Objective To explore the impact of number of positive regional lymph nodes (nPRLN) in N1 stage on the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Methods Patients with TxN1M0 stage NSCLC who underwent lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node dissection from 2010 to 2015 were screened from SEER database (17 Regs, 2022nov sub). The optimal cutoff value of nPRLN was determined using X-tile software, and patients were divided into 2 groups according to the cutoff value: a nPRLN≤optimal cutoff group and a nPRLN>optimal cutoff group. The influence of confounding factors was minimized by propensity score matching (PSM) at a ratio of 1 : 1. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate overall survival (OS) and lung cancer-specific survival (LCSS) of patients. Results A total of 1316 patients with TxN1M0 stage NSCLC were included, including 662 males and 654 females, with a median age of 67 (60, 73) years. The optimal cutoff value of nPRLN was 3, with 1165 patients in the nPRLN≤3 group and 151 patients in the nPRLN>3 group. After PSM, there were 138 patients in each group. Regardless of before or after PSM, OS and LCSS of patients in the nPRLN≤3 group were superior to those in the nPRLN>3 group (P<0.001). N1 stage nPRLN>3 was an independent prognostic risk factor for OS [HR=1.52, 95%CI (1.22, 1.89), P<0.001] and LCSS [HR=1.72, 95%CI (1.36, 2.18), P<0.001]. Conclusion N1 stage nPRLN>3 is an independent prognostic risk factor for NSCLC patients in TxN1M0 stage, which may provide new evidence for future revision of TNM staging N1 stage subclassification.

The female reproductive system is essential for sustaining reproductive endocrine homeostasis,however,its vulnerability to various endogenous and exogenous insults,including pathological conditions,pharmacological agents,genetic predispositions,and environmental factors,often results in compromised fertility.The existing protective approaches(including surgical interventions,hormonal replacement therapies,and assisted reproductive techniques)are constrained by several limitations,such as adverse therapeutic effects,technical complexities,and their incapacity to reverse ovarian senescence.Artemisinin and its derivatives(ARTs),characterized by their unique endoperoxide bridge configuration,have exhibited outstanding therapeutic performance across multiple domains including malaria treatment,anticancer therapy,inflammation modulation,and parasitic infection control.Emerging research has identified their novel protective capabilities against various reproductive system pathologies.This comprehensive review systematically elucidates the molecular mechanisms underlying artemisinin-based interventions in reproductive pathologies and evaluates their clinical translation prospects,thereby proposing innovative strategies for the development of next-generation fertility-protective agents with enhanced safety and efficacy profiles.

The synthetic PDCoV N protein gene was optimized and cloned into the pET-30a vector to obtain the pET-30a-N plasmid.Thenthe recombinant plasmid was transformed into three strains of BL21 E.coli using heat-shock to explore protein expression conditions.The expressed proteins was purified using Ni Focurose 6FF(IMAC)and used as antigen to immunize the New Zealand White rabbit to prepare the polyclonal antibody against the PDCoV N protein.The antibody titer was measured by indirect ELISA method.The specificity for the antibody was identified by West-ern blot and indirect immunofluorescence(IFA).The results showed that the pET-30a-N plasmid showed high expression level in BL21 StarTM(DE 3).The optimal expression condition was 37 ℃ 4 h.The purity of the target protein could reach 90.3％after purification.Indirect ELISA showed that the antibody titers was up to 1∶204 800.Western blot and IFA showed that the produced rabbit polyclonal antibody exhibited good specificity.In conclusion,the polyclonal antibody was prepared which specifically recognized the PDCoV N proteins.The results provided some references for the subsequent exploration of PDCoV N protein function and laid a foundation for establishing a diag-nostic method for PDCoV.

With the rapid development of minimally invasive techniques in surgery, arti-ficial intelligence (AI), particularly deep learning, is playing an increasingly important role in mini-mally invasive surgery. By automated analysis of surgical videos, AI can efficiently perform key tasks such as instrument recognition, surgical phase identification, action analysis, anatomical structure recognition, intraoperative diagnosis, adverse event monitoring and smart desmoking. These appli-cations provide essential support for real-time monitoring, surgical navigation and skill assessment during surgery. The authors summarize the current research progress of AI in minimally invasive surgery, including its applications in the fields of hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, as well as gastrointestinal surgery. It also explores the potential of AI in enhancing surgical safety, efficiency and skill assessment. By synthesizing the latest research achievements of AI technology in the field of surgery, as well as analyzing its technical challenges and risks, it aims to provide guidance for future innovations and clinical applications, promoting the advancement and implementation of AI in minimally invasive surgery.

Biliary tract cancers comprise a spectrum of invasive tumors with poor progno-sis, which are composed of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer. Due to the difficulty of early diagnosis of biliary tract cancers, most patients are diagnosed in the late stage with low surgical resection rates. Moreover, the efficacy of traditional chemotherapy regimens, such as gemcitabine plus cisplatin, is limited. In recent years, the rise of immune checkpoint inhibitors and molecular targeted therapy have provided new treatment options for patients with advanced biliary tract cancers. Based on literature reports and team experiences, the authors discuss the latest research progress in the immunotherapy and molecular targeted therapy of biliary tract cancers, and explore future treatment strategies.

Objective:To establish a linear calibration method using two reference substances for seven characteristic peaks of Cassiae Semen under complicated chromatographic condition,and to optimize the method.Methods:Using 15 different types of screened chromatographic columns and 2 components as reference compounds pair,the linear calibration method with 2 reference substances was established to predict the retention time of the other 5 components,and the method was verified by unknown chromatographic columns and unknown samples.Combined with column confirmation number and average coincidence rate of target peaks,the location results were compared comprehen-sively,and the method was optimized according to the defect under the influence of complicated chromatographic condition.Results:The average conformity rate of the target peak of the method before optimization was 73.3％,and the average conformity rate of the target peak of the optimized method was 98.7％.The optimized method has a high-er average peak coincidence rate and a wider range of applicability for the chromatographic column.Conclusion:The optimized linear calibration method using two reference substances can assist the localization analysis of chromato-graphic peaks in the characteristic chromatogram under complicated chromatographic condition.

Objective To investigate the expression of arginase Ⅱ(ArgⅡ)in kidney tissue of rats with diabetic nephropathy(DN)and its significance in the development of DN.Methods A total of 10 male SD rats were randomly divided into the control group and the model group,with 5 rats in each group.An rat model of DN was developed by feeding with high-sugar and high-fat diet combined with intra-peritoneal injection of low-dose streptozotocin(45 mg/kg),and they were sacrificed after 11 weeks of continued feeding.The body weight,and biochemical indexes of blood and urine of rats were determined.The right kidney was weighed and histopathological examination was performed.The pathological changes of kidney tissues and protein expression of ArgⅡ and CD68+were observed,and the immunofluores-cence double staining was used to observe the distribution and expression of ArgⅡand a marker of renal macrophage activation CD68+;the protein expression of ArgⅡ,NF-κB,TNF-α and IL-6 in kidney tissues was determined by Western blot.Results Compared with the control group,the ratio of kidney weight to body weight,24-hour urine volume,24-hour urine protein,fasting blood glucose,urea nitrogen and insulin level in the model group were significantly increased(P<0.05).The renal histopathology showed that the mesangial cells of the renal glomerular were necrotic with vascular dilatation,and the renal tubular epithelial cells were steatosis and congestion.Compared with the control group,the protein expression of ArgⅡ,CD68+,NF-κB,TNF-α and IL-6 in the kidney tissues of the model group were significantly increased(P<0.05).Immunofluorescence double staining demonstrated the co-expression of ArgⅡ and CD68+in renal tissue,and the fluorescence intensities of both ArgⅡ and CD68+in the model group were significantly stronger than those in the control group(P<0.01).Conclusion The expression of ArgⅡ is increased in DN,which may be participated in the occurrence of inflammatory lesions in DN.

Objective:To investigate whether Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) induces ferroptosis in vascular endothelial cells and predict the Hub genes. Methods:Firstly, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were stimulated with Pg (W83) for 4 h, and transmission electron microscopy was used to observe ferroptosis-related morphological characteristics. Subsequently, RNA was extracted from HUVEC before and after Pg stimulation for transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq). Enrichment analysis was performed to determine if differentially expressed genes (DEG) associated with ferroptosis. Ferroptosis-related DEG (Fer-DEG) were identified and then underwent gene ontology (GO) functional annotation, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction, and Hub gene prediction. Next, based on RNA-seq results, HUVEC were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 24 h. Established ferroptosis markers were detected. The indices and detection methods were as follows: cell viability via cell counting kit-8; reactive oxygen species (ROS) by the DCFH-DA probe; Fe2?, lipid peroxides (LPO), malondialdehyde (MDA), and reduced/oxidized glutathione ratio (GSH/GSSG) with commercial kits; mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) using the JC-1 probe; solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11), solute carrier family 3 member 2 (SLC3A2), and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) expressions by Western blotting (WB) and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Finally, RT-qPCR was used to validate the expression of predicted Hub genes in HUVEC after 24 h LPS stimulation, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF) or TNF-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2).Results:The mitochondria exhibited size reduction and cristae loss in Pg-stimulated HUVEC. DEG of HUVEC between the Pg-infected and control groups were enriched in the pathway of ferroptosis, and from which 56 Fer-DEG were identified. GO analysis showed enrichment in in responses to TNF, LPS, biotic stimulus, etc. and KEGG analysis revealed enrichment in TNF, C-type lectin receptor, and IL-17 signaling pathways, etc. In the 56-gene PPI network, TNF, IL-6, and PTGS2 were predicted as Hub genes, which were significantly associated with ferroptosis-related pathways, including unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis and ROS metabolic process regulation. Compared to the control group [(100.00±1.44)%], LPS significantly reduced HUVEC viability [(66.77±1.80)%], which could be ameliorated by Fer-1 [(84.50±1.47)%] ( P<0.05). The ROS fluorescence intensity in the LPS group (1 523.00±250.70) was significantly higher than in the control (328.20±38.68) or LPS+Fer-1 (753.30±67.11) group (all P<0.05). The Fe2?, LPO, and MDA levels in the LPS group [(29.83±4.25) μmol/10 6 cells, (3.58±0.24) μmol/gprot, (5.54±0.33) μmol/gprot, respectively] were significantly higher than both the control group [(7.29±0.79) μmol/10 6 cells, (1.08±0.05) μmol/gprot, (2.06±0.17) μmol/gprot] and the LPS+Fer-1 group [(16.33±1.63) μmol/10 6 cells, (2.01±0.09) μmol/gprot, (3.24±0.26) μmol/gprot]. Furthermore, the GSH/GSSG ratio in the LPS group (2.17±0.08) was considerably lower than both the control group (6.96±0.20) and the LPS+Fer-1 group (4.31±0.81) (all P<0.05). The JC-1 aggregate/monomer fluorescence intensity ratio of the LPS group (0.46±0.07) was markedly lower than the control group (285.60±160.40), while Fer-1 pretreatment (1.53±0.17) obviously mitigated this decrease (all P<0.05). SLC7A11, SLC3A2, and GPX4 protein and mRNA expression levels in the LPS group were dramatically lower than both the control group and the Fer-1+LPS group ( P<0.05). The mRNA expression levels of TNF, IL-6, and PTGS2 in the LPS group were strongly upregulated compared to the control group, and the expressions of these three factors in the LPS+Fer-1 group were significantly lower than those in the LPS group (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Pg drives ferroptosis in vascular endothelial cells, with TNF, IL-6, and PTGS2 identified as the potential novel Hub genes in this process.

The synthetic PDCoV N protein gene was optimized and cloned into the pET-30a vector to obtain the pET-30a-N plasmid.Thenthe recombinant plasmid was transformed into three strains of BL21 E.coli using heat-shock to explore protein expression conditions.The expressed proteins was purified using Ni Focurose 6FF(IMAC)and used as antigen to immunize the New Zealand White rabbit to prepare the polyclonal antibody against the PDCoV N protein.The antibody titer was measured by indirect ELISA method.The specificity for the antibody was identified by West-ern blot and indirect immunofluorescence(IFA).The results showed that the pET-30a-N plasmid showed high expression level in BL21 StarTM(DE 3).The optimal expression condition was 37 ℃ 4 h.The purity of the target protein could reach 90.3％after purification.Indirect ELISA showed that the antibody titers was up to 1∶204 800.Western blot and IFA showed that the produced rabbit polyclonal antibody exhibited good specificity.In conclusion,the polyclonal antibody was prepared which specifically recognized the PDCoV N proteins.The results provided some references for the subsequent exploration of PDCoV N protein function and laid a foundation for establishing a diag-nostic method for PDCoV.

Women with infertility, as a group with special needs, are affected by intimate partner violence (IPV) , which influences both the progression of their disease and their mental health. This article reviews the concept of IPV, the prevalence of IPV in women with infertility, assessment tools, and influencing factors, aiming to provide a reference for developing appropriate intervention programs.