This review aimed to provide a comprehensive analysis of the etiology, epidemiology, pathology, and conventional treatment of heterotopic ossification (HO), especially emerging potential therapies. HO is the process of ectopic bone formation at non-skeletal sites. HO can be subdivided into two major forms, acquired and hereditary, with acquired HO predominating. Hereditary HO is a rare and life-threatening genetic disorder, but both acquired and hereditary form can cause severe complications, such as peripheral nerve entrapment, pressure ulcers, and disability if joint ankylosis develops, which heavily contributes to a reduced quality of life. Modalities have been proposed to treat HO, but none have emerged as the gold standard. Surgical excision remains the only effective modality; however, the optimal timing is controversial and may cause HO recurrence. Recently, potential therapeutic strategies have emerged that focus on the signaling pathways involved in HO, and small molecule inhibitors have been shown to be promising. Moreover, additional specific targets, such as small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and non-coding RNAs, could be used to effectively block HO or develop combinatorial therapies for HO.
Humans ; Ossification, Heterotopic/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major health concern in northwest China; however, the impact of particulate matter (PM) exposure during sand-dust storms (SDS) remains poorly understood. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between PM exposure on SDS days and COPD hospitalization risk in arid regions. METHODS: Data on daily COPD hospitalizations were collected from 323 hospitals from 2018 to 2022, along with the corresponding air pollutant and meteorological data for each city in Gansu Province. Employing a space-time-stratified case-crossover design and conditional Poisson regression, we analyzed 265,379 COPD hospitalizations. RESULTS: PM exposure during SDS days significantly increased COPD hospitalization risk [relative risk ( RR) for PM _2.5, lag 3:1.028, 95% confidence interval ( CI): 1.021-1.034], particularly among men and the elderly, and during the cold season. The burden of PM exposure on COPD hospitalization was substantially high in Northwest China, especially in the arid and semi-arid regions. CONCLUSION Our findings revealed a positive correlation between PM exposure during SDS episodes and elevated hospitalization rates for COPD in arid and semi-arid zones in China. This highlights the urgency of developing region-specific public health strategies to address adverse respiratory outcomes associated with SDS-related air quality deterioration.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/chemically induced* ; Particulate Matter/analysis* ; Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects* ; Spatio-Temporal Analysis ; Adult ; Sand ; Air Pollution

Objective To evaluate the value of combined detection of serum fibrinogen/albumin ratio(FAR)and milk fat globule epidermal growth factor 8(MFG-E8)in predicting the fetal protection outcome of threatened abortion patients.Methods From May 2022 to May 2023,a total of 89 patients with threatened abortion who received fetal protection treatment in Jianli People's Hospital were regarded as the observation group.They were grouped into a miscarriage group(19 cases)and a successful group(70 cases)based on the fetal protection outcomes.89 normal pregnant women who underwent prenatal examinations were regarded as the control group.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was applied to detect the levels of serum fibrinogen,albumin and MFG-E8.Multivariate Logistic regression was applied to analyze the influencing factors on the fe-tal protection outcome of patients with threatened abortion.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was applied to analyze the predictive value of serum FAR and MFG-E8 level on the fetal protection outcome of patients with threatened abortion.Results Compared with the control group,serum FAR was higher in the observation group(P<0.05)and serum MFG-E8 level was lower(P<0.05).The proportion of thyroid dys-function,serum C-reactive protein(CRP),and FAR in the miscarriage group were higher than those in the successful group(P<0.05),while serum MFG-E8 level was lower than that in the successful group(P<0.05).Serum FAR,CRP and thyroid dysfunction were risk factors for fetal protection outcome of patients with threatened abortion,while serum MFG-E8 was a protective factor for fetal protection outcome of patients with threatened abortion(P<0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of serum FAR,MFG-E8,and their combination in predicting the fetal protection outcome of patients with threatened abortion was 0.787,0.853,and 0.954,respectively,and the efficacy of combination of the two in predicting the fetal protection outcome of patients with threatened abortion was better than that of serum FAR and MFG-E8 alone(Zcombination-FAR=2.805,Zcombination-MFG-E8=2.076,P=0.005,0.038),with sensitivity and specificity of 94.74%and 88.57%,re-spectively.Conclusion Serum FAR increases and MFG-E8 level decreases of patients with threatened abor-tion,and the combination of the two has higher predictive value for the fetal protection outcome of patients with threatened abortion.

Objective To explore the symptom clusters in renal transplant recipients and con-struct a concurrent symptom network to identify core symptoms.Methods A total of 343 patients with followed up after renal transplantation were selected as the study subjects.A general information questionnaire and the Chinese version of the Modified Transplant Symptom Occurrence and Symptom Distress Scale were employed to analyze the occurrence of symptoms in patients.In this study,only symptoms with an incidence rate greater than 20％and Spearman correlation coefficient greater than 0.40 between symptom severity and total score were retained.Exploratory factor analysis was used to extract symptom clusters with a factor loading of ≥0.45 as the criterion.The R language was utilized to construct symptom network,based on which core symptoms and bridge symptoms were identified.Results A total of 5 symptom clusters were extracted in this study:the neuro-gastrointestinal symp-tom cluster,the mood-related symptom cluster,the hormone-related symptom cluster,the energy de-ficiency symptom cluster and the vision-related symptom cluster.The core symptoms were anxiety(rs=1.75),mood swings(rs=1.50)and muscle weakness(rs=1.27).The top three symptoms in terms of bridge strength were muscle weakness(rb=0.87),lack of vitality(rb=0.66)and fa-tigue(rb=0.65).Conclusion Multiple symptoms are presented in patients after renal transplanta-tion.Based on the results of symptom network analysis,clinicians can strengthen the assessment of core symptoms and bridge symptoms to develop precise intervention strategies and improve the effectiveness of symptom management.

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy of operative treatment of geriatric pelvic fractures.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 55 geriatric patients with pelvic fracture who had been operatively treated at Department of Orthopaedic Trauma, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital from January 2020 to October 2023. There were 13 males and 42 females with an age of 72.0 (68.0, 83.3) years. By the AO/OTA classification, there were 47 cases of type B and 8 cases of type C; by the classification for fragility fractures of pelvis, there were 5 cases of type Ⅱ, 44 cases of type Ⅲ, and 6 cases of type Ⅳ. The patients received operative treatment 4.0 (3.0, 6.3) days after injury. Of the 10 patients treated by open reduction and closed reduction, the posterior ring was fixated by a plate in 7 and by screws in 3, and the anterior ring was fixated by either a plate, an external fixator or a minimally invasive anterior pelvic ring internal fixator except in the 2 cases receiving no fixation. Of the other 45 patients treated by closed reduction and fixation, the posterior ring was all fixated by screws except in the 2 cases receiving no fixation, and the anterior ring was fixated by either screws, an external fixator or a minimally invasive anterior pelvic ring internal fixator except in the 10 cases receiving no fixation. The major peri-operative complications, quality of fracture reduction, mortality, and functional recovery of the pelvis at the last follow-up were recorded.Results:There were no major peri-operative complications. According to the Matta criteria, the quality of fracture reduction was excellent in 31, good in 14, fair in 8 and poor in 2 cases, giving a good to excellent rate of 81.8% (45/55). Fifty-four cases were followed up for (15.4±9.1) months and 1 case was lost to the follow-up. Four cases died within 1 year after operation, giving a mortality of 7.4% (4/54). The modified Majeed score at the last follow-up was 69 (54, 76) for the 46 cases who had been followed up for longer than 4 months; the functional recovery of the pelvis at the last follow-up was rated as excellent in 27 cases, as good in 8 cases and as fair in 11 cases, giving a good to excellent rate of 76.1% (35/46) according to the criteria proposed by the faculty of the writers. The internal fixation failed in 3 cases during the follow-up.Conclusion:For the geriatric pelvic fractures, operative treatment can lead to satisfactory clinical outcomes.

Objective To investigate the effect of quercetin on HCE-2 injury of human corneal epithelial cells induced by high osmotic pressure and its mechanism.Methods HCE-2 cells were randomly divided into control group(normal osmotic pressure),model group(high osmotic pressure),experimental-L group(high osmotic pressure+31.25 pg·mL-1 quercetin),experimental-M group(high osmotic pressure+62.50 μg·mL-1 quercetin),experimental-H group(high osmotic pressure+125.00 μg·mL-1 quercetin),erastin group(high osmotic pressure+125.00 μg·mL-1 quercetin+30.00 μmol·L-1 iron death inducer erastin).Cell survival rate was detected by cell counting kit 8;reactive oxygen species(ROS)levels was detected by C11-BODIPY 581/591 probe staining;glutathione(GSH)and malondialdehyde(MDA)levels were determined by kit method;the expression levels of glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4),dihydrolactate dehydrogenase(DHODH)and ferroptosis suppressor protein 1(FSP1)were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot.Results The cell survival rates of control group,model group,experimental-H group and erastin group were(100.00±3.97)％,(50.05±5.83)％,(86.35±7.35)％and(58.32±4.66)％,respectively;ROS levels were 1.00±0.09,2.45±0.16,1.19±0.05 and 2.09±0.30,respectively;GPX4 protein levels were 1.09±0.11,0.34±0.03,0.91±0.12 and 0.30±0.04,respectively;FSP1 protein levels were 0.92±0.06,0.25±0.03,0.89±0.07 and 0.39±0.07,respectively;DHODH protein levels were 0.89±0.11,0.31±0.04,0.86±0.11,0.41±0.04,respectively.Compared with model group,the above indexes in control group were statistically significant(all P＜0.05);the differences between experimental-H group and model group were statistically significant(all P＜0.05);the above indexes in erastin group were significantly different from those in experimental-H group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Quercetin can ameliorate HCE-2 cell damage induced by high osmotic pressure by inhibiting iron death pathway.

Objective:To evaluate the regeneration and biomechanical property recovery of semitendinosus tendon(ST)/gracilis tendon(GT) after anterior cruciate ligament(ACL) reconstruction using shear wave elastorgraphy (SWE) combined with high-frequency ultrasound(HFUS).Methods:Twenty-five patients who underwent ST/GT autograft reconstruction after ACL rupture at the People′s Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from January 2020 to June 2022 were prospectively enrolled. All patients underwent HFUS, SWE and flexion strength assessment at pre-operation and 1, 3, 6, 12, 24 months postoperatively. The morphology, length, cross-sectional area and SWE of ST/GT and flexion strength of knee were recorded at each time point. Repeated measures analysis of variance was employed to compare the cross-sectional area and elasticity value of regenerated ST/GT at different time points. Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationship between the elasticity value of regenerated ST/GT and flexion strength.Results:The regeneration rates of ST/GT after being harvested for ACL reconstruction were 88% and 92%. The length of the regenerated ST/GT were shorter than before operation(both P<0.05). Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed significant differences in the cross-sectional area of regenerated ST/GT, both in terms of time effect and inter-group effect ( F=27.264, 28.980; both P<0.001), but no significant difference was observed in the interaction effect ( F=0.670, P=0.652). The cross-sectional area of regenerated ST/GT was the largest at 3 months postoperatively ( P<0.05), and restored to the preoperative level at 12 and 24 months postoperatively (both P>0.05). Repeated measures analysis of variance showed that the elasticity values of the regenerated ST/GT were significantly different in terms of time effect, group effect, and interaction effect ( F=265.402, 33.015, 11.475; all P<0.001). The elasticity of regenerated ST/GT post-operation gradually increased over time. The flexion strength level of knee gradually improved post-operation(χ 2=34.83, P<0.001). The elasticity values of the regenerated ST and GT showed significant positive correlations with the flexion strength ( rs=0.755, 0.761; both P<0.001). Conclusions:HFUS discovers that most of ST/GT can be regenerated after being harvested for ACL reconstruction. The flexion strength and elasticity value of regenerated tendon recover gradually with time. It is suggested that the SWE can predict the recovery of biomechanical property of regenerated ST/GT.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of compound Wufengcao liquid combined with negative pressure wound therapy with instillation(NPWTi)for the treatment of stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ pressure injury(PI),and to preliminarily explore its action mechanism.Methods(1)Clinical research:from January 2019 to October 2022,60 PI patients who were admitted to the Scrofula Department and Wound Care Clinic at Nanjing Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine were randomly divided into normal saline NPWTi group and compound Wufengcao liquid NPWTi group,with 30 cases in each group.Both groups underwent NPWTi under the premise of systemic basic treatment,before treatment,after removing the negative pressure device in the 1st,2nd and 3rd weeks of treatment,the pressure ulcer scale for healing(PUSH)score,the wound bacterial culture detection rate and the wound healing time were counted,and the vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)content of wound tissue was detected by ELISA method.(2)Animal experiments:24 SD rats were randomly divided into blank group,model group,normal saline NPWTi group and compound Wufengcao liquid NPWTi group,6 rats in each group.PI rat model was established by local tissue ischemia/reperfusion injury method,and the negative pressure device was removed at the end of each day of treatment.Before treatment and 3,7 and 10 days after treatment,the wound morphology of each group of rats was observed,the wound histopathology was observed by HE staining,the CD34 positive cells rate of wound tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry,and the expressions of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase(p38 MAPK),nuclear factor-κB p65(NF-κB p65),inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),arginase-1(Arg-1)and transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β)in rat blood and wound tissue were detected by ELISA and RT-qPCR.Results(1)Clinical research:Both groups could effectively reduce the PUSH score and the wound bacterial culture detection rate,shorten the wound healing time,and promote the expression of VEGF in wound tissue,the compound Wufengcao liquid NPWTi group was better than the normal saline NPWTi group(P<0.05).(2)Animal experiments:Compared with blank group,the rats in the model group showed obvious wound inflammatory response and tissue damage,and the CD34 positive cells rate,blood and wound tissue p38 MAPK,NF-κB p65,iNOS and TNF-α levels were significantly increased,Arg-1 and TGF-β level was significantly reduced(P<0.05);Compared with model group,after 7 days of treatment,the normal saline NPWTi group and the compound Wufengcao liquid NPWTi group significantly decreased the wound morphology score,the histopathological morphology was significantly improved,the CD34 positive cells rate was significantly increased(P<0.05),the levels of blood and wound tissue p38 MAPK,NF-κB p65,iNOS,and TNF-α were significantly reduced,and the levels of Arg-1 and TGF-β were significantly increased(P<0.05),and the compound Wufengcao liquid NPWTi group was better than that of the normal saline NPWTi group(P<0.05).Conclusion Compound Wufengcao liquid combined with NPWTi can effectively promote the healing of PI wounds,and its mechanism of action may be by inhibiting the activation and expression of p38 MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway,thereby regulating the polarization balance of M1/M2 macrophages.

Haemosuccus pancreaticus (HP) as a rare cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding is rarely reported. Due to the intermittent bleeding and lack of standardized diagnostic methods, pancreatic bleeding is often misdiagnosed and can be life-threatening in severe cases. Currently, angiography is the "gold standard" for diagnosis among commonly used diagnostic methods. In addition to vascular embolization and surgical treatment, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) -guided vascular therapy as an emerging treatment method is also gradually being used in clinical practice, with great potential to become the preferred treatment for subsequent cases.

The incidence of blood tumors is getting higher and higher. In addition to traditional chemoradiotherapy, in recent years, with the development of nuclear medicine technology and nuclide, nuclide therapy is playing an increasingly important role in the treatment of blood tumors. At present, the main research on the treatment of blood tumors focuses on acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but progress has also been made in other blood tumors. 213Bi and 225Ac-labeled monoclonal antibodies have achieved good results in blood tumors. 225Ac has overcome the short half-life of 213Bi and the problems of transportation and preservation. However, there are still many problems to be solved in the clinical use of α particles. This article reviews the progress of α-particle therapy in blood system, in order to provide a broader idea for the treatment of blood tumors.