OBJECTIVE: To explore the application value of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted chromosomal karyotype analysis in the diagnosis of prenatal chromosomal mosaicism. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 172 pregnant women who underwent amniocentesis at the Department of Medical Genetics and Prenatal Diagnosis, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between January 2019 and December 2024. All cases whose fetuses were diagnosed with chromosomal mosaicism via karyotype analysis and stratified into two groups based on the analytical software employed: the conventional analysis group (n = 70), which utilized Leica analysis software for karyotype image recognition and cell counting; and the AI-assisted analysis group (n = 102), which utilized AI-assisted software for the same procedures. The clinical performance of AI-assisted karyotype analysis in diagnosing chromosomal mosaicism was comprehensively evaluated by comparing the types of mosaic karyotypes, distribution of mosaic ratios, and verification outcomes of different detection modalities between the two groups. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University (Ethics No.: 2024-406-01). RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was observed in baseline characteristics (maternal age, gestational week, and indications for prenatal diagnosis) between the two groups. Regarding the detection efficacy for numerical and structural mosaicisms, no significant difference was found in the detection of numerical mosaicism. However, the conventional analysis group exhibited a significantly higher detection rate of autosomal structural mosaicism compared to the AI-assisted group (11.43% vs. 0.98%, P < 0.05). Numerical mosaicism cases were further verified using copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq) and/or fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The AI-assisted group demonstrated a significantly lower inconsistency rate (5.56% vs. 20.41%, P < 0.05) compared to the conventional group. For low-proportion (< 10%) chromosomal mosaicism, the AI-assisted group had a significantly lower detection rate (13.25% vs. 29.69%, P < 0.05). Subsequent validation of low-proportion mosaicism by CNV-seq and/or FISH showed a higher consistency rate in the AI-assisted group (81.82% vs. 54.55%), though the difference did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.360). CONCLUSION For the karyotyping analysis of prenatal chromosomal mosaicism, AI-assisted karyotype analysis shows high accuracy and consistency in identifying numerical chromosomal mosaicism, particularly in reducing the detection of low-proportion (< 10%) mosaicism while improving verification accuracy. AI-assisted analysis can significantly improve the detection accuracy of numerical mosaicism and mitigate the risk of misclassification for low-proportion (< 10%) mosaicism, thereby providing more precise clinical evidence for the prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal mosaicisms.
Humans ; Female ; Mosaicism ; Pregnancy ; Karyotyping/methods* ; Artificial Intelligence ; Prenatal Diagnosis/methods* ; Adult ; Retrospective Studies ; Chromosome Disorders/genetics* ; Amniocentesis

Objectives:This study aims to evaluate the causal relationship between plasma proteins and myocardial infarction(MI)using two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization(MR)analysis,identify key biomarkers,and validate their expression.Methods:The study utilized publicly available genome-wide association study(GWAS)data of 4 907 plasma proteins as the exposure factor,with single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)as instrumental variables,and four MI datasets as outcomes.Two-sample MR analysis was performed using the inverse variance weighted(IVW)method,complemented by simple model,weighted model,weighted median estimator(WME),and MR-Egger regression methods to assess the causal relationship between exposure factors and outcomes.Venn diagrams and word clouds were used to screen proteins associated with MI as candidate biomarkers.Reverse MR analysis was conducted to evaluate reverse causality.Sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the robustness of the results.Immunohistochemistry(IHC)was used to validate the expression of proteasome activator subunit 1(PSME1)and vacuolar protein sorting 29(VPS29)in the aorta of mice,and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to verify the expression of PSME1 and VPS29 in plasma from patients with acute myocardial infarction(AMI).Results:The two-sample MR analysis indicated that PSME1 was significantly negatively associated with myocardial infarction in all four datasets,with OR(95%CI)of 0.684(0.557-0.839),0.990(0.987-0.993),0.579(0.448-0.748),and 0.993(0.990-0.996),respectively,with all P<0.001.Similarly,VPS29 also showed a significant negative association with MI in all four datasets,with OR(95%CI)of 0.902(0.862-0.945),0.998(0.997-0.999),0.866(0.808-0.929),and 0.998(0.997-0.999),respectively,with all P<0.001.Reverse MR analysis did not detect reverse causality,and sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the results.IHC results showed significantly reduced expression of PSME1 and VPS29 in the aortas of AMI mice with an atherosclerotic background compared to control mice(both P<0.05).ELISA results indicated significantly lower plasma levels of PSME1 and VPS29 in AMI patients compared to healthy controls(both P<0.05).Conclusions:Higher levels of PSME1 and VPS29 are negatively associated with the risk of MI,suggesting that PSME1 and VPS29 may serve as protective biomarkers for cardiovascular diseases.

Objective To explore the research status and development direction by analyzing the registered clinical trials of TCM prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.Methods The clinical trials of TCM in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis were retrieved from Chinese Clinical Trial Registry(ChiCTR)and the ClinicalTrials.gov from the establishment of databases to September 2024.Excel 2024 was used to input the screening data,and the registration number,research topic,registration time,region,institution,funding source,research disease,research type,stage and design scheme,randomized method and blind method,intervention measures,participation center,sample size and outcome index of the included trials were analyzed.Results A total of 101 clinical trials of TCM in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis were included in the study,involving 4 countries.China's registered projects involved 58 research institutions in 21 provincial administrative regions,of which Beijing,Shanghai and Guangzhou had a large number of registered projects;the studies were dominated by single-center,interventional,and randomized controlled trials,with the most application of simple randomization methods;blinding was applied to 20 trials;postmenopausal osteoporosis was the dominant disease under study,and Chinese patent medicines were the main interventions;the main outcome indicators were bone mineral density,biochemical indicators of bone metabolism and visual analog score.Conclusion The number of clinical trials of TCM in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis has been increasing rapidly,and researchers have been paying more attention to the studies.However,there are some problems,such as unbalanced research area,less preventive and observational research,insufficient use of blind method,unclear outcome indicators,and low attention paid to some treatment methods.

The rabies virus(RABV)that causes rabies mainly attacks the peripheral and central nervous systems.In the later stages of infection,it is scattered in the salivary glands and transmit-ted to other susceptible animals through infectious saliva.To study dispersion of the RABV in the three pairs of salivary gland tissues,the street strain PB4 of the RABV was inoculated into 21-day-old female mice through the hind limb muscles.During the moribund stage of the mice,the sublin-gual gland,submandibular gland and parotid gland were collected,respectively.The TCID50 titer of RABV in the three kinds of glands of the mice and the copy number of the RABV N gene were de-tected,and RABV in different salivary glands was observed by immunofluorescence.The results showed that PB4 was dispersed in all three kinds of salivary glands of the mice,with the largest a-mounts in the parotid gland,followed by the submandibular gland,and the lowest amount in the sublingual gland.Three-month-old dogs were inoculated with PB4 through the cranial cavity,and saliva were collected every 12 h after inoculation.The saliva samples were detected by TCID50 and RT-qPCR.And during the moribund stage of the dogs when the disease occurred,the three pairs of salivary glands were collected.Through the determination of the TCID50 titer,RT-qPCR and immu-nofluorescence detection,it was demonstrated that among the three different salivary glands of the dogs,the largest amount of PB4 was found in the parotid gland and the lowest in the sublingual gland.Our results in mice and dogs clearly proved that the parotid gland was consistently found to exhibit the highest content of street RABV among the three major salivary glands,which could en-rich experimental data for analyzing the dispersion of RABV in the salivary glands and interpreta-tion of the intermittent secretion of saliva in clinically rabid dogs.

Tumor-related insomnia is one of the common complications of tumor patients,which is secondary to tumor disease and related to tumor disease itself or tumor treatment.Combined with the unique pathogenesis of"heat-toxicity internal stagnation"of tumor-related insomnia,the important treatment methods are to clear away heat,attack toxicity,regulate qi and supplement healthy qi.This article explained the research status,etiology and pathogenesis,treatment principles of the disease,in order to provide new ideas and methods for the differentiation and treatment of tumor-related insomnia in TCM.

Tumor-related insomnia is one of the common complications of tumor patients,which is secondary to tumor disease and related to tumor disease itself or tumor treatment.Combined with the unique pathogenesis of"heat-toxicity internal stagnation"of tumor-related insomnia,the important treatment methods are to clear away heat,attack toxicity,regulate qi and supplement healthy qi.This article explained the research status,etiology and pathogenesis,treatment principles of the disease,in order to provide new ideas and methods for the differentiation and treatment of tumor-related insomnia in TCM.

In the context of medical insurance payment reform,the sample hospital has implemented performance management optimization to effectively address the challenges posed by diagnosis-intervention packet(DIP)payment.Reform measures focused on disease quality,rational diagnosis and treatment,operational management,medical technological value,and policy orientation,and they have significantly optimized service ability and performance evaluation indexes of the hospital.Main achievements included a reduction in the cost consumption index and an increase in the clinical performance index,with the overall DIP payment rate increasing from 88.86%to 103.23%and a marked improvement in operational management.The quality control and operational efficiency of the hospital have been effectively enhanced by choosing proper DIP payment evaluation indexes and improving performance management,and provided strong support for the high-quality development of the hospital.

Objective To explore the research status and development direction by analyzing the registered clinical trials of TCM prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.Methods The clinical trials of TCM in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis were retrieved from Chinese Clinical Trial Registry(ChiCTR)and the ClinicalTrials.gov from the establishment of databases to September 2024.Excel 2024 was used to input the screening data,and the registration number,research topic,registration time,region,institution,funding source,research disease,research type,stage and design scheme,randomized method and blind method,intervention measures,participation center,sample size and outcome index of the included trials were analyzed.Results A total of 101 clinical trials of TCM in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis were included in the study,involving 4 countries.China's registered projects involved 58 research institutions in 21 provincial administrative regions,of which Beijing,Shanghai and Guangzhou had a large number of registered projects;the studies were dominated by single-center,interventional,and randomized controlled trials,with the most application of simple randomization methods;blinding was applied to 20 trials;postmenopausal osteoporosis was the dominant disease under study,and Chinese patent medicines were the main interventions;the main outcome indicators were bone mineral density,biochemical indicators of bone metabolism and visual analog score.Conclusion The number of clinical trials of TCM in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis has been increasing rapidly,and researchers have been paying more attention to the studies.However,there are some problems,such as unbalanced research area,less preventive and observational research,insufficient use of blind method,unclear outcome indicators,and low attention paid to some treatment methods.

ObjectiveTo investigate the potential mechanisms of Zhimu （Anemarrhena asphodeloides）-Huangbai （Phellodendron amurense） medicinal pair in alleviating postmenopausal osteoporosis （PMOP）. MethodsSixty unpregnant female SD rats were randomly divided into five groups， blank group， model group， low-dose Zhimu-Huangbai group， high-dose Zhimu-Huangbai group， and estradiol group， with 12 rats in each group. Except for the blank group， all other groups had their ovaries removed to create PMOP rat models， while the blank group only had the fat tissue around the ovaries removed. One week after the ovarian removal， the low-dose and high-dose Zhimu-Huangbai groups received concentrated solution of Zhimu and Huangbai with 1.8， 7.2 g/（kg·d） via gavage， the estradiol group received estradiol solution 0.09 mg/（kg·d） via gavage， and the blank group and the model group received 10 ml/（kg·d） of normal saline via gavage， once daily for 12 weeks. Before sampling， the body mass of the rats was recorded， and uterine tissue was taken to calculate the uterine index. The levels of interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-6 （IL-6） and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in serum were detected by ELISA； micro CT was used to examine the parameters of femoral microstructure， including bone volume/tissue volume （BV/TV）， trabecular number （Tb.N）， trabecular thickness （Tb.Th）， bone mineral density （BMD）， trabecular separation （Tb.Sp）， and cortical bone area （Ct.Ar）. HE staining was used to observe pathological changes in the femur； RT-qPCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of osteogenic-adipogenic differentiation-related factors in femoral tissue， including Runt-related transcription factor 2 （Runx2）， bone morphogenetic protein 2 （BMP-2）， peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ （PPARγ）， chemerin and chemokine-like receptor 1 （CMKLR1）. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group showed a significant increase in body mass， a significant decrease in the uterine index， BV/TV， Tb.N， Tb.Th and BMD， a significant increase in Tb.Sp， and serum IL-1β， IL-6， and TNF-α levels， a significant reduction of mRNA expression of Runx2 and BMP-2 in bone tissue， and a significant increased mRNA expression of PPARγ， chemerin， and CMKLR1 （P＜0.01）. HE staining revealed that the femoral tissue showed a reduction and sparsity of trabeculae， a significant enlargement of the medullary cavity， and a large number of fat cells. Compared to the model group， the low-dose， high-dose Zhimu-Huangbai groups， and estradiol group showed significant improvements in all the above-mentioned indicators （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. HE staining revealed a significant increase in trabeculae， more organized arrangement， and a marked reduction in fat cells. Compared to low-dose Zhimu-Huangbai group， the high-dose Zhimu-Huangbai group exhibited a significant increase in the uterine index and BMD， and a significant reduction in body mass and PPARγ and Chemerin mRNA expression （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared to high-dose Zhimu-Huangbai group， the estradiol group showed a decrease in uterine index， BV/TV， Tb.N， Tb.Th， BMD， and BMP-2 mRNA expression， while the levels of IL-1β， TNF-α， and IL-6， as well as Tb.Sp and the mRNA expressions of PPARγ， chemerin， and CMKLR1 increased （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. ConclusionThe Zhimu-Huangbai medicinal pair can alleviate PMOP bone loss， and its mechanism of action is related to reducing the levels of inflammatory factors， correcting the disorder of osteogenic-adipogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells （BMSCs）， and promoting the differentiation of BMSCs into osteoblasts.

Stroke is a critical health issue in China, and carotid artery stenosis and plaque play key roles in its prevalence. Despite the acknowledged significance of this condition, detailed information regarding the prevalence of carotid artery stenosis and plaque across the Chinese population has been scarce. This study analyzed data from the China Stroke High-risk Population Screening and Intervention Program for 2020-2021, focusing on 194 878 Chinese adults aged 40 years and above. It assessed the prevalence of carotid artery stenosis and plaque and identified their associated risk factors. Results revealed a standardized prevalence of 0.40% for carotid artery stenosis and 36.27% for carotid plaque. Notably, the highest rates of stenosis were observed in north and south China at 0.61%, while southwestern China exhibited the highest plaque prevalence at 43.17%. Key risk factors included older age, male gender, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, smoking, and atrial fibrillation. This study highlights significant geographical and demographic disparities in the prevalence of these conditions, underlining the urgent need for targeted interventions and policy reforms. These measures are essential for reducing the incidence of stroke and improving patient outcomes, addressing this significant health challenge in China.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Prevalence ; Middle Aged ; Carotid Stenosis/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors ; Aged ; Adult ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic/epidemiology* ; Stroke/epidemiology* ; Aged, 80 and over