Somatostatin-Positive Neurons in the Rostral Zona Incerta Modulate Innate Fear-Induced Defensive Response in Mice / 神经科学通报·英文版

Defensive behaviors induced by innate fear or Pavlovian fear conditioning are crucial for animals to avoid threats and ensure survival. The zona incerta (ZI) has been demonstrated to play important roles in fear learning and fear memory, as well as modulating auditory-induced innate defensive behavior. However, whether the neuronal subtypes in the ZI and specific circuits can mediate the innate fear response is largely unknown. Here, we found that somatostatin (SST)-positive neurons in the rostral ZI of mice were activated by a visual innate fear stimulus. Optogenetic inhibition of SST-positive neurons in the rostral ZI resulted in reduced flight responses to an overhead looming stimulus. Optogenetic activation of SST-positive neurons in the rostral ZI induced fear-like defensive behavior including increased immobility and bradycardia. In addition, we demonstrated that manipulation of the GABAergic projections from SST-positive neurons in the rostral ZI to the downstream nucleus reuniens (Re) mediated fear-like defensive behavior. Retrograde trans-synaptic tracing also revealed looming stimulus-activated neurons in the superior colliculus (SC) that projected to the Re-projecting SST-positive neurons in the rostral ZI (SC-ZIrSST-Re pathway). Together, our study elucidates the function of SST-positive neurons in the rostral ZI and the SC-ZIrSST-Re tri-synaptic circuit in mediating the innate fear response.

Repeated stellate ganglion blockade for the treatment of ventricular tachycardia storm in patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy: a new therapeutic option for patients with malignant arrhythmias / 中华心血管病杂志

Objectives: This study sought to describe our institutional experience of repeated percutaneous stellate ganglion blockade (R-SGB) as a treatment option for drug-refractory electrical storm in patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM). Methods: This prospective observational study included 8 consecutive NICM patients who had drug-refractory electrical storm and underwent R-SGB between June 1, 2021 and January 31, 2022. Lidocaine (5 ml, 1%) was injected in the vicinity of the left stellate ganglion under the guidance of ultrasound, once per day for 7 days. Data including clinical characteristics, immediate and long-term outcomes, and procedure related complications were collected. Results: The mean age was (51.5±13.6) years. All patients were male. 5 patients were diagnosed as dilated cardiomyopathy, 2 patients as arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy and 1 patient as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The left ventricular ejection fraction was 37.8%±6.6%. After the treatment of R-SGB, 6 (75%) patients were free of electrical storm. 24 hours Holter monitoring showed significant reduction in ventricular tachycardia (VT) episodes from 43.0 (13.3, 276.3) to 1.0 (0.3, 34.0) on the first day following R-SGB (P<0.05) and 0.5 (0.0, 19.3) after whole R-SGB process (P<0.05). There were no procedure-related major complications. The mean follow-up was (4.8±1.1) months, and the median time of recurrent VT was 2 months. Conclusion: Minimally invasive R-SGB is a safe and effective method to treat electrical storm in patients with NICM.

Evidence-based guideline for clinical diagnosis and treatment of acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults (version 2023) / 中华创伤杂志

The acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults have a higher rate of neurological injury and early death compared with atlas or axial fractures alone. Currently, the diagnosis and treatment choices of acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults are controversial because of the lack of standards for implementation. Non-operative treatments have a high incidence of bone nonunion and complications, while surgeries may easily lead to the injury of the vertebral artery, spinal cord and nerve root. At present, there are no evidence-based Chinese guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults. To provide orthopedic surgeons with the most up-to-date and effective information in treating acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults, the Spinal Trauma Group of Orthopedic Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized experts in the field of spinal trauma to develop the Evidence-based guideline for clinical diagnosis and treatment of acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults ( version 2023) by referring to the "Management of acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults" published by American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)/Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) in 2013 and the relevant Chinese and English literatures. Ten recommendations were made concerning the radiological diagnosis, stability judgment, treatment rules, treatment options and complications based on medical evidence, aiming to provide a reference for the diagnosis and treatment of acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults.

Clinical guideline for diagnosis and treatment of adult ankylosing spondylitis combined with thoracolumbar fracture (version 2023) / 中华创伤杂志

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) combined with spinal fractures with thoracic and lumbar fracture as the most common type shows characteristics of unstable fracture, high incidence of nerve injury, high mortality and high disability rate. The diagnosis may be missed because it is mostly caused by low-energy injury, when spinal rigidity and osteoporosis have a great impact on the accuracy of imaging examination. At the same time, the treatment choices are controversial, with no relevant specifications. Non-operative treatments can easily lead to bone nonunion, pseudoarthrosis and delayed nerve injury, while surgeries may be failed due to internal fixation failure. At present, there are no evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of AS combined with thoracic and lumbar fracture. In this context, the Spinal Trauma Academic Group of Orthopedics Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized experts to formulate the Clinical guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of adult ankylosing spondylitis combined with thoracolumbar fracture ( version 2023) by following the principles of evidence-based medicine and systematically review related literatures. Ten recommendations on the diagnosis, imaging evaluation, classification and treatment of AS combined with thoracic and lumbar fracture were put forward, aiming to standardize the clinical diagnosis and treatment of such disorder.

Research Progress of Inpatients’ Living Wills / 中国医学伦理学

By reviewing the necessity, current status of cognitive attitudes, influencing factors, and improvement strategies of inpatients’ living wills, this paper proposed to strengthen the publicity and promotion of living wills to advance the development of death with dignity, improve relevant influencing factors, and provide feasible solutions for living wills, and actively develop tools to assess the cognition and attitude of living wills, with a view to providing reference for further promoting the application of living wills in inpatients and improving related research.

Thrombospondin-2 Couples Pressure-Promoted Chondrogenesis through NF-jB Signaling

METHODS@#Rat BMSCs were isolated, cultured and identified. The time-dependent expressions of TSP-2 and Sox9 in BMSCs under a dynamic mechanical pressure of 0–120 kPa at 0.1 Hz for 1 h were tested by qPCR and Western blotting. The role of TSP-2 in chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs under mechanical pressure was validated by using small interfering RNA. The impact of TSP-2 and mechanical pressure on chondrogenesis were detected and the downstream signaling molecules were explored using Western blotting. @*RESULTS@#Mechanical pressure stimulation of 0–120 kPa for 1 h significantly upregulated the expression of TSP-2 in BMSCs. The expression of the chondrogenesis markers Sox9, Aggrecan, and Col-II were all upregulated under dynamic mechanical pressure or TSP-2 stimulation. Additional exogenous TSP-2 may potentiate the chondrogenic effect of mechanical stimulation. After knock down TSP-2, the upregulation of Sox9, Aggrecan and Col-II under mechanical pressure was inhibited. The NF-jB signaling pathway responded to both dynamic pressure and TSP-2 stimulation, and the cartilage-promoting effect was blocked by an NF-jB signaling inhibitor. @*CONCLUSION@#TSP-2 plays an essential role in the chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs under mechanical pressure. NF-jB signaling is involved in the mechano-chemical coupling of TSP-2 and mechanical pressure for the chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs.

Continuous Motion Estimation of Elbow Joint Based on Multi-Modal Information Fusion / 医用生物力学

Objective Aiming at the problems of lacking initiative in upper limb rehabilitation training equipment, single training mode, and low active participation of patients, an upper limb continuous motion estimation algorithm model based on multi-modal information fusion was proposed, so to realize accurate estimation of elbow joint torque. Methods Firstly, the surface electromyography (sEMG) signal and posture signal of participants were collected at four angular velocities, and the time domain characteristics of the signal were extracted. The principal component analysis was adopted to multi-feature fusion. The back propagation neural network (BPNN) was optimized through the additional momentum and the adaptive learning rate method. The particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm was used to optimize the neural network and a continuous motion estimation model based on PSO-BPNN was constructed. Finally, the joint torque calculated by the second type of Lagrangian equation was used as the accurate value to train the model. The performance of the model was compared with the traditional BP neural network model. Results The root mean square error (RMSE) of the traditional BP neural network model was 558.9 N·m, and the R2 coefficient was 77.19%, Whereas the RMSE and the R2 coefficient of the optimized model were 113.6 mN·m and 99.12%, respectively.Thereby, the accuracy of torque estimation was improved apparently. Conclusions The method for continuous motion estimation of the elbow joint proposed in this study can estimate the motion intention accurately, and provide a practical scheme for the active control of upper exoskeleton rehabilitation robot.

Screening of active components and preliminary mechanism exploration of Lycii Fructus for improving osteoporosis based on the zebrafish model / 药学学报

Juvenile zebrafish were used to screen the active components of Lycii Fructus for improving osteoporosis. The screening results were further verified by zebrafish adult osteoporosis model and the action mechanism was explored. Prednisolone was used as the inducer to build osteoporosis models of juvenile and adult zebrafish, and 9 groups of samples of different extracts and chemical parts of Lycii Fructus were given. Alizarin red staining was applied for observing the scale matrix mineralization and bone resorption. The activities of osteoblasts and osteoclasts were detected using alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP/TRACP) staining. The expressions of bone metabolism-related genes alp, osteoprotectin (opn), osteoblast specific transcription factor (sp7), cathepsin K (ctsk), tracp, and Runt family transcription factor 2b (runx2b) in each group were determined using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that all components of Lycii Fructus improved the formation area of the first vertebrae, the staining light density value, and the number of vertebrae joints in juvenile zebrafish and the Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) treatment group exerted the best effect. In addition, LBP prevented the formation of bone resorption lacunae in zebrafish scales, increased ALP activity, decreased TRAP activity, up-regulated the alp, sp7, and opn genes, and lowered the expressions of ctsk and tracp genes. In conclusion, LBP regulated the activity of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, reduced bone resorption, promoted bone formation and enhanced bone density, which might be the main anti-osteoporosis active fraction of Lycii Fructus. This study provided modern scientific evidence for the scientific connotation of the traditional effect of "strengthening bones and muscles" of Lycii Fructus, provided the reference for the evaluation of the anti-osteoporosis activity of traditional Chinese medicine based on zebrafish adult model, and provided beneficial enlightenment for the bone health needs of the aging society population.

Changes and significance of type 2 innate lymphoid cells and their related factors in bronchopulmonary dysplasia / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To investigate the changes and significance of type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2), interleukin-33 (IL-33), interleukin-25 (IL-25), thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), interleukin-5 (IL-5), and interleukin-13 (IL-13) in peripheral blood of preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).@*METHODS@#A total of 76 preterm infants with a gestational age of <32 weeks and a length of hospital stay of ≥14 days who were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics of the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University from September 2020 to December 2021 were enrolled. According to the diagnostic criteria for BPD, they were divided into a BPD group with 30 infants and a non-BPD group with 46 infants. The two groups were compared in terms of the percentage of ILC2 and the levels of IL-33, IL-25, TSLP, IL-5, and IL-13 in peripheral blood on days 1, 7, and 14 after birth.@*RESULTS@#The BPD group had significantly lower birth weight and gestational age than the non-BPD group (P<0.05). On days 7 and 14 after birth, the BPD group had significantly higher levels of ILC2, IL-33, TSLP, and IL-5 than the non-BPD group (P<0.05), and these indices had an area under the curve of >0.7 in predicting the devolpment of BPD (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for gestational age and birth weight, peripheral blood IL-33, TSLP and IL-5 on days 7 and 14 after birth were closely related to the devolpment of BPD (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Early innate immune activation and upregulated expression of related factors may be observed in preterm infants with BPD. ILC2, IL-33, TSLP, and IL-5 may be used as biological indicators for early diagnosis of BPD.

Predictive validation of existing bleeding and thromboembolic scores in elderly patients with comorbid atrial fibrillation and acute coronary syndrome / 老年心脏病学杂志（英文版）

BACKGROUND@#The validation of various risk scores in elderly patients with comorbid atrial fibrillation (AF) and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has not been reported. The present study compared the predictive performance of existing risk scores in these patients.@*METHODS@#A total of 1252 elderly patients with AF and ACS comorbidities (≥ 65 years old) were consecutively enrolled from January 2015 to December 2019. All patients were followed up for one year. The predictive performance of risk scores in predicting bleeding and thromboembolic events was calculated and compared.@*RESULTS@#During the 1-year follow-up, 183 (14.6%) patients had thromboembolic events, 198 (15.8%) patients had BARC class ≥ 2 bleeding events, and 61 (4.9%) patients had BARC class ≥ 3 bleeding events. For the BARC class ≥ 3 bleeding events, discrimination of the existing risk scores was low to moderate, PRECISE-DAPT (C-statistic: 0.638, 95% CI: 0.611-0.665), ATRIA (C-statistic: 0.615, 95% CI: 0.587-0.642), PARIS-MB (C-statistic: 0.612, 95% CI: 0.584-0.639), HAS-BLED (C-statistic: 0.597, 95% CI: 0.569-0.624) and CRUSADE (C-statistic: 0.595, 95% CI: 0.567-0.622). However, the calibration was good. PRECISE-DAPT showed a higher integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) than PARIS-MB, HAS-BLED, ATRIA, and CRUSADE (P < 0.05) and the best decision curve analysis (DCA). For thromboembolic events, the discrimination of GRACE (C-statistic: 0.636, 95% CI: 0.608-0.662) was higher than CHA2DS2-VASc (C-statistic: 0.612, 95% CI: 0.584-0.639), OPT-CAD (C-statistic: 0.602, 95% CI: 0.574-0.629) and PARIS-CTE (C-statistic: 0.595, 95% CI: 0.567-0.622). The calibration was good. Compared to OPT-CAD and PARIS-CTE, the IDI of the GRACE score slightly improved (P < 0.05). However, NRI analysis showed no significant difference. DCA showed that the clinical practicability of thromboembolic risk scores was similar.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The discrimination and calibration of existing risk scores in predicting 1-year thromboembolic and bleeding events were unsatisfactory in elderly patients with comorbid AF and ACS. PRECISE-DAPT showed higher IDI and DCA than other risk scores in predicting BARC class ≥ 3 bleeding events. The GRACE score showed a slight advantage in predicting thrombotic events.

Varieties systematization and standards status analysis of fermented Chinese medicine / 中国中药杂志

Fermented Chinese medicine has long been used. Amid the advance for preservation of experience, the connotation of fermented Chinese medicine has been enriched and improved. However, fermented Chinese medicine prescriptions generally contain a lot of medicinals. The fermentation process is complicated and the conventional fermentation conditions fail to be strictly controlled. In addition, the judgment of the fermentation end point is highly subjective. As a result, quality of fermented Chinese medicine is of great difference among regions and unstable. At the moment, the quality standards of fermented Chinese medicine are generally outdated and different among regions, with simple quality control methods and lacking objective safe fermentation-specific evaluation indictors. It is difficult to comprehensively evaluate and control the quality of fermented medicine. These problems have aroused concern in the industry and also affected the clinical application of fermented Chinese medicine. This article summarized and analyzed the application, quality standards, and the modernization of fermentation technology and quality control methods of fermented Chinese medicine and proposed suggestions for improving the quality standards of the medicine, with a view to improving the overall quality of it.

Controlled release and cytobiology of recombinant human parathyroid hormone 1-34 mediated by hyaluronic acid thermo-sensitive hydrogels / 药学学报

The bone formation promoter recombinant human parathyroid hormone 1-34 [PTH (1-34)] has a short half-life and low bioavailability. In this study, we prepared a biodegradable and temperature-sensitive hyaluronic acid-poly-N-isopropyl acrylamide (AHA-g-PNIPAAm), and further investigated its effects of PTH (1-34) release and cell behavior as drug carrier. The structure of AHA-g-PNIPAAM was confirmed by hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy. Next, PTH (1-34) loaded thermo-sensitive hydrogels were prepared by physical swelling method and their stability was investigated. The morphology of hydrogel was observed by scanning electron microscope. The minimum critical transition temperature and drug release behavior of hydrogels were investigated by ultraviolet spectrophotometry. The tetrazolium-based colorimetric assay (MTT assay) was used to investigate the toxicity and proliferation effects of PTH (1-34)-loaded thermo-sensitive hydrogel on mouse mononuclear macrophage RAW264.7 and mouse precranial osteoblasts MC3T3-E1. The effect of PTH (1-34)-loaded thermo-sensitive hydrogel on the differentiation of RAW264.7 was investigated by the tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase assay. The results showed that the PTH (1-34)-loaded thermo-sensitive hydrogel prepared in this study displayed regular three-dimensional honeycomb structure, and had good stability, thermo-sensitivity and sustained and controlled release properties, which could promote the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells more effectively and inhibit the differentiation of RAW264.7 into osteoclasts.

Evaluation of a China-made disposable peroral cholangioscope in an animal experiment / 中华消化内镜杂志

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a China-made disposable peroral cholangioscope in animal cholangioscopy.Methods:Six healthy Bama minipigs underwent the domestic disposable peroral cholangioscopy after anesthesia. The operation performance and image quality of the products were evaluated, and intraoperative and postoperative complications were recorded.Results:All 6 animals received the domestic disposable peroral cholangioscopy. The cholangioscope showed good operating performance and could smoothly enter the biliary tract through the duodenoscope. The water injection, suction and instrument channels were unobstructed. The cholangioscopic image was clear, the color resolution was good, and there was no image distortion. The lumen and the mucosal surface could be accurately assessed. During the examination, there was no operative injuries such as bleeding, perforation, or adverse events such as respiratory depression or cardiac arrest. All pigs survived the operation with no adverse reaction.Conclusion:The China-made disposable peroral cholangioscope is safe, with good operability and high-quality image.

Guideline for postoperative rehabilitation treatment following vertebral augmentation for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (version 2022) / 中华创伤杂志

Osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) can lead to lower back pain and may be even accompanied by scoliosis, neurological dysfunction and other complications, which will affect the daily activities and life quality of patients. Vertebral augmentation is an effective treatment method for OVCF, but it cannot correct unbalance of bone metabolism or improve the osteoporotic status, causing complications like lower back pain, limited spinal activities and vertebral refracture. The post-operative systematic and standardized rehabilitation treatments can improve curative effect and therapeutic efficacy of anti-osteoporosis, reduce risk of vertebral refracture, increase patient compliance and improve quality of life. Since there still lack relevant clinical treatment guidelines for postoperative rehabilitation treatments following vertebral augmentation for OVCF, the current treatments are varied with uneven therapeutic effect. In order to standardize the postoperative rehabilitation treatment, the Spine Trauma Group of the Orthopedic Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized relevant experts to refer to relevant literature and develop the "Guideline for postoperative rehabilitation treatment following vertebral augmentation for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (2022 version)" based on the clinical guidelines published by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) as well as on the principles of scientificity, practicality and advancement. The guideline provided evidence-based recommendations on 10 important issues related to postoperative rehabilitation treatments of OVCF.

Application progress of adventure based counseling in nursing of children and adolescents with cancer / 中国实用护理杂志

In recent years, cancer had become one of the main causes of death in children and adolescents, which had great adverse effects on their physiology and psychology, leading to serious physiological and psychological problems. Adventure based counseling had the effect of improving physical and mental health and quality of life, and had been widely used in the nursing of children with cancer. This paper reviewed the concept, intervention methods, applicable population and its application in the nursing of children and adolescents with cancer, in order to provide reference for the further research and application of adventure based counseling in children and adolescents with cancer in China.

A study on the status quo and influencing factors of spiritual care needs among elderly stroke inpatients / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective:To investigate the status quo and influencing factors of spiritual care needs among elderly stroke inpatients, in order to provide reference for formulating targeted interventions.Methods:A total of 417 elderly stroke inpatients were selected in five Third-A hospitals from August 2021 to January 2022 by convenient sampling. The questionnaire was conducted using the General Data questionnaire, the Nurse Spiritual Therapeutics Scale (NSTS), the Stigma Scale for Chronic Illness (SSCI) and the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS). Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of spiritual care needs of elderly stroke inpatients.Results:The total score of NSTS among 417 elderly stroke inpatients was 31.98 ± 4.39. The dimension of highest and lowest average score were "create good atmosphere" (3.23 ± 0.58) and "help religion" (2.01 ± 0.62), respectively; the results of regression analysis showed that religious belief, education background, course, stigma, and social support were the main factors influencing spiritual care needs among elderly stroke inpatients ( t values were -6.54-7.11, P<0.05). Conclusions:The spiritual care needs among elderly stroke inpatients were moderate. It is suggested that nurses should strengthen their own spiritual care knowledge and ability, and take targeted spiritual care measures according to the individual characteristics and differences of patients, reduce their stigma, improve the social support, to meet their spiritual care needs to the greatest extent.

Evaluation of multiplex PCR for viral central nervous system infection in children / 中国小儿急救医学

Objective:To evaluate the clinical significance of molecular detection testing multiple pathogens in children with viral central nervous system infections.Methods:We retrospectively included 176 children who were suspected with central nervous system infection at Shanghai Children′s Medical Center from January 2017 to May 2021.Film Array Meningitis/Encephalitis Panel(FA-M/E) was used to test cerebrospinal fluid samples of these children.The results were analyzed compared with clinical symptoms and cerebrospinal fluid indices.Results:There were 34 samples with positive FA-M/E virus detection(19.32%, 34/176). Among the 34 samples, enterovirus was the most common pathogen(27 cases, 79.41%). In different combinations, the sensitivity and positive predictive value were all less than 90%.The median time for antiviral drugs used in FA-M/E virus-positive and negative children was 4.5(0, 8.5)d and 2.6(0, 2.0)d, respectively.The difference was statistically significant( P<0.05). Conclusion:Molecular tests of multiple pathogens can quickly and sensitively detect pathogens.It can improve the efficacy of clinical diagnosis of viral central nervous system infection.

Biological Mechanism of Pyroptosis and Its Research Progress in Breast Cancer / 肿瘤防治研究

Pyroptosis is a newly discovered way of proinflammatory programmed cell death. Pyroptosis is mediated by caspase-1 (Caspase-1). Through the cleavage and activation of GSDM family proteins, small pores are formed on the cell membrane, thus rapid lysis of the cell membrane process, and then leads to intracellular inflammatory content release thereby causing inflammatory response. The three pyroptosis pathways are the classical pathway of Caspase-1, the non-classical pathway of Caspase-4, 5, and 11, and the special pathway of Caspase-3 or Hela cells. Pyroptosis plays an important role in the occurrence, invasion, and metastasis of breast cancer, and is closely related to the prevention and treatment of breast cancer. This article reviews the biological mechanism of pyroptosis and its research progress in breast cancer, to provide a new idea for clinicians in the treatment of breast cancer.

Effects of typical phthalate esters on lipid metabolism in rats and its potential mechanism / 环境与职业医学

Background Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) are representative environmental endocrine disruptors of phthalate esters (PAEs). Some studies have shown that PAEs exposure may have an impact on lipid metabolism. Objective To investigate the effects of DEHP and/or DBP on lipid metabolism in rats and their possible mechanisms of action. Methods Thirty-six weaned healthy SD male rats, 3 weeks old, weighing 50-70 g, were divided into four groups, i.e., a corn oil control group, a DEHP (750 mg·kg−1) group, a DBP (500 mg·kg−1) group, and a DEHP+DBP (750 mg·kg−1+500 mg·kg−1) group. The rats were exposed to DEHP and/or DBP by oral gavage for 8 weeks, and weighed once a week. The rats were anesthetized 24 h after the last dose, and blood was taken from the apical part of the heart. Serum high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), and triglyceride (TG) were detected. Liver tissues and perigenital adipose tissues were collected, weighed, and one portion of the tissues was fixed in 10% neutral formalin for pathomorphological observation, and another portion was used for mRNA detection of lipid metabolism-related genes such as Janus kinase 3 (JAK3), signal transducer and activator of transcription 5b (STAT5b), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ). Results During the DEHP and/or DBP exposure period, the rats in all groups were free to eat and drink without death or injury observed. Compared with the control group: The body weight gain in the DEHP+DBP group was lower at all time points from the 2nd week onwards (P<0.05); the liver organ coefficients of the DEHP and the DEHP+DBP groups were higher (P<0.05); the serum LDL-C levels in the DEHP and the DBP groups were higher (P<0.05). Compared with the DEHP+DBP group: The body weight gains in the DEHP group at the 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 8th weeks were higher (P<0.05), and the body weight gains in the DBP group were higher at all time points except the 1st week (P<0.05); the liver organ coefficients in the DEHP group and the DBP group were lower (P<0.05); the serum TG level in the DEHP group was higher(P<0.05), and the serum LDL-C levels in the DEHP and the DBP groups were higher (P<0.05). The pathomorphological results of liver tissues showed that the hepatocytes in the DEHP, DBP, and DEHP+DBP groups were disordered with loss of cord-like arrangement, swelling (suggesting change of cell proliferation), and presented bilirubin pigmentation. The pathomorphological results of rat perigenital adipose tissues showed had irregular alignment, sizes, and arrangement of adipocyte in the DEHP, DBP, and DEHP+DBP groups. The results of rat liver lipid metabolism-related gene mRNA levels showed that the liver JAK3, STAT5b, and PPARγ mRNA levels in the DEHP, DBP, and DEHP+DBP groups were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05); the rat liver PPARγ mRNA levels in the DEHP and DBP groups were lower than those in the DEHP+DBP group (P<0.05). Conclusion DEHP and/or DBP can inhibit the increase of body weight to varying degrees, induce inflammatory damage to liver tissues, and cause abnormal lipid metabolism in rats, and the associated mechanism may be related to inhibiting the activation of JAK3/STAT5b/PPARγ signaling pathway in rat liver tissues.

Inverted U-Shaped Associations between Glycemic Indices and Serum Uric Acid Levels in the General Chinese Population: Findings from the China Cardiometabolic Disease and Cancer Cohort (4C) Study / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

Objective@#The relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and glycemic indices, including plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour postload glucose (2h-PG), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), remains inconclusive. We aimed to explore the associations between glycemic indices and SUA levels in the general Chinese population.@*Methods@#The current study was a cross-sectional analysis using the first follow-up survey data from The China Cardiometabolic Disease and Cancer Cohort Study. A total of 105,922 community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 40 years underwent the oral glucose tolerance test and uric acid assessment. The nonlinear relationships between glycemic indices and SUA levels were explored using generalized additive models.@*Results@#A total of 30,941 men and 62,361 women were eligible for the current analysis. Generalized additive models verified the inverted U-shaped association between glycemic indices and SUA levels, but with different inflection points in men and women. The thresholds for FPG, 2h-PG, and HbA1c for men and women were 6.5/8.0 mmol/L, 11.0/14.0 mmol/L, and 6.1/6.5, respectively (SUA levels increased with increasing glycemic indices before the inflection points and then eventually decreased with further increases in the glycemic indices).@*Conclusion@#An inverted U-shaped association was observed between major glycemic indices and uric acid levels in both sexes, while the inflection points were reached earlier in men than in women.