ObjectiveTo analyze the epidemiological trends and characteristics of brucellosis in humans (hereinafter referred to as brucellosis) in Tangshan City, Hebei Province from 2016 to 2023, and to provide a scientific basis for formulating brucellosis prevention and control strategies in the region. MethodsThe incidence data of human brucellosis in Tangshan City from 2016 to 2023 were collected from the China Disease Prevention and Control Information System. The diagnosis time, infection route, and clinical characteristics of the cases were obtained from the case investigation reports. Descriptive epidemiological methods were used to analyze the temporal, spatial, demographic distributions, and clinical characteristics of human brucellosis. Brucella species were identified using agglutination tests with bacterial suspension and A/M antigen-positive serum. ResultsA total of 2 193 cases of human brucellosis were confirmed and clinically diagnosed in Tangshan City from 2016 to 2023, with the peak incidence occured from March to August, and which exhibited distinct geographic distribution patterns. The highest incidence rate was found in people aged 60‒<70 years. The occupation of cases were primarily farmers. The incidence rate in males (528/100 000) was higher than that in females (184/100 000). All cases had confirmed exposure to infected animals or contaminated animal products. ConclusionThe epidemic of human brucellosis in Tangshan exhibited an overall steady downward trend from 2016 to 2023, except for a slight increase in 2016 and 2021, with the incidence rate controlled at 289/100 000‒335/100 000. The prevention and control situation of human brucellosis still remains severe, with the highest incidence rate in the eastern region of Tangshan, which are characterized by the breeding, slaughtering, and processing of cattle and sheep. Therefore, it it is necessary to enhance the prevention and control of human brucellosis among the personnel engaged in these industries in the eastern areas.

ObjectiveTo compare the clinical features of patients with hepatitis B virus （HBV）-related early-onset liver cancer and those with late-onset liver cancer， to assess the severity of the disease， and to provide a theoretical basis for the early diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for 695 patients who were diagnosed with HBV-related liver cancer for the first time in Guangzhou Eighth People’s Hospital， Guangzhou Medical University， from January 2019 to August 2023， among whom 93 had early-onset liver cancer （defined as an age of50 years for female patients and40 years for male patients） and 602 had late-onset liver cancer （defined as an age of ≥50 years for female patients and ≥40 years for male patients）. Related clinical data were collected， including demographic data， clinical symptoms at initial diagnosis， comorbidities， smoking history， drinking history， family history， routine blood test results， biochemical parameters of liver function， serum alpha-fetoprotein（AFP）， virological indicators， coagulation function， and imaging findings. The pan-inflammatory indices neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio （NLR）， platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio （PLR）， and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio （LMR） were calculated， as well as FIB-4 index， aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index （APRI）， S index， Model for End-Stage Liver Disease （MELD） score， Child-Turcotte-Pugh （CTP） score， albumin-bilirubin （AIBL） grade， and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer （BCLC） stage. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups， and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups； the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test were used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. ResultsThere were significant differences between the two groups in the proportion of male patients and the incidence rates of diabetes， hypertension， and fatty liver disease （χ²=6.357， 15.230， 11.467， and 14.204， all P0.05）， and compared with the late-onset liver cancer group， the early-onset liver cancer group had a significantly higher proportion of patients progressing to liver cancer without underlying cirrhosis （χ²=24.657， P0.001） and a significantly higher proportion of patients with advanced BCLC stage （χ²=6.172， P=0.046）. For the overall population， the most common clinical symptoms included abdominal distension， abdominal pain， poor appetite， weakness， a reduction in body weight， edema of both lower limbs， jaundice， yellow urine， and nausea， and 55 patients （7.9%） had no obvious symptoms at the time of diagnosis and were found to have liver cancer by routine reexamination， physical examination suggesting an increase in AFP， or radiological examination indicating hepatic space-occupying lesion； compared with the late-onset liver cancer group， the patients in the early-onset liver cancer group were more likely to have the symptoms of abdominal distension， abdominal pain， and jaundice （all P0.05）. Compared with the late-onset liver cancer group， the early-onset liver cancer group had a significantly larger tumor diameter （Z=2.845， P=0.034）， with higher prevalence rates of multiple tumors and intrahepatic， perihepatic， or distant metastasis （χ²=5.889 and 4.079， both P0.05）， and there were significant differences between the two groups in tumor location and size （χ²=3.948 and 11.317， both P0.05）. Compared with the late-onset liver cancer group， the early-onset liver cancer group had significantly lower FIB-4 index， proportion of patients with HBsAg ≤1 500 IU/mL， and levels of LMR and Cr （all P0.05）， as well as significantly higher positive rate of HBeAg and levels of log₁₀ HBV DNA， AFP， WBC， Hb， PLT， NLR， PLR， TBil， ALT， Alb， and TC （all P0.05）. ConclusionCompared with late-onset liver cancer， patients with early-onset liver cancer tend to develop liver cancer without liver cirrhosis and have multiple tumors， obvious clinical symptoms， and advanced BCLC stage， which indicates a poor prognosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Danmu Extract Syrup (DMS) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice and explore the mechanism. METHODS: Seventy-two male Balb/C mice were randomly divided into 6 groups according to a random number table (n=12), including control (normal saline), LPS (5 mg/kg), LPS+DMS 2.5 mL/kg, LPS+DMS 5 mL/kg, LPS+DMS 10 mL/kg, and LPS+Dexamethasone (DXM, 5 mg/kg) groups. After pretreatment with DMS and DXM, the ALI mice model was induced by LPS, and the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were collected to determine protein concentration, cell counts and inflammatory cytokines. The lung tissues of mice were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, and the wet/dry weight ratio (W/D) of lung tissue was calculated. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1 β in BALF of mice were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The expression levels of Claudin-5, vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), phospho-protein kinase B (p-Akt) and Akt were detected by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: DMS pre-treatment significantly ameliorated lung histopathological changes. Compared with the LPS group, the W/D ratio and protein contents in BALF were obviously reduced after DMS pretreatment (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The number of cells in BALF and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity decreased significantly after DMS pretreatment (P<0.05 or P<0.01). DMS pre-treatment decreased the levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1 β (P<0.01). Meanwhile, DMS activated the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) pathway and reversed the expressions of Claudin-5, VE-cadherin and VEGF (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS DMS attenuated LPS-induced ALI in mice through repairing endothelial barrier. It might be a potential therapeutic drug for LPS-induced lung injury.
Mice ; Male ; Animals ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; Interleukin-1beta/metabolism* ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/metabolism* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Claudin-5/metabolism* ; Acute Lung Injury/chemically induced* ; Lung/pathology* ; Interleukin-6/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) diseases are common clinical conditions. The number of patients with TMJ diseases is large, and the etiology, epidemiology, disease spectrum, and treatment of the disease remain controversial and unknown. To understand and master the current situation of the occurrence, development and prevention of TMJ diseases, as well as to identify the patterns in etiology, incidence, drug sensitivity, and prognosis is crucial for alleviating patients′suffering.This will facilitate in-depth medical research, effective disease prevention measures, and the formulation of corresponding health policies. Cohort construction and research has an irreplaceable role in precise disease prevention and significant improvement in diagnosis and treatment levels. Large-scale cohort studies are needed to explore the relationship between potential risk factors and outcomes of TMJ diseases, and to observe disease prognoses through long-term follw-ups. The consensus aims to establish a standard conceptual frame work for a cohort study on patients with TMJ disease while providing ideas for cohort data standards to this condition. TMJ disease cohort data consists of both common data standards applicable to all specific disease cohorts as well as disease-specific data standards. Common data were available for each specific disease cohort. By integrating different cohort research resources, standard problems or study variables can be unified. Long-term follow-up can be performed using consistent definitions and criteria across different projects for better core data collection. It is hoped that this consensus will be facilitate the development cohort studies of TMJ diseases.

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and epidemic situation of children with Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) in China,and provide the basis for formulating prevention and control measures. Methods Fixed-point monitoring,moving-point monitoring,and full coverage of monitoring were promoted successively from 1990 to 2023. Some children (7-12 years old) underwent clinical and right-hand X-ray examinations every year. According to the KBD diagnosis criteria,clinical and X-ray assessments were used to confirm the diagnosis. Results In 1990,the national KBD detectable rate was 21.01％. X-ray detection decreased to below 10％ in 2003 and below 5％ in 2007. Between 2010 and 2018,the prevalence of KBD in children was less than 0.4％,which fluctuated at a low level,and has decreased to 0％ since 2019. Spatial epidemiological analysis indicated a spatial clustering of adult patients prevalence rate in the KBD areas. Conclusion The evaluation results of the elimination of KBD in China over the last 5 years showed that all villages in the monitored areas have reached the elimination standard. While the adult KBD patients still need for policy consideration and care.

Objective:Based on the health ecological model, this paper systematically explores the influencing factors of mild cognitive impairment among the elderly herders in Nanshan pastoral area of Xinjiang, and provides the basis for local medical institutions to formulate prevention and control strategies for mild cognitive impairment among the elderly herders.Methods:A total of 1 145 valid questionnaires were collected, all of them were permanent herdsmen aged over 60 years in Nanshan pastoral area of Xinjiang were selected from June 2022 to February 2023 by stratified cluster random sampling method in a cross-sectional survey. Under the guidance of health ecological model, the research variables were included from five dimensions: physiology, psychology, behavioral lifestyle, social network and medical and health environment, and questionnaires were conducted. SPSS 23.0 was used for chi-square test and binary Logistic regression to analyze the influencing factors of mild cognitive impairment in elderly herders.Results:There were 564 males and 581 females with age of (70.84 ± 5.69) years old in the study. The prevalence rate of mild cognitive impairment among elderly herdsmen in Nanshan pastoral area of Xinjiang was 36.1%(413/1 145). Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that: personal monthly income (1 000-2 999 yuan)( OR = 0.583, 95% CI 0.366 - 0.926, P<0.05), education level (junior high school and above)( OR = 0.479, 95% CI 0.315 - 0.728, P<0.01) were the protective factors for mild cognitive impairment among the elderly herdsmen in Nanshan pastoral area. Hypertension ( OR = 1.842, 95% CI 1.256 - 2.702, P<0.01), dyslipidemia ( OR = 1.449, 95% CI 1.069 - 1.964, P<0.05) and chronic pain ( OR = 1.549, 95% CI 1.082 - 2.216, P<0.05) were the risk factors of mild cognitive impairment in elderly herders in Nanshan pastoral area. Conclusions:The prevalence rate of mild cognitive impairment among elderly herders in Nanshan pastoral area of Xinjiang is high, so it is necessary to carry out mild cognitive impairment screening as soon as possible, especially focusing on people suffering from hypertension, dyslipidemia and chronic pain, and making intervention plans to delay the occurrence and development of mild cognitive impairment and improve the quality of life of elderly herders.

Objective To investigate the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)constitution in chronic hepatitis B(CHB)patients complicated with metabolism associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD),and to explore the correlation of the complication of MAFLD with TCM constitution and body composition,thus to determine their predictive values for the complication of MAFLD in CHB patients.Methods A retrospective study was adopted.The study started from the collection of the clinical data of 235 outpatients who attended the Department of Hepatology of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine from January 2022 to December 2023,and was diagnosed as CHB following the diagnostic criteria.According to the controlled attenuation parameter(CAP)value,134 cases of CHB patients were allocated to the non-MAFLD group(CAP＜238 dB/m)and 101 cases were allocated to the MAFLD group(CAP≥238 dB/m).And then the distribution of TCM constitution in the two groups was observed.In addition,according to the body mass index(BMI)value,the patients were divided into the non-obese group(141 cases,BMI＜24.0 kg/m2)and the overweight/obese group(94 cases,BMI≥24.0 kg/m2).And then the logistic regression was used to analyze the independent risk factors for the complication of MAFLD in CHB patients,multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors,and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the predictive value of the influencing factors for the complication of MAFLD in CHB patients and to determine their optimal cut-off values.Results(1)The constitutions of CHB patients in the MAFLD group were predominated by balanced constitution(36.6%),damp-heat constitution(20.8%),and phlegm-damp constitution(14.9%),which accounted for 72.3%in total.(2)In CHB patients complicated with MAFLD,the overweight/obese group had higher levels of γ-glutamyl-transpeptidase(γ-GT),BMI,total body fat mass(TBFM),total muscle mass(TMM),total body water(TBW),interacel1ular water(ICW),extracellular water(ECW),body fat ratio(BFR),visceral fat area(VFA),basal metabolism(BM),and trunk fat mass(TFM)than the non-obese group,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).(3)The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the white blood cell(WBC)count,blood uric acid(UA),triglyceride(TG),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),and VFA were the influencing factors for the complication of MAFLD in the CHB patients in clinic.(4)The results of ROC curve analysis showed that in CHB patients,the areas under the ROC curve(AUC)for age,TG,UA,and VFA were 0.532,0.680,0.738,and 0.859 respectively;the optimal cut-off values of VFA in CHB patients,non-obese CHB patients,and overweight/obese CHB patients were 74.98,66.5 and 112.2 cm2 respectively,and the optimal cut-off values of VFA in patients with balanced constitution,phlegm-damp constitution,and damp-heat constitution were 85.50,66.50,and 74.98 cm2 respectively.The AUC values of VFA in various populations were significantly higher than those of age,TG,and UA,and the combined prediction by multivariate analysis has higher predictive value than that by univariate analysis.Conclusion The AUC value of VFA for predicting the risk of MAFLD is the highest in patients with CHB,and the possibility of the complication of MAFLD increased with the increase of the cut-off point level of VFA.The optimal cut-off values of VFA varies in non-obese group and overweight/obese group of CHB patients and in CHB patients with different TCM constitution.