Objective: To evaluate the performance of 5T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in visualizing dental pulp and periodontal ligament (PDL) tissues in vivo in the young adult population, thereby providing a basis for the application of high-field MRI technology in clinical oral examinations. Methods: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the hospital. A total of 15 healthy volunteers (413 permanent teeth altogether) were recruited and underwent full-mouth 5T MRI scans. Among them, six volunteers (168 permanent teeth) also received both 3T MRI and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans. Two dental specialists independently evaluated the imaging quality of the dental pulp and PDL on the images using a 5-point Likert scale and recorded the number of detectable root canals for each tooth. Inter-rater agreement was assessed using weighted kappa statistics and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Non-parametric tests were employed to compare differences in imaging performance among different tissue structures, tooth positions, and imaging modalities. Results: 5T MRI can achieve in vivo imaging for most dental pulp tissues and partial periodontal membrane structures. There was a high level of agreement between the two raters in their imaging scores for the dental pulp and PDL (dental pulp κ = 0.934, PDL κ = 0.737). The imaging scores for dental pulp were significantly higher than those for PDL (P < 0.001), and the scores for molar dental pulp were lower than those for premolars and anterior teeth. In the multimodal comparison involving six volunteers, the raters showed good consistency in scoring dental pulp and PDL imaging across 5T MRI, 3T MRI, and CBCT, as well as in root canal counts (5T MRI for dental pulp κ = 0.971, 3T MRI for dental pulp κ = 0.933, CBCT for dental pulp κ = 0.964; 5T MRI for PDL κ = 0.625, 3T MRI for PDL κ = 0.667, CBCT for PDL κ = 0.571; ICC for root canal counts all ≥ 0.990). The imaging scores for dental pulp and PDL using 5T MRI were significantly higher than those using 3T MRI (dental pulp: P < 0.001; PDL: P = 0.022), but there was no statistically significant difference in the detection rate of the number of root canals between the two (P > 0.05). Although the imaging scores for dental pulp and PDL as well as the detection rate of the number of root canals with 5T MRI were inferior to those with CBCT (dental pulp: P < 0.001; PDL: P = 0.02; number of root canals: P < 0.05), 5T MRI can truly achieve "direct imaging" of these two soft tissues. Conclusion 5T MRI enables effective in vivo direct imaging of dental pulp and PDL tissues in the young adult population, indicating its potential clinical application value in the diagnosis and treatment of pulp and periodontal diseases.

Renal interstitial fibrosis （RIF） is a common pathological change process from the development of various chronic nephropathies to the end stage， and it is an important histological manifestation of renal function decline. At present， no effective anti-fibrosis drugs have been found in clinical practice. In recent years， with the continuous development of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） pharmacology， molecular biology， system biology， and network pharmacology， the research on regulating RIF with TCM monomer， single TCM， TCM compound， Chinese patent medicine， and TCM injection is deepening. Among them， Jianpi Yishen recipe， Shendi Bushen capsules， Jianzhong Bushen Xiaozheng decoction， Liuwei Dihuangtang， and Lycium barbarum polysaccharides can regulate transforming growth factor-β/small mother against decapentaplegic （TGF-β₁/Smads）， Wnt/β-catenin， and neurogenic locus notch homolog protein （Notch） signaling pathways. Wulingsan， Zhenwutang， pachymic acid ZA， pachymic acid ZC， and pachymic acid ZD， which mainly induce diuresis， can regulate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Hirudin， curcumin， and Fuzheng Huayu recipe， which mainly promote blood circulation， can inhibit inflammation-related pathways such as p-nuclear transcription factor-κB （NF-κB）， Toll-like receptor 4/p-nuclear transcription factor-κB （TLR4/NF-κB）， and Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （JAK/STAT）， so as to achieve anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidation effects and alleviate the progression of RIF. Shenshuai Xiezhuo decoction， Shenkang injection， and Shenshuai recipe， which are mainly used for invigorating Qi， removing blood stasis， and removing turbidity， can inhibit transdifferentiation of pericytes-myofibroblasts through vascular endothelial growth factor receptor （VEGFR） signaling pathway. At present， there are many studies on the regulation of the RIF signaling pathway by TCM， but there is a lack of a systematic summary. In this study， by combing the signaling pathway of TCM in the treatment of RIF， the effective target of TCM treatment is screened， and its possible mechanism is found， which provides new ideas for clinical treatment and new drug research and development.

A major obstacle in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is sleep fragmentation (SF), which negatively affects testicular function. However, the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that SF induces testicular damage through a mechanism involving lipid metabolism, specifically mediated by melatonin (MEL) receptor 1a (MT1). T2DM mice with SF intervention displayed several deleterious phenotypes such as apoptosis, deregulated lipid metabolism, and impaired testicular function. Unexpectedly, sleep recovery (SR) for 2 consecutive weeks could not completely abrogate SF's detrimental effects on lipid deposition and testicular function. Interestingly, MEL and MT1 agonist 2-iodomelatonin (2IM) effectively improved lipid homeostasis, highlighting MEL/2IM as a promising therapeutic drug for SF-trigged testicular damage. Mechanistically, MEL and 2IM activated FGFR1 and sequentially restrained the crosstalk and physical interaction between TAB1 and TAK1, which ultimately suppressed the phosphorylation of TAK1 to block lipid deposition and cell apoptosis caused by SF. The ameliorating effect of MEL/2IM was overtly nullified in Fgfr1 knockout (Fgfr1-KO ^+/- ) diabetic mice. Meanwhile, testicular-specific overexpression of Tak1 abolished the protective effect of FGF1^mut on diabetic mouse testis. Our findings offer valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the testicular pathogenesis associated with SF and propose a novel therapeutic approach for addressing male infertility in T2DM.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the intervention effect and potential mechanism of breviscapine on hepatic fibrosis （HF） in rats based on the transforming growth factor-β（1 TGF-β1）/Smad2/extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1（ERK1） and Kelch-like epichlorohydrin-associated protein 1（Keap1）/nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2（Nrf2）/heme oxygenase-1（HO-1） pathways. METHODS Totally 60 rats were randomly divided into normal control group， model group， breviscapine low-dose， medium-dose and high-dose groups （5.4， 10.8， 21.6 mg/kg）， and colchicine group （positive control， 0.45 mg/kg）， with 10 rats in each group， half male and half female. Except for the normal control group， HF model of the other groups was induced by carbon tetrachloride. Subsequently， each drug group was given corresponding medicine by gavage once a day for 28 days. The liver appearance of rats in each group was observed and their liver coefficients were calculated. The levels of alanineaminotransferase （ALT） and aspartate aminotransferase （AST）in serum， those of ALT， AST， superoxide dismutase （SOD），malondialdehyde （MDA） and glutathione peroxidase （GSH- Px） in liver tissue were detected. The liver tissue inflammatory and fibrotic changes were observed. The protein and mRNA expressions of TGF-β1， Smad2， ERK1， Nrf2， Keap1 and HO-in liver tissue were detected. RESULTS Compared with the normal control group， the model group showed large areas of white nodular lesions in the liver， obvious inflammatory cell infiltration and collagen fiber deposition. The body weight， the levels of SOD and GSH-Px in liver tissue， the protein and mRNA expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 were significantly lowered in the model group （P＜0.05）； the liver coefficient， the percentage of Masson staining positive area， ALT and AST levels of serum and liver tissue， MDA level of liver tissue， the protein and mRNA expressions of TGF-β1， Smad2， ERK1 and Keap1 were significantly increased （P＜0.05）. Compared with the model group， the liver lesions of rats in each drug group were improved， and the above quantitative indexes were generally reversed （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Breviscapine has a good intervention effect on HF rats， which may be related to inhibiting TGF-β1/Smad2/ERK1 pathway for anti-fibrosis and regulating Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 pathway to inhibit oxidative stress.

Sulfuryl fluoride is a kind of pesticide with strong permeability, convenient use at low temperature, non-corrosive and other characteristics, which can kill food pests and has strong lethality to termites. In acute sulfuryl fluoride poisoning, patients can see recurrent convulsions, epileptic electroencephalogram abnormalities such as matrix spikes or high amplitude spikes. In this paper, a patient with sulfuryl fluoride poisoning with convulsion-based mental system symptoms was reported, and after clinical treatment with dexamethasone and phenobarbital sodium, the patient was cured and discharged.

Objective To investigate the prognostic value of plasma thrombomodulin(TM)in patients with septic shock.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 180 patients with septic shock admitted to the intensive care unit of the 908th Hospital from May 2018 to November 2022.The patients were divided into survival group(106 cases)and death group(74 ca-ses)based on the 30-day follow-up outcomes.Propensity score matching(PSM)was used to match 57 surviving patients with 57 de-ceased patients in a 1∶1 ratio,based on confounding factors such as age,gender,underlying diseases,primary infection site,laborato-ry results and disease severity scores.TM and other coagulation molecular markers were compared between the two groups,and logistic regression,receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve,survival and correlation analyses were performed.Results After PSM,the TM levels in the death group(18.3[13.2,22.3]TU/mL)were significantly higher than those in the survival group(13.7[9.0,18.3]TU/mL)(P＜0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that TM was an independent risk factor for 30-day mortality in the patients with septic shock(OR=1.137,95％CI:1.023-1.262,P＜0.005).ROC curve analysis revealed that the areas under the curve(AUCs)for predicting 30-day mortality were 0.665,0.627 and 0.600 for TM,Acute Physiology and Chronic Health EvaluationⅡ(APACHE Ⅱ)and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment(SOFA)scores,respectively.Kaplan-Meier survival analysis stratified by the optimal TM cut-off value(17.9 TU/mL)showed that the 30-day survival rate of the TM＜17.9 TU/mL group was 1.56 times that of the TM≥17.9 TU/mL group(Log-Rank test,P＜0.000 1).Spearman correlation analysis demonstrated that TM levels were positively correlated with APACHE Ⅱ(r=0.10,P＜0.005)and SOFA scores(r=0.35,P＜0.005).Conclusion Plasma TM has showed a good predictive value for assessing the prognosis of patients with septic shock and may serve as a potential biomarker for determining the prognosis of septic shock.

Sulfuryl fluoride is a kind of pesticide with strong permeability, convenient use at low temperature, non-corrosive and other characteristics, which can kill food pests and has strong lethality to termites. In acute sulfuryl fluoride poisoning, patients can see recurrent convulsions, epileptic electroencephalogram abnormalities such as matrix spikes or high amplitude spikes. In this paper, a patient with sulfuryl fluoride poisoning with convulsion-based mental system symptoms was reported, and after clinical treatment with dexamethasone and phenobarbital sodium, the patient was cured and discharged.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the common and fatal malignant tumors worldwide, and the burden of HCC is particularly severe in China. Physiologically, the blood supply to healthy liver is mainly from the portal vein, supplemented by the hepatic artery. While in the development of HCC, the main source of blood supply to HCC is changed from the portal vein to the hepatic artery. The characteristics of HCC vascularization are important for imaging, surgery, interventional therapy, targeted therapy, etc. Even in the future, with the development of radiation therapy technology, such as proton and heavy ion therapy and artificial intelligence technology, the dynamic changes in HCC blood perfusion can be used as a new biomarker of tumor activity to provide accurate information on the intensity modulation of radiotherapy, so that accurate measurements of HCC blood perfusion is of great significance in guiding the diagnosis and treatment of HCC. The technologies for measurement of HCC blood perfusion have developed from invasive techniques, such as inert gas scavenging, electromagnetic flowmeter, and radionuclide-labeled erythrocyte elution in the middle of the last century to the present non-invasive techniques of CT. With the development of CT imaging technology in the last 30 years, the CT-based imaging technology can assess the status of organ and tissue perfusion relatively easily and accurately. In this paper, the various CT measurement techniques of blood perfusion in HCC were categorized into three types: semi-quantitative technique, relative quantitative technique, and absolute quantitative technique. Their basic principle, scanning methods, and clinical applications were discussed to provide a reference for the diagnosis and treatment of HCC.

Objective:To investigate the causal association between testosterone and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) in men and women using a two-sample Mendelian randomization(MR) approach.Methods:Genetic variation in testosterone(total testosterone, bioavailable testosterone) and sex hormone-binding globulin(SHBG) in females and males was used as an instrumental variable using the genome-wide association study(GWAS) pooled data, and the inverse variance weighting method was applied. Inverse variance weighted(IVW) was used as the main analytical method, along with six univariate MR methods based on other modeling assumptions to assess the causal relationship between testosterone(total testosterone, bioavailable testosterone) as well as SHBG and NAFLD in women and men. In addition, NAFLD data from Finnish Biobank(FinnGen) were applied to validate the results of the exploratory analysis. Further, sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the level of heterogeneity, genetic pleiotropy, and stability of the instrumental variables using Cochran′ s Q test, MR-Egger regression, and leave-one-out methods. Results:The results of exploratory analysis of IVW model showed that bioavailable testosterone and SHBG were causally associated with NAFLD in women, for each unit increase in bioavailable testosterone levels, the risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) rose by 24%( OR=1.24, 95% CI 1.07-1.43, P=0.004); and with each unit decrease in women′s SHBG, the NAFLD risk increased by 31%( OR=0.69, 95% CI 0.57-0.83, P<0.001). However, testosterone(total testosterone, bioavailable testosterone) as well as SHBG in men and female total testosterone did not show a causal relationship with NAFLD. The results of the other six MR methods were generally consistent with the IVW method. The results of the external validation data provided further evidence of a causal relationship between female bioavailable testosterone and SHBG and NAFLD. Conclusion:Elevated levels of bioavailable testosterone along lower levels of SHBG may increase the risk of developing NAFLD in women.

BACKGROUND:Clinical studies have shown that aerobic exercise is an important supplement to the clinical treatment of patients with pulmonary hypertension,which can alleviate the disease condition,increase exercise tolerance and improve the quality of life.However,it is not clear whether patients at different stages of pulmonary hypertension can benefit equally from exercise training. OBJECTIVE:To compare the intervention effects of early or late aerobic training on right heart failure in rats with pulmonary hypertension and explore its possible mechanism. METHODS:Sixty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group,model sedentary group,model early exercise group and model late exercise group,with 15 rats in each group.The model of pulmonary hypertension was established by intraperitoneal injection of monocrotaline(60 mg/kg)in the latter three groups.The model early exercise group was given 8 weeks of treadmill aerobic exercise(60%maximum running speed,60 minutes per day,5 days a week)after modeling,while the model late exercise group was trained for 6 weeks after 2 weeks of modeling.The control and model sedentary groups were fed quietly in the rat cage for 8 weeks.After training,the exercise performance,right ventricular hemodynamics,cardiopulmonary function,cardiopulmonary histopathology,reactive oxygen species level in mitochondria,activity of mitochondrial respiratory chain complex and expressions of myocardial tissue proteins were detected. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the model sedentary group,exercise performance and right ventricular function improved(P<0.05),myocardial collagen content,endothelin-1,tumor necrosis factor-α/interleukin-10 ratio and β-myosin heavy chain/α-myosin heavy chain ratio decreased(P<0.05),vascular endothelial growth factor and sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium-adenosine triphosphate enzyme expression increased(P<0.05),immunofluorescence intensity of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and the protein expression of 3-nitrotyrosine decreased(P<0.05),the activities of complex I,II,IV and V increased in the model early exercise and model late exercise groups(P<0.05),but there were no significant changes in right ventricular maximum pressure,pulmonary acceleration time and pulmonary artery wall area/total vascular area ratio(P>0.05).Compared with the model late exercise group,the model early exercise group further improved exercise performance and right ventricular function,and downregulated collagen content,brain natriuretic peptide protein expression,tumor necrosis factor-α/interleukin-10 ratio and β-myosin heavy chain/α-myosin heavy chain ratio(P<0.05).To conclude,although pulmonary vascular remodeling and right ventricular overload persist in rats with pulmonary hypertension,exercise training at different stages of the disease has a cardioprotective effect.The mechanism is related to the improvement of cardiac remodeling,neurohormone system imbalance,inflammatory response and mitochondrial oxidative stress.Greater benefit is gained from initiating exercise in the early stage of the disease.