Pulpotomy, which belongs to vital pulp therapy, has become a strategy for managing pulpitis in recent decades. This minimally invasive treatment reflects the recognition of preserving healthy dental pulp and optimizing long-term patient-centered outcomes. Pulpotomy is categorized into partial pulpotomy (PP), the removal of a partial segment of the coronal pulp tissue, and full pulpotomy (FP), the removal of whole coronal pulp, which is followed by applying the biomaterials onto the remaining pulp tissue and ultimately restoring the tooth. Procedural decisions for the amount of pulp tissue removal or retention depend on the diagnostic of pulp vitality, the overall treatment plan, the patient's general health status, and pulp inflammation reassessment during operation. This statement represents the consensus of an expert committee convened by the Society of Cariology and Endodontics, Chinese Stomatological Association. It addresses the current evidence to support the application of pulpotomy as a potential alternative to root canal treatment (RCT) on mature permanent teeth with pulpitis from a biological basis, the development of capping biomaterial, and the diagnostic considerations to evidence-based medicine. This expert statement intends to provide a clinical protocol of pulpotomy, which facilitates practitioners in choosing the optimal procedure and increasing their confidence in this rapidly evolving field.
Humans ; Calcium Compounds/therapeutic use* ; Consensus ; Dental Pulp ; Dentition, Permanent ; Oxides/therapeutic use* ; Pulpitis/therapy* ; Pulpotomy/standards*

Objective:To construct a prognostic risk model based on lactate metabolism-related genes screened using bioinformatics methods in renal cell carcinoma patients，and investigate the clinical prognosis and immune characteristics of renal cell carcinoma.Methods:Gene expression data and clinical information of patients with renal cell carcinoma were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas-Kidney Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma（TCGA-KIRC）dataset. Lactate metabolism-related gene sets were obtained from the Gene Set Enrichment Analysis（GSEA）database. The R package DEseq2 was employed to identify differentially expressed genes associated with lactate metabolism within the TCGA-KIRC dataset. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed using the clusterProfiler package. Prognosis-related genes were screened via univariate Cox regression analysis and the intersection with lactate metabolism-related differentially expressed genes was obtained. A risk model was constructed using LASSO regression followed by multivariate Cox regression analysis to calculate risk scores. This risk model was subsequently validated using the GSE29609 dataset. Patients were stratified into high-risk and low-risk groups based on the median risk score. The expression profiles of key immune molecule genes and immune checkpoint genes were compared between the two groups. Survival analysis curves for immune checkpoint genes were generated using the survival and survminer R packages. Differences in tumor mutation burden（TMB）between the high-risk and low-risk groups were assessed，and corresponding TMB survival analysis curves were plotted. Finally，the tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion（TIDE）algorithm was used to evaluate disparities in immunotherapy response potential between the two risk groups.Results:An optimal prognostic risk model incorporating seven lactate metabolism- and prognosis-related genes（ LDHD，PER2，ACADM，FLI1，LIPA，TCIRG1，SLC25A4）was constructed and successfully validated in the GSE29609 dataset. Univariate Cox regression analysis revealed that a high-risk score was significantly associated with poor prognosis（ HR=2.915，95% CI：2.451-3.470， P<0.001）. Multivariate Cox regression analysis confirmed that this risk model could serve as an independent prognostic factor for patients with renal cell carcinoma（ HR=2.231，95% CI：1.829-2.722， P<0.001）. Patients in the high-risk group exhibited significantly worse outcomes compared to the low-risk group，regardless of whether they had early-stage or advanced-stage renal cell carcinoma（both P<0.001）. Analyses related to the immune microenvironment indicated an upregulated immunosuppressive phenotype in the high-risk group. Furthermore，the TMB was significantly higher in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group（ P=0.032），and patients within the high-risk group exhibiting higher TMB levels demonstrated even poorer survival（ P<0.001）. Finally，the TIDE score was significantly elevated in the high-risk group in comparison to the low-risk group（ P<0.001）. Conclusions:The risk model based on lactate metabolism-related genes constructed in this study can guide the prognosis of renal cell carcinoma. Patients in the high-risk group are more prone to immune escape and formation of an inhibitory immune microenvironment，leading to worse prognoses. This risk model may serve as a biomarker for predicting immunotherapy response.

Objective:To construct a prognostic risk model based on lactate metabolism-related genes screened using bioinformatics methods in renal cell carcinoma patients，and investigate the clinical prognosis and immune characteristics of renal cell carcinoma.Methods:Gene expression data and clinical information of patients with renal cell carcinoma were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas-Kidney Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma（TCGA-KIRC）dataset. Lactate metabolism-related gene sets were obtained from the Gene Set Enrichment Analysis（GSEA）database. The R package DEseq2 was employed to identify differentially expressed genes associated with lactate metabolism within the TCGA-KIRC dataset. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed using the clusterProfiler package. Prognosis-related genes were screened via univariate Cox regression analysis and the intersection with lactate metabolism-related differentially expressed genes was obtained. A risk model was constructed using LASSO regression followed by multivariate Cox regression analysis to calculate risk scores. This risk model was subsequently validated using the GSE29609 dataset. Patients were stratified into high-risk and low-risk groups based on the median risk score. The expression profiles of key immune molecule genes and immune checkpoint genes were compared between the two groups. Survival analysis curves for immune checkpoint genes were generated using the survival and survminer R packages. Differences in tumor mutation burden（TMB）between the high-risk and low-risk groups were assessed，and corresponding TMB survival analysis curves were plotted. Finally，the tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion（TIDE）algorithm was used to evaluate disparities in immunotherapy response potential between the two risk groups.Results:An optimal prognostic risk model incorporating seven lactate metabolism- and prognosis-related genes（ LDHD，PER2，ACADM，FLI1，LIPA，TCIRG1，SLC25A4）was constructed and successfully validated in the GSE29609 dataset. Univariate Cox regression analysis revealed that a high-risk score was significantly associated with poor prognosis（ HR=2.915，95% CI：2.451-3.470， P<0.001）. Multivariate Cox regression analysis confirmed that this risk model could serve as an independent prognostic factor for patients with renal cell carcinoma（ HR=2.231，95% CI：1.829-2.722， P<0.001）. Patients in the high-risk group exhibited significantly worse outcomes compared to the low-risk group，regardless of whether they had early-stage or advanced-stage renal cell carcinoma（both P<0.001）. Analyses related to the immune microenvironment indicated an upregulated immunosuppressive phenotype in the high-risk group. Furthermore，the TMB was significantly higher in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group（ P=0.032），and patients within the high-risk group exhibiting higher TMB levels demonstrated even poorer survival（ P<0.001）. Finally，the TIDE score was significantly elevated in the high-risk group in comparison to the low-risk group（ P<0.001）. Conclusions:The risk model based on lactate metabolism-related genes constructed in this study can guide the prognosis of renal cell carcinoma. Patients in the high-risk group are more prone to immune escape and formation of an inhibitory immune microenvironment，leading to worse prognoses. This risk model may serve as a biomarker for predicting immunotherapy response.

ObjectiveTo explore the distribution characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome elements of macroangiopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） and the key elements of occurrence， development and progression of disease. MethodsA multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted to enroll 445 T2DM patients from five hospitals， and according to the presence or absence of macroangiopathy， the patients were divided into a T2DM group （120 cases） and a diabetic macroangiopathy （DM） group （325 cases）. Patients in DM group were divided into grade Ⅰ， Ⅱ， Ⅲ and Ⅳ according to the peripheral vascular color Doppler ultrasound results and the vascular anomalies classification standard. The general data including gender， age， duration of T2DM and body mass index （BMI） were collected， and the data of four examinations were obtained for syndrome differentiation. According to the diagnostic criteria of TCM syndrome elements， the patients can be divided into 9 patterns including qi deficiency， blood deficiency， yin deficiency， yang deficiency， qi stagnation， blood stasis， excess heat， and excess cold. The general data and distribution of TCM syndrome elements were compared between the two groups. The distribution of TCM syndrome elements in different vascular anomalies grades in the DM group was analyzed. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the influence of various TCM syndrome elements on the occurrence of macroangiopathy in T2DM. ResultsThere was no significant difference in gender and BMI between groups （P＞0.05）. The age and duration of diabetes in the DM group were older and longer than those in the T2DM group （P＜0.01）. With the increase of age and prolonged course of disease， the severity of diabetic macroangiopathy increases gradually （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. There was no significant difference in BMI and course of disease among the different TCM syndrome elements （P＞0.05）. The average age of patients with blood stasis syndrome was the oldest （P＜0.05）. There was significant difference in gender distribution between the excess heat syndrome and yin deficiency syndrome （P＜0.05）. A total of 240 TCM syndrome elements were extracted from the T2DM group， while 731 TCM syndrome elements extracted from the DM group. The top two high-frequency syndrome elements in the two groups were qi deficiency and yin deficiency， with a frequency of larger than 50%. The distribution of phlegm-damp syndrome and blood-stasis syndrome were significantly higher in the DM group than in the T2DM group （P＜0.01）. There were significant differences in the distribution of qi deficiency syndrome， yin deficiency syndrome， phlegm-damp syndrome， blood stasis syndrome， and excess heat syndrome among different grades of vascular anomalies （P＜0.01）； qi deficiency and yin deficiency were both high-frequency TCM syndrome elements in patients at grades 0 to Ⅲ； phlegm-damp syndrome increased in frequency with the progression of the disease from grades 0 to Ⅳ， and the frequency of blood stasis syndrome showed an overall upward trend. The frequency of phlegm-dampness syndrome increased from grades 0 to Ⅳ with the progression of the disease， and the frequency of blood stasis syndrome showed an overall upward trend. Logistic regression analysis showed that phlegm-damp syndrome and blood stasis syndrome were important TCM syndrome elements related to the vascular anomalies degree of macrovascular disease in T2DM （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. ConclusionQi deficiency and yin deficiency are the basic TCM syndrome elements throughout the whole process of T2DM and diabetic macrovascular disease. Phlegm-damp and blood stasis are related to the degree of vascular anomalies in diabetic macrovascular disease and are the key TCM syndrome elements in the progression of macroangiopathy in T2DM.

177Lu-prostate specific membrane antigen(PSMA)radio-ligand therapy has been approved abroad for advanced prostate cancer and has been in several clinical trials in China.Based on domestic clinical practice and experimental data and referred to international experience and viewpoints,the expert group forms a consensus on the clinical application of 177Lu-PSMA radio-ligand therapy in prostate cancer to guide clinical practice.

Objective:To evaluate the impact of three small compounds, namely sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DTC), levamisole (LMS) and imiquimod (Imi), on the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of the candidate antigen PA0833 from Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( Pa) and analyze the underlying mechanisms. Methods:PA0833 was formulated with aluminum adjuvant and the above small compounds, respectively. BALB/c mice were immunized with these vaccines intramuscularly on days 0, 14 and 21. Serum samples were collected and the levels of PA0833-specific IgG were measured by ELISA. The protective efficacy of these vaccines was evaluated by assessment of survival rates, body weights, clinical scores, inflammatory factors, and histopathological changes after infecting the immunized mice with Pa PAO1 strains. Besides, the mice were injected with DTC intramuscularly for seven consecutive days to analyze the mechanism of DTC in enhancing immune response using transcriptome sequencing and flow cytometry. Results:All these small compounds were capable of effectively enhancing the immunogenicity of PA0833 formulated with aluminum adjuvant, reducing bacterial loads in lung tissues, inhibiting the secretion of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β, and improving mouse survival rates upon Pa infection. DTC was more effective than the other two compounds. Transcriptome sequencing identified 121 up-regulated genes and 18 down-regulated genes in DTC-treated group as compared with PBS control group. These differentially expressed genes were significantly enriched in immune pathways, with a strong activation of the IL-17 pathway. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated significant activation of dendritic cells and proliferation of Th17 cells in splenocytes in DTC-treated group as compared with PBS control group. Conclusions:All three small compounds are able of effectively enhance antigen immunogenicity with DTC being the most effective, indicating that DTC can be used as a novel adjuvant in vaccine development.

Background::Few evidence is available in the early prediction models of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This study aimed to develop and validate a novel genetic-clinical-radiological nomogram for evaluating BPSD in patients with AD and explore its underlying nutritional mechanism.Methods::This retrospective study included 165 patients with AD from the Chinese Imaging, Biomarkers, and Lifestyle (CIBL) cohort between June 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022. Data on demographics, neuropsychological assessments, single-nucleotide polymorphisms of AD risk genes, and regional brain volumes were collected. A multivariate logistic regression model identified BPSD-associated factors, for subsequently constructing a diagnostic nomogram. This nomogram was internally validated through 1000-bootstrap resampling and externally validated using a time-series split based on the CIBL cohort data between June 1, 2022, and February 1, 2023. Area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to assess the discrimination, calibration, and clinical applicability of the nomogram.Results::Factors independently associated with BPSD were: CETP rs1800775 (odds ratio [OR] = 4.137, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.276-13.415, P = 0.018), decreased Mini Nutritional Assessment score (OR = 0.187, 95% CI: 0.086-0.405, P <0.001), increased caregiver burden inventory score (OR = 8.993, 95% CI: 3.830-21.119, P <0.001), and decreased brain stem volume (OR = 0.006, 95% CI: 0.001-0.191, P = 0.004). These variables were incorporated into the nomogram. The area under the ROC curve was 0.925 (95% CI: 0.884-0.967, P <0.001) in the internal validation and 0.791 (95% CI: 0.686-0.895, P <0.001) in the external validation. The calibration plots showed favorable consistency between the prediction of nomogram and actual observations, and the DCA showed that the model was clinically useful in both validations. Conclusion::A novel nomogram was established and validated based on lipid metabolism-related genes, nutritional status, and brain stem volumes, which may allow patients with AD to benefit from early triage and more intensive monitoring of BPSD.Registration::Chictr.org.cn, ChiCTR2100049131.

The comparison between traditional Chinese medicine Jinzhen oral liquid (JZOL) and Western medicine in treating children with acute bronchitis (AB) showed encouraging outcomes. This trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of the JZOL for improving cough and expectoration in children with AB. 480 children were randomly assigned to take JZOL or ambroxol hydrochloride and clenbuterol hydrochloride oral solution for 7 days. The primary outcome was time-to-cough resolution. The median time-to-cough resolution in both groups was 5.0 days and the antitussive onset median time was only 1 day. This randomized controlled trial showed that JZOL was not inferior to cough suppressant and phlegm resolving western medicine in treating cough and sputum and could comprehensively treat respiratory and systemic discomfort symptoms. Combined with clinical trials, the mechanism of JZOL against AB was uncovered by network target analysis, it was found that the pathways in TRP channels like IL-1β/IL1R/TRPV1/TRPA1, NGF/TrkA/TRPV1/TRPA1, and PGE2/EP/PKA/TRPV1/TRPA1 might play important roles. Animal experiments further confirmed that inflammation and the immune regulatory effect of JZOL in the treatment of AB were of vital importance and TRP channels were the key mechanism of action.

Background and Aims:Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNA) has limitations due to the small sample size obtained,including nondiagnostic specimens,indeterminate cytological results,and false-negative or false-positive results,potentially leading to misdiagnosis or missed diagnoses. The BRAF gene mutation,specifically BRAFV600E,is a specific biomarker for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). However,studies on its diagnostic value in FNA benign high-risk thyroid nodules are limited. This study was conducted to further explore the clinical value of adding BRAFV600E mutation testing in FNA benign thyroid nodules.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 549 patients who underwent 668 ultrasound evaluations indicating high risk of PTC and were classified as TIRADS categories 4-5 thyroid nodules at the Thyroid Surgery Department of China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University from January 2019 to September 2022. All patients underwent surgical treatment,and paraffin pathological examination was performed on resected tissues after surgery. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria,84 FNA benign thyroid nodules were included in this study. The clinicopathologic characteristics of nodules with BRAFV600E mutations were analyzed. Using postoperative pathology as the gold standard,the diagnostic performance of BRAFV600E mutation testing in FNA benign nodules was assessed. Results:Among the 84 FNA benign thyroid nodules,44 (52.4％) tested positive for the BRAFV600E mutation. Patients with BRAFV600E-positive nodules were more likely to be younger than 45 years (56.8％ vs. 35.0％,P=0.045),and their nodules had a smaller median long diameter compared to the BRAFV600E-negative group (0.49 cm vs. 0.61 cm,P=0.024). Postoperative pathology revealed 63 PTC nodules and 21 benign nodules. PTC nodules had a smaller median long diameter than benign nodules (0.50 cm vs. 0.70 cm,P=0.004) and a higher proportion of nodules<1 cm (95.2％ vs. 71.4％,P=0.007),with a higher BRAFV600E mutation rate (68.3％ vs. 4.8％,P<0.001). In terms of the ultrasound characteristics of thyroid nodules,BRAFV600E-positive nodules showed a significantly higher rate of blurred/irregular margins than the negative group (86.4％ vs. 60.0％,P=0.006). Similarly,PTC nodules showed a higher rate of blurred/irregular margins compared to benign nodules (81.0％ vs. 52.4％,P=0.010). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis indicated that BRAFV600E-positive thyroid nodules had a 39.184-fold higher risk of being diagnosed as PTC compared to BRAFV600E-negative nodules (P=0.001),with BRAFV600E mutation being an independent risk factor for PTC diagnosis. The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value,and accuracy of BRAFV600E mutation testing for PTC diagnosis were 69.3％,95.2％,97.7％,50.0％,and 75.0％,respectively. Conclusion:BRAFV600E mutation testing demonstrates high positive predictive value and accuracy,and can reduce the risk of missed PTC diagnoses among FNA-reported benign thyroid nodules. It is recommended that thyroid nodules with highly suspicious ultrasound features and TIRADS categories 4-5 undergo combined FNA and BRAFV600E mutation testing.

Background and Aims:Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNA) has limitations due to the small sample size obtained,including nondiagnostic specimens,indeterminate cytological results,and false-negative or false-positive results,potentially leading to misdiagnosis or missed diagnoses. The BRAF gene mutation,specifically BRAFV600E,is a specific biomarker for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). However,studies on its diagnostic value in FNA benign high-risk thyroid nodules are limited. This study was conducted to further explore the clinical value of adding BRAFV600E mutation testing in FNA benign thyroid nodules.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 549 patients who underwent 668 ultrasound evaluations indicating high risk of PTC and were classified as TIRADS categories 4-5 thyroid nodules at the Thyroid Surgery Department of China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University from January 2019 to September 2022. All patients underwent surgical treatment,and paraffin pathological examination was performed on resected tissues after surgery. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria,84 FNA benign thyroid nodules were included in this study. The clinicopathologic characteristics of nodules with BRAFV600E mutations were analyzed. Using postoperative pathology as the gold standard,the diagnostic performance of BRAFV600E mutation testing in FNA benign nodules was assessed. Results:Among the 84 FNA benign thyroid nodules,44 (52.4％) tested positive for the BRAFV600E mutation. Patients with BRAFV600E-positive nodules were more likely to be younger than 45 years (56.8％ vs. 35.0％,P=0.045),and their nodules had a smaller median long diameter compared to the BRAFV600E-negative group (0.49 cm vs. 0.61 cm,P=0.024). Postoperative pathology revealed 63 PTC nodules and 21 benign nodules. PTC nodules had a smaller median long diameter than benign nodules (0.50 cm vs. 0.70 cm,P=0.004) and a higher proportion of nodules<1 cm (95.2％ vs. 71.4％,P=0.007),with a higher BRAFV600E mutation rate (68.3％ vs. 4.8％,P<0.001). In terms of the ultrasound characteristics of thyroid nodules,BRAFV600E-positive nodules showed a significantly higher rate of blurred/irregular margins than the negative group (86.4％ vs. 60.0％,P=0.006). Similarly,PTC nodules showed a higher rate of blurred/irregular margins compared to benign nodules (81.0％ vs. 52.4％,P=0.010). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis indicated that BRAFV600E-positive thyroid nodules had a 39.184-fold higher risk of being diagnosed as PTC compared to BRAFV600E-negative nodules (P=0.001),with BRAFV600E mutation being an independent risk factor for PTC diagnosis. The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value,and accuracy of BRAFV600E mutation testing for PTC diagnosis were 69.3％,95.2％,97.7％,50.0％,and 75.0％,respectively. Conclusion:BRAFV600E mutation testing demonstrates high positive predictive value and accuracy,and can reduce the risk of missed PTC diagnoses among FNA-reported benign thyroid nodules. It is recommended that thyroid nodules with highly suspicious ultrasound features and TIRADS categories 4-5 undergo combined FNA and BRAFV600E mutation testing.