ObjectiveTo delineate imaging findings using an imaging platform and investigate the correlation between MRI characteristics of spinal cord atrophy and clinical diagnosis in children with spinal cord injury (SCI). MethodsImaging data of 150 children with SCI admitted to Beijing Bo'ai Hospital, China Rehabilitation Research Center, from January, 2002 to March, 2024 were collected and imported into the imaging platform. The anteroposterior and transverse diameters of the middle part of the spinal cord at the cross-section with the most severe atrophy were measured, and the relevant indicators of the previous normal spinal cord segment were measured as controls; the radiomic features were extracted. Clinical data of the children including gender, age, cause of injury, sensory level, motor level, spinal cord injury level, injury severity and disease course were collected. ResultsSpinal cord atrophy was identified in 81 cases (54%), among which 78 cases (96%) were American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade A and 3 cases (4%) were AIS grade C. The upper boundary of the spinal cord atrophy site strongly correlated with the injury level, motor level and sensory level (r > 0.8, P < 0.001). ConclusionMore than half of children with SCI may develop secondary spinal cord atrophy, the vast majority of whom suffer from complete spinal cord injury; the upper boundary of spinal cord atrophy is correlated with the injury level.

Histopathological examination is currently the gold standard for the diagnosis of metabolic associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD）； however， due to its invasiveness， high risks， and low feasibility， application of noninvasive indicators in the staging and classification of MAFLD has become a research hotspot. This article systematically reviews the efficacy of dynamic changes in various noninvasive markers in reflecting histological changes and clinical outcome events in MAFLD patients， in order to provide theoretical support for dynamic monitoring and individualized management of the disease.

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease triggered by periodontal pathogens and mediated by immune responses. Traditionally, gingival fibroblasts (GFs) were considered to be primarily responsible for maintaining periodontal matrix homeostasis. However, recent studies reveal that GFs play a significant immunoregulatory role in periodontitis. Through signaling pathways, such as the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathway, GFs recognize virulence factors from pathogens, such as Porphyromonas gingivalis, and secrete various inflammatory mediators, thus driving extracellular matrix degradation and osteoclast differentiation. Simultaneously, GFs modulate immune cells, including neutrophils and macrophages, amplifying inflammatory responses and fostering a chronic inflammatory microenvironment. Risk factors, such as hyperglycemia and smoking, exacerbate GFs dysfunction via oxidative stress-mediated activation of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway and other mechanisms, while inflammation and cellular senescence form a vicious cycle. Senescent GFs further aggravate alveolar bone destruction by activating the mechanistic target of the rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Therapeutic strategies targeting GFs, such as suppressing NF-κB signaling or modulating mTOR-mediated senescence, may disrupt the link between inflammation and tissue destruction, showing promising therapeutic potential. Future studies should employ advanced technologies such as spatial multi-omics and single-cell proteomics to elucidate the spatial distribution, functional interactomes, and heterogeneity of GFs subsets, in order to deepen our understanding of their roles in periodontitis progression. This review summarizes the multifaceted mechanisms of GFs in periodontitis and explores potential therapeutic strategies targeting GFs, offering novel insights for periodontitis prevention and treatment.

Background: and Purpose Live cell-based assays (LCBA) are increasingly used for serological antibody detection due to their ability to preserve antigen conformation, offering moderately higher sensitivity than fixed cell-based assays. However, the clinical necessity of prioritizing LCBA for the detection of aquaporin-4 immunoglobulin G (AQP4-IgG) in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) remains unclear, especially when compared to its established role in diagnosing myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease. Methods: We compared the performance of live cell-based assays using immunofluorescence (LCBA-IF) and fixed cell-based assays using immunofluorescence (FCBA-IF) in detecting AQP4-IgG in 90 cases of NMOSD meeting 2015 International Panel for Neuromyelitis Optica Diagnosis criteria, alongside 40 controls. Additionally, we further investigated the relationship between AQP4-IgG titers as measured by LCBA-IF and FCBA-IF and clinical parameters in NMOSD patients. Results: Results showed 96.9% agreement between LCBA-IF and FCBA-IF (Cohen’s κ=0.935), with a strong Spearman correlation (0.977, p<0.001). Both methods demonstrated 100% specificity, with LCBA-IF showing slightly higher sensitivity compared to FCBA-IF. Within LCBAIF-tested groups, statistically significant differences in annualized relapse rates were observed across all pairwise comparisons (low-titer vs. moderate-titer, low-titer vs. high-titer, and moderate-titer vs. high-titer; all p<0.050). However, this association reached statistical significance in some FCBA-IF-tested groups. Conclusions Overall, there is a strong concordance between LCBA-IF and FCBA-IF in detecting AQP4-IgG, where LCBA-IF shows slightly higher sensitivity. Furthermore, there is a potential link between elevated AQP4-IgG titers and an increased risk of relapse, and this correlation may appear more pronounced when using LCBA-IF.

Digital government refers to the wide application of digital technology in government management and services, promoting the optimization of government governance processes, model innovation, and performance enhancement, and building a new form of digital and intelligent government operation. Laboratory animal management is an important national foundational and strategic support work. It is closely related to digital government construction, and is not only an important part of digital government construction but also a typical application of government digital transformation in the field of science and technology. Digital transformation empowering laboratory animal management is a new proposition of government governance in the digital age, and research on its systematic and holistic reform is crucial. Through digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud computing, the government can optimize approval process, strengthen in-process and post-event supervision, and promote regional coordination, thereby improving laboratory animal management capacity and service levels. In addition, laboratory animal data sharing contributes to government scientific decision-making and industry supervision. This article summarizes the experience and practices of domestic leading regions in recent years, reviews the background and development process of digital transformation of laboratory animal management in Jiangsu Province, describes the current status of such digital transformation in Jiangsu Province across areas including digital infrastructure, data sharing, and government services, analyzes existing challenges in top-level design, data governance, and data sharing, and, focusing on institutional mechanisms, government functions, data governance, and support systems, puts forward corresponding transformation ideas, frameworks, and pathways and provides an outlook. Thereby it provides a reference for the high-quality development of laboratory animal management in Jiangsu Province and other regions.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of drinking chlorinated water on the intestinal flora of rats and mice and to explore differences in the intestinal microecological responses of model animals to chlorine stimulation in chlorinated drinking water systems. MethodsSix 8-week-old male SD rats and six 8-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were acclimated for 5 days. Subsequently, the drinking water for both rats and mice was changed from pure water to water containing free chlorine at a concentration of 25.4–32.4 nmol/L. The intervention lasted for 8 weeks, during which all animals were fed the same diet. Fecal samples were collected before the intervention (week 0, as the control group) and on the last day of week 3 and week 8 (as the chlorinated water group), and microbial composition was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing, including α diversity (Chao1 and Shannon indices), β diversity [principal component analysis (PCA)], and linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) analysis. ResultsAfter 3 weeks of intervention, α diversity of the intestinal flora in both rats and mice in the chlorinated water group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.01). After 8 weeks of intervention, no significant difference in α diversity was observed between rats in the chlorinated water group and those in the control group, whereas α diversity in mice remained significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.01). β diversity analysis showed significant alterations in microbial structure in the chlorinated water group. LEfSe analysis indicated that, compared with the control group, the abundances of Bacteroides and Ruminococcus were significantly reduced in the chlorinated water group, and microbial disturbance was more pronounced in mice [linear discriminant analysis (LDA) > 4.0], with a greater decrease in microbial diversity and a larger number of differentially abundant genera. ConclusionConsumption of chlorinated water can alter the diversity and structure of the intestinal flora in both rats and mice, with mice being more sensitive to this exposure. These findings suggest that the potential effects of chlorine on gut microecology should be considered in drinking water management and model selection for animal experiments.

Objective To evaluate the reliability and validity and perform cost-consequence analysis of the brief version of the Montreal cognitive assessment(MoCA)for identifying cognitive impairment in a community-based population ≥50 years of age.Methods The internal consistency and retest reliability of the brief version of the MoCA were analyzed,and the area under the curve(AUC),sensitivity,and specificity were determined to discriminate mild cognitive impairment(MCI)and dementia with the clinical dementia rating(CDR)as the diagnostic criterion.The consistency between the brief version and the full version was analyzed by the Kappa test and the Bland-Altman method,and the number of individuals entering the diagnostic assessment and the overall assessment time were estimated and compared between the two versions.Results A total of 303 individuals were included in this study,of whom 192,94,and 17 had normal cognitive function,MCI,and dementia,respectively.The Cronbach's α and re-test coefficients of the brief version of MoCA were 0.754 and 0.711(P<0.001),respectively.The brief version showed the AUC,sensitivity,and specificity of 0.889,74.5%,and 93.8% for identifying MCI,and 0.994,100%,and 93.8% for identifying dementia,respectively.When the brief version of MoCA was used to identify 94 patients with MCI in 303 individuals,107 individuals required additional diagnostic assessment,with an overall assessment time of 142.4 h,which represented decreases of 21.3% and 32.7%,respectively,compared with those of the full version.When the brief version of MoCA was used to identify 17 patients with dementia in 303 individuals,35 individuals required additional diagnostic assessment,with an overall assessment time of 70.4 h,a decrease of 29.5% in the time cost compared with the full version.Conclusions The brief version of MoCA can identify cognitively impaired individuals in a community-based middle-aged and elderly population,with diagnostic validity comparable to that of the full version but less time cost and fewer individuals needing additional diagnostic assessment to detect true-positive cases.It could be expanded for use in the community-based primary screening setting.
Humans ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Cognitive Dysfunction/diagnosis* ; Male ; Female ; Mental Status and Dementia Tests ; Reproducibility of Results ; Dementia/diagnosis* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cost-Benefit Analysis

Objective:To observe the effects of electroacupuncture(EA)on learning and memory ability and nucle-ar factor E2 related factor 2(Nrf2),glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4),NAD(P)H-quinone oxidoreductase 1(NQO1),reactive oxygen species(ROS)in hippocampus of neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage(HIBI)and its anti-oxidative stress mechanism.Methods:A total of 76 neonatal rats were randomly divided into Sham opera-tion group(Sham),HIBI model group(HIBI),electroacupuncture group(HIBI+EA),and Nrf2 inhibitor ML385 group(HIBI+EA+ML385).The neonatal rat model of HIBI was established by classical Rice method.The HIBI+EA group was treated with electroacupuncture for 30 min/d for 14 consecutive days.In the HIBI+EA+ML385 group,30 mg/kg ML385 was intraperitoneally injected at 1 h before each electroacupuncture intervention.Morris water maze test was performed on 21 days after modeling to test the learning and memory ability of neonatal rats in each group.Nissl staining and HE staining were used to observe the morphology of neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region,and DHE flu-orescent probe was used to detect the expression of ROS in the hippocampal CA1 region.The contents of Nrf2,GPX4 and NQO1 in hippocampus were detected by Western blot.Results:Compared with the Sham group,the HIBI group had severe pathological damage,a prolonged escape latency,a decreased number of platform crossings,a significantly increased expression of ROS,and a significantly decreased expression of Nrf2,GPX4,and NQO1(P<0.05).Com-pared with HIBI group,the pathological damage was significantly attenuated,the escape latency was shortened,the number of platform crossings was increased,the expression of ROS was decreased,and the expression of Nrf2,GPX4 and NQO1 was increased in HIBI+EA group(P<0.05).Compared with HIBI+EA group,the pathological damage was aggravated,the escape latency was prolonged,the number of crossing the platform was decreased,the expression of ROS was increased,and the expression of Nrf2,GPX4,and NQO1 was decreased in HIBI+EA+ML385 group(P<0.05).Conclusion:Electroacupuncture can effectively improve the learning and memory ability of hypoxic-ischemic neonatal rats,which is related to its effect in reducing oxidative stress in hippocampal neurons by regulating Nrf2 signa-ling pathway.

This study aims to establish an indirect ELISA method for detecting RVFV antibodies u-sing recombinant proteins of Rift Valley fever virus(RVFV)Gn protein Ⅱ-Ⅲ structural domains as the encapsulated antigen which was expressed by the Escherichia coli(E.coli)expression sys-tem.The gene sequences encoding the Ⅱ and Ⅲ subdomains of RVFV Gn protein were inserted in-to pET-30a(+)to construct the recombinant plasmid pET-RVFV Gn-D Ⅱ-Ⅲ.After transforma-tion of the recombinant plasmid into DE3(BL21)competent cells,the recombinant Gn-D Ⅱ-Ⅲ protein was induced with IPTG and purified using affinity chromatography.An indirect ELISA method for the detection of RVFV antibodies was developed using purified recombinant protein as coating antigen and SPA-HRP as the enzyme-labelled secondary antibody.Western blot analysis confirmed that the RVFV Gn-D Ⅱ-Ⅲ protein was successfully expressed.The optimal expression conditions for RVFV Gn-D Ⅱ-Ⅲ protein were induced with 0.8 mmol/L IPTG at 37 ℃ for 5 h.The Gn-D Ⅱ-Ⅲ protein was purified using affinity chromatography with a purity of 91.9％,and the purified protein was used as the encapsulated antigen to develop an ELISA assay for RVFV anti-bodies.The specificity evaluation showed that the method specifically detected RVFV-positive sera and did not cross-react with sera positive for West Nile virus(WNV),Ebola virus(EBOV),Mar-burg virus(MARV)and tick-borne encephalitis virus(TBEV).When the RVFV Gn-D Ⅲ-Ⅲ posi-tive serum was diluted to 6 400 times,the test result still showed positive results,demonstrating the method had good sensitivity.The repeatability evaluation results indicated that the variation co-efficients for both intra-and inter-batch responses was less than 10％,indicating that the method had good repeatability.In conclusion,the RVFV Gn-D Ⅱ-Ⅲ protein was successfully expressed u-sing the E.coli expression system.The purified recombinant Gn-D Ⅱ-Ⅲ protein was used as the encapsulated antigen to develop an indirect ELISA assay for RVFV antibodies,which provides a preliminary basis for the diagnosis of RVF and the research and development of RVF vaccines.

Objective:To analyze the differences between subjective refraction and autorefraction in myopic children and adolescents under different ciliary muscle functional states.Methods:A cohort study was conducted.A total of 98 myopic children and adolescents (196 eyes) aged 7-15 years who visited the Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention and Treatment Center from November 2023 to February 2024 were included by random sampling.All participants underwent cycloplegia with 1.0% cyclopentolate and completed both subjective refraction and autorefraction before cycloplegia, after cycloplegia and after recovery from cycloplegia.The spherical equivalent (SE) differences and differences in SE(ΔSE) between different conditions were compared.Proportion of ΔSE, differences in spherical power (ΔS), and differences in cylindrical power (ΔC) of objective and subjective refraction between different conditions within the clinically acceptable error range (-0.25 to 0.25 D) was calculated and compared.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Shanghai Eye Diseases Prevention & Treatment Center (No.2021SQ021).Written informed consent was obtained from guardian of each subject before any medical examination.Results:The SE values obtained from autorefraction before cycloplegia, after cycloplegia, and after recovery from cycloplegia were -2.44(-3.47, -1.63), -2.13(-3.25, -1.50), and -2.38(-3.50, -1.66)D, respectively, with a statistically significant overall difference ( χ2=148.36, P<0.001) and statistically significant differences in pairwise comparisons at different time points (all P<0.001); for subjective refraction, the SE values were -2.25(-3.50, -1.50), -2.19(-3.47, -1.45), and -2.28(-3.50, -1.50)D, respectively, with a statistically significant overall difference ( χ2=43.48, P<0.001) and statistically significant differences in pairwise comparisons at different time points (all P<0.001).Subjective refraction ΔSE between before and after cycloplegia, after cycloplegia and after recovery from cycloplegia were significantly smaller than those of autorefraction ( t=2.84, 1.82; both P<0.001).There was no significant difference in ΔSE between subjective refraction and autorefraction between before cycloplegia and after recovery from cycloplegia ( t=-0.43, P=0.070).The proportions of subjective refraction ΔSE within the acceptable error range between before and after cycloplegia, before cycloplegia and after recovery from cycloplegia, and after cycloplegia and after recovery from cycloplegia were significantly higher than those of autorefraction ( χ2=28.32, 11.82, 25.55; all P<0.001).The proportion of subjective refraction ΔS and ΔC both within the acceptable error range between before cycloplegia and after recovery from cycloplegia was 81.63%(160/196) and 79.59%(156/196) between after cycloplegia and after recovery from cycloplegia. Conclusions:Subjective refraction is less affected by different ciliary muscle functional states.The differences in subjective refraction results under different ciliary muscle functional states are mostly within the acceptable error range.The subjective refraction results before or after cycloplegia can be used to better predict the subjective refraction results after recovery from cycloplegia.