1.Differential Analysis of Heart Rate Variability in Repeated Continuous Performance Tests Among Healthy Young Men
Chung-Chih HSU ; Tien-Yu CHEN ; Jia-Yi LI ; Terry B. J. KUO ; Cheryl C. H. YANG
Psychiatry Investigation 2025;22(2):148-155
Objective:
Executive function correlates with the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) based on static heart rate variability (HRV) measurements. Our study advances this understanding by employing dynamic assessments of the PNS to explore and quantify its relationship with inhibitory control (IC).
Methods:
We recruited 31 men aged 20–35 years. We monitored their electrocardiogram (ECG) signals during the administration of the Conners’ Continuous Performance Test-II (CCPT-II) on a weekly basis over 2 weeks. HRV analysis was performed on ECG-derived RR intervals using 5-minute windows, each overlapping for the next 4 minutes to establish 1-minute intervals. For each time window, the HRV metrics extracted were: mean RR intervals, standard deviation of NN intervals (SDNN), low-frequency power with logarithm (lnLF), and high-frequency power with logarithm (lnHF). Each value was correlated with detectability and compared to the corresponding baseline value at t0.
Results:
Compared with the baseline level, SDNN and lnLF showed marked decreases during CCPT-II. The mean values of HRV showed significant correlation with d’, including mean SDNN (R=0.474, p=0.012), mean lnLF (R=0.390, p=0.045), and mean lnHF (R=0.400, p=0.032). In the 14th time window, the significant correlations included SDNN (R=0.578, p=0.002), lnLF (R=0.493, p=0.012), and lnHF (R=0.432, p=0.031). Significant correlation between d’ and HRV parameters emerged only during the initial CCPT-II.
Conclusion
A significant correlation between PNS and IC was observed in the first session alone. The IC in the repeated CCPT-II needs to consider the broader neural network.
2.Effects of Exercise Training on The Behaviors and HPA Axis in Autism Spectrum Disorder Rats Through The Gut Microbiota
Xue-Mei CHEN ; Yin-Hua LI ; Jiu-Gen ZHONG ; Zhao-Ming YANG ; Xiao-Hui HOU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(6):1511-1528
ObjectiveThe study explores the influence of voluntary wheel running on the behavioral abnormalities and the activation state of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) rats through gut microbiota. MethodsSD female rats were selected and administered either400 mg/kg of valproic acid (VPA) solution or an equivalent volume of saline via intraperitoneal injection on day 12.5 of pregnancy. The resulting offspring were divided into 2 groups: the ASD model group (PASD, n=35) and the normal control group (PCON, n=16). Behavioral assessments, including the three-chamber social test, open field test, and Morris water maze, were conducted on postnatal day 23. After behavioral testing, 8 rats from each group (PCON, PASD) were randomly selected for serum analysis using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and corticosterone (CORT) concentration, to evaluate the functional state of the HPA axis in rats. On postnatal day 28, the remaining 8 rats in the PCON group were designated as the control group (CON, n=8), and the remaining 27 rats in the PASD group were randomly divided into 4 groups: ASD non-intervention group (ASD, n=6), ASD exercise group (ASDE, n=8), ASD fecal microbiota transplantation group (FMT, n=8), and ASD sham fecal microbiota transplantation group (sFMT, n=5). The rats in the ASD group and the CON group were kept under standard conditions, while the rats in the ASDE group performed 6 weeks of voluntary wheel running intervention starting on postnatal day 28. The rats in the FMT group were gavaged daily from postnatal day 42 with 1 ml/100 g fresh fecal suspension from ASDE rats which had undergone exercise for 2 weeks, 5 d per week, continuing for 4 weeks. The sFMT group received an equivalent volume of saline. After the interventions were completed, behavioral assessments and HPA axis markers were measured for all groups. ResultsBefore the intervention, the ASD model group exhibited significantly reduced social ability, social novelty preference, spontaneous activity, and exploratory interest, as well as impaired spatial learning, memory, and navigation abilities compared to the normal control group (P<0.05). Serum concentration of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and corticosterone (CORT) in the PASD group were significantly higher than those in the PCON group (P<0.05). Following 6 weeks of voluntary wheel running, the ASDE group showed significant improvements in social ability, social novelty preference, spontaneous activity, exploratory interest, spatial learning, memory, and navigation skills compared to the ASD group (P<0.05), with a significant decrease in serum CORT concentration (P<0.05), and a downward trend in CRH and ACTH concentration. After 4 weeks of fecal microbiota transplantation in the exercise group, the FMT group showed marked improvements in social ability, social novelty preference, spontaneous activity, exploratory interest, as well as spatial learning, memory, and navigation abilities compared to both the ASD and sFMT groups (P<0.05). In addition, serum ACTH and CORT concentration were significantly reduced (P<0.05), and CRH concentration also showed a decreasing trend. ConclusionExercise may improve ASD-related behaviors by suppressing the activation of the HPA axis, with the gut microbiota likely playing a crucial role in this process.
3.Correlation between asthma and nocturia in women: an analysis based on NHANES database from 2005 to 2018
Chunxiao YANG ; Linbo YANG ; Ming LIU ; Yongan WEN ; Xudong LI
Journal of Modern Urology 2025;30(2):118-121
Objective: To analyze the relationship between asthma and nocturia in women based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database from 2005 to 2018,so as to provide reference for the prevention and treatment of female nocturia. Methods: Female respondents aged ≥20 years with nocturia or asthma were selected from the 2005-2018 NHANES database.Those with both diabetes stroke and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome were excluded.A weighted analysis was conducted using a complex sampling design.The association between asthma and nocturia in women was evaluated with univariate analysis,propensity score matching (PSM),and multivariate logistic regression models. Results: A total of 14 718 respondents were selected,of whom 1426 (9.7%) were diagnosed with asthma,and 4664 (31.7%) with nocturia.There is a significant correlation between asthma and nocturia (χ
=39.846,P<0.01). Age,body mass index (BMI),smoking and race were also associated with nocturia (P<0.01).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that,the age,BMI,smoking,race and asthma were correlated with the risk of nocturia,before PSM matching (P<0.05).To eliminate confounding bias,PSM was applied,and generalized linear mixed model analysis after matching showed that the risk of nocturia remained high in asthma patients (OR=1.540,95% CI:1.320-1.800,P<0.01). Conclusion: Asthma is associated with nocturia in women,indicating that it may be an important risk factor for female nocturia.
4.Surveillance results of common diseases among primary and secondary school students in Yichang City in 2019 - 2022
Yi LIANG ; Zaoxia WANG ; Chi HU ; Xiaoyan MING ; Man XIAO ; Qian WU ; Zhongcheng YANG
Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine 2025;36(4):98-101
Objective To investigate the prevalence of common diseases among primary and secondary school students in Yichang City from 2019 to 2022, and to provide a scientific basis for formulating effective intervention measures in the future. Methods By random cluster sampling , 7 schools in urban areas and 5 schools in suburban counties were selected to screen common diseases such as myopia, dental caries, obesity and abnormal spinal curvature. Descriptive epidemiological methods were employed for statistical analysis. Results A total of 17 023 primary and secondary school students were screened from 2019 to 2022. The overall detection rate of common diseases from high to low was myopia (54.12%), caries (36.75%), overweight (15.17%), obesity (11.88%), malnutrition (5.80%), and abnormal spinal curvature (3.49%). The detection rates of myopia and abnormal curvature of the spine showed an increasing trend with years and school stages, while the detection rates of malnutrition and dental caries showed a decreasing trend with years and school stages. The detection rates of overweight and obesity showed no trend difference with years, and the detection rates of obesity showed a decreasing trend with school stages. The rates of myopia, overweight and obesity were higher in urban areas than those in suburban counties, and the rate of dental caries was higher in suburban counties than that in urban areas. The prevalence of overweight, obesity, and malnutrition in boys was higher than that in girls. The prevalence of myopia and dental caries in girls was higher than that in boys. The above differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Conclusion Myopia, dental caries, obesity, and abnormal curvature of the spine are the current focus of the prevention and treatment of common diseases in students. There are great differences between different regions, school stages, and genders. The “tripartite linkage” of schools, families, and communities should be achieved with the joint efforts of the education and health departments to actively take targeted intervention measures to reduce the prevalence.
5.Construction of a predictive model for the efficacy of SNRI antidepressants in inpatients with moderate and severe depression based on machine learning
Xuetao LIU ; Yang LIU ; Hongjian LI ; Jianhua WU ; Siming LIU ; Ming JIAO ; Luhai YU
China Pharmacy 2025;36(15):1936-1941
OBJECTIVE To construct a prediction model for the efficacy of serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) in inpatients with moderate and severe depression by using a machine learning method. METHODS The case records of inpatients with moderate and severe depression treated with SNRI antidepressants were collected from a third-grade class-A hospital in Xinjiang from January 2022 to October 2024; those patients were divided into effective group and ineffective group based on the Hamilton depression scale-24 score reduction rate. After screening the characteristic variables related to the therapeutic efficacy of SNRI drugs through LASSO regression, five prediction models including support vector machine, k-nearest neighbor, random forest, lightweight gradient boosting machine and extreme gradient boosting were constructed using the training set. Bayesian optimization was used to adjust the hyperparameters of these models. The performance of the models was evaluated in the validation set to select the optimal model. The Shapley additive explanations method was used to perform explainable analysis on the best model. RESULTS The medical records from 355 hospitalized patients with moderate and severe depression were collected, comprising 285 cases in the effective group and 70 cases in the ineffective group, resulting in an overall therapeutic response rate of 80.28%. After feature variable screening, five characteristic variables for therapeutic efficacy were obtained, including Hamilton anxiety scale, blood urea nitrogen, combination of anti-anxiety drugs, drinking history, and first onset of the disease. Compared with other models, the random forest model performed the best. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.85, the area under the precision-recall curve was 0.87, the accuracy was 0.74, and the recall rate value was 0.75. CONCLUSIONS The random forest model constructed based on five characteristic variables demonstrates potential for predicting the therapeutic efficacy of SNRI antidepressants in hospitalized patients with moderate and severe depression.
6.A New Risk of Cardiovascular Disease —— Micro-nanoplastics
Fan GAO ; Ming YANG ; Zhong CHEN
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(8):1932-1941
In recent years, with the large-scale use of plastic products, the degree of plastic pollution has increased, becoming a serious global problem. Microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs), as emerging environmental pollutants, are widely found in organisms and the environment. These plastic particles enter the human body through 3 exposure pathways: breathing, the food chain’s bioaccumulation and transfer, and skin contact, thereby exerting toxic effects. The physical attributes of MNPs, including their shape, size, and surface characteristics, are not static but rather undergo dynamic transformations in response to changing environmental conditions. These changes can significantly influence their behavior and interactions within different ecosystems. When considering MNPs as carriers of chemicals, two primary mechanisms can be distinguished. (1) MNPs have the capacity to adsorb pollutants from their surrounding environment. These pollutants may encompass a wide range of substances, such as heavy metals, organic compounds, and other contaminants that are commonly found in water, soil, or air. (2) MNPs may also carry chemical agents that are artificially introduced during their commercial production process. For example, flame retardants and pigments are often added to plastics to enhance their performance or appearance. These artificially added chemicals can remain associated with MNPs throughout their lifecycle and may contribute to their overall toxicological impact. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a general term for diseases of the heart, arteries, veins, and capillaries, and are one of the main causes of disability and death. CVDs have higher incidence, mortality, and recurrence rates, and more complications, which reduce the quality of life and happiness of patients, the phenomenon is gradually showing a trend of early onset, therefore early-stage prevention for CVDs is of critical importance. This article reviews the properties of MNPs and their potential threats to the cardiovascular system, aiming to explore how MNPs cause CVDs through certain physiological effects, toxicity mechanisms, and related pathways. Our review primarily focus on elucidating several critical mechanisms through which MNPs exert their adverse effects. Specifically, the review examines how the enhancement of oxidative stress can trigger the expression of pro-inflammatory factors, which in turn leads to the formation of a chronic inflammatory microenvironment within biological systems. Additionally, MNPs possess the capacity to adsorb toxic metals and organic substances from their surroundings. Furthermore, the review summarizes that sewage irrigation and atmospheric deposition are significant factors contributing to the co-pollution of heavy metals with MNPs in environmental settings. The interaction between heavy metals and MNPs has been shown to have detrimental effects on agricultural productivity, as it can inhibit crop growth and simultaneously increase the absorption rate of heavy metals in plants. When these contaminated plants enter the food chain, the accumulated heavy metals can ultimately be ingested by humans. This process poses a potential risk for inducing acute coronary syndrome and other CVDs, thereby underscoring the importance of understanding and mitigating the impact of MNPs on human health. In addition, our review also gives examples of the long-term effects of MNPs on cardiovascular function and the adverse consequences such as arrhythmia and atherosclerosis, the limitations of the current studies of MNPs affecting cardiovascular system health and future directions are also explored.
7.Preparation and evaluation of long-acting light-protective nanogel based on fullerenol-cerium oxide composite system
Tianlong ZHANG ; Jia LIU ; Qing ZHAO ; Yue ZHOU ; Ming YANG ; Qianyu LUO
China Pharmacy 2025;36(17):2106-2112
OBJECTIVE To develop a long-acting light-protective nanogel with both physical barrier and chemical clearance functions, and evaluate its performance. METHODS The photoprotective nanogel composed of mussel mucin and sodium hyaluronate was constructed based on a fullerenol-cerium oxide composite nano system, namely fullerenol-cerium oxide nanogel (FCN), and was characterized. The antioxidant capacity of FCN was evaluated using in vitro free radical scavenging experiments; its UV shielding ability was assessed by using an SPF value detector; its biosafety was assessed according to the requirements of the Guidelines for Drug Safety Evaluation; skin adhesion was assessed using small animal 3D live imaging technology; its sun protection ability was assessed through skin sunscreen detection and histopathological observation. RESULTS The average particle sizes of cerium oxide and fullerenol nanoparticles in FCN were about 20 and 10 nm, respectively, and FCN exhibited good UV absorption and free radical scavenging abilities. SPF value of FCN was 58.95±0.82, and the ultraviolet A protection level value was 6.21±0.15. No pathogenic colonies such as Staphylococcus aureus, were detected in the nanogel, and the contents of lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium all met the standards for pharmaceutical excipients; FCN group did not show any irritating reactions such as erythema, edema, or desquamation; blood biochemical indicators of the FCN group were within the normal reference range. The material clearance rate of mice in the artificial sweat flushing group was less than 30%, while the material clearance rate of mice in the dry cleaning group reached about 92%. The mice in the protective group did not show obvious erythema or ulcer formation throughout the experiment. Histopathology showed that the fibers were arranged in an orderly manner, and the number of collagen fibers was close to that of the control group. CONCLUSIONS The FCN formulation constructed in this study meets the relevant requirements of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, has good safety and skin compatibility, and achieves dual synergistic protection of UV shielding and free radical scavenging.
8.Progress on the mechanisms of prevention and treatment of radiation-induced intestinal injury using Chinese medicine monomers and application of nanotechnology for enhanced efficiency
Lei CHEN ; Zekun LI ; Chaoqun PI ; Yang HE ; Ming LI
Chinese Journal of Radiological Health 2025;34(4):614-624
Radiation-induced intestinal injury is caused by high dose of radiation in the abdomen and pelvis. The disease is characterized by complicated pathological mechanisms and poses significant challenges to clinical treatment, seriously affecting the quality of life and health of patients. Current treatments in modern medicine offer limited efficacy and are often associated with adverse side effects. Traditional Chinese medicine monomers inhibit inflammatory factors (e.g., tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β) and regulate the antioxidant enzyme system (e.g., improving the activity of superoxide dismutase) to effectively reduce the symptoms of radiation-induced intestinal injury with minimal side effects. Through targeted delivery of nanoparticles, nanotechnology can accurately deliver the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine to damaged intestinal tissues, thus improving their bioavailability and therapeutic effects. This paper reviews the mechanisms of Chinese medicine monomers in the prevention and treatment of radiation-induced intestinal injury and the application of nanotechnology for enhanced efficiency. The paper also discusses the clinical potential of these approaches. These results provide a reference for future research and clinical practice.
9.Research progress on the chemical constituents,pharmacological mechanisms and clinical application of Jiegeng decoction
Yun HUANG ; Shunwang HUANG ; Jinwei QIAO ; Qian XU ; Xiaoming GAO ; Xuemei BAO ; Manqin YANG ; Ruonan XIE ; Ming CAI
China Pharmacy 2025;36(18):2348-2352
Jiegeng decoction is a classic prescription composed of two Chinese medicinal herbs: Platycodon grandiflorum and Glycyrrhiza uralensis. It has the efficacy of diffusing lung qi, resolving phlegm, relieving sore throat and discharging pus, and is commonly used in the treatment of respiratory diseases such as cough and pharyngodynia. This article reviews the chemical components, pharmacological mechanisms and clinical applications of Jiegeng decoction. It was found that Jiegeng decoction contains triterpenoid saponins, flavonoids, glycosides, acids, and other components, with platycodin D, platycodin D2, glycyrrhizic acid, glycyrrhetinic acid, liquiritin, etc., serving as the main active pharmaceutical ingredients. Jiegeng decoction and its chemical constituents exert anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting signaling pathways such as nuclear factor-κB and mitogen- activated protein kinases, and demonstrate anti-tumor activities through mechanisms like modulating the tumor immune microenvironment and promoting cancer cell apoptosis. Additionally, it exhibits various pharmacological actions including antibacterial, antiviral, and antioxidant effects. Clinically, Jiegeng decoction, its modified prescription and compound combinations are widely used in the treatment of respiratory diseases such as cough, pneumonia, and pharyngitis, as well as digestive system disorders like constipation.
10.Research progress on polysaccharides in the cell wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Ming CAI ; Jing ZHOU ; Sijie YANG ; Shidong ZHAO ; Yan YIN ; Fan CHEN
Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine 2025;36(5):134-139
Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is primarily transmitted through the respiratory tract, and remains one of the diseases with the highest mortality rate of single-pathogen infections globally. The cell wall polysaccharides of M. tuberculosis are critical for maintaining bacterial structure, mediating pathogenesis, and enabling immune evasion. Lipoarabinomannan (LAM), a key polysaccharide component, has revolutionized non-invasive diagnostic technologies as a TB biomarker, while polysaccharide-based vaccines have emerged as innovative strategies for TB prevention. This review systematically examines the composition, subcellular distribution, and functional roles of M. tuberculosis cell wall polysaccharides in bacterial metabolism, drug resistance, and immune regulation. A particular emphasis is placed on recent advancements in LAM-based diagnostics and vaccine development. Future studies should utilize advanced technologies to precisely characterize the structural features of TB polysaccharides and explore their biological functions, providing a foundation for targeted diagnostic and therapeutic innovations. This article aims to provide reference for advancing both basic research and clinical applications related to M. tuberculosis.


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