The Piezo protein is a non-selective mechanosensitive cation channel that exhibits sensitivity to mechanical stimuli such as pressure and shear stress. It converts mechanical signals into bioelectric activity within cells, thus triggering specific biological responses. In the digestive system, Piezo protein plays a crucial role in maintaining normal physiological activities, including digestion, absorption, metabolic regulation, and immune modulation. However, dysregulation in Piezo protein expression may lead to the occurrence of several pathological conditions, including visceral hypersensitivity, impairment of intestinal mucosal barrier function, and immune inflammation.Therefore, conducting a comprehensive review of the physiological functions and pathological roles of Piezo protein in the digestive system is of paramount importance. In this review, we systematically summarize the structural and dynamic characteristics of Piezo protein, its expression patterns, and physiological functions in the digestive system. We particularly focus on elucidating the mechanisms of action of Piezo protein in digestive system tumor diseases, inflammatory diseases, fibrotic diseases, and functional disorders. Through the integration of the latest research findings, we have observed that Piezo protein plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of various digestive system diseases. There exist intricate interactions between Piezo protein and multiple phenotypes of digestive system tumors such as proliferation, apoptosis, and metastasis. In inflammatory diseases, Piezo protein promotes intestinal immune responses and pancreatic trypsinogen activation, contributing to the development of ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and pancreatitis. Additionally, Piezo1, through pathways involving co-action with the TRPV4 ion channel, facilitates neutrophil recruitment and suppresses HIF-1α ubiquitination, thereby mediating organ fibrosis in organs like the liver and pancreas. Moreover, Piezo protein regulation by gut microbiota or factors like age and gender can result in increased or decreased visceral sensitivity, and alterations in intestinal mucosal barrier structure and permeability, which are closely associated with functional disorders like irritable bowel sydrome (IBS) and functional consitipaction (FC). A thorough exploration of Piezo protein as a potential therapeutic target in digestive system diseases can provide a scientific basis and theoretical support for future clinical diagnosis and treatment strategies.

Objective This study aimed to investigate the potential relationship between urinary metals copper (Cu), arsenic (As), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), iron (Fe), lead (Pb) and manganese (Mn) and grip strength. Methods We used linear regression models, quantile g-computation and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) to assess the relationship between metals and grip strength.Results In the multimetal linear regression, Cu (β=-2.119), As (β=-1.318), Sr (β=-2.480), Ba (β=0.781), Fe (β= 1.130) and Mn (β=-0.404) were significantly correlated with grip strength (P < 0.05). The results of the quantile g-computation showed that the risk of occurrence of grip strength reduction was -1.007 (95％ confidence interval:-1.362, -0.652; P < 0.001) when each quartile of the mixture of the seven metals was increased. Bayesian kernel function regression model analysis showed that mixtures of the seven metals had a negative overall effect on grip strength, with Cu, As and Sr being negatively associated with grip strength levels. In the total population, potential interactions were observed between As and Mn and between Cu and Mn (Pinteractions of 0.003 and 0.018, respectively).Conclusion In summary, this study suggests that combined exposure to metal mixtures is negatively associated with grip strength. Cu, Sr and As were negatively correlated with grip strength levels, and there were potential interactions between As and Mn and between Cu and Mn.

Objective Studies on the relationship between iodine,vitamin A(VA),and vitamin D(VD)and thyroid function are limited.This study aimed to analyze iodine and thyroid-stimulating hormone(TSH)status and their possible relationships with VA,VD,and other factors in postpartum women. Methods A total of 1,311 mothers(896 lactating and 415 non-lactating)from Hebei,Zhejiang,and Guangxi provinces were included in this study.The urinary iodine concentration(UIC),TSH,VA,and VD were measured. Results The median UIC of total and lactating participants were 142.00 μg/L and 139.95 μg/L,respectively.The median TSH,VA,and VD levels in all the participants were 1.89 mIU/L,0.44 μg/mL,and 24.04 ng/mL,respectively.No differences in the UIC were found between lactating and non-lactating mothers.UIC and TSH levels were significantly different among the three provinces.The rural UIC was higher than the urban UIC.Obese mothers had a higher UIC and a higher prevalence of excessive TSH.Higher UICs and TSHs levels were observed in both the VD deficiency and insufficiency groups than in the VD-sufficient group.After adjustment,no linear correlation was observed between UIC and VA/VD.No interaction was found between vitamins A/D and UIC on TSH levels. Conclusion The mothers in the present study had no iodine deficiency.Region,area type,BMI,and VD may be related to the iodine status or TSH levels.

Objective To observe the improvement of motor dysfunction and serum levels of C-reactive protein(CRP),blood glucose and blood lipid in post-stroke patients treated with scalp acupuncture at different needle retention time.Methods A total of 120 patients with motor dysfunction after stroke were randomly divided into control group,observation group 1 and observation group 2,with 40 cases in each group.The patients in the 3 groups were treated with scalp acupuncture,body acupuncture and routine rehabilitation exercise,once a day and 6 times a week,lasting for 2 weeks.The control group was given scalp acupuncture with retaining of needles for 30 minutes,the observation group 1 was given scalp acupuncture with retaining of needles for one hour,and the observation group 2 was given scalp acupuncture with retaining of needles for 2 hours.Before and after treatment,the 3 groups were observed in the changes of the scale scores of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS),Fugl-Meyer Assessment(FM A),Berg Balance Scale(BBS)and modified Barthel Index(MBI),and the levels of laboratory indicators of peripheral blood CRP,fasting plasma glucose(FPG),total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C).After treatment,the clinical safety of the three groups was evaluated.Results(1)After treatment,the scale scores of NIHSS in the three groups were lower(P＜0.01)and the scale scores FMA,BBS and MBI were higher than those before treatment(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The comparison of post-treatment scale scores showed that the differences among the three groups were statistically significant(P＜0.01).The intergroup comparison showed that the decrease of NIHSS score and the increase of FMA,BBS and MBI scores in the observation group 2 were significantly superior to those in the control group and the observation group 1(P＜0.01);the improvement of FMA score in the observation group 1 was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.01),while the improvement of NIHSS,BBS and MBI scores tended to be superior to that in the control group without statistically significant differences(P＞0.05).The results indicated that the curative effect of scalp acupuncture plus exercise regimen was positively correlated with the duration of needle retention for scalp acupuncture.(2)After treatment,the laboratory indicator levels of CRP and FPG in the peripheral blood of the three groups,the levels of TG and LDL-C in the two observation groups and the level of HDL-C in the observation group 2 were improved compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Statistically significant differences were presented in the post-treatment levels of CRP and TG in peripheral blood among the three groups(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The intergroup comparison showed that the improvement of CRP and TG levels in the observation group 2 was significantly superior to that in the control group,and the improvement of CRP level in the observation group 2 was significantly superior to that in the observation group 1,the differences being statistically significant(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The TC level in the three groups after treatment did not differ from that before treatment,and there was no significant difference in TC level after treatment among the three groups either(P＞0.05).(3)During the treatment,no adverse reactions such as fainting,needle breaking and hematoma occurred in the three groups,the vital signs of the patients were stable,and there were no obvious abnormal changes in pulse,blood pressure and respiratory rate.Conclusion Scalp acupuncture can effectively improve the motor function of post-stroke patients in a pasitive time-effect relationship with the needle retention,and better the curative effect can be achieved by retaining of the needle for 2 h.

Objective To investigate the incidence and related factors of contrast media extravasation during CT and MR enhanced examinations.Methods A retrospective collection of 234 728 consecutive patients who underwent CT and MR enhanced examina-tions.Firstly,the patients with contrast media extravasation were divided into female group and male group according to gender for comparison.Further,the two groups were subdivided into＜50 years old subgroup and≥50years old subgroup according to age for inter-subgroup comparison.Results Among 234 728 patients in this study,258(0.11％)developed contrast media extravasation.Among them,the female group accounted for 62.02％of contrast media extravasation,while the male group accounted for 37.98％.The incidence of contrast media extravasation in the female group(0.15％)was significantly higher than that in the male group(0.08％),and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.001).Further inter-subgroup analysis revealed that the incidence of contrast media extravasation in the female patients age ≥50 years old subgroup(0.18％)was significantly higher than that in the female patients age＜50 years old subgroup(0.07％),with statistical significance(P＜0.001).The incidence of contrast media extravasation in the female patients age ≥50 years old subgroup(0.18％)was significantly higher than that in the male patients age ≥50 years old subgroup(0.07％),and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.001).However,there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of contrast media extravasation between the male＜50 years old and ≥50 years old subgroups(P=0.23).Conclusion The incidence of contrast media extravasation is higher in female patients age≥50 years old.

Objective To explore the effectiveness of different intervention strategies in response to outbreaks of emerging highly pathogenic respiratory infectious diseases(RIDs)in mega-city in China,and provide decision-ma-king basis for effective response to emerging RIDs.Methods A susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered(SEIR)transmission dynamics model was constructed,referencing to and combining the pathogenicity and infectivity para-meters of previous emerging RIDs.The outbreak of emerging highly pathogenic RIDs with low,moderate,and high infectivity in a mega-city with a population of 10 million in China was simulated,the development of the epidemic within 100 days after implementing different combinations of non-pharmaceutical interventions(NPIs)in response to the outbreak was compared.Results When highly pathogenic RIDs outbreak occurred,and if its infectivity was low(R0 was about 1.5),it was unnecessary to adopt strict NPIs to control epidemic.If its infectivity was moderate(R0 was about 6),different intensities of NPIs were needed based on its existing infection scale.When the initial num-ber of infected cases was 50,moderate-intensity NPIs could keep the infection and death at a low level within 100 days,and the required bed number in hospital for cases could be kept below the national average reserve level.But when the scale of infection exceeded 100 cases,high-intensity NPIs were needed to control the development of the epidemic.In the case of extremely strong infectivity(R0 was about 10),regardless of the scale of infection,only immediate high-intensity NPIs could control the epidemic,infection and death scale.Conclusion In case of out-breaks of highly pathogenic RIDs,adopting appropriate NPIs as early as possible based on their epidemiological characteristics and infection scale is necessary to minimize the harm to the population.

Objective:To investigate two cases of rare pathogenic genes,initiation codon mutations in HBA2 gene,combined with Southeast Asian deletion and their family members to understand the relationship of HBA2:c.2T＞C and HBA2:c.2delT mutations with clinical phenotype.Methods:The peripheral blood of family members was obtained for blood cell analysis and capillary electrophoresis hemoglobin analysis.Gap-PCR and reverse dot blotting(RDB)were used to detect common types of mutations in α-thalassaemia gene.Sanger sequencing was used to analyze HBA1 and HBA2 gene sequence.Results:Two proband genotypes were identified as--SEA/αα with HBA2:c.2T＞C and--SEA/αα with HBA2:c.2delT.HBA2:c.2T＞C/WT and HBA2:c.2delT/WT was detected in family members.They all presented with microcytic hypochromic anemia.Conclusion:When HBA2:c.2T＞C and HBA2:c.2delT are heterozygous that can lead to static α-thalassemia phenotype,and when combined with mild α-thalassemia,they can lead to the clinical manifestations of hemoglobin H disease.This study provides a basis for genetic counseling.

Objective To observe the value of self-supervised deep learning artificial intelligence(AI)noise reduction technology based on the nearest adjacent layer applicated in ultra-low dose CT(ULDCT)for urinary calculi.Methods Eighty-eight urinary calculi patients were prospectively enrolled.Low dose CT(LDCT)and ULDCT scanning were performed,and the effective dose(ED)of each scanning protocol were calculated.The patients were then randomly divided into training set(n=75)and test set(n=13),and a self-supervised deep learning AI noise reduction system based on the nearest adjacent layer constructed with ULDCT images in training set was used for reducing noise of ULDCT images in test set.In test set,the quality of ULDCT images before and after AI noise reduction were compared with LDCT images,i.e.Blind/Referenceless Image Spatial Quality Evaluator(BRISQUE)scores,image noise(SDROI)and signal-to-noise ratio(SNR).Results The tube current,the volume CT dose index and the dose length product of abdominal ULDCT scanning protocol were all lower compared with those of LDCT scanning protocol(all P＜0.05),with a decrease of ED for approximately 82.66％.For 13 patients with urinary calculi in test set,BRISQUE score showed that the quality level of ULDCT images before AI noise reduction reached 54.42％level but raised to 95.76％level of LDCT images after AI noise reduction.Both ULDCT images after AI noise reduction and LDCT images had lower SDROI and higher SNR than ULDCT images before AI noise reduction(all adjusted P＜0.05),whereas no significant difference was found between the former two(both adjusted P＞0.05).Conclusion Self-supervised learning AI noise reduction technology based on the nearest adjacent layer could effectively reduce noise and improve image quality of urinary calculi ULDCT images,being conducive for clinical application of ULDCT.

Objective:To investigate the long-term clinical effect of deep brain stimulation (DBS) on patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) at Hoehn-Yahr stage 2.5-5 and the differences of clinical effect among patients at different Hoehn-Yahr stages.Methods:A total of 69 PD patients (7 at Hoehn-Yahr stage 2.5, 27 at stage 3, 31 at stage 4, and 4 at stage 5) accepted DBS in Department of Functional Neurosurgery, Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from May 2014 to December 2016 were selected for long-term follow-up observation at 60 months after DBS. Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) was evaluated in the "off" phase of the patients before DBS and the "off" phases of the drugs under DBS start-up and continuous treatment at 6, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60 months after DBS, respectively; Parkinson's Quality of Life Questionnaire (PDQ-39) and levodopa equivalent dose (LED) data were collected before and 6, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60 months after DBS. DBS parameters of the patients were collected at 12 months after DBS; the total stimulation power, single pulse average energy and large single pulse energy were calculated. The differences in UPDRS-III scores, PDQ-39 scores and LEDD in these patients before DBS and at different time points after DBS were compared; the differences in UPDRS-III and PDQ-39 scores at different time points after DBS and postoperative DBS parameters at 12 months after DBS in patients at different Hoehn-Yahr stages were compared.Results:Compared with those before DBS, the UPDRS-III scores, PDQ-39 scores and LED were significantly reduced at 6, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60 months after DBS ( P<0.05). Significant differences in UPDRS-III scores were noted between patients at Hoehn-Yahr stage 5 and Hoehn-Yahr stage 2.5 and stage 3 at 12 and 24 months after DBS ( P<0.05); however, no significant differences in UPDRS-III scores were noted between patients at Hoehn-Yahr stage 5 and Hoehn-Yahr stage 4 at same time points ( P>0.05); and no significant differences in UPDRS-III scores were noted between patients at Hoehn-Yahr stage 5 and patients at Hoehn-Yahr stage 2.5, stage 3, and stage 4 at other time points ( P>0.05). No significant differences in PDQ-39 scores were noted between patients at different Hoehn-Yahr stages at 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months after DBS ( P>0.05). No significant difference in total stimulation power, single pulse average energy or large single pulse energy was noted among patients at different Hoehn-Yahr stages at 12 months after DBS ( P>0.05). Conclusion:DBS is long-term effective in improving motor function and quality of life in PD patients at Hoehn-Yahr stage 2.5-5, and patients at Hoehn-Yahr stage 5 do not need higher DBS parameters to obtain similar clinical improved effects as patients at Hoehn-Yahr stage 2.5-4.

The Master of Public Health (MPH) is one of the internationally recognized ways of training professionals in the medical and health field. With the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, the need for talents who can serve the national public health emergency management system has accelerated. This article makes the comparison of public health education in China and the UK, starting from the reasons and advantages of medical education in two countries, selecting several universities with high rankings in public health in China and the UK as the research objects, collecting and summarizing their programme descriptions, from the enrollment mode, training objectives, cultivation mode and degree types, curriculum settings, etc., in the MPH programme descriptions in order to find the advantages of MPH education in the UK, which can be used for reference in the education and training of public health talents in China, and is of great significance for the improvement and optimization of MPH education in China.