Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare neurodegenerative disease with complex clinical manifestations, presenting substantial challenges in clinical diagnosis and treatment. Its symptoms and the eight extraordinary meridians are potentially correlated; therefore, this article explores the association between MSA symptom clusters and the eight extraordinary meridians based on their circulation and physiological functions, as well as their treatment strategies. The progression from deficiency to damage in the eight extraordinary meridians aligns with the core pathogenesis of MSA, which is characterized by "the continuous accumulation of impacts from the vital qi deficiency leading to eventual damage". Liver and kidney deficiency and the emptiness of the eight extraordinary meridians are required for the onset of MSA; the stagnation of qi deficiency and the gradual damage to the eight extraordinary meridians are the key stages in the prolonged progression of MSA. The disease often begins with the involvement of the yin and yang qiao mai, governor vessel, thoroughfare vessel, and conception vessel before progressing to multiple meridian involvements, ultimately affecting all eight extraordinary meridians simultaneously. The treatment approach emphasizes that "the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect method will be needed in order to secure victory" and focuses on "eliminate pathogenic factors and reinforce healthy qi". Distinguishing the extraordinary meridians and focusing on the primary symptoms are pivotal to improving efficacy. Clinical treatment is aimed at the target, and tailored treatment based on careful clinical observation ensures precision in targeting the disease using the eight extraordinary meridians as the framework and core symptoms as the specific focus. Additionally, combining acupuncture, daoyin therapy, and other method may help prolong survival. This article classifies clinical manifestations based on the theory of the eight extraordinary meridians and explores treatment.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of vitamin D analogue for postmenopausal osteoporotic women in China. METHODS A Markov microsimulation model was developed to analyze the clinical and economic outcomes of eldecalcitol， alfacalcidol and calcitriol for postmenopausal osteoporosis from the healthcare system perspective in China. The clinical parameters required for the model were derived from network meta-analysis， while cost and utility data were primarily obtained from the literature. The cycle length was 1 year ， the time horizon was life time， and the willingness-to-pay threshold was 0.5 times the gross domestic product per capita in China in 2023（44 679 yuan/QALY）. Model uncertainty was tested with one-way sensitivity analysis， probabilistic sensitivity analysis， and scenario analysis. RESULTS The quality-adjusted life years （QALYs） for eldecalcitol were calculated to be 12.03 QALYs， which were higher than those for alfacalcidol （11.94 QALYs） and calcitriol （11.92 QALYs）. Meanwhile， the direct medical cost associated with eldecalcitol treatment amounted to 38 805 yuan， which was lower than that of alfacalcidol （45 173 yuan） and calcitriol （45 821 yuan）. The results of the one-way sensitivity analysis showed that the risk ratio of hip fracture and vertebral fracture had a significant impact on the result. The probabilistic sensitivity analysis and scenario analysis showed the robustness of the findings from the base-case analysis. CONCLUSIONS Compared with alfacalcidol and calcitriol， eldecalcitol is likely to be a cost-effective treatment for postmenopausal osteoporotic women in China.

BACKGROUND: Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is indicated as a broad-spectrum medicine for a variety of diseases, including cancer and cardiac disease. While the role of ATO in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (HIRI) has not been reported. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify the effects of ATO on HIRI. METHODS: In the present study, we established a 70% hepatic warm I/R injury and partial hepatectomy (30% resection) animal models in vivo and hepatocytes anoxia/reoxygenation (A/R) models in vitro with ATO pretreatment and further assessed liver function by histopathologic changes, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, cell counting kit-8, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) for extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 was transfected to evaluate the role of ERK1/2 pathway during HIRI, followed by ATO pretreatment. The dynamic process of autophagic flux and numbers of autophagosomes were detected by green fluorescent protein-monomeric red fluorescent protein-LC3 (GFP-mRFP-LC3) staining and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: A low dose of ATO (0.75 μmol/L in vitro and 1 mg/kg in vivo ) significantly reduced tissue necrosis, inflammatory infiltration, and hepatocyte apoptosis during the process of hepatic I/R. Meanwhile, ATO obviously promoted the ability of cell proliferation and liver regeneration. Mechanistically, in vitro  studies have shown that nontoxic concentrations of ATO can activate both ERK and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-serine/threonine kinase (PI3K-AKT) pathways and further induce autophagy. The hepatoprotective mechanism of ATO, at least in part, relies on the effects of ATO on the activation of autophagy, which is ERK-dependent. CONCLUSION Low, non-toxic doses of ATO can activate ERK/PI3K-AKT pathways and induce ERK-dependent autophagy in hepatocytes, protecting liver against I/R injury and accelerating hepatocyte regeneration after partial hepatectomy.
Animals ; Arsenic Trioxide ; Autophagy/physiology* ; Reperfusion Injury/prevention & control* ; Mice ; Male ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/physiology* ; Arsenicals/therapeutic use* ; Oxides/therapeutic use* ; Liver/metabolism* ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

OBJECTIVE: To explore the function of LIM and calponin homology domains 1 (LIMCH1) in the development and progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), along with their potential clinical applications. METHODS: By utilizing transcriptome sequencing data from two groups of oral squamous cell carcinoma patients, along with bioinformatics analytical techniques such as Gene Ontology (GO) and gene co-expression networks, we identified genes that might play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma. We employed real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting to validate the expression patterns of these genes across twelve patient tissue samples. Furthermore, we conducted CCK-8 assays, flow cytometry analyses, and scratch wound healing assays to assess the impact of key genes on the biological behaviors of both the Cal27 oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line and the potentially malignant DOK oral lesion cell line. Additionally, we examined correlations between these key genes and clinical disease parameters in 214 oral squamous cell carcinoma patients using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data; gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) analysis results were also incorporated to enhance our findings from real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting regarding potential mechanisms underlying the action of these key genes. RESULTS: The integrated analysis of sequencing data and bioinformatics revealed that LIMCH1 exhibited significantly reduced mRNA (P < 0.001) and protein levels (P < 0.01) in the oral squamous cell carcinoma tissues compared with normal control tissues. In the Cal27 cells, the low LIMCH1 level group demonstrated a larger wound healing area within 24 hours than the control group (P < 0.01), enhanced proliferation capacity over 72 hours relative to the control group (P < 0.01), and an increased apoptosis rate within 24 hours compared with the high expression group (P < 0.05). However, no significant differences were observed between the low and high level groups in DOK cells. Furthermore, it was determined that low LIMCH1 level correlated with poor prognosis in the patients (P=0.013) and a higher lymph node metastasis rate (P < 0.05). Investigations into the potential mechanisms of action indicated that LIMCH1 did not influence the onset or progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma via the epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathway. CONCLUSION LIMCH1 level may function as a promising biomarker to aid in the prognostic assessment of oral squamous cell carcinoma; however, its precise mechanistic role requires further investigation.
Humans ; Mouth Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Prognosis ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/metabolism* ; Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism* ; LIM Domain Proteins/metabolism* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Male ; Female

Objective To establish baseline radiation dose data for computed tomography (CT) examinations in Shaanxi Province, China and to provide scientific evidence for optimizing medical radiation protection. Methods From 2020 to 2023, a multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted using 16 CT scanners across 9 hospitals (2 specialized pediatric hospitals and 7 general hospitals). Standardized registration forms were used to collect basic information (e.g., age and examination site), scanning parameters (e.g., tube voltage, tube current-time product, and scan length), and dosimetric parameters (volume CT dose index [CTDI_vol] and dose-length product [DLP]). Non-parametric tests were employed for intergroup comparisons. Results A significant positive correlation was observed between age and major CT scanning parameters. Both CTDI_vol and DLP increased significantly with age across all examination sites (P < 0.001). Abdominal CTDI_vol was significantly lower in specialized pediatric hospitals than in general hospitals (8.0 vs. 15.5 mGy, P < 0.001). The < 1-year age group showed higher abdominal CTDI_vol (13.2 vs. 8.6 mGy) but lower DLP (243.5 vs. 261.9 mGy·cm) compared to the 1- < 5-year group. Conclusion This study established the first baseline radiation dose database for CT examinations in Shaanxi Province, providing critical scientific support for developing regional diagnostic reference levels and optimizing radiological protection practices.

Objective:We aimed to develop a novel visualized model based on nomogram to predict postoperative overall survival.Methods:This was a multicenter, retrospective, observational cohort study, including participants with histologically confirmed gastric and colorectal cancer who underwent radical surgery from 11 medical centers in China from August 1, 2015 to June 30, 2018. Baseline characteristics, histopathological data and nutritional status, as assessed using Nutrition Risk Screening 2002 (NRS 2002) score and the scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment, were collected. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression and Cox regression were used to identify variables to be included in the predictive model. Internal and external validations were performed.Results:There were 681 and 127 patients in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. A total of 188 deaths were observed over a median follow-up period of 59 (range: 58 to 60) months. Two independent predictors of NRS 2002 and Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) stage were identified and incorporated into the prediction nomogram model together with the factor of age. The model's concordance index for 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival was 0.696, 0.724, and 0.738 in the training cohort and 0.801, 0.812, and 0.793 in the validation cohort, respectively.Conclusions:In this study, a new nomogram prediction model based on NRS 2002 score was developed and validated for predicting the overall postoperative survival of patients with gastric colorectal cancer. This model has good differentiation, calibration and clinical practicability in predicting the long-term survival rate of patients with gastrointestinal cancer after radical surgery.

Objective To investigate the effect of asiatic acid(AA)on the apoptosis of HT-22 cells induced by sevoflurane(SEVO)by regulating phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B(PI3K/AKT)signaling pathway.Methods Different concentrations of AA(0,5,10,15,20,30 μmol/L)were used to treat HT-22 cells induced by sevoflurane for 24 hours,and CCK-8 was used to detect HT-22 cell viability;HT-22 cells were divided into control group,sevoflurane(SEVO)group,AA low concentration(AA-L,10 μmol/L)group,AA medium concentration(AA-M,15 μmol/L)group,AA high concentration(AA-H,20 μmol/L)group,and AA high concentration+PI13K pathway inhibitor LY294002(AA-H+LY294002,20 μmol/L AA+5 μmol/L LY294002)group.Inverted microscopy was applied to observe changes of cell morphology,ELISA was applied to detect the levels of inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-6,oxidative stress indicators SOD,GSH-Px,and MDA,ROS detection kit was applied to detect ROS levels,TUNEL kit was applied to detect HT-22 apoptosis,JC-1 method was applied to detect mitochondrial membrane potential,ATP content detection kit was applied to detect ATP content,and Western blot was applied to detect the expressions of Bcl-2,Bax,Caspase-3,p-PI3K,PI3K,p-AKT,and AKT proteins.Results Compared with 0 μmol/L,the activity of HT-22 cells treated with 5-30 μmol/L AA increased in a concentration-dependent manner(P<0.05),concentrations of 10 μmol/L,15 μmol/L,and 20 μmol/L of AA were selected for subsequent experiments.Compared with the SEVO group,the levels of TNF-α,IL-6,MDA,ROS,cell apoptosis rate,and expressions of Bax and Caspase-3 proteins in the AA-L,AA-M,and AA-H groups were reduced,the levels of SOD and GSH-Px,red/green JC-1 fluorescence ratio,content of ATP,the expression of Bcl-2 protein,the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and AKT were increased(P<0.05),and were concentration dependent.LY294002 was able to reverse the protective effect of AA on HT-22 cell damage induced by sevoflurane(P<0.05).Conclusion AA protects HT-22 cells from damage induced by sevoflurane by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway,which provides a theoretical reference for the development of novel drugs to reduce sevofluran-induced neurotoxicity.

Objective:To explore the effect of the isolated organ laparoscopic simulation training teaching mode in laparoscopic partial nephrectomy training.Methods:A 39-hour in vitro organ laparoscopic simulation training for 12 urologists who had previously participated in laparoscopic basic technique training but had not independently completed laparoscopic partial nephrectomy in Peking Union Medical College Hospital. The training was conducted twice a week for 3 months from April to June 2022. Five modules, namely ultrasonic knife separation training, ultrasonic knife cutting training, vascularization training, blunt separation training, and partial nephrectomy and wound closure training, were used to provide targeted training for the decomposition of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, and each training item was assessed and scored according to the scoring rules. At the same time, a questionnaire was used to find out the level of confidence of the 12 physicians in completing the operation and each step in the procedure, so as to assess the changes in the operational skills and psychological quality of the physicians before and after training using paired t-tests or Wilcoxon paired rank sum tests. Results:After the training, the assessment scores of operations in all surgeons were significantly improved. The training scores of ultrasonic knife separation training, ultrasonic knife cutting training, blood vessel nudity training, blunt separation training, and partial nephrectomy and traumatic suture improved from (8.5±0.3), (6.9±0.3), (4.2±0.4), (6.6±0.4), and (5.6±0.7) to (9.8±0.2), (9.6±0.3), (9.3±0.2), (9.4±0.3), and (9.8±0.2), respectively( P<0.05). The average operation time for the partial renal excision and traumatic suture training improved from (47.5±5.8) minutes to (21.6±5.1) minutes( t=18.72, P<0.001). At the same time, self-confidence in completing the operation was also significantly improved from 2(1, 3) before the training to 4(4, 4) after the training ( Z=-3.002, P =0.003). Conclusions:After laparoscopic simulation training with isolated organs, physicians with no previous experience in partial nephrectomy can become proficient in all steps of the procedure, complete the resection of the renal tumor and suturing of the wound within 30 minutes, and gain confidence in the operation of all steps of partial nephrectomy.

Background::Growth retardation is a common complication of chronic kidney disease in children, which can be partially relieved after renal transplantation. This study aimed to develop and validate a predictive model for growth patterns of children with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) after kidney transplantation using machine learning algorithms based on genomic and clinical variables.Methods::A retrospective cohort of 110 children who received kidney transplants between May 2013 and September 2021 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were recruited for whole-exome sequencing (WES), and another 39 children who underwent transplant from October 2021 to March 2022 were enrolled for external validation. Based on previous studies, we comprehensively collected 729 height-related single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in exon regions. Seven machine learning algorithms and 10-fold cross-validation analysis were employed for model construction.Results::The 110 children were divided into two groups according to change in height-for-age Z-score. After univariate analysis, age and 19 SNPs were incorporated into the model and validated. The random forest model showed the best prediction efficacy with an accuracy of 0.8125 and an area under curve (AUC) of 0.924, and also performed well in the external validation cohort (accuracy, 0.7949; AUC, 0.796). Conclusions::A model with good performance for predicting post-transplant growth patterns in children based on SNPs and clinical variables was constructed and validated using machine learning algorithms. The model is expected to guide clinicians in the management of children after renal transplantation, including the use of growth hormone, glucocorticoid withdrawal, and nutritional supplementation, to alleviate growth retardation in children with ESRD.