OBJECTIVETo investigate the association between receptor-interacting kinase protein 4 (RIPK4) relative copy number (RCN) and prognosis of stage III( colorectal cancer (CRC) patients treated with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy.

METHODSRIPK4 RCN was determined by real-time PCR and then dichotomized into high RIPK4 RCN group(n=35) and low RIPK4 RCN group (n=104) using the third quartile as the cut-off point. Overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were compared between high and low RIPK4 RCN groups. The subgroup prognostic analysis was also conducted based on tumor site.

RESULTSThe median follow-up period was 49 months (ranged 4 to 98 months). Patients with high RIPK4 RCN had poorer OS than those with low RIPK4 RCN, which reached marginal significance(median OS, 43.0 months vs. 53.5 months, P=0.074). Meanwhile there was no significant difference of RFS between two groups (P=0.352). In colon cancer subgroup, high RIPK4 RCN was significantly associated with poor OS (median OS, 31.5 months vs. 56.6 months, P=0.015) but not with RFS (P=0.135). In rectal cancer subgroup, RIPK4 RCN was not associated with both OS and RFS (P=0.981, P=0.738). Multivariate analysis revealed that high RIPK4 RCN was an independent prognostic factor of OS in stage III( CRC patients treated with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy (HR=2.903, 95% CI: 1.275 to 6.610).

CONCLUSIONRIPK4 RCN is significantly associated with OS in stage III( colon cancer patients receiving oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy and may be a novel biomarker that can predict the efficacy of oxaliplatin in colon cancer patients.

Objective:To analyze the risk factors for rotator cuff tear and evaluate the corresponding prediction efficacy.Methods:A case-control study was conducted in 69 patients with rotator cuff tear admitted to Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from June 2020 to June 2021 (rotator cuff tear group) and 51 normal volunteers or medical examiners (normal control group). There were 55 males and 65 females, with the age range of 34-77 years [(58.2±7.2)years]. Body mass index (BMI) ranged from 19.5-32.4 kg/m 2 [(25.4±2.5)kg/m 2]. Univariate analysis was performed for the correlation of gender, age, history of hypertension, history of smoking, history of diabetes, BMI, angle of humeral greater tuberosity and notch angle of humeral greater tuberosity with rotator cuff tear in the two groups. Factors with statistically significant differences were included in multivariate Logistic regression analysis to determine the independent risk factors for rotator cuff tear. Spearman correlation analysis was used to find factor correlation between the two groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of relevant factors for the diagnosis and prediction of rotator cuff tear was analyzed. Results:Univariate analysis showed that age, angle of humeral greater tuberosity and notch angle of humeral greater tuberosity related to rotator cuff tear (all P<0.05). On the contrary, gender, history of hypertension, history of smoking, history of diabetes and BMI were not correlated with rotator cuff tear (all P>0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed significant correlations of angle of humeral greater tuberosity and notch angle of humeral greater tuberosity with rotator cuff tear (all P<0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that age was not correlated with angle of humeral greater tuberosity and notch angle of humeral greater tuberosity ( r=0.09, 0.13, all P>0.05), but there was significant positive correlation between angle of humeral greater tuberosity and notch angle of humeral greater tuberosity ( r=0.76, P<0.01). When the optimal cutoff values of angle of humeral greater tuberosity and notch angle of humeral greater tuberosity were 70.05° and 150.55°, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) for predicting rotator cuff tear was 0.79 (95% CI 0.71-0.87, P<0.01) and 0.81 (95% CI 0.74- 0.89, P<0.01). Conclusions:Angle of humeral greater tuberosity and notch angle of humeral greater tuberosity are independent factors for rotator cuff tear, and larger angles suggest higher prevalence of rotator cuff tear. Besides, the notch angle of humeral greater tuberosity has relatively better predictive performance.

Objective:To systematically evaluate the relationship between sedentary behavior (SB) and the risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).Methods:PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, the Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine Source, the Sedentary Behavior Research Database (SBRD), Wanfang Database, the China Journal full-text database, and the China Biomedical Literature Database were searched for cohort studies, case-control studies, and cross-sectional studies concerning the risk of SB and GDM from the establishment of the database to January 2021. Two researchers screened the literature, extracted data, evaluated the quality of the data according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and, finally, produced a descriptive analysis of the results.Results:A total of 11 studies were included, including eight cohort studies, two cross-sectional studies, and one case-control study. The overall quality of the studies was moderate. The prevalence of GDM was 5.04%-26.81%, and the prevalence of SB before and during pregnancy was 39.47%-40.21% and 28.86%-93.50%, respectively. In terms of the prevalence of SB before pregnancy, four moderate-quality studies reported no association with GDM risk. In terms of SB during pregnancy, four moderate-quality studies reported no association with GDM risks, and four studies (one of high quality and three of moderate quality) reported an association with GDM risks, two of which focused on the second trimester. There was considerable heterogeneity between studies on the diagnosis of GDM and SB.Conclusion:SB before pregnancy is not associated with the risk of GDM, while the relationship between SB and the risk of GDM is unclear, but the level of SB in the second trimester of pregnancy may be positively associated with the risk of GDM.

Objective To explore the feasibility and safety of integrated intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) technology applied in craniospinal irradiation in a supine position. Methods The patients were fixed in a supine position using thermoplastic mask and vacuum mat. Three isocenters with a fixed interval of 20-25 cm were adopted according to the height of patients. A total of 13 beams with a length of 2-3 cm in the overlapping region were included in the treatment plan. Fixed jaw technique was employed and overall calculation was performed by the inverse optimization method. The γ-passing rate and absolute point dose verification were performed for three isocenters and two overlapping regions. Cone-beam CT (CBCT) images were scanned for three isocenters before treatment. The setup error of each isocenter in the x,y and z directions of the same coordinate system was recorded and overall analysis was conducted. Results Among 28 patients,the γ-passing rate (%) of three isocenters and two overlapping regions was 99. 36%, 99. 60%,99. 75%,94. 77% and 95. 09%,whereas the absolute point dose verification error was 1. 56%,-1. 56%,0. 52%,-0. 76% and -1. 68%,respectively. Twenty-eight patients received 162 groups of IGRT with 486 setup errors from the CBCT images. The average deviation in the x, y and z direction for three isocenters (neck,chest and abdomen) was 0. 17 mm,0. 10 mm,0. 02 mm,0. 06 mm,0. 04 mm,0. 46 mm, 0. 19 mm, 0. 26 mm and 0. 41 mm, respectively. Conclusions The integrated IMRT techniques for craniospinal irradiation in a supine position is feasible and safe,which is worthy of clinical application.

Objective:To conduct a scoping review of health behavior-related assessment tools for pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).Methods:A total of 6 Chinese and English databases, including CNKI, Wanfang Database, China Biomedical Literature Database, PubMed, Web of Science Core set and Embase, were systematically searched by the terms of “gestational diabetes mellitus”，“health behavior”，“assessment”. The relevant contents of GDM health behavior-related assessment tools were retrieved for systematic analysis, and the results were normalized reported. The search period was from the establishment of the databases to February 1, 2023.Results:A total of 2 657 literatures were retrieved, and 41 literatures were finally included after screening, including 16 literatures on the development and verification of assessment tools, 2 literatures on localization of assessment tools, and 23 literatures on the application of the assessment tools. A comprehensive analysis was conducted on 18 assessment tools, including 16 original assessment tools and 2 localized assessment tools, spanning the years 1987 to 2020. The assessment content covered dietary behavior, physical activity behavior, medication adherence, blood glucose monitoring behavior, treatment adherence, self-management behavior, and health-promoting lifestyles. Among them, 7 assessment tools were validated for reliability and/or validity in pregnant women with GDM. Among the 23 studies that covered the implication of the assessment tools, the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire and Health-Promoting Lifestyle Ⅱ were the most commonly utilized tools for assessing health behaviors in pregnant women with GDM.Conclusions:There is a wide variety of assessment tools related to health behaviors in pregnant women with GDM, and the assessment content is relatively rich. However, most of the assessment tools have not been validated for their reliability and validity within the GDM population, limiting their clinical application and promotion.

Objective:To detect the concentration of various cytokines in aqueous humor of patients with diabetes retinopathy (DR) with Luminex liquid chip, and analyze the relationship between the cytokines and the occurrence and development of DR.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted.Sixty-three DR patients (97 eyes) treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from March 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 were enrolled as DR group, including 38 nonproliferative DR (NPDR) eyes in NPDR group and 59 proliferative DR (PDR) eyes in PDR group, 39 eyes in photocoagulation group and 58 eyes in non-photocoagulation group.Twenty-seven patients (31 eyes) hospitalized for cataract surgery at the same time were collected as the control group.Aqueous humor was extracted during the operation, and Luminex liquid chip was used to detect the concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), placental growth factor (PLGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-AA, PDGF-BB, angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, IL-1β, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in aqueous humor.The concentrations of various cytokines of different groups were compared, and the correlation among various aqueous humor cytokines was analyzed by Spearman rank correlation analysis.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (No.Y[2019]230). Written informed consent was obtained from each patient.Results:The concentrations of VEGF-A, PLGF, PDGF-AA, ANGPTL4, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1 and ICAM-1 in DR group were significantly higher and the concentration of IL-1β was significantly lower than those of control group ( Z=-4.747, -5.164, -3.373, -8.062, -4.535, -5.954, -5.098, -3.228, -5.954, all at P<0.01). The concentrations of VEGF-A, PLGF, PDGF-AA, ANGPTL4, IL-6, IL-8 and MCP-1 of the photocoagulation and non-photocoagulation groups were higher and the concentration of IL-1β was significantly lower than those in the control group (all at P<0.017). The concentration of ICAM-1 in the photocoagulation group was significantly higher than that in the control group ( P<0.017). The concentrations of PLGF, PDGF-AA and ANGPTL4 of PDR group were higher than those of NPDR group, and the differences were statistically significant ( Z=-2.291, -3.396, -2.276, all at P<0.05). VEGF-A was positively correlated with the other cytokines except ICAM-1 ( rs=0.237-0.540, all at P<0.05). ANGPTL4 was positively correlated with the other cytokines except IL-1β ( rs=0.361-0.733, all at P<0.01). Conclusions:The occurrence and development of DR are closely related to VEGF family, PDGF family, ANGPTL family and inflammatory factors.The concentrations of PLGF, PDGF-AA and ANGPTL4 are higher in PDR eyes.There are close and complex relationships among a variety of cytokines in the eyes of DR patients.

Objective : To explore the effects of Er: YAG laser irrigation technology on smear layer removal and dentin microhardness. Methods : A total of 102 ex vivo premolars were selected to amputate the crown , leaving a root length of 13 mm , after mechanical preparation , there were divided into experimental group (3% sodium hypochlorite , 3% NaOCl) and control group (0. 9% sodium chloride solution , NS) , and received syringe , ultrasound and Er: YAG laser terminal irrigation , which were specifically grouped into NaOCl + syringe , NaOCl + ultrasound , NaOCl + laser, NS + syringe , NS + ultrasound and NS + laser groups ( n = 17 ) . Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) evaluated smear layer removal from the upper, middle and apical parts of the root. The Vickers microhardness tester measured the microhardness before and after irrigation. Results : The NaOCl + laser group had the best effect on removing the root canal smear layer, and the amplitude of reducing the microhardness of dentin was the largest. There was no significant difference in the reduction of microhardness compared with the NaOCl + ultrasonic group (P > 0. 05) . Conclusion Er: YAG laser⁃activated NaOCl solution improves the clearance of the smear layer and reduced the microhardness of dentin.

Platform method is a modeling method that forces experimental animals to stand on the platforms for a long time without rest by taking advantage of the rodent's fear of water. The application time and node of platform method in model construction can be adjusted according to the needs of different types of animal models. At present， the research hotspot of platform method focuses on constructing animal models of sleep deprivation， anxiety and depression and other mental diseases as well as fatigue. In recent years， with the development of the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， this method has been gradually applied to the study of TCM syndrome model and TCM disease and syndrome combination model with "heart"，"liver" and "spleen" as the centers. Due to the extensive application of platform method and the diversity of modeling diseases， there is still a lack of systematic discussion on this method as the core. This paper systematically summarized the research in China and abroad and explored the application of platform method in animal models of human diseases from three dimensions： its development process， current application and problems and future development. In addition， through the analysis of the research hotspots on sleep deprivation， mental diseases， fatigue， TCM syndrome model and TCM disease and syndrome combination model，the ideas and specific applications of platform method in construction of various animal models were discussed. This paper was expected to provide reference for researchers and promote further exploration and research of this modeling method.

Objective : To investigate the effects of different occlusal veneer preparation designs and fiber posts on the fracture load and failure mode of endodontically treated maxillary premolars with pulp-piercing wedge-shaped defect． Methods : 60 maxillary first premolars were randomly divided into group A and group B after Root Canal Therapy (RCT) and severe defects(n = 30) ．Group A was filled with glass fiber post and resin core，and group B was filled with resin core only．Then the occlusal veneer( G2) ，buccal-occlusal veneer( G3) and buccal-proximal-occlusal veneer ( G4 ) were applied to the isolated teeth．The teeth filled with composite resin ( G1 ) and full crown ( G5) were set as negative and positive control respectively，with 6 samples in each group．The sample was subjected to 5 000 hot and cold cycles and 20 000 vertical compression load aging．Finally，all the samples were loaded with static load until the sample broke at the speed of 0．5mm / min．The fracture load and failure mode of each sample were recorded. Results : Both the fracture load in group A and B was G5 ＞G3 ＞G2 ＞G4 ＞G1，and the fracture load in G2，G3，G4，G5 was significantly higher than that in G1 (P＜0. 05) ，and there was no significant difference between group A and B (P＞0. 05) ．The fracture form of G3 was mostly unbonding of the repair body，which was conducive to re-repair． Conclusion Buccal ( occlusal) veneer is the most effective in repairing pulp-piercing wedge-shaped defects．The fiber post could not significantly enhance the fracture load of the pulp-piercing wedge- shaped defects teeth.