Objective To explore the clinical efficacy of single-branch intraoperative stent combined with modified bilateral cerebral perfusion in type A aortic dissection. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of patients who underwent surgery for type A aortic dissection at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from January 2021 to May 2024. Patients were divided into a test group (single branch stent+modified bilateral cerebral perfusion) and a control group (traditional surgical method, straight stent+unilateral cerebral perfusion) according to the surgical method. Propensity score matching analysis was used to match the two groups of patients with a ratio of 1:1, and the perioperative data and clinical efficacy after matching were compared. Results A total of 14 patients were included in the test group, including 13 males and 1 female, with an average age of (46.6±16.4) years. There were 56 patients in the control group, including 38 males and 18 females, with an average age of (52.1±11.7) years. After propensity score matching, 14 patients were included in each group. Compared with the control group, the ventilator support time [(27.4±24.3) h vs. (93.4±88.0) h, P=0.018], length of stay in the intensive care unit [(2.8±1.8) d vs. (8.7±6.5) d, P=0.009], and postoperative awakening time [(5.4±2.2) h vs. (8.8±4.8) h, P=0.047] in the test group were shorter than those in the control group, with statistically significant differences. There was no statistical difference in neurological complications between the two groups (P=1.000). Conclusion Single-branch intraoperative stent combined with modified bilateral cerebral perfusion can effectively shorten ventilator support time, length of stay in the intensive care unit, and postoperative awakening time, and is safe and effective for the treatment of type A aortic dissection, which is worth further promotion.

ObjectiveTo investigate the current status of assistive device use and unmet needs among persons with disabilities in Sichuan-Chongqing region, and to identify the key factors associated with satisfaction with these devices. MethodsFrom October, 2024 to February, 2025, quota sampling was adopted to recruit 1 040 persons with disabilities in Sichuan and 260 persons with disabilities in Chongqing. Telephone and online questionnaires were used to collect data on demographic characteristics, status of assistive device utilization and unmet assistive device needs, as well as satisfaction with assistive device use. Correlation analysis, multiple linear regression analysis and structural equation modeling were performed to identify key factors associated with satisfaction. ResultsA total of 1 186 valid responses were collected, of which 942 were from Sichuan Province and 244 from Chongqing Municipality. The utilization rate of assistive devices among persons with disabilities in Sichuan-Chongqing region was 61.9%, and the rate of unmet assistive device needs was 30.6%. The assistive device utilization rate of participants with agricultural household registration (57.98%) was lower than that of participants with non-agricultural household registration (66.86%). The utilization rate showed a J-shaped upward trend with the increase of educational attainment. Educational attainment (P = 0.002), perceived usefulness of assistive devices (P < 0.001), home living environment (P < 0.001), public environment (P < 0.001) and disability type (significant differences were found in visual and hearing disabilities compared with physical disability, P < 0.05) were key predictors of satisfaction with assistive device use. The impact of public environment on satisfaction was exerted through two indirect mediating paths: mediating effect via perceived usefulness of assistive devices (ind₁ = 0.357, 95%CI 0.279 to 0.437, P < 0.001), contributing approximately 70% of the total indirect effect; mediating effect via home living environment (ind₂ = 0.129, 95%CI 0.006 to 0.242, P = 0.038), contributing approximately 25% of the total indirect effect. ConclusionThere is a structural imbalance between assistive device use and demand in Sichuan-Chongqing region. People with psycho-intellectual disabilities are most likely to be excluded from the service chain because they neither perceive need nor access information. Education exerts a robust positive effect on both adoption and satisfaction, so training content must be tailored to different educational levels. Satisfaction is shaped by disability type, device usefulness and environmental factors. Future product development should therefore integrate functional and psychosocial dimensions. Priority should be given to micro-scale home-and-community accessibility retrofits before extending upward to public transportation and employment settings, to maximize the cost-effectiveness of limited funds.

The incidence rate of hepatic fibrosis remains at a high level， and there is still a lack of specific therapeutic drugs， posing a serious threat to human health. As a type of natural active components widely present in plants， flavonoids have multiple physiological functions such as antioxidant， anti-inflammatory， and anti-fibrotic activities， and a large number of studies have confirmed the anti-hepatic fibrosis effect of flavonoids. As for the mechanism of action， flavonoids can target the functions of hepatic stellate cells by inhibiting their proliferation and differentiation， promoting their apoptosis， regulating the level of autophagy， reducing the formation of extracellular matrix， and regulating iron metabolism in hepatic stellate cells， and meanwhile， they can inhibit chronic liver inflammatory response， improve oxidative stress status， regulate intestinal flora balance， and block epithelial-mesenchymal transition， thereby blocking the progression of fibrosis through multiple dimensions. At the level of signaling pathways， flavonoids mainly exert an anti-fibrotic effect by regulating the abnormal activation of the signaling pathways such as transforming growth factor-β1/Smad， Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription， nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2， nuclear factor-kappa B， phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B， mitogen-activated protein kinase， Wnt/β-catenin， and adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase. This article summarizes the research advances in the anti-fibrotic effect of flavonoids， in order to provide a theoretical basis for further exploring their medicinal potential.

Prescription optimization is a crucial aspect in the study of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） compounds. In recent years， the introduction of mathematical methods， data mining techniques， and artificial neural networks has provided new tools for elucidating the compatibility rules of TCM compounds. The study of TCM compounds involves numerous variables， including the proportions of different herbs， the specific extraction parts of each ingredient， and the interactions among multiple components. These factors together create a complex nonlinear dose-effect relationship. In this context， it is essential to identify methods that suit the characteristics of TCM compounds and can leverage their advantages for effective application in new drug development. This paper provided a comprehensive review of the cutting-edge optimization experimental design methods applied in recent studies of TCM compound compatibilities. The key technical issues， such as the optimization of source material selection， dosage optimization of compatible herbs， and multi-objective optimization indicators， were discussed. Furthermore， the evaluation methods for component effects were summarized during the optimization process， so as to provide scientific and practical foundations for innovative research in TCM and the development of new drugs based on TCM compounds.

In protein engineering, while computational models are increasingly used to predict mutation effects, their evaluations primarily rely on high-throughput deep mutational scanning (DMS) experiments that use surrogate readouts, which may not adequately capture the complex biochemical properties of interest. Many proteins and their functions cannot be assessed through high-throughput methods due to technical limitations or the nature of the desired properties, and this is particularly true for the real industrial application scenario. Therefore, the desired testing datasets, will be small-size (∼10-100) experimental data for each protein, and involve as many proteins as possible and as many properties as possible, which is, however, lacking. Here, we present VenusMutHub, a comprehensive benchmark study using 905 small-scale experimental datasets curated from published literature and public databases, spanning 527 proteins across diverse functional properties including stability, activity, binding affinity, and selectivity. These datasets feature direct biochemical measurements rather than surrogate readouts, providing a more rigorous assessment of model performance in predicting mutations that affect specific molecular functions. We evaluate 23 computational models across various methodological paradigms, such as sequence-based, structure-informed and evolutionary approaches. This benchmark provides practical guidance for selecting appropriate prediction methods in protein engineering applications where accurate prediction of specific functional properties is crucial.

Objective To compare the long-term survival of elderly patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated with surgical versus non-surgical treatment. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of elderly patients aged ≥70 years with ESCC who underwent esophagectomy or radiotherapy/chemotherapy at Sichuan Cancer Hospital from January 2009 to September 2017. Patients were divided into a surgical group (S group) and a non-surgical group (NS group) according to the treatment method. The propensity score matching method was used to match the two groups of patients at a ratio of 1∶1, and the survival of the two groups before and after matching was analyzed. Results A total of 726 elderly patients with ESCC were included, including 552 males and 174 females, with 651 patients aged ≥70-80 years and 75 patients aged ≥80-90 years. There were 515 patients in the S group and 211 patients in the NS group. The median follow-up time was 60.8 months, and the median overall survival of the S group was 41.9 months [95%CI (35.2, 48.5)], while that of the NS group was only 24.0 months [95%CI (19.8, 28.3)]. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates of the S group were 84%, 54%, and 40%, respectively, while those of the NS group were 72%, 40%, and 30%, respectively [HR=0.689, 95%CI (0.559, 0.849), P<0.001]. After matching, 138 patients were included in each group, and there was no statistical difference in the overall survival between the two groups [HR=0.871, 95%CI (0.649, 1.167), P=0.352]. Conclusion Compared with conservative treatment, there is no significant difference in the long-term survival of elderly patients aged ≥70 years who undergo esophagectomy for ESCC. Neoadjuvant therapy combined with surgery is still an important choice to potentially improve the survival of elderly patients with ESCC.

ObjectiveThrough multimodal research methods including medication rule mining， network pharmacology， molecular docking and dynamics simulation， and in vivo animal experiments， this study aims to speculate and verify the core composition （Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma Rubra-Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma） and efficacy （Qi-invigorating and blood-activating） of the drug combination in Yitangkang Compound for improving diabetic cardiomyopathy （DCM）， investigate the interaction relationship and binding strength between core active ingredients of the drug combination and key signaling pathway targets， and further explore the mechanism by which the Qi-invigorating and blood-activating drug combination regulates the calcium signaling pathway to improve cardiac function in DCM rats. MethodsThe Ancient and Modern Medical Cases Cloud Platform was used to construct a DCM prescription database， and the "Analysis Method" module of the platform was applied to mine and summarize medication rules， thereby determining the core composition of the Qi-invigorating and blood-activating drug combination in Yitangkang. Drug-active ingredient-signaling pathway-core target-disease analysis and visualization were conducted by combining network pharmacology with the Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Platform （TCMSP） database， SwissTargetPrediction platform， GeneCards database， MetaScape database， CytoScape software， etc. Then， molecular docking was performed via the CB-Dock2 platform， and molecular dynamics simulation of the high-binding-strength docking complexes was carried out by Gromacs software. Finally， in vivo animal experiments were carried out. Twenty-eight Sprague Dawley （SD） rats meeting the research criteria were divided into a normal group， a model group， a drug combination group （3.3 g·kg^-1）， and a Yitangkang group （20 g·kg^-1）. A type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） rat model was established by high-fat diet feeding combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin （STZ）， followed by continuous feeding for eight weeks until the DCM model was successfully established. During this period， the traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） compound and drug combination were administered for prevention and treatment intervention. Meanwhile， changes in blood glucose， body weight， and heart index of each group were monitored. Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography， and electrophysiological signals were detected by an electrocardiogram. The heart tissue was observed for pathological changes by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） and Masson staining， and the expression of L-type calcium channel （CACNA1C）， calmodulin （CALM1）， calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase Ⅱδ （CAMK2D）， and neuronal nitric oxide synthase （NOS1） proteins in the calcium signaling pathway of myocardial tissue was detected by Western blot. ResultsIn 62 DCM prescriptions， Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma Rubra， Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma， and Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma were used most frequently. Their meridian tropism mainly involved the spleen， heart， and lung， and their sweet and warm properties were prominent. The drugs for tonifying or blood-activating and stasis-resolving ranked top. In association rule analysis， （Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma Rubra， Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma）-Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma had the highest lift. Network pharmacology obtained 75 active ingredients of the drug combination， 714 drug combination action targets， 2 702 disease targets， and 286 intersection targets. Protein-protein interaction （PPI） network predicted nine interaction component-targets （nine active ingredients and four calcium signaling pathway target genes）. Molecular docking showed the four complexes with the lowest binding energy were 2f3z-ginsenoside Re， 1cll-quercetin， 9blh-（6S）-6-（hydroxymethyl）-1，6-dimethyl-8，9-dihydro-7H-naphtho［8，7-g］benzofuran-10，11-dione， and 5vv0-miltionone Ⅱ. Dynamics simulation showed the CALM1-quercetin complex had the strongest binding affinity. The animal experiment results revealed that compared with the normal group， the model group showed significant changes in blood glucose， body weight， myocardial tissue morphology， heart index， cardiac function， electrophysiological indexes， and the expression levels of CACNA1C， CALM1， CAMK2D， and NOS1 proteins （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the Yitangkang group had a certain improvement effect on the above indexes （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the Yitangkang group， the drug combination group showed no significant difference in improving myocardial tissue morphology， heart index， cardiac function， electrophysiological indexes， and the expression of CACNA1C， CALM1， CAMK2D， and NOS1 proteins， except for blood glucose and body weight. ConclusionGinseng Radix et Rhizoma Rubra， Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma， and Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma are the core Qi-invigorating and blood-activating drug combination in Yitangkang Compound. They have a good preventive and therapeutic effect on STZ-induced DCM in rats， and their mechanism of action may be related to the regulation of the calcium signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the effects of DNA Cross-Link Repair 1A(DCLRE1A)on mitochondrial func-tion in lens epithelial cells(LECs).Methods Thirty eyes from 30 patients with age-related cataracts(ARC)were select-ed and divided into three groups:cortical type(ARCC group),nuclear type(ARNC group),and posterior subcapsular type(ARPC group),with 10 cases in each group.Additionally,10 eyes from 10 age-matched patients diagnosed with epiretinal membrane and having clear lenses were selected as the control group.Western blot was used to detect the ex-pression levels of DCLRE1A protein in the anterior capsule tissues of patients in each group and in the lens epithelial cell line(SRA01/04)treated with hydrogen peroxide(H2O2)in vitro and overexpressed DCLRE1A model(OE-DCLRE1A group).The effects of overexpressed DCLRE1A on the expression levels of mitochondrial transcription factor(TFAM)and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α(PGC1α)proteins were also detected.Normal cultured SRA01/04 cells were randomly divided into Control group(untreated),H2 O2 group,H2 O2+HA group(transfected with control plasmid HA),and H2O2+OE-DCLRE1A group(transfected with DCLRE1A plasmid).RT-PCR was used to measure mtD-NA expression in each group cells.Changes in mitochondrial membrane potential(MMP)and mitochondrial reactive oxy-gen species(ROS)in each group were detected by immunofluorescence staining.Results Western blot analysis showed that compared with the control group cells,the relative expression levels of DCLRE1A protein in the anterior capsule tis-sues of patients in the ARCC,ARNC,and ARPC groups were all decreased,with statistically significant differences(all P＜0.001).In the in vitro H2O2-induced oxidative damage model,compared with the Control group,the relative expression level of DCLRE1A protein in the H2O2 group was significantly decreased(P＜0.001).The overexpression efficiency results of DCLRE1A showed that,compared with the Control group,the relative expression level of DCLRE1A protein in the OE-DCLRE1A group cells was significantly increased,with statistical significance(P＜0.001).RT-PCR results showed that compared with the H2O2+HA group,the expression level of mtDNA in the H2O2+OE-DCLRE1A group was significantly in-creased(P＜0.001).Western blot analysis showed that compared with the H2O2+HA group,the relative expression levels of TFAM and PGC1α proteins in the H2O2+OE-DCLRE1A group were significantly increased(P＜0.001).Immunofluores-cence staining results showed that compared with the H2O2+HA group,the MMP level in the H2O2+OE-DCLRE1A group was significantly restored,and the accumulation of mitochondrial ROS was reduced(P＜0.001).Conclusion Under H2O2-induced oxidative stress conditions,DCLRE1A promotes the repair of damaged mtDNA in LECs by regulating mito-chondrial biogenesis,thereby reducing LEC apoptosis and participating in the occurrence and development of ARC.

To construct a recombinant fowl adenovirus 4(FAdV-4)expressing the Cap protein of goose astrovirus genotype 2(GoAstV-2),the expression cassette of Cap gene was inserted into the natural 1 966 bp deletion region of the FAdV-4 genome in the infectious clone p15A-cm-FAdV4-HNJZ.The resulted recombinant plasmid p15A-cm-FAdV4-HNJZ-Cap/GoAstV-2 was linearized with restriction enzyme and transfected into chicken hepatoma cell line(LMH)to rescue the recombinant FAdV-4 expressing the Cap protein of GoAstV-2,rF Ad V4-Cap/GoAstV-2.After 15 passages in LMH cells,the recombinant rFAdV4-Cap/GoAstV-2 was identified by PCR using primers flanking the insertion site of the Cap gene expression cassette and using viral genome DNA extracted from rFAdV4-Cap/GoAstV-2 infected LMH cells as template.LMH cells were in-fected with 15th passage rFAdV4-Cap/GoAstV-2 and indirect immunofluorescence was performed with a polyclonal antibody against Cap protein as the primary antibody.Western blot was carried out with lysates of rFAdV4-Cap/GoAstV-2 infected LMH cells.The in vitro replication dynamic of the 15th passage of the rFAdV4-Cap/GoAstV-2 was also investigated in LMH cells.The results demonstrated that the Cap gene of GoAstV-2 was presented in the genome of the recombinant vi-rus rF AdV4-Cap/Go Ast V-2,and could be expressed stably.The prepared recombinant virus in this study will lay a foundation for developing inactivated bivalent vaccine candidate against co-in-fection of FAdV-4 and GoAstV-2 in goose.

Objective:To explore the abnormal patterns of brain functional network connectivity in depression adolescents and their diagnostic value in adolescent depression.Methods:A total of 94 depression adolescents (adolescent depression group) admitted to Outpatient Department of Psychiatric Imaging, West China Hospital, Sichuan University from January 2020 to December 2022 were selected. In addition, 78 age- and gender-matched healthy adolescents were recruited from local community advertisements at the same time-period as healthy control group. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed; after image preprocessing, group-level spatial independent component analysis was performed to identify the intrinsic network connectivity, and differences in network connectivity between the two groups were compared. Functional connectivity edges were employed as classification features, and feature ranking and screening were then performed. A support vector machine (SVM) with linear kernel function was used to construct a classification model, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the diagnostic value of this classification model in adolescent depression.Results:No significant difference was noted in age, gender, years of education, and body mass index between the two groups ( P>0.05). Compared with the healthy control group, the adolescent depression group had significantly decreased functional connectivity intensity within and between the networks of sensorimotor network (SMN), visual network (VN), auditory network (AN), default mode network (DMN), and cognitive control network (CCN), and significantly increased functional connectivity intensity within CCN ( P<0.05). When using the 75 top-ranked functional connectivity features, this classification model had the best performance (accuracy rate: 70.35%, sensitivity: 70.21%, specificity: 71.80%, P<0.001). ROC curve showed that area under the curve of this classification model in diagnosing adolescent depression was 0.724 (95% CI: 0.648-0.800, P<0.001). A total of 51 consistent functional connectivities were identified and they were mainly located within or between the networks of SMN, VN, AN, DMN, and CCN. Conclusion:The abnormal resting-state brain functional connectivity in depression adolescents can provide imaging basis for their clinical diagnosis.