OBJECTIVES: Verrucous epidermal nevus (VEN), seborrheic keratosis (SK), verruca plana (VP), verruca vulgaris (VV), and nevus sebaceous (NS) are common verrucous proliferative skin diseases with similar clinical appearances, often posing diagnostic challenges. Dermoscopy and reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) can aid in their differentiation, yet their specific features under these tools have not been systematically described. This study aims to summarize and analyze the dermoscopic and RCM features of VEN, SK, VP, VV, and NS. METHODS: A total of 121 patients with histopathologically confirmed verrucous proliferative skin diseases were enrolled. Dermoscopy and RCM imaging was used to observe and analyze the microscopic features of these conditions. RESULTS: Under dermoscopy, the 5 diseases displayed distinct characteristics: VEN typically showed gyriform structures; SK was characterized by gyriform structures, comedo-like openings, and milia-like cysts; VP and VV featured dotted vessels and frogspawn-like structures; NS presented as brownish-yellow globules. RCM revealed shared features such as hyperkeratosis and acanthosis across all 5 diseases. Specific features included gyriform structures and elongated rete ridges in VEN; pseudocysts and gyriform structures in SK; evenly distributed ring-like structures in VP; vacuolated cells and papillomatous proliferation in VV; and frogspawn-like structures in NS. CONCLUSIONS These 5 verrucous proliferative skin conditions exhibit distinguishable features under both dermoscopy and RCM. The combination of these 2 noninvasive imaging modalities holds significant clinical value for the differential diagnosis of verrucous proliferative skin diseases.
Humans ; Dermoscopy/methods* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Microscopy, Confocal/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Adolescent ; Keratosis, Seborrheic/pathology* ; Young Adult ; Warts/diagnosis* ; Child ; Aged ; Skin Diseases/pathology* ; Nevus, Sebaceous of Jadassohn/diagnosis* ; Skin Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; Child, Preschool

The close relationship between gastric cancer (GC) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has garnered significant attention. On one hand, T2DM may play a role in the development and progression of GC, correlating with poor patient outcomes. On the other hand, after radical surgery for GC, T2DM can be effectively managed, potentially improving tumor prognosis. In recent years, bariatric and metabolic surgery (BMS) has revolutionized T2DM treatment for obese and overweight patients. Comparative analyses reveal similarities between surgical approaches for gastric cancer and BMS, leading to the emergence of the onco-metabolic surgery (OMS) concept, which suggests that radical tumor resection and T2DM remission in GC patients can be potentially achieved through a single procedure. However, there are notable differences between OMS and BMS, including target populations, surgical details, and perioperative management. Therefore, optimizing the application of the OMS concept in GC patients holds significant clinical importance. This article provides a review to facilitate the better implementation of this concept in practice.

The close relationship between gastric cancer (GC) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has garnered significant attention. On one hand, T2DM may play a role in the development and progression of GC, correlating with poor patient outcomes. On the other hand, after radical surgery for GC, T2DM can be effectively managed, potentially improving tumor prognosis. In recent years, bariatric and metabolic surgery (BMS) has revolutionized T2DM treatment for obese and overweight patients. Comparative analyses reveal similarities between surgical approaches for gastric cancer and BMS, leading to the emergence of the onco-metabolic surgery (OMS) concept, which suggests that radical tumor resection and T2DM remission in GC patients can be potentially achieved through a single procedure. However, there are notable differences between OMS and BMS, including target populations, surgical details, and perioperative management. Therefore, optimizing the application of the OMS concept in GC patients holds significant clinical importance. This article provides a review to facilitate the better implementation of this concept in practice.

AIM:To investigate the impact of aquaporin 4(AQP4)expression inhibition on autophagy and apoptosis in a mouse model of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion(I/R)injury,and to elucidate its underlying mechanism.METHODS:Cerebral I/R injury was induced in mice via transient middle cerebral artery occlusion(tMCAO).Totally 60 mice were randomly divided into sham group,I/R group,AQP4 inhibition group,and 3-methyladenine(3-MA)group,with 15 mice in each group.Among them,the mice in sham and I/R groups received intraperitoneal injections of normal saline,while those in AQP4 inhibition group and 3-MA group received intraperitoneal injections of AER-271(2 mg·kg-1·d-1)and AER-271+3-MA(2 mg·kg-1·d-1)for 3 d,respectively,once per day.Longa score was adopted to assess the neu-rological function,and to record changes in body weight.Cerebral infarction volume and histopathological alterations were evaluated using hematoxylin-eosin staining.Western blot analysis was performed to determine the levels of AQP4,LC3-Ⅱ,P62 and cleaved caspase-3,while the LC3-Ⅱ,P62,cleaved caspase-3 and NeuN(neuronal marker)colocalization and expression assessment were conducted with immunofluorescence.RESULTS:The mice in I/R and AQP4 inhibition groups exhibited extensive cerebral infarction,cerebral edema,and elevated Longa scores.However,in comparision to I/R group,the mice in AQP4 inhibition group showed significantly reduced cerebral infarct volume,cerebral edema vol-ume,and Longa score(P<0.05).Additionally,in contrast to sham group,the mice in I/R group displayed increased ex-pression of AQP4,LC3-Ⅱ and cleaved caspase-3(P<0.01),accompanied by decreased body weight and P62 expression(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Furthermore,compared with I/R group,the mice in both AQP4 inhibition group and 3-MA group demonstrated a decrease in the expression levels of AQP4,LC3-Ⅱ and cleaved caspase-3(P<0.05 or P<0.01),along with increased body weight and P62 expression(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Nonetheless,no significant differences were ob-served between AQP4 inhibition group and 3-MA group regarding Longa score,cerebral infarct volume,body weight,and the expression of AQP4,LC3-Ⅱ,cleaved caspase-3 and P62.CONCLUSION:Inhibition of AQP4 expression signifi-cantly reduces cerebral infarction area and nerve injury severity in tMCAO mice.Moreover,AQP4 expression inhibition decelerates autophagy and apoptosis after cerebral infarction,with the additional autophagy inhibitor showing no notable impact on the protective effect of AQP4 inhibition.

Objective:To investigate the prevalence of frailty among elders aged ≥60 years in the Beijing community and analyze the risk factors of frailty.Methods:This is a cross-sectional study. A total of 1936 older persons in Baizhifang Community in Beijing were included between May and September 2023. Their frailty was evaluated by Fried Frailty Phenotype Scale. Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF), Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) were used to evaluate nutritional status, physical function, and depression, respectively. The prevalence and risk factors of frailty among the elderly in the community were analyzed.Results:A total of 168 individuals met the criteria for frailty, and the prevalence of frailty was 8.7%. Compared to the non-frail group, the frail group was predominantly female (71.4% vs 62.2%; χ 2=5.59, P=0.018), older [(72.1±6.6) vs (69.9±6.0) ages; t=-5.25, P<0.001], unmarried (1.8% vs 0.8%; χ 2=8.60, P=0.014), with lower education levels (10.7% vs 3.5%; χ 2=23.38, P<0.001), poorer self-assessed health (22.6% vs 6.5%; χ 2=69.80, P<0.001), lower MNA-SF scores [(12.2±2.2) vs (13.0±1.4) scores; t=6.29, P<0.001], lower SPPB scores [(8.4±1.9) vs (10.2±1.6) scores; t=14.62, P<0.001], higher GDS scores [(4.0±3.8) vs (1.9±2.1) scores; t=-11.48, P<0.001], and worse vision, hearing, and olfactory functions (48.2% vs 34.1%, 36.9% vs 23.0%, 9.5% vs 3.0%; χ 2=13.37, 16.11, 40.58, all P<0.001). They were also more likely to suffer from hypertension (70.8% vs 56.7%; χ 2=12.52, P<0.001), diabetes (42.3% vs 29.4%; χ 2=12.06, P<0.001), osteoarthritis (46.4% vs 30.3%; χ 2=18.39, P<0.001) and stroke (19.0% vs 13.3%; χ 2=4.28, P=0.039). Logistic regression analysis showed that frailty was independently associated with nutritional status ( OR=0.8, 95% CI: 0.7-0.9, P<0.001), depressive symptoms ( OR=1.1, 95% CI: 1.1-1.2, P<0.001), olfactory function ( OR=2.1, 95% CI: 1.4-3.0, P<0.001; OR=2.9, 95% CI: 1.4-5.9, P=0.003), and physical function ( OR=0.6, 95% CI: 0.6-0.7, P<0.001) after adjusting for covariates. Conclusions:The prevalence of frailty among elderly people in community is relatively high. Frailty in community elders is associated with physical function, psychological function, nutritional status, and olfactory function decline.

Objective:To analyze mobility limitation condition and its relationship with cognitive function in community-dwelling elderly.Methods:In this cross-sectional study, a total of 1 935 older adults aged≥60 years were recruited from May to September 2023 in Beijing Baizhifang Community Health Service Center and its five subordinate health service stations (Baizhifang Hutong health service station, Nancaiyuan community health service station, Youanmen community health service station, Younei West Street health service station and Shuanghuaili community health service station). The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) was used to assess the mobility capacity of the elderly, and the elderly were divided into two groups with SPPB, the elderly with a SPPB≤9 points were grouped into mobility limitation group (645 cases), and the ones with a SPPB≥10 points were considered with normal mobility capacity (1 290 cases). The cognitive function of the older adults was assessed with the mini-mental state examination; and the gender, age, calf circumference, history of chronic disease, frailty status, cognitive function, nutritional status, depression status, hearing and vision condition of the two groups were compared with χ2 test or Mann-Whitney U non-parametric test. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the mobility limitation and its relationship with cognitive function in the older adults. Results:Mobility limitation was found in 33.33% (645/1 935) of community-dwelling older adults. The proportions of advanced age, female, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, frailty, depression, cognitive impairment, hearing decline, and vision decline in the mobility limitation group were all significantly higher than those in the normal mobility capacity group (31.32% vs 13.41%, 69.92% vs 59.61%, 65.27% vs 54.03%, 33.80% vs 28.60%, 27.91% vs 19.53%, 17.83% vs 11.47%, 10.54% vs 7.36%, 13.18% vs 2.02%, 18.45% vs 6.59%, 14.73% vs 7.75%, 30.54% vs 20.31%, 45.58% vs 30.39%) (all P<0.05). Advanced age ( OR=2.542, 95% CI: 1.977-3.269), female ( OR=1.736, 95% CI: 1.390-2.167), stroke ( OR=1.426, 95% CI: 1.065-1.911), depression ( OR=2.292, 95% CI: 1.656-3.174), cognitive impairment ( OR=1.601, 95% CI: 1.154-2.220), frailty ( OR=5.199, 95% CI: 3.219-8.397) and vision decline ( OR=1.405, 95% CI: 1.124-1.756) were all positively correlated with the mobility limitation in the community-dwelling older adults (all P<0.05). Conclusion:The older adults in the community have a higher risk of mobility limitation, mobility limitation is a positive correlation factor of cognitive impairment.

Objective:To analyze the current status of internet-based patient education materials related to labor analgesia in China.Methods:Labor analgesia-related materials were retrieved and screened according to the search habits of Chinese search engine users. The coverage and accuracy of the content were evaluated by 3 anesthesiologists. The Chinese version of the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Print Materials was used to subjectively assess comprehensibility and operability from a medical text perspective. The consistency of the evaluation results of the three anesthesiologists was analyzed using the intraclass correlation coefficient method. A machine learning method combined with ChatGPT-4.0 was employed to establish a Chinese readability classification model to objectively evaluate the readability difficulty of the included materials from a Chinese text perspective.Results:A total of 97 web pages were retrieved, with 21 valid materials included in the study. The coverage rate of contraindications for labor analgesia was only 62% (13/21), and the accuracy rate of materials exceeding 90% was 71% (15/21). Internet-based materials that were easy to understand accounted for 81% (17/21), while the constituent ratio of internet-based materials with instructional significance were only 5% (1/21). The intraclass correlation coefficient values of consistency evaluation for coverage rate, accuracy rate, and comprehensibility and operability were 0.975, 0.833, 0.758, and 0.773, respectively ( P<0.001). Internet-based materials suitable for compulsory education level were only 5% (1/21), while those suitable for high school and above education level accounted for 43% (9/21). Conclusions:There are numerous internet-based patient education materials related to labor analgesia in China, but the quality needs improvement. In the future, a collaborative model of " anesthesiology+ linguistics" should be developed to provide patients with more comprehensive, accurate, and pregnant-friendly patient education materials.

BACKGROUND:Frog active peptides have rich activities,such as antibacterial and anti-tumor,and are expected to solve the problem of antibiotic resistance. OBJECTIVE:The active peptide QUB2984 was discovered in the skin secretions of Agalychnis callidryas.Its structure and properties were simulated by bioinformatics.The peptide was synthesized,purified,and identified and its biological functions were investigated. METHODS:Agalychnis callidryas skin secretions were collected by electrostimulation.The sequence of QUB2984 was obtained through constructing a cDNA library with isolated mRNA.BLAST was used for peptide sequence alignment.Besides that,Iterative Threading ASSEmbly Refinement(I-TASSER)and HeliQuest tools were used for protein secondary structure simulation.It was synthesized by solid-phase peptide synthesis,purified by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography,and structurally confirmed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.The purified peptide was used to evaluate its biological activity.Its antibacterial effect was evaluated by the minimum inhibitory concentration method.Its cytotoxic effect was detected by MTT assay.Its safety was investigated by a hemolysis test. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Peptide QUB2984 had basically α-spiral structure,with a relatively intact hydrophobic surface,and a certain destructive ability to biofilm.The third amino acid position of QUB2984 was composed of W and had a G-X-G structure.(2)The minimum inhibitory concentration of QUB2984 against gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus was 2 μmol/L,the minimum inhibitory concentration against gram-negative Escherichia coli was 2 μmol/L,and the minimum inhibitory concentration against the fungus Candida albicans was 8 μmol/L.(3)The active peptide QUB2984 had obvious inhibitory effect on human non-small cell lung cancer cells NCI-H838 at 10-5 mol/L concentration,and the hemolytic effect on horse red cells at 64 μmol/L concentration was 50%.(4)The results showed that QUB2984 had anti-bacterial and anti-cancer activity,and it had a positive charge of +3,which was conducive to contact with bacteria or cells.

Objective: To find a viable alternative to reduce the number of doses required for the patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and to improve efficacy and patient compliance. Methods: In this study, we used ginger oil, a phytochemical with potential therapeutic properties, to prepare ginger oil patches. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to quantify the main active component of ginger oil, 6-gingerol. Transdermal absorption experiments were conducted to optimize the various pressure-sensitive adhesives and permeation enhancers, including their type and concentration. Subsequently, the ginger oil patches were optimized and subjected to content determination and property evaluations. A PTSD mouse model was established using the foot-shock method. The therapeutic effect of ginger oil patches on PTSD was assessed through pathological sections, behavioral tests, and the evaluation of biomarkers such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and melatonin (MT). Results: The results demonstrated that ginger oil patches exerted therapeutic effects against PTSD by inhibiting inflammatory responses and modulating MT and BDNF levels. Pharmacokinetic experiments revealed that ginger oil patches maintained a stable blood drug concentration for at least one day, addressing the rapid metabolism drawback of 6-gingerol and enhancing its therapeutic efficacy. Conclusions Ginger oil can be prepared as a transdermal drug patch that meets these requirements, and the bioavailability of the prepared patch is better than that of oral administration. It can improve PTSD with good patient compliance and ease of administration. Therefore, it is a promising therapeutic formulation for the treatment of PTSD.

Objective: To explore the mechanism of the Peiyuan Jieyu formula in treating depression by assessing its impact on a lipopolysaccharide-induced (LPS-induced) depression mouse model. Methods: We created a mouse model of depression by exposing mice that had previously received chronic stress to intraperitoneal LPS injections. The mice were divided into the following groups: control, model, fluoxetine, Tiansi Yin, Sini powder, and low-, medium-, and high-dose Peiyuan Jieyu formula groups. Forced swim and tail suspension tests were used to assess the efficacy of the depression (despair) model, and weight gain rates were also measured. Furthermore, serum levels of various depression and inflammation-associated molecules, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tryptophan, 5-hydroxytryptamine, kynurenine (KYN), and kynurenic acid (KA) were assessed. Furthermore, the expression levels of ionic calcium-binding adaptor molecule-1 (IBA-1) and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) mRNA in hippocampal microglia were measured. Results: The model group displayed greater despair-associated immobility, which was shortened in response to various doses of Peiyuan Jieyu formula. Furthermore, formula administration significantly reduced serum TNF-α levels and hippocampal IDO mRNA expression. The high formula dose also reduced IFN-γ and IBA-1 levels, the latter was also decreased in response to the medium formula dose. However, the low formula dose reduced serum KYN level and KYN/tryptophan (TRP) and KYN/KA ratios. Conclusion The Peiyuan Jieyu formula holds immense potential in treating depression in a mouse model, potentially inhibiting inflammation and improving TRP-KYN metabolic disorders.