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Objective To explore the association between gallstones and CVD among ethnic minority populations in Guizhou Province, as well as the mediating effect of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in this association, in order to provide reference suggestions for reducing the burden of CVD. Methods Based on the database of Cohort Study of Native Natural Population in Ethnic Minority Gathering Areas in Southwest China, stratified and multi-stage cluster sampling was used to conduct a baseline survey of ethnic minorities aged 30 - 79 years in Qiandongnan and Qiannan Prefectures of Guizhou Province from 2018 to 2019. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the association between gallstones and CVD, and the mediating effect model was used to evaluate the mediating effect of glomerular filtration rate in the association. Results The detection rate of CVD in Guizhou minority population was 3.16%, among which the detection rates of Dong, Miao and Buyi were 3.27%, 3.07% and 3.12%, respectively. The total detection rate of gallstones was 9.03%. Logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for all the variables (model 3), the detection rates of CVD in the total population [OR(95%CI): 1.633(1.269-2.102)], the Dong [OR(95%CI): 1.567(1.077-2.280)], and Miao [OR(95%CI): 1.679(1.055-2.673)], gallstones were positively associated with CVD. No association between gallstones and CVD was found in the Buyi population. Subgroup analysis showed that Dong patients with gallstones < 60 years old were positively correlated with CVD [OR(95%CI): 1.825(1.022-3.258)], gallstone patients without hyperlipidemia [OR(95%CI): 2.151(1.352-3.422)], gallstone patients without hypertension [OR(95%CI): 1.612(1.013-2.565)] were positively correlated with CVD. Miao ≥ 60 years old [OR(95%CI): 1.878(1.038-3.397)], male [OR(95%CI): 1.546(1.212-5.586)], BMI ≥ 24 [OR(95%CI): 1.972(1.160-3.354)], gallstone patients with hypertension [OR(95%CI): 2.264(1.297 - 5.429)] were positively correlated with CVD. Mediation analysis revealed that the glomerular filtration rate accounted for 16.96%, 12.08%, 17.43%, and 14.52% of the mediating effect between gallstones and CVD in the total population, Dong, Miao, and Buyi people, respectively. Conclusion Gallstones are positively correlated with CVD in the Dong and Miao populations in Guizhou Province, especially in the overweight and hypertension population of the Miao nationality. There is no association between gallstones and CVD in the Buyi population. Glomerular filtration rate has a partial mediating effect between gallstones and CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern human society is burdened with the pandemic of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Metrnl is a widely distributed secreted protein in the body, involved in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism and maintaining cardiovascular system homeostasis. In this review, we present the predictive and therapeutic roles of Metrnl in various cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, including atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, cardiac remodeling, heart failure, hypertension, chemotherapy-induced myocardial injury, diabetes mellitus, and obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter to the editor discusses the performance of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence language model, in answering questions about acute pancreatitis. The study compares the capabilities of ChatGPT-3.5 and ChatGPT-4.0 using subjective and objective metrics and finds that ChatGPT-4.0 outperformed ChatGPT-3.5 in both categories with higher accuracy rates. However, both versions of ChatGPT tended to provide broad and generalized answers rather than optimal solutions. The study suggests that the complexity of clinical features associated with acute pancreatitis makes it challenging to identify the best solution and highlights the limitations of artificial intelligence in updating information in real-time. The study concludes that enhancements in training are needed to improve the performance of ChatGPT in providing optimal management strategies. [Extracted from the article]

Objective To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of abnormal bone mass in postmenopausal women of Dong and Miao ethnic groups in Guizhou Province, and to establish a nomogram prediction model and verify it, so as to provide theoretical basis for the prevention of abnormal bone mass in ethnic minority postmenopausal women in Guizhou Province. Methods This study was a cross-sectional study. In total 3 208 postmenopausal women of Dong and Miao ethnic groups were selected from the cohort study database of natural population of ethnic minorities in southwest China, and ultrasonic bone densitometer was used to measure calcaneal bone mineral density (BMD). The concentrations of cadmium, cobalt, copper, chromium, iron, mercury, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, lead, strontium, vanadium, and zinc in urine were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer, and the relationship between urine metal, demographic characteristics, reproductive characteristics, ethnic diet, and BMD was analyzed by binary logistic regression, and the risk prediction model of bone mass abnormality was established. Results A total of 3 208 people were included in the study, and a total of 1 520 people with abnormal bone mass were detected. The detection rate of abnormal bone mass was 47.38%. Based on age (OR=1.098, 95%CI: 1.083-1.113), history of bone fracture (OR=0.560, 95%CI: 0.395-0.794), age of menopause (OR=0.965, 95%CI: 0.949-0.982), number of live births (OR=0.900, 95%CI: 0.818-0.990), use of contraceptive (OR=0.708, 95%CI: 0.555-0.901), total physical activity (OR=0.989, 95%CI: 0.984-0.994), urinary cadmium (OR=1.060, 95%CI:1.009-1.113), and urinary chromium (OR=1.004, 95%CI: 1.001-1.008) were independent influencing factors of abnormal bone mass. To establish a predictive model Logit (P) for predicting the risk of abnormal bone mass in postmenopausal women: Logit (") =- 2.170+0.093 * (age)-0.580 * (history of bone fracture)-0.035 * (menopausal age)-0.105 * (number of live births)-0.346* (whether or not you have taken contraceptive)-0.011 * (total physical activity) + 0.058 * (urinary cadmium) + 0.004 * (urinary chromium). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the model was 0.722. The nomogram was drawn and verified internally. The results showed that the calibration curve predicted by the model for abnormal bone mass was basically consistent with the actual curve, and the fitting effect was good. Conclusion Cadmium and chromium are independent risk factors of abnormal bone mass, indicating that metal exposure can affect the occurrence and development of abnormal bone mass. The prediction model and score diagram of bone mass abnormality have good predictive ability, which provides a reference for screening abnormal bone mass of minority postmenopausal women in Guizhou Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent clinical trials have evaluated the efficacy of vonoprazan‐amoxicillin (VA) dual therapy as the first‐line treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection in different regions with inconsistent results reported. In this systematic review and meta‐analysis, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of VA dual therapy compared to the currently recommended therapy for eradicating H. pylori. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive search of the PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases was performed using the following search terms: ("Helicobacter" OR "H. pylori" OR "Hp") AND ("vonoprazan" OR "potassium‐competitive acid blocker" OR "P‐CAB") AND ("amoxicillin" OR "penicillin") AND ("dual"). The primary outcome was to evaluate the eradication rate according to intention‐to‐treat and per‐protocol analysis. The secondary outcomes were adverse events and compliance. Results: A total of 15 studies involving 4, 568 patients were included. The pooled eradication rate of VA dual therapy was 85.0% and 90.0% by intention‐to‐treat and per‐protocol analysis, respectively. The adverse events rate and compliance of VA dual therapy were 17.5% and 96%, respectively. The efficacy of VA dual therapy was superior to proton pump inhibitors‐based triple therapy (82.0% vs. 71.4%, p < 0.01) but lower than vonoprazan‐containing quadruple therapy (83.1% vs. 93.3%, p = 0.02). 7‐day VA dual therapy showed lower eradication rates than 10‐day (χ2 = 24.09, p < 0.01) and 14‐day VA dual therapy (χ2 = 11.87, p < 0.01). The adverse events rate of VA dual therapy was lower than vonoprazan triple therapy (24.6% vs. 30.9%, p = 0.01) and bismuth‐containing quadruple therapy (20.5% vs. 47.9%, p < 0.01). No significant difference of compliance was observed between VA dual therapy and each subgroup. Conclusion: VA dual therapy, a novel regimen, showed high efficacy as the first‐line treatment for H. pylori eradication, which should be optimized before application in different regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fibronectin (FN) can bind to certain integrin receptors on the cell surface through short peptide sequences, thereby transmitting extracellular stimuli to intracellular effector molecules. FNDC4 plays a similar role due to the constitution of a type III FN domain, which is a binding site for DNA, heparin, or cell surface. It mainly functions as a signal transmitter after being cleaved and secreted as the extracellular N-terminal fibronectin type III domain (sFNDC4). Emerging studies have shown that FNDC4 plays crucial roles in numerous diseases and holds significant implications for guiding clinical treatment. This review aims to summarize the different roles and the latest advances of FNDC4 in the development of various diseases, in order to provide new ideas for clinical treatment.

In order to enhance the support for groundwater development and utilization, as well as pollution control and prevention in Fengtai District, Beijing, a comprehensive study was conducted based on long-term monitoring data of shallow groundwater in the eastern area of Yongding River during the dry season. The mathematical statistics, Piper diagram, Gibbs diagram, and ion ratio analysis and other methods were employed to explore the pattern of groundwater hydrochemical evolution, the formation mechanism, and sources of pollution in Fengtai District. The findings were as follows:① Overall, the current groundwater quality in the study area was poor. The average concentration of each index in groundwater increased and then decreased from 1976 to the present. The pollution range of Cl - , SO 4 2- , and TH generally expanded, whereas the pollution range of TDS and NO 3 - expanded before 2005 and then decreased with 2005 as the turning point. ② The hydrochemical types of groundwater samples displayed a complex regional variation each year, as well as along the groundwater direction. The dominant anion in groundwater was HCO 3 - , and the dominant cation was Ca 2+ each year. The number of groundwater hydrochemical types in 1976 was 8, in which the predominant type was HCO 3 ·SO 4 -Ca·Mg·Na, accounting for 40%. However, the number of groundwater hydrochemical types in 2021 was 17, in which the predominant type was HCO 3 ·Cl·SO 4 -Ca·Na·Mg, accounting for 23.88%. The groundwater hydrochemical type showed a complex trend within the region and upstream along the flow direction each year, whereas the migration characteristics of groundwater samples, as depicted on the Piper diagram, indicated that the hydrochemical components of groundwater were significantly affected by human activities during its evolution. ③ The groundwater chemistry in the study area was influenced by both rock weathering and evaporative crystallization processes, with evaporation playing a major role. The alternation of groundwater cations was relatively weak, and the dissolution of carbonate minerals served as the primary source of Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ . ④ The ion ratio analysis suggested that exogenous sources, mainly agricultural activities and urban sewage, contributed to the input of NO 3 - and Cl - . The pollution impact from agricultural activities was significant before 2005, which aligned with the historical presence of numerous seepage pits, seepage wells, and direct discharge of industrial and domestic sewage for irrigation purposes in the study area. These activities were closely associated with the high levels of pollution. However, pollution input from agricultural activities notably decreased in 2021, likely due to the effective implementation of water environmental protection programs and action plans in recent years.

Aging-related cardiac dysfunction poses a major risk factor of mortality for elderly populations, however, efficient treatment for aging-related cardiac dysfunction is far from being known. Isthmin-1 (ISM1) is a novel adipokine that promotes glucose uptake and acts indispensable roles in restraining inflammatory and fibrosis. The present study aims to investigate the potential role and molecular mechanism of ISM1 in aging-related cardiac dysfunction. Aged and matched young mice were overexpressed or silenced with ISM1 to investigate the role of ISM1 in aging-related cardiac dysfunction. Moreover, H9C2 cells were stimulated with D-galactose (D-gal) to examine the role of ISM1 in vitro. Herein, we found that cardiac-specific overexpression of ISM1 significantly mitigated insulin resistance by promoting glucose uptake in aging mice. ISM1 overexpression alleviated while ISM1 silencing deteriorated cellular senescence, cardiac inflammation, and dysfunction in natural and accelerated cardiac aging. Mechanistically, ISM1 promoted glycolysis and activated Sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) through increasing glucose uptake. ISM1 increased glucose uptake via translocating GLUT4 to the surface, thereby enhancing glycolytic flux and hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP) flux, ultimately leading to increased SIRT1 activity through O-GlcNAc modification. ISM1 may serve as a novel potential therapeutic target for preventing aging-related cardiac disease in elderly populations. ISM1 prevents aging-related cardiac dysfunction by promoting glycolysis and enhancing SIRT1 deacetylase activity, making it a promising therapeutic target for aging-related cardiac disease.