression and localization of T lymphocyte surface markers CD3, CD4, and CD8 were observed in mouse lymph nodes using immunohistochemical staining. In addition, lymphocyte suspensions were prepared from mouse lymph nodes in both groups at different time points post-infection, and the levels of Tm cell subsets and their secreted cytokines were detected using flow cytometry. Results HE staining showed diffuse structural alterations in the subcapsular cortical and paracortical regions of mouse lymph nodes in the infection group 4 weeks post-infection with E. multilocularis. Immunohistochemical staining detected CD3, CD4 and CD8 expression in mouse lymph nodes in both groups. Flow cytometry revealed higher proportions of CD4⁺ Tm cells [(55.3 ± 4.8)% vs. (38.8 ± 6.1)%; t = -4.259, P < 0.05] and CD4⁺ tissue-resident Tm (Trm) cells [(57.7 ± 3.7)% vs. (34.1 ± 11.2)%; t = -3.990, P < 0.05] in mouse lymph nodes in the infection group than in the control group 4 weeks post-infection, and higher proportions of CD4⁺ Tm cells [(34.6 ± 3.2)% vs. (23.3 ± 7.5)%; t = -2.764, P < 0.05] and CD4⁺ Trm cells [(44.0 ± 1.9)% vs. (31.2 ± 1.5)%; t = -4.039, P < 0.05] in mouse lymph nodes in the infection group than in the control group 24 weeks post-infection. The proportions of CD8⁺ Tm cells were higher in the infection group than in the control group 4 weeks [(56.8 ± 2.7)% vs. (43.9 ± 5.2)%; t = -4.416, P < 0.01] and 12 weeks post-infection [(25.4 ± 2.7)% vs. (12.0 ± 2.6)%; t = -2.552, P < 0.05], while the proportions of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α⁺ CD4⁺ T cells [(15.7 ± 5.0)% vs. (49.4 ± 6.4)%; t = 7.150, P < 0.01], TNF-α⁺CD8⁺ T cells [(20.7 ± 5.5)% vs. (57.5 ± 8.4)%; t = -6.694, P < 0.01], and TNF-α⁺ CD8⁺ Tm cells [7.0% (1.0%) vs. 31.0% (11.0%); Z = -2.236, P < 0.05] were lower in the infection group than in the control group 24 weeks post-infection. Conclusions Tm cells levels are consistently increased in lymph nodes of mice at different stages of E. multilocularis infection, with Trm cells as the predominantly elevated subset. The impaired capacity of CD8⁺ Tm cells to secrete the effector molecule TNF-α in mouse lymph nodes at the late-stage infection may facilitate chronic parasitism of E. multilocularis.

As many countries implement different programs aimed at eliminating malaria, attention should be given to asymptomatic carriers that may interrupt the progress. This was a community-based cross-sectional study conducted in Tanzania from December 2022 to July 2023 within 4 villages from each of the 3 regions, Geita and Kigoma, which are high malaria transmission, and Arusha, which is low transmission. Malaria was diagnosed in asymptomatic individuals aged 1 year and older using the malaria rapid diagnostic test and light microscope. A total of 2,365 of 3,489 (67.9%) participants were enrolled from high-transmission villages. The overall prevalence was 25.5% and 15.8% by malaria rapid diagnostic test and light microscope, respectively. Using the respective tools, the prevalence was significantly higher at 35.6% (confidence interval (CI)=23.6–49.9) and 23.1% (CI=16.2–35.1) in the high-transmission regions (Geita and Kigoma) compared with 2.9% (CI=1.1–3.5) and 1.1% (CI=0.7–1.8) in the low-transmission region (Arusha). Children younger than 15 years and males accounted for the greatest proportion of infections. In the study area, the prevalence of asymptomatic cases was higher than that of reported symptomatic cases in health facilities. We hypothesize that these parasite reservoirs may contribute to the persistence of malaria in the country. Therefore, to achieve comprehensive malaria control in the country, the surveillance and screening of asymptomatic malaria cases are vital.