OBJECTIVE: To investigate correlation between preoperative C ₂ slope (C2S) and effectiveness at 2 years after short-segment anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), with the aim of providing reliable indicators for predicting effectiveness. METHODS: One hundred and eighteen patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy, who received short-segment ACDF between January 2018 and December 2022 and met the selection criteria, were enrolled in the study. There were 46 males and 72 females, aged from 26 to 80 years, with a mean age of 53.6 years. The operative duration was (127.6±33.46) minutes and the intraoperative blood loss was (34.75±30.40) mL. All patients were followed up 2 years. The pre- and post-operative Neck Disability Index (NDI), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, and visual analogue scale (VAS) score for pain were recorded. Based on the anteroposterior and lateral cervical X-ray films, the sagittal parameters of the cervical spine were measured [C ₂-C ₇ Cobb angle, C ₀-C ₂ Cobb angle, T ₁ slope, C2S, sagittal segmental angle (SSA) of the surgical segment, and average surgical disc height (ASDH) of the surgical segment]. Statistical analyses were performed to assess the differences in these indicators between pre- and post-operation, as well as the correlations between the preoperative C2S and the JOA score, NDI, and VAS score at 2 years after operation. The patients were allocated into group A (C2S >11.73°) and group B (C2S≤ 11.73°) according to the median value of the preoperative C2S (11.73°). The JOA score, NDI, and VAS score before operation and at 2 years after operation, as well as the differences between pre- and post-operative values (change values), were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The T ₁ slope, C ₂-C ₇ Cobb angle, C ₀-C ₂ Cobb angle, SSA, and ASDH at immediate after operation and JOA score, NDI, and VAS score at 2 years after operation significantly improved in 118 patients when compared with preoperative ones ( P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that preoperative C2S was not correlated with JOA score and NDI at 2 years after operation ( P>0.05), but negatively correlated with VAS score ( P<0.05). There were 59 patients with preoperative C2S>11.73° (group A) and 59 with C2S≤11.73° (group B). There was no significant difference in preoperative JOA score, NDI, and VAS score between the two groups ( P>0.05). There were significant differences in VAS score at 2 year after operation and the change value between the two groups ( P<0.05); there was no significant difference in the JOA score and NDI ( P>0.05). CONCLUSION Patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy and a higher preoperative C2S exhibited superior long-term pain relief and effectiveness following short-segment ACDF.
Humans ; Male ; Spinal Fusion/methods* ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Cervical Vertebrae/diagnostic imaging* ; Diskectomy/methods* ; Aged ; Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; Aged, 80 and over ; Spondylosis/diagnostic imaging* ; Pain Measurement ; Preoperative Period ; Follow-Up Studies

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) is a multifunctional protein involved in diverse cellular functions, notably DNA damage repair. Pharmacological inhibition of PARP1 has therapeutic benefits for various pathologies. Despite the increased use of PARP inhibitors, challenges persist in achieving PARP1 selectivity and effective blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration. The development of a PARP1-specific positron emission tomography (PET) radioligand is crucial for understanding disease biology and performing target occupancy studies, which may aid in the development of PARP1-specific inhibitors. In this study, we leverage the recently identified PARP1 inhibitor, AZD9574, to introduce the design and development of its ¹⁸F-isotopologue ([¹⁸F]AZD9574). Our comprehensive approach, encompassing pharmacological, cellular, autoradiographic, and in vivo PET imaging evaluations in non-human primates, demonstrates the capacity of [¹⁸F]AZD9574 to specifically bind to PARP1 and to successfully penetrate the BBB. These findings position [¹⁸F]AZD9574 as a viable molecular imaging tool, poised to facilitate the exploration of pathophysiological changes in PARP1 tissue abundance across various diseases.

The plant F-box protein more axillary growth 2 (MAX2) is a key factor in the signal transduction of strigolactones (SLs) and karrinkins (KARs). As the main component of the SKP1-CUL1-FBX (SCF) complex ubiquitin ligase E3, MAX2 is responsible for specifically recognizing the target proteins, suppressor of MAX2 1/SMAX1-like proteins (SMAX1/SMXLs), which would be degraded after ubiquitination. It can thereby regulate plant morphogenesis and stress responses. There exist homologous genes of MAX2 in the important grain and oil crop soybean (Glycine max). However, its role in plant defense responses has not been investigated yet. Here, GmMAX2b, a homologous gene of MAX2, was successfully cloned from stressed soybean. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that there were two MAX2 homologous genes, GmMAX2a and GmMAX2b, with a similarity of 96.2% in soybean. Their F-box regions were highly conserved. The sequence alignment and cluster analysis of plant MAX2 homologous proteins basically reflected the evolutionary relationship of plants and also suggested that soybean MAX2 might be a multifunctional protein. Expression analysis showed that plant pathogen infection and salicylic acid treatment induced the expression of GmMAX2b in soybean, which is consistent with that of MAX2 in Arabidopsis. Ectopic expression of GmMAX2b compensated for the susceptibility of Arabidopsis max2-2 mutant to pathogen, indicating that GmMAX2b positively regulated plant disease resistance. In addition, yeast two hybrid technology was used to explore the potential target proteins of GmMAX2b. The results showed that GmMAX2b interacted with SMXL6 and weakly interacted with SMXL2. In summary, GmMAX2b is a positive regulator in plant defense responses, and its expression is induced by pathogen infection and salicylic acid treatment. GmMAX2b might exert its effect through interaction with SMXL6 and SMXL2. This study expands the theoretical exploration of soybean disease resistant F-box and provides a scientific basis for future soybean disease resistant breeding.
Glycine max/metabolism* ; Disease Resistance/genetics* ; Plant Diseases/immunology* ; Plant Proteins/genetics* ; Cloning, Molecular ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; F-Box Proteins/genetics* ; Arabidopsis/genetics* ; Phylogeny

AIM:To investigate the effects and mechanism of long noncoding RNA PCED1B antisense strand 1(lncRNA PCED1B-AS1)on the proliferation,migration,invasion and apoptosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC)cells.METHODS:Human PTC cells were cultured in vitro.The expression of PCED1B-AS1 and fused in sarcoma(FUS)was measured by RT-qPCR.The effects of knockdown/overexpression of PCED1B-AS1/FUS on the migration and invasion of PTC cells were detected via Transwell assay.The effects of knockdown/overexpression of PCED1B-AS1/FUS on PTC cell proliferation were analysed via CCK-8 and plate colony assay.The effect of knockdown PCED1B-AS1 on PTC cell apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry.The target binding of PCED1B-AS1 and FUS was determined with bioin-formatics and RNA immunoprecipitation(RIP)experiments.Fluorescence in situ hybridization experiment was performed to verify whether PCED1B-AS1 colocalises with FUS.The mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)signaling pathway-re-lated proteins were detected via Western blot.RESULTS:(1)PCED1B-AS1 expression was significantly higher and FUS expression was significantly lower in PTC cells compared with normal thyroid Nthy-ori3-1 cell(P<0.05).(2)Knockdown of PCED1B-AS1 and overexpression of FUS inhibited PTC cell migration,invasion and proliferation,and promoted apopto-sis(P<0.05).(3)Bioinformatics analysis and RIP assay verified the existence of targeted binding of PCED1B-AS1 to FUS(P<0.05).(4)PCED1B-AS1 and FUS colocalised in the cytoplasm.(5)Inhibition of PCED1B-AS1 decreased the expression of MAPK signaling pathway-related proteins p-ERK 1/2,p-JNK and p-P38(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:ln-cRNA PCED1B-AS1 inhibits the proliferation,migration and invasion,and promotes the apoptosis of PTC cells,and its mechanism may be related to the expression of FUS and the MAPK signaling pathway.

Bladder perfusion is one of the main methods for the treatment of bladder cancer. In order to further improve the standardization of bladder cancer bladder perfusion operation for nursing staff, this paper, guided by evidence-based methods, formed the expert consensus on the whole process management of bladder perfusion for bladder cancer through Delphi expert consultation and expert demonstration meeting, and provided guidance for the standardization of clinical nursing practice and management institutionalization of bladder cancer bladder perfusion from seven aspects, namely, perfusion environment, operators, drug allocation, operation process, adverse reactions, health education and continuous nursing.

Objective:To investigate the recent epidemic trends and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of gonorrhea in China, and to provide a reference for precise prevention and control of gonorrhea.Methods:Data on reported cases of gonorrhea in China (not including Hongkong, Macau and Taiwan regions of China) were collected from the Infectious Diseases Surveillance System of Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System from 2018 to 2023. The trends in reported incidence rates of gonorrhea in China were analyzed using the Joinpoint regression model. Global spatial autocorrelation analysis with the Moran's index and global G-statistic, as well as local spatial autocorrelation analysis, were employed to explore the clustering patterns and hotspot regions of gonorrhea at the county level. In the spatiotemporal scanning analysis, a Poisson distribution model was employed to identify clusters of gonorrhea cases.Results:The reported incidence rates of gonorrhea in China decreased from 9.59 per 100 000 in 2018 to 7.35 per 100 000 in 2023, with an average annual percent change of -4.9%, but this decreasing trend was not statistically significant ( P = 0.11). The reported incidence rates of gonorrhea at the county level in China exhibited a significant positive global spatial autocorrelation, with the global Moran's indices ranging from 0.39 to 0.60 (all P < 0.001) ; the Getis-Ord general G test statistic Z (G) values were all greater than 1.96, indicating a high-value clustering pattern of gonorrhea cases. The local spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that hotspot regions were predominantly distributed in southeastern coastal areas and southwestern China. A total of 70 clusters were identified through the spatiotemporal scanning analysis, and mainly located in southeastern coastal areas and southwestern China. Conclusions:In recent 6 years, the overall reported incidence rates of gonorrhea in China showed a fluctuating decline; there was a significant spatiotemporal clustering characteristic with regard to gonorrhea epidemic at the county level in China, and the hotspot regions were basically consistent with the spatiotemporal clusters, which were mainly distributed in southeastern coastal areas and southwestern China. Further investigation into the causes and precise prevention and control measures are needed.

Objective:To investigate the epidemiological trends and spatio-temporal distribution characteristics of syphilis in China from 2010 to 2023.Methods:Data on syphilis cases reported from 31 provinces, autonomous regions or municipalities from 2010 to 2023 were collected from the Infectious Diseases Surveillance System of Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System. Joinpoint 5.2.0 software was used to analyze the epidemiological trends of syphilis, ArcGIS 10.5 software was used for spatial autocorrelation analysis at the county level, and SaTScan 10.2.3 software was used for space-time scan analysis.Results:The national reported incidence rates of syphilis increased from 26.86 per 100 000 in 2010 to 37.60 per 100 000 in 2023, with an average annual percent change of 1.82% (95% CI: 0.81% - 2.89%), and the upward trend in the reported incidence rates was statistically significant ( P = 0.002). There was a positive spatial autocorrelation in the reported incidence rates of syphilis at the county level in China (Moran's Ⅰ range: 0.47 - 0.60, all P < 0.001), and all of the Getis-Ord general test statistic Z (G) values were > 1.96, indicating a high-value clustering pattern in the reported incidence rates of syphilis. The local spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that the annual number of hotspot areas ranged from 180 to 294, which were mainly located in Xinjiang, Qinghai, Guizhou, Sichuan and Yunnan. A total of 92 spatio-temporal clusters were identified by space-time scan analysis, which were mainly distributed in Zhejiang, Guangxi, Guangdong and Fujian from 2010 to 2012, in Xinjiang from 2013 to 2017, and in Sichuan, Guizhou, Chongqing, etc., from 2019 to 2023. Conclusions:From 2010 to 2023, the reported incidence rates of syphilis in China exhibited a fluctuating increase on the whole, with obvious spatio-temporal clustering characteristics. The hotspot areas were basically consistent with the spatio-temporal clusters, and were mainly distributed in the northwestern, southeastern coastal and southwestern areas. Over time, the spatio-temporal clusters gradually changed from the southeast coastal and northwestern areas to the southwestern areas.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of Huangqi-Ezhu-Chonglou combination on macrophage polarization and its mechanism of inhibiting colorectal cancer(CRC)cells proliferation and migration.METHODS THP-1 cells were stimulated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate(PMA)and interleukin-4(IL-4)to establish M2 macrophage polarization model.The experiment was divided into M0 group(PMA treatment),M2 group(PMA+IL-4 treatment),and M2+ Huangqi-Ezhu-Chonglou combination group(PMA+IL-4+Huangqi-Ezhu-Chonglou combination treatment).The effect of Huangqi-Ezhu-Chonglou combination freeze-dried powder on the viability of macrophage was detected by CCK-8 method.The expression of macrophage polarization markers,glu-taminase(GLS)mRNA and protein was detected by qPCR and Western blot.The levels of interleukin-10(IL-10),transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)in cell supernatant were detected by ELISA.CCK-8 method and Tr-answell assays were used to detect the proliferation and migration of HCT116 cells intervened by the supernatant of macrophage culture treated with Huangqi-Ezhu-Chonglou combination,namely conditioned medium(CM).RESULTS Compared with the M0 group,the expression levels of IL-10,mannose receptor(CD206),arginase 1(ARG1),and GLS mRNA and protein in the M2 group were significantly increased(P<0.01,P<0.001),the levels of IL-10 and TGF-β secreted by macrophages were significantly increased(P<0.01,P<0.001);compared with the M2 group,the M2+ Huangqi-Ezhu-Chonglou combination group had significantly reduced IL-10,CD206,ARG1,and GLS mRNA and protein expression(P<0.05,P<0.01),the mRNA and protein levels of TNF-α and in-ducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS)were significantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.001),the interleukin-1β(Interleukin-1β,IL-1β)mRNA expression significantly increased(P<0.01),and the contents of IL-10 and TGF-β in the cell supernatant sig-nificantly decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01),while TNF-α content significantly increased(P<0.01).CCK-8 and Transwell results showed that compared with the M0-CM group,the M2-CM promoted the proliferation and migration of HCT116 cells(P<0.01,P<0.001),the M2+ Huangqi-Ezhu-Chonglou-CM group significantly inhibited HCT116 cell proliferation and reduced cell migration compared to the M2-CM group(P<0.01,P<0.001).CONCLUSION Huangqi-Ezhu-Chonglou combination can inhibit colorectal cancer cells proliferation and migration by regulating macrophage polarization,and its mechanism may be related to the changes in the expression of GLS,a key enzyme in glutamine metabolism.

Background::In vitro fertilization (IVF) has emerged as a transformative solution for infertility. However, achieving favorable live-birth outcomes remains challenging. Current clinical IVF practices in IVF involve the collection of heterogeneous embryo data through diverse methods, including static images and temporal videos. However, traditional embryo selection methods, primarily reliant on visual inspection of morphology, exhibit variability and are contingent on the experience of practitioners. Therefore, an automated system that can evaluate heterogeneous embryo data to predict the final outcomes of live births is highly desirable. Methods::We employed artificial intelligence (AI) for embryo morphological grading, blastocyst embryo selection, aneuploidy prediction, and final live-birth outcome prediction. We developed and validated the AI models using multitask learning for embryo morphological assessment, including pronucleus type on day 1 and the number of blastomeres, asymmetry, and fragmentation of blastomeres on day 3, using 19,201 embryo photographs from 8271 patients. A neural network was trained on embryo and clinical metadata to identify good-quality embryos for implantation on day 3 or day 5, and predict live-birth outcomes. Additionally, a 3D convolutional neural network was trained on 418 time-lapse videos of preimplantation genetic testing (PGT)-based ploidy outcomes for the prediction of aneuploidy and consequent live-birth outcomes.Results::These two approaches enabled us to automatically assess the implantation potential. By combining embryo and maternal metrics in an ensemble AI model, we evaluated live-birth outcomes in a prospective cohort that achieved higher accuracy than experienced embryologists (46.1% vs. 30.7% on day 3, 55.0% vs. 40.7% on day 5). Our results demonstrate the potential for AI-based selection of embryos based on characteristics beyond the observational abilities of human clinicians (area under the curve: 0.769, 95% confidence interval: 0.709–0.820). These findings could potentially provide a noninvasive, high-throughput, and low-cost screening tool to facilitate embryo selection and achieve better outcomes. Conclusions::Our study underscores the AI model’s ability to provide interpretable evidence for clinicians in assisted reproduction, highlighting its potential as a noninvasive, efficient, and cost-effective tool for improved embryo selection and enhanced IVF outcomes. The convergence of cutting-edge technology and reproductive medicine has opened new avenues for addressing infertility challenges and optimizing IVF success rates.

Objective:Analyzing the epidemic trends and spatio-temporal distribution characteristics of condyloma acuminatum in China from 2018 to 2023.Methods:Data of condyloma acuminatum cases and incidence rate including 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) from 2018 to 2023 were collected through the National Notifiable Infectious Disease Reporting System of China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention. Incidence trend analysis was conducted using Joinpoint 4.9.1 software, and spatial autocorrelation analysis using ArcGIS 10.5 software. Spatio-temporal scanning analysis was carried out with SaTScan 10.1.2 software.Results:The incidence rate of condyloma acuminatum declined from 7.26 per 100 000 in 2018 to 7.19 per 100 000 in 2023. The average annual percent change was -0.26%, which was no statistically significant downward trend ( t=-0.26, P=0.806). A significant positive global spatial autocorrelation was observed in the county-level incidence rate across the country, with the global Moran's I ranging from 0.55 to 0.60 (all P<0.001); the Getis-Ord General test statistic Z( G) was all >1.96, indicating a high-value clustering pattern in the reported incidence rate of condyloma acuminatum. The local spatial autocorrelation analysis detected 256, 244, 246, 284, 308, and 315 hotspots each year, which were mainly located in the provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guizhou, Yunnan and Chongqing. Spatio-temporal scanning analyses identified 76 statistically significant spatiotemporal clusters covering 25 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities). Conclusions:From 2018 to 2023, the reported incidence rate of condyloma acuminata in China exhibited a mild decline. The distribution of hotspot areas and spatiotemporal clusters was largely consistent, primarily in the southeastern coastal and southwestern regions.