Objective:To observe and analyze the multimodal imaging characteristics of fundus in patients with idiopathic retinal vasculitis, aneurysms and neuroretinitis (IRVAN) syndrome.Methods:A retrospective study. From June 2015 to March 2024, 6 patients (11 eyes) diagnosed with IRVAN syndrome in Shaanxi Eye Hospital were included in the study. All patients underwent examinations including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), color fundus photography, fluorescein fundus angiography (FFA), optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA). At the same time, FFA combined with indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) was performed in 6 eyes. Follow-up ranged from 2 to 23 months. Multimodal imaging features were analyzed retrospectively. The number of retinal aneurysms detected by FFA, ICGA, and OCTA was compared by using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.Results:In 11 eyes of 6 cases, a total of 1 male (2 eyes) and 5 females (9 eyes) with the mean age of (31.67±12.91) years were included in this cohort. Color fundus photography showed clear optic disc boundaries in 5 eyes, optic disc aneurysms in 8 eyes, retinal aneurysms in 4 eyes; exudation in 9 eyes, localized around aneurysms. On OCT, vitreous high reflective dots and epiretinal membrane on optic disc in all 11 eyes, and macular epiretinal membrane in 3 eyes were revealed. FFA showed optic disc aneurysms and retinal aneurysms in 9 eyes, late optic disc hyperfluorescence in 11 eyes; local arterial leakage in 3 eyes, local venous leakage in 8 eyes, non-perfusion area in all 11 eyes, and retina neovascularization in 3 eyes. Optic disc aneurysms and retinal aneurysms in 5 eyes (total 18 aneurysms) on ICGA were shown compared with optic disc aneurysms in 4 eyes and retinal aneurysms in 5 eyes (total 13 aneurysms) on simultaneous FFA. OCTA revealed neovascularization on the optic disc in 2 eyes, optic disc aneurysmsin 8 eyes, retinal aneurysms in 1 eye (total 2 aneurysms); while on simultaneous FFA, optic disc aneurysms in 8 eyes and retinal aneurysms in 3 eyes (total 5 aneurysms) with no optic disc were displayed. During OCTA follow-up, new aneurysms appeared at the bifurcation of arteries with an increasing angle between them and non-perfusion area enlargement on FFA. Compared with FFA and ICGA, OCTA in detecting the number of aneurysms had no statistics significance ( Z=-1.342, -1.342; P>0.05). Conclusion:Multimodal imaging can demonstrate characteristics of IRVAN syndrome, ICGA provides superior visualization of optic disc and retinal aneurysms, while OCTA confirms optic disc neovascularization and enlargement of artery angles at arterial bifurcations.

Objective:To establish and validate a nomogram for postoperative disease progression (including recurrence, metastasis, and death) in patients with primary liver cancer (PLC) based on quantitative CT measurements of relevant indicators.Methods:Clinical data of 290 patients with PLC admitted to Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University and Kunshan Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu University from January 2016 to December 2021 were retrospectively collected, including 177 males and 113 females, aged (60.3±11.9) years. Two hundred and three patients admitted to Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University were used as the training set, and 87 patients admitted to Kunshan Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu University were used as the validation set. The patient's condition of ascites , tumor length, number of lesions, tumor differentiation degree, relevant indicators of quantitative CT detection (including decreased muscle mass and increased intra-abdominal fat area), prognosis and other clinical data were recorded. The influencing factors of postoperative disease progression was analyzed through multiple logistic regression in the training set, and the nomogram model was constructed based on the results of multiple factor analysis. The predictive performance of the model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and calibration curves. The clinical applicability of predictive models was evaluated using the decision curve analysis.Results:The results of multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the increase in maximum tumor diameter ( OR=1.519, 95% CI: 1.251-1.843), multiple lesions ( OR=3.193, 95% CI: 1.493-6.830), low tumor differentiation ( OR=5.604, 95% CI: 2.442-12.863), ascites ( OR=3.321, 95% CI: 1.166-9.463), portal vein tumor thrombus ( OR=3.990, 95% CI: 1.681-9.474), decreased muscle mass ( OR=2.173, 95% CI: 1.051-4.492) and increased intra-abdominal fat area ( OR=2.634, 95% CI: 1.276-5.438) were independent risk factors for postoperative disease progression in patients with PLC (all P<0.05). A nomogram was constructed based on the above variables, and the area under the ROC curve for predicting postoperative disease progression in patients with PLC in the training set and validation set was 0.862 (95% CI: 0.810-0.914) and 0.879 (95% CI: 0.806-0.953), respectively. The calibration curve and ideal curve fit well, indicating that the predicted situation was basically consistent with the actual situation. Decision curve analysis showed that the column chart model had a high clinical net benefit and good clinical prediction effectiveness. Conclusion:The nomogram constructed based on the maximum diameter of the tumor, the number of lesions, the degree of tumor differentiation, ascites, portal vein tumor thrombus, decreased muscle mass, and increased intra-abdominal fat area has good predictive power for postoperative disease progression in patients with PLC.

BACKGROUND:Polyamines play a crucial role in tissue calcification.Spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase 1(SAT1),as a key rate-limiting enzyme regulating intracellular polyamine metabolism,has been associated with various pathological processes.However,its role in vascular calcification remains unclear.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the role of SAT1 in rat vascular smooth muscle cell calcification.METHODS:(1)Bioinformatics analysis:Differential expression of SAT1 in human carotid atherosclerotic plaques and their surrounding healthy carotid artery tissues were using GEO datasets.PanglaoDB database was used to analyze SAT1 expression abundance and localization across different cell types through single-cell sequencing.(2)Rat vascular smooth muscle cells were divided into three groups:a control group cultured in DMEM medium,a calcification group induced by DMEM medium containing 10 mmol/L β-glycerophosphate sodium and 3 mmol/L calcium chloride,and the 50,100 μmol/L diacetylaminotriazamidine groups treated with the SAT1 inhibitor,diacetylaminotriazamidine,in addition to the calcification medium.After 7-10 days of culture,alizarin red S staining was performed,and cellular calcium content and alkaline phosphatase activity were assessed.Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of Runt-related transcription factor 2,bone morphogenetic protein 2,alpha-smooth muscle actin,and SAT1.Immunofluorescence staining was conducted to examine the expression of Runt-related transcription factor 2 and SAT1.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Bioinformatics analysis revealed significantly upregulated expression of SAT1 and Runt-related transcription factor 2(P<0.05)in carotid atherosclerotic plaques compared with healthy carotid tissues(P<0.05).Single-cell sequencing database analysis confirmed SAT1 expression in vascular smooth muscle cells.(2)Compared with the control group,the calcification group showed significantly increased Runt-related transcription factor 2,bone morphogenetic protein 2,SAT1,calcium content,and alkaline phosphatase activity,while alpha-smooth muscle actin expression was significantly decreased(all P<0.05).Compared with the calcification group,the 50 and 100 μmol/L diacetylaminotriazamidine groups showed significantly decreased Runt-related transcription factor 2,bone morphogenetic protein 2,calcium content,and alkaline phosphatase activity,while alpha-smooth muscle actin expression was significantly increased(all P<0.05).(3)Immunofluorescence experiments demonstrated that compared with the calcification group,the expression intensity of Runt-related transcription factor 2 was significantly reduced in the 50 and 100 μmol/L diacetylaminotriazamidine groups.Overall,SAT1 may promote vascular smooth muscle cell calcification by upregulating Runt-related transcription factor 2 expression.

Objective:To analyze the correlation between sex hormone levels and micropenis after mild hypospadias surgery in children.Methods:A case control study was carried out.The clinical data of 71 children aged 1 to 13 years who underwent mild hypospadias surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University from April 2022 to April 2024 were analyzed.Preoperatively, the children were divided into a mild hypospadias group (Group A) and a mild hypospadias with micropenis group (Group B) based on the stretched penile length (SPL).Prolactin, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), progesterone, and testosterone (TES) levels of the 2 groups were measured.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to construct a risk prediction model.The discrimination capability of the model was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.SPL and sex hormone levels were measured again 6 months after surgery.The children were divided into a normal penile group (Group AA) and a micropenis group (Group BB) after mild hypospadias according to SPL.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to construct a risk prediction model, which was evaluated using the ROC curve.Results:The levels of FSH, LH and TES in group A before the operation were 3.28(2.02, 4.46) IU/L, 0.53(0.25, 0.79) IU/L and 25.24(17.94, 36.67) ng/dL, respectively, and those in group B were 1.42(1.10, 1.84) IU/L, 0.14(0.09, 0.23) IU/L and 15.73 (12.92, 17.00) ng/dL, respectively.The difference was all statistically significant (all P<0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed statistical significance ( OR=0.515, 95% CI: 0.271-0.977; OR=0.035, 95% CI: 0.002-0.542; OR=0.883, 95% CI: 0.796-0.980).The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the prediction model was 0.906, with a sensitivity of 75.00% and a specificity of 95.74%.The levels of FSH, LH and TES in the postoperative AA group were 2.97 (1.88, 4.28) IU/L, 0.46 (0.23, 0.78) IU/L and 20.92 (17.34, 33.27) ng/dL, respectively.The median levels of FSH, LH and TES in the BB group were 1.52 (1.27, 1.82) IU/L, 0.17 (0.12, 0.26) IU/L and 15.08(11.68, 16.68) ng/dL, respectively.The difference was all statistically significant (all P<0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed statistical significance ( OR=0.484, 95% CI: 0.236-0.992; OR=0.061, 95% CI: 0.004-0.939; OR=0.891, 95% CI: 0.795-0.999).The AUC of the prediction model constructed was 0.877, with a sensitivity of 94.12% and a specificity of 68.52%. Conclusions:Lower FSH, LH and TES levels are risk factors for the micropenis after mild hypospadias surgery, and preoperative hormone levels have higher predictive value.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological data on chronic diarrhea in the Chinese population are lacking, and the association between obesity and chronic diarrhea in East Asian populations remains inconclusive. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of chronic diarrhea and its association with obesity in a representative community-dwelling Chinese population. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was based on a multistage, randomized cluster sampling involving 3503 residents aged 20-69 years from representative urban and rural communities in Beijing. Chronic diarrhea was assessed using the Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS), and obesity was determined based on body mass index (BMI). Logistic regression analysis and restricted cubic splines were used to evaluate the relationship between obesity and chronic diarrhea. RESULTS: The standardized prevalence of chronic diarrhea in the study population was 12.88%. The average BMI was 24.67 kg/m 2 . Of all the participants, 35.17% (1232/3503) of participants were classified as overweight and 16.13% (565/3503) as obese. After adjustment for potential confounders, individuals with obesity had an increased risk of chronic diarrhea as compared to normal weight individuals (odds ratio = 1.58, 95% confidence interval: 1.20-2.06). A nonlinear association between BMI and the risk of chronic diarrhea was observed in community residents of males and the overall participant group ( P  = 0.026 and 0.017, respectively). CONCLUSIONS This study presents initial findings on the prevalence of chronic diarrhea among residents of Chinese communities while offering substantiated evidence regarding the significant association between obesity and chronic diarrhea. These findings offer a novel perspective on gastrointestinal health management.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; Body Mass Index ; China/epidemiology* ; Chronic Disease/epidemiology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diarrhea/epidemiology* ; Obesity/complications* ; Prevalence ; East Asian People/statistics & numerical data*

Metabolic diseases characterized by an imbalance in energy homeostasis represent a significant global health challenge. Individuals with metabolic diseases often suffer from complications related to disorders in lipid metabolism, such as obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Understanding core genes involved in lipid metabolism can advance strategies for the prevention and treatment of these conditions. Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) is a key enzyme in lipid metabolism that converts saturated fatty acids into monounsaturated fatty acids. SCD1 plays a crucial regulatory role in numerous physiological and pathological processes, including energy homeostasis, glycolipid metabolism, autophagy, and inflammation. Abnormal transcription and epigenetic activation of Scd1 contribute to abnormal lipid accumulation by regulating multiple signaling axes, thereby promoting the development of obesity, NAFLD, diabetes, and cancer. This review comprehensively summarizes the key role of SCD1 as a metabolic hub gene in various (patho)physiological contexts. Further it explores potential translational avenues, focusing on the development of novel SCD1 inhibitors across interdisciplinary fields, aiming to provide new insights and approaches for targeting SCD1 in the prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases.
Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase/metabolism* ; Humans ; Metabolic Diseases/physiopathology* ; Lipid Metabolism/physiology* ; Animals ; Obesity/enzymology* ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Recently, male reproductive health has attracted extensive attention, with the adverse effects of circadian disruption on male fertility gradually gaining recognition. However, the mechanism by which circadian disruption leads to damage to male reproductive system remains unclear. In this review, we first summarized the dual regulatory roles of circadian clock genes on the male reproductive system: (1) circadian regulation of testosterone synthesis via the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular (HPT) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axes; (2) non-circadian regulation of spermatogenesis. Next, we further listed the possible mechanisms by which circadian disruption impairs male fertility, including interference with the oscillatory function of the reproductive system, i.e., synchronization of the HPT axis, crosstalk between the HPT axis and the HPA axis, as well as direct damage to germ cells by disturbing the non-oscillatory function of the reproductive system. Future research using spatiotemporal omics, epigenomic assays, and neural circuit mapping in studying the male reproductive system may provide new clues to systematically unravel the mechanisms by which circadian disruption affects male reproductive system through circadian clock genes.
Male ; Humans ; Animals ; Circadian Clocks/physiology* ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System/physiology* ; Circadian Rhythm/genetics* ; Spermatogenesis/physiology* ; Pituitary-Adrenal System/physiology* ; Testis/physiology* ; Testosterone/biosynthesis* ; CLOCK Proteins ; Infertility, Male/physiopathology*

BACKGROUND:Angiogenesis is the main treatment target of cardiovascular diseases.Bone morphogenetic protein 2 can modulate angiogenesis,but the regulatory effect of endothelial cell-specific bone morphogenetic protein 2 on angiogenesis is unclear. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of endothelial-specific bone morphogenetic protein 2 on angiogenesis. METHODS:(1)Bioinformatics analysis:Cellular expression specificity and abundance of bone morphogenetic protein 2 were meta-analyzed by the PanglaoDB single-cell transcriptome database.The endothelial cell transcriptome sequencing dataset of the mouse hindlimb model and endocardial transcriptome dataset of mice overexpressing bone morphogenetic protein 2 were reanalyzed to evaluate the effect of endothelial cell bone morphogenetic protein 2 on the angiogenesis pathway.(2)Validation in vivo:After establishing the mouse hindlimb model,we compared the blood perfusion between the affected and sham limb at 7,14,and 21 days.The expression of the colocation of bone morphogenetic protein 2 and CD31 was explored by immunofluorescence and immunohistochemical staining.(3)Validation in vitro:The cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro were divided into a control group,a hypoxia group,and a bone morphogenetic protein 2 inhibitor Noggin intervention group.After being cultured for 24 hours,the angiogenesis of endothelial cells in each group was observed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Endothelial cells are an important cell subgroup expressing bone morphogenetic protein 2.Both in the mouse hindlimb ischemia model and endocardial cells overexpressing bone morphogenetic protein 2,bone morphogenetic protein 2 was significantly up-regulated,and the angiogenesis pathway was significantly activated.(2)In the mouse hindlimb model,bone morphogenetic protein 2-positive blood vessels around neoangiogenesis increased significantly at 7 days of ischemia(P<0.05),and decreased significantly after 2 weeks of ischemia(P<0.001).(3)In umbilical vein endothelial cells cultured in vitro,after hypoxic intervention,the migration and sprouting of endothelial cells increased significantly,and the expression of angiogenesis factors vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor was significantly increased.Noggin significantly reduced hypoxia-induced endothelial cell angiogenesis(P<0.001)and down-regulated the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor(P<0.01).(4)These findings verify that endothelial cell-specific bone morphogenetic protein 2 can regulate angiogenesis,and targeting endothelial cell bone morphogenetic protein 2 is a promising way to improve angiogenesis.

Objective:To observe and analyze the multimodal imaging characteristics of fundus in patients with idiopathic retinal vasculitis, aneurysms and neuroretinitis (IRVAN) syndrome.Methods:A retrospective study. From June 2015 to March 2024, 6 patients (11 eyes) diagnosed with IRVAN syndrome in Shaanxi Eye Hospital were included in the study. All patients underwent examinations including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), color fundus photography, fluorescein fundus angiography (FFA), optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA). At the same time, FFA combined with indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) was performed in 6 eyes. Follow-up ranged from 2 to 23 months. Multimodal imaging features were analyzed retrospectively. The number of retinal aneurysms detected by FFA, ICGA, and OCTA was compared by using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.Results:In 11 eyes of 6 cases, a total of 1 male (2 eyes) and 5 females (9 eyes) with the mean age of (31.67±12.91) years were included in this cohort. Color fundus photography showed clear optic disc boundaries in 5 eyes, optic disc aneurysms in 8 eyes, retinal aneurysms in 4 eyes; exudation in 9 eyes, localized around aneurysms. On OCT, vitreous high reflective dots and epiretinal membrane on optic disc in all 11 eyes, and macular epiretinal membrane in 3 eyes were revealed. FFA showed optic disc aneurysms and retinal aneurysms in 9 eyes, late optic disc hyperfluorescence in 11 eyes; local arterial leakage in 3 eyes, local venous leakage in 8 eyes, non-perfusion area in all 11 eyes, and retina neovascularization in 3 eyes. Optic disc aneurysms and retinal aneurysms in 5 eyes (total 18 aneurysms) on ICGA were shown compared with optic disc aneurysms in 4 eyes and retinal aneurysms in 5 eyes (total 13 aneurysms) on simultaneous FFA. OCTA revealed neovascularization on the optic disc in 2 eyes, optic disc aneurysmsin 8 eyes, retinal aneurysms in 1 eye (total 2 aneurysms); while on simultaneous FFA, optic disc aneurysms in 8 eyes and retinal aneurysms in 3 eyes (total 5 aneurysms) with no optic disc were displayed. During OCTA follow-up, new aneurysms appeared at the bifurcation of arteries with an increasing angle between them and non-perfusion area enlargement on FFA. Compared with FFA and ICGA, OCTA in detecting the number of aneurysms had no statistics significance ( Z=-1.342, -1.342; P>0.05). Conclusion:Multimodal imaging can demonstrate characteristics of IRVAN syndrome, ICGA provides superior visualization of optic disc and retinal aneurysms, while OCTA confirms optic disc neovascularization and enlargement of artery angles at arterial bifurcations.

Neuroblastoma(NB),the most common type of extracranial solid tumor in children,is char-acterized by high malignancy and poor prognosis,warranting in-depth investigation.In recent years,mi-croRNAs(miRNAs)have emerged as crucial post-transcriptional regulators playing pivotal roles in tu-morigenesis and progression.Building upon this background,the present study specifically focuses on in-vestigating miR-3910's biological functions and underlying molecular regulatory mechanisms in the NB SH-SY5Y cell line.Through bioinformatics analysis and transcriptome sequencing,we identified potential key target molecules of miR-3910,thereby providing genetic targets for the precise diagnosis and effective treatment of NB.In this study,qRT-PCR was employed to measure miR-3910 expression levels in SH-SY5Y cells transfected with mimic negative control and miR-3910 mimic.Compared to the nc group,miR-3910 expression was significantly upregulated in the mimic group(P＜0.01).The CCK-8 assay and scratch wound healing assay were used to quantitatively assess the impact of miR-3910 on cell prolif-eration and migration.Results showed that cell proliferation significantly increased at 48 h(P＜0.05),and migration ability was markedly enhanced at 48 h(P＜0.01).Flow cytometry was applied to deter-mine the effect of miR-3910 on cell cycle progression,revealing accelerated cell cycle progression,a re-duced proportion of G0/G,phase cells(P＜0.01),and a significant increase in S-phase cells(P＜0.05).Integrated bioinformatics analysis and high-throughput transcriptome sequencing predicted key molecular changes in SH-SY5Y cells following miR-3910 overexpression.Transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis identified six NB-related genes:EIF3CL(EIF3C),RNF103-CHMP3(VPS24),SULT1A4(SULT1A4),CORO7-PAM16(CORO7),H4C12(Histone H4),and TBC1D3(TBC1D3A/B/C)(aliases sourced from the GeneCards database).qRT-PCR and Western blotting(WB)results are consistency with sequencing results(P＜0.01).In conclusion,miR-3910 overexpression significantly promotes SH-SY5Y cell proliferation,migration,and cell cycle progression,while uncovering a series of potential key target molecules.These findings provide new insights into the pathogenesis of NB and offer a theoretical foundation and potential intervention targets for molecular-targeted therapy in NB.