ObjectiveTo investigate the application value of a predictive model constructed based on quantitative imaging parameters and serum tumor markers in predicting the postoperative prognosis of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma （PDAC）. MethodsA retrospective study was conducted among 146 patients with PDAC who underwent radical resection in Hebei Medical University Fourth Hospital from April 2020 to March 2023， and the patients were divided into a training set with 102 patients and a validation set of 44 patients at a ratio of 7∶3 using the completely randomized method. All patients underwent enhanced computed tomography （CT） and multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging scans， and CT values in the arterial phase， the venous phase， and the delayed phase were recorded， as well as apparent diffusion coefficient （ADC） at b = 800 s/mm² and signal intensity （SI） of T₂ weighted imaging. The serum levels of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 （CA19-9） and carcinoembryonic antigen （CEA） were also measured. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of continuous data between groups， and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were plotted for survival analysis； the univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association of clinical and imaging indicators with prognosis； the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator （LASSO）-Cox regression model was used to identify the important influencing factors for prognosis， and a prognostic prediction model was constructed. The receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve was used to analyze the predictive value of the model in predicting prognosis in both the training set and the validation set. ResultsThe Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed a median survival time of 33.00 months in the training set and 32.00 months in the validation set， with no significant difference between the training set and the validation set （P>0.05）. The univariate analysis showed that patient age， degree of tumor differentiation， lymph node metastasis， tumor stage， vascular invasion， CA19-9， CEA， ADC value， and SI value were significantly associated with the survival prognosis of patients （χ²=5.906， 13.116， 12.807， 17.277， 14.611， 7.275， 14.339， 9.506， and 13.137， all P<0.05）. The LASSO-Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that six factors were incorporated into the regression model， i.e.， tumor stage （HR=8.934， 95%CI： 3.215 — 21.562， P<0.001）， lymph node metastasis （HR=2.971， 95%CI： 1.298 — 5.647， P=0.002）， CA19-9 （HR=3.948， 95%CI： 1.758 — 8.994， P<0.001）， CEA （HR=1.965， 95%CI： 1.083 — 3.664， P=0.039）， ADC value （HR=2.873， 95%CI： 1.307 — 6.037， P=0.003）， and SI value （HR=3.107， 95%CI： 1.264 — 7.339， P=0.001）. The nomogram model constructed based on these factors had an area under the ROC curve of 0.845 （95%CI： 0.774 — 0.915） in the training set and 0.919 （95%CI： 0.870 — 0.967） in the validation set. ConclusionThe combined model of quantitative imaging parameters and serum tumor markers constructed based on LASSO-Cox regression can effectively predict the postoperative prognosis of PDAC patients， thereby helping to identify high-risk patients and guide decision-making for adjuvant therapy.

Objective:To investigate impacts of lycopene on myocardial damage in preeclampsia(PE)rats by regulating IL-6/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3)/endothelin-1(ET-1)signaling pathway.Methods:Pregnant rats were divided into model group,experimental-L group,experimental-M group,experimental-H group,combination group and control group,with 15 rats in each group.PE rat model was established by intraperitoneal injection of 300 mg/kg N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester(L-NAME)hydrochloride.Experimental-L,experimental-M,experimental-H groups were intraperitoneally injected with 2,4 and 8 mg/kg lycopene,combination group was intraperitoneally injected with 8 mg/kg lycopene and 1 mg/kg STAT3 activator Colivelin,control group and model group were injected with same amount of normal saline intraperitoneally,once a day for 5 consecutive days.Myocardial troponin Ⅰ(cTnⅠ),creatine kinase isozyme(CK-MB)and myoglobin(Mb)levels were detected by ELISA 24 h after the last administration.Western blot was applied to detect IL-6,p-STAT3/STAT3 and ET-1 proteins expressions.Results:Comparison between model group and control group,experimental-L,M,H groups and model group,combined group and high dose experimental group,cTnⅠ,CK-MB,Mb,IL-6 protein,p-STAT3/STAT3 protein,ET-1 protein showed statistically significant differences(all P<0.05).Conclusion:Lycopene alleviates myocardial damage in PE rats by inhibiting IL-6/STAT3/ET-1 signaling pathway.

Objective To explore the effectiveness of the peripheral arterial calcification scoring system(PACSS)based on computed tomography angiography(CTA)in assessing renal function in patients with peripheral arterial disease(PAD).Methods The clinical data,CTA imaging data,and laboratory results from PAD patients who underwent lower limb artery CTA examination were retrospectively collected.The PACSS was utilized to score the calcification in both lower limb arteries.Participants were categorized into three groups based on their estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR)(normal group:eGFR≥90 mL/min;mild renal dysfunction group:eGFR 60-89 mL/min,and moderate to severe renal dysfunction group:eGFR＜60 mL/min).The demographic data,clinical symptoms,and comorbidities among the three groups were compared by analysis of variance(ANOVA).The Spearman correlation coefficient was employed to evaluate the relationship between eGFR,cystatin C,and PACSS score.Results The age(P＜0.001)and PACSS score(P＜0.05)of patients with renal dysfunction were significantly higher than those of patients with normal renal function.However,there were no significant differences in gender,prevalence of diabetes,hypertension,or severe limb ischemia.Spearman correlation analysis showed that eGFR was negatively correlated with PACSS score(r=-0.18 in the right lower limb,P=0.037,r=-0.24 in the left lower limb,P=0.006).In contrast,cystatin C was positively correlated with PACSS score(r=0.26 in the right lower limb,P＜0.001,r=0.22 in the left lower limb,P=0.002).Conclusion The PACSS score of lower limb artery in PAD patients is corre-lated with the severity of renal dysfunction.This finding may facilitate early warning and clinical intervention for PAD patients with renal dysfunction.

Objective To explore the associations among smoking behavior,cognitive function,and personality traits in first-episode male patients with schizophrenia,thereby providing theoretical underpinnings for individualized treatment strategies in clinical settings.Methods A total of 140 first-episode male inpatients with schizophrenia admitted to the hospital from January 2022 to December 2023 were recruited.According to their smoking behavior,they were categorized into a smoking group(n=80)and a non-smoking group(n=60).Moreover,healthy controls were recruited and classified into a healthy smoking group(n=62)and a healthy non-smoking group(n=67)based on their smoking status.The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS)was employed to evaluate psychiatric symptoms in the schizophrenia groups.Nicotine dependence was measured using the Fagerstr?m Test for Nicotine Dependence(FTND)in the two smoking groups.Cognitive function and personality traits were assessed in all participants using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status(RBANS)and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire(EPQ),respectively.Results Regarding cognitive function,the smoking group among schizophrenia patients demonstrated significantly higher scores than the non-smoking group in immediate memory,attention,and delayed memory(all P<0.05).Among schizophrenia patients,FTND scores were moderately negatively correlated with attention and delayed memory(r=-0.552 and-0.657 respectively;both P<0.001).Concerning personality traits,smokers had significantly higher scores in neuroticism and psychoticism compared to non-smokers(both P<0.001).Both patient groups had significantly lower lie scale scores when contrasted with healthy controls(P<0.01),while the healthy smoking group showed significantly higher extraversion scores than the other groups.Conclusions The smoking behavior of male patients during their first episode of schizophrenia exhibits specific characteristics in relation to cognitive performance and personality traits.Smokers demonstrate relatively superior performance in cognitive domains including attention,immediate memory,and delayed memory.However,higher degrees of nicotine dependence are associated with poorer cognitive function,especially in the aspects of attention and delayed memory.Regarding personality,smoking patients display elevated levels of neuroticism and psychoticism.These findings indicate that smoking behavior may be closely associated with cognitive functioning and personality traits,thus meriting clinical attention in the management of schizophrenia.

Objective:To investigate impacts of lycopene on myocardial damage in preeclampsia(PE)rats by regulating IL-6/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3)/endothelin-1(ET-1)signaling pathway.Methods:Pregnant rats were divided into model group,experimental-L group,experimental-M group,experimental-H group,combination group and control group,with 15 rats in each group.PE rat model was established by intraperitoneal injection of 300 mg/kg N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester(L-NAME)hydrochloride.Experimental-L,experimental-M,experimental-H groups were intraperitoneally injected with 2,4 and 8 mg/kg lycopene,combination group was intraperitoneally injected with 8 mg/kg lycopene and 1 mg/kg STAT3 activator Colivelin,control group and model group were injected with same amount of normal saline intraperitoneally,once a day for 5 consecutive days.Myocardial troponin Ⅰ(cTnⅠ),creatine kinase isozyme(CK-MB)and myoglobin(Mb)levels were detected by ELISA 24 h after the last administration.Western blot was applied to detect IL-6,p-STAT3/STAT3 and ET-1 proteins expressions.Results:Comparison between model group and control group,experimental-L,M,H groups and model group,combined group and high dose experimental group,cTnⅠ,CK-MB,Mb,IL-6 protein,p-STAT3/STAT3 protein,ET-1 protein showed statistically significant differences(all P<0.05).Conclusion:Lycopene alleviates myocardial damage in PE rats by inhibiting IL-6/STAT3/ET-1 signaling pathway.

Objective To explore the associations among smoking behavior,cognitive function,and personality traits in first-episode male patients with schizophrenia,thereby providing theoretical underpinnings for individualized treatment strategies in clinical settings.Methods A total of 140 first-episode male inpatients with schizophrenia admitted to the hospital from January 2022 to December 2023 were recruited.According to their smoking behavior,they were categorized into a smoking group(n=80)and a non-smoking group(n=60).Moreover,healthy controls were recruited and classified into a healthy smoking group(n=62)and a healthy non-smoking group(n=67)based on their smoking status.The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS)was employed to evaluate psychiatric symptoms in the schizophrenia groups.Nicotine dependence was measured using the Fagerstr?m Test for Nicotine Dependence(FTND)in the two smoking groups.Cognitive function and personality traits were assessed in all participants using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status(RBANS)and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire(EPQ),respectively.Results Regarding cognitive function,the smoking group among schizophrenia patients demonstrated significantly higher scores than the non-smoking group in immediate memory,attention,and delayed memory(all P<0.05).Among schizophrenia patients,FTND scores were moderately negatively correlated with attention and delayed memory(r=-0.552 and-0.657 respectively;both P<0.001).Concerning personality traits,smokers had significantly higher scores in neuroticism and psychoticism compared to non-smokers(both P<0.001).Both patient groups had significantly lower lie scale scores when contrasted with healthy controls(P<0.01),while the healthy smoking group showed significantly higher extraversion scores than the other groups.Conclusions The smoking behavior of male patients during their first episode of schizophrenia exhibits specific characteristics in relation to cognitive performance and personality traits.Smokers demonstrate relatively superior performance in cognitive domains including attention,immediate memory,and delayed memory.However,higher degrees of nicotine dependence are associated with poorer cognitive function,especially in the aspects of attention and delayed memory.Regarding personality,smoking patients display elevated levels of neuroticism and psychoticism.These findings indicate that smoking behavior may be closely associated with cognitive functioning and personality traits,thus meriting clinical attention in the management of schizophrenia.

Objective To explore the effectiveness of the peripheral arterial calcification scoring system(PACSS)based on computed tomography angiography(CTA)in assessing renal function in patients with peripheral arterial disease(PAD).Methods The clinical data,CTA imaging data,and laboratory results from PAD patients who underwent lower limb artery CTA examination were retrospectively collected.The PACSS was utilized to score the calcification in both lower limb arteries.Participants were categorized into three groups based on their estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR)(normal group:eGFR≥90 mL/min;mild renal dysfunction group:eGFR 60-89 mL/min,and moderate to severe renal dysfunction group:eGFR＜60 mL/min).The demographic data,clinical symptoms,and comorbidities among the three groups were compared by analysis of variance(ANOVA).The Spearman correlation coefficient was employed to evaluate the relationship between eGFR,cystatin C,and PACSS score.Results The age(P＜0.001)and PACSS score(P＜0.05)of patients with renal dysfunction were significantly higher than those of patients with normal renal function.However,there were no significant differences in gender,prevalence of diabetes,hypertension,or severe limb ischemia.Spearman correlation analysis showed that eGFR was negatively correlated with PACSS score(r=-0.18 in the right lower limb,P=0.037,r=-0.24 in the left lower limb,P=0.006).In contrast,cystatin C was positively correlated with PACSS score(r=0.26 in the right lower limb,P＜0.001,r=0.22 in the left lower limb,P=0.002).Conclusion The PACSS score of lower limb artery in PAD patients is corre-lated with the severity of renal dysfunction.This finding may facilitate early warning and clinical intervention for PAD patients with renal dysfunction.

Objective To investigate the serum interleukin-17A(IL-17A)and chemokine CXC motif ligand 13(CXCL13)levels in children with cough variant asthma and their clinical significance.Methods A total of 108 children with cough variant asthma admitted to Meihe Maternity Hospital from November 2021 to Febru-ary 2023 were selected as the study group,and 86 healthy children who underwent physical examinations dur-ing the same period were selected as the control group.The levels of serum IL-17A and CXCL13 in the two groups were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Multivariate Logistic regression was used to an-alyze the factors influencing the occurrence of cough variant asthma.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was plotted to analyze the diagnostic value of serum IL-17A and CXCL13 expressions for cough variant asthma.Results The levels of serum IL-17A and CXCL13 in the study group were both higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05).The levels of serum IL-17A and CXCL13 in children with cough variant asthma were negatively correlated with forced vital capacity(FVC),forced expiratory volume in one second(FEV1),maximal expiratory flow rate(PEF),and FEV1/FVC and basal respiratory conductivity(Grs cont),while positively correlated with initial resistance value(Rrs cont).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis indicated that FVC,FEV1,PEF,FEV1/FVC,and Grs cont were protective factors influencing the occurrence of cough variant asthma(P＜0.05).However,Rrs cont,IL-17A and CXCL13 were risk factors affecting the occurrence of cough variant asthma(P＜0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of serum IL-17A and CXCL13 levels for diagnosing cough variant asthma were 0.920 and 0.867,respectively.The AUC of the combined diagnosis of the two was 0.937,which was significantly greater than that of the diagnosis of CXCL1 alone(Z=2.194,P=0.028).Conclusion The levels of serum IL-17A and CXCL13 in children with cough variant asthma are upreg-ulated,and both are related to the lung function and airway responsiveness of children with cough variant asthma.The combined detection of serum IL-17A and CXCL13 levels has a high diagnostic value for cough variant asthma.

Epigenomic imbalance drives abnormal transcriptional processes,promoting the onset and progression of cancer.Although defective gene regulation generally affects carcinogenesis and tumor suppression networks,tumor immunogenicity and immune cells involved in antitumor responses may also be affected by epigenomic changes,which may have significant implications for the development and application of epigenetic therapy,cancer immunotherapy,and their combinations.Herein,we focus on the impact of epigenetic regulation on tumor immune cell function and the role of key abnormal epigenetic processes,DNA methylation,histone post-translational modification,and chromatin structure in tumor immunogenicity,and introduce these epigenetic research methods.We emphasize the value of small-molecule inhibitors of epigenetic modulators in enhancing antitumor immune responses and discuss the challenges of developing treatment plans that combine epigenetic therapy and immuno-therapy through the complex interaction between cancer epigenetics and cancer immunology.

Objective To study the effect of high mobility group box B1(HMGB1)gene knockout on alleviating a-cute lung injury and inhibiting toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)/nuclear factor-KB(NF-κB)pathway of sepsis mice.Methods Wild-type(WT)mice were divided into WT-Sham group and WT-model group,and HMGB1 knockout(KO)mice were divided into KO-sham group and KO-model group.Sepsis ALI model was established by cecal ligation and perforation in WT-model group and KO-model group.Sham operation was performed in WT-Sham group and KO-Sham group.24 h after modeling,the partial pressure of arterial oxygen(PaO2)was detected,oxy-genation index(OI)was calculated,pathological changes of lung tissue were detected and lung injury score was calculated,the concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin-1 β(IL-1 β),interleukin-6(IL-6),reactive oxygen species(ROS),malondialdehyde(MDA),superoxide dismutase(SOD),in serum and lung tissues and the expression of HMGB1,TLR4 and nuclear NF-κB in lung tissues were detected.Results The PaO2,OI and the concentration of SOD in serum and lung tissue of WT-model group were lower than those of WT-Sham group,the lung injury scores,the concentrations of TNF-α,IL-1 β,IL-6,ROS and MDA in serum and lung tissue,and the expression levels of HMGB1,TLR4 and nuclear NF-κB in lung tissue were higher than those in WT-Sham group(P＜0.05).HMGB1 was not expressed in lung tissue of KO-model group,and the concentrations of PaO2,OI and the concentration of SOD in serum and lung tissue of KO-model group were higher than those of WT-model group,the lung injury scores,the concentrations of TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6,ROS and MDA in serum and lung tissue,and the expression levels of TLR4 and nuclear NF-κB in lung tissue were lower than those of the WT-model group(P＜0.05).Conclusion HMGB1 gene knockout alleviates acute lung injury of sepsis mice,the re-lated molecular mechanism may be the inhibition of TLR4/NF-κB pathway mediated inflammation and oxidative stress.