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Background and Aims: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) poses a considerable health risk. Nevertheless, its risk factors are not thoroughly comprehended, and the association between the reticulocyte count and MASLD remains uncertain. This study aimed to explore the relationship between reticulocyte count and MASLD. Methods: A total of 310,091 individuals from the UK Biobank were included in this cross-sectional study, and 7,316 individuals were included in this prospective study. The cross-sectional analysis categorized reticulocyte count into quartiles, considering the sample distribution. Logistic regression models examined the connection between reticulocyte count and MASLD. In the prospective analysis, Cox analysis was utilized to investigate the association. Results: Our study findings indicate a significant association between higher reticulocyte count and an elevated risk of MASLD in both the cross-sectional and prospective analyses. In the cross-sectional analysis, the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of MASLD increased stepwise over reticulocyte count quartiles (quartile 2: OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.17-1.28, p < 0.001; quartile 3: OR 1.44; 95% CI 1.38-1.51, p < 0.001; quartile 4: OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.59-1.74, p < 0.001). The results of prospective analyses were similar. Conclusion: Increased reticulocyte count was independently associated with a higher risk of MASLD. This discovery offers new insights into the potential of reticulocytes as biomarkers for MASLD.
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OBJECTIVE: To prepare a drug-loading film using chitosan and carboxymethyl chitosan as the carrier materials for delivering matrine to oral ulcers. METHODS: Matrine-loading films using chitosan or carboxymethyl chitosan as the carrier materials were prepared by solution casting method and orthogonal experiment at room temperature. The mechanical properties, surface morphology and drug-loading capacity of the drug-loading film were characterized using tensile test, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), swelling test and in vitro drug release test. RESULTS: When the molecular weight of chitosan was 650 000 and the mass ratio of chitosan/glycerol was 1:1.4, the prepared film had the maximum mechanical strength and tensile modulus reaching 0.7875 MPa. SEM observation showed that matrine aggregated at the bottom of the drug-loading film with an asymmetrical distribution. The in vitro drug release test showed that the film had a high drug-loading capacity and a sustained drug release property. The duration of drug release from the drug-loading film was prolonged as the molecular weight of chitosan increased, reaching 23 h when the molecular weight of chitosan was 650 000. The duration of drug release was further increased to 108 h when the bottom of the drug-loading film was coated with a layer of 1% carboxymethyl chitosan. CONCLUSION: The matrix materials of the drug-loading film are natural, green, nontoxic and biodegradable, and the preparation of the film is simple without using large quantities of organic solvents. The novel drug-loading film can obviously prolong the duration of drugs release for better local drug delivery to oral ulcers in a sustained manner.