Objective: To establish a risk prediction model for diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), so as to provide a basis for DPN prevention and control. Methods: T2DM inpatients aged 18-65 years admitted to the department of endocrinology and metabolism at Affiliated Hospital Shandong Second Medical University from April to December 2024 were selected as study subjects. Age, T2DM duration, hypertension history, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, serum C-peptide, and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were collected through electronic medical records. Risk predictors of DPN among T2DM patients were screened using multivariable logistic regression model, and a nomogram was established. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve and decision curve analysis were employed to evaluate the discrimination, calibration and clinical utility of the nomogram, respectively. Results: A total of 598 T2DM patients were enrolled, including 359 (60.03%) males and 239 (39.97%) females. The median age was 54.50 (interquartile range, 15.00) years, the median T2DM duration was 6.00 (interquartile range, 9.00) years. There were 262 cases of T2DM patients with DPN, accounting for 43.81%. Multivariable logistic regression identified hypertension history (OR=3.260, 95%CI: 2.220-4.790), alcohol use history (OR=2.150, 95%CI: 1.390-3.310), diabetes complications (OR=0.430, 95%CI: 0.270-0.680), T2DM duration (OR=1.040, 95%CI: 1.010-1.070), body mass index (OR=1.130, 95%CI: 1.070-1.200), 25-hydroxyvitamin D (OR=0.930, 95%CI: 0.910-0.960), and HDL-C (OR=0.400, 95%CI: 0.230-0.720) as risk predictors for DPN among T2DM patients. The area under the ROC curve of the established risk prediction model was 0.774 (95%CI: 0.737-0.812), with a sensitivity of 0.710 and a specificity of 0.723. The calibration curve after repeated sampling calibration approached the standard curve. Decision curve analysis showed that when the risk threshold probability was 0.2 to 0.4, the model demonstrates favorable clinical applicability. Conclusion The risk prediction model established in this study has favorable discrimination, calibration, and clinical utility, can effectively predict the risk of DPN among T2DM patients aged 18-65 years.

Cells and exosomes derived from them are extensively used as biological carrier systems. Cells demonstrate superior targeting specificity and prolonged circulation facilitated by their rich array of surface proteins, while exosomes, due to their small size, cross barriers and penetrate tumors efficiently. However, challenges remain, cells' large size restricts tissue penetration, and exosomes have limited targeting accuracy and short circulation times. To address these challenges, we developed a novel concept termed exosomal spheres. This approach involved incorporating platelet-derived exosomes shielded with phosphatidylserine (PS) and linked via pH-sensitive bonds for drug delivery applications. The study demonstrated that, compared with exosomes, the exosomal spheres improved blood circulation through the upregulation of CD47 expression and shielding of phosphatidylserine, thereby minimizing immune clearance. Moreover, the increased expression of P-selectin promoted adhesion to circulating tumor cells, thereby enhancing targeting efficiency. Upon reaching the tumor site, the hydrazone bonds of exosome spheres were protonated in the acidic tumor microenvironment, leading to disintegration into uniform-sized exosomes capable of deeper tumor penetration compared to platelets. These findings suggested that exosome spheres addressed the challenges and offered significant potential for efficient and precise drug delivery.

With the rapid advancement of vaccines, the research and application of vaccine adjuvants have garnered significant attention. Despite the development of numerous vaccine adjuvants, their applications in human vaccines remain limited due to either insufficient efficacy or severe side effects. Consequently, there is growing interest in developing bioactive compounds derived from traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) as vaccine adjuvants, owing to their natural biocompatibility, diversity, and safety. Here, we systematically review the current application status and potential value of TCM-based bioactive compounds in vaccine adjuvants. Firstly, we elaborate on the types and characteristics of active ingredients, such as polysaccharides, saponins, flavonoids, acids, and alkaloids. The mechanisms by which these compounds function as vaccine adjuvants are then discussed, including their roles in enhancing humoral immunity, cellular immunity, and relieving the immune suppression in the microenvironment. Additionally, we summarize the current strategies for structural modification and platform optimization to adapt to different application scenarios. Finally, we offer insights into the future development directions for these potential adjuvants, highlighting research priorities, technical approaches, and application prospects. In conclusion, natural vaccine adjuvants derived from TCMs present broad application prospects and hold promise for future vaccine development.

Objective:To investigate the effects of exosome derived from miR-133a-3p engineered human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells (ucMSC) on myocardial repair after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in rats.Methods:UcMSC was amplified and cultured in vitro. Lentiviral carrying miR-133a-3p and negative control vectors were transfected into ucMSC. Exosomes secreted by the transfected ucMSC were named miR-133a-3p-Exo and miR-NC-Exo, respectively. The AMI model of rats was established by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. MiR-133a-3p-Exo or miR-NC-Exo were then injected into the border zone of the infarct area. Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography after twenty-eight days of intervention, and Masson staining was used to evaluate the area of myocardial fibrosis post-AMI. The myocardial apoptosis after infarction was evaluated by TUNEL staining and the angiogenesis after infarction was evaluated by immunofluorescence staining in the current study. Results:Compared with the miR-NC-Exo group, the left ventricular ejection fraction in the miR-133a-3p-Exo group was significantly increased ((47.4%±9.8%) vs. (64.2%±8.9%), P<0.05). While the myocardial fibrosis area ((31.2%±7.3%) vs. (18.0%±1.5%), P<0.01) and the percentage of apoptotic cardiomyocytes ((25.6%±3.6%) vs. (15.1%±4.4%), P<0.05) was significantly reduced in the miR-133a-Exo group. Besides, the expression of CD31 and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were also increased significantly in the miR-133a-3p-Exo group compared to the miR-NC-Exo group (CD31: (2.9±0.9) vs. (13.9±2.0), P<0.000 1, α-SMA: (3.5±0.9) vs. (11.0±1.6), P<0.000 1). Conclusion:Exosome derived from miR-133a-3p engineered ucMSC effectively inhibited myocardial apoptosis and promoted angiogenesis, thus improving the cardiac function after myocardial infarction in rats.

China prospective multicenter birth cohort (Prospective Omics Health Atlas birth cohort, POHA birth cohort) study was officially launched in 2022. This study, in collaboration with 12 participating units, aims to establish a high-quality, multidimensional cohort comprising 20 000 naturally conceived families and assisted reproductive families. The study involves long-term follow-up of parents and offspring, with corresponding biological samples collected at key time points. Through multi-omics testing and analysis, the study aims to conduct multi-omics big data research across the entire maternal and infant life cycle. The goal is to identify new biomarkers for maternal and infant diseases and provide scientific evidence for risk prediction related to maternal diseases and neonatal health.

Objective:To explore the characteristics of gut microbiota in the preoperative, short-term postoperative and long-term postoperative period at (15.61±4.51) months in children with ventricular septal defect (VSD) of congenital heart disease (CHD) treated with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).Methods:A prospective study was conducted.In Guangzhou Women and Children′s Medical Center, 13 patients with VSD who were scheduled for CPB and additional 10 age- and gender-matched healthy infants as pre-CPB control group from January 2021 to January 2022 were enrolled.Fecal samples were collected at pre- and early post-CPB.Meanwhile, 18 gender- and CHD diagnosis and operation-matched patients at (15.61±4.51) months after CPB and 8 healthy age- and gender-matched children as long-term control group after CPB were also enrolled, and fecal samples were collected.16S rRNA sequencing of fecal samples from all subjects were performed and comparing the differences in gut microbiota between two groups via comparing alpha and beta diversity, parameter test or nonparametric test, and LEfSe analysis.Results:Compared with those of pre-CPB control group, there was a significant difference in the composition of gut microbiota in the preoperative period of VSD children, with significantly increased abundances of Enterobacteriaceae and Shigella, and decreased abundance of Bifidobacterium (all P<0.05). The diversity of gut microbiota was comparable in VSD children before CPB and in the short period time after CPB (all P>0.05), except for the abundances of Clostridium and Streptococcus (all P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in the relative abundances of other highly abundant gut bacteria between the two periods (all P>0.05). Compared with that in VSD children in the short period time after CPB, the abundances of short-chain fatty acids-producing microbes were significantly higher at (15.61±4.51) months postoperatively (all P<0.05), and the gut bacteria profile was similar to that of the long-term control group after CPB (all P>0.05). Conclusions:Gut microbiota imbalance exists in VSD children before CPB.The gut microbiota profile is not influenced by CPB, which returns normal at (15.61±4.51) months postoperatively.

Infectious bone defect is bone defect with infection or as a result of treatment of bone infection. It requires surgical intervention, and the treatment processes are complex and long, which include bone infection control,bone defect repair and even complex soft tissue reconstructions in some cases. Failure to achieve the goals in any step may lead to the failure of the overall treatment. Therefore, infectious bone defect has been a worldwide challenge in the field of orthopedics. Conventionally, sequestrectomy, bone grafting, bone transport, and systemic/local antibiotic treatment are standard therapies. Radical debridement remains one of the cornerstones for the management of bone infection. However, the scale of debridement and the timing and method of bone defect reconstruction remain controversial. With the clinical application of induced membrane technique, effective infection control and rapid bone reconstruction have been achieved in the management of infectious bone defect. The induced membrane technique has attracted more interests and attention, but the lack of understanding the basic principles of infection control and technical details may hamper the clinical outcomes of induced membrane technique and complications can possibly occur. Therefore, the Chinese Orthopedic Association organized domestic orthopedic experts to formulate An evidence-based clinical guideline for the treatment of infectious bone defect with induced membrane technique ( version 2023) according to the evidence-based method and put forward recommendations on infectious bone defect from the aspects of precise diagnosis, preoperative evaluation, operation procedure, postoperative management and rehabilitation, so as to provide useful references for the treatment of infectious bone defect with induced membrane technique.

Purpose: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease, and Th17 cells are key factors in the pathogenesis of human inflammatory conditions, such as RA. Catalpol (CAT), a component in Rehmanniae Radix (RR), has been found to regulate human immunity. However, the effects of CAT on Th17 cell differentiation and improvement of RA are not clear. Materials and Methods: Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice were constructed to detect the effects of CAT on arthritis and Th17 cells. The effect of CAT on Th17 differentiation was evaluated with let-7g-5p transfection experiments. Flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of Th17 cells after CAT treatment. Levels of interleukin-17 and RORγt were assessed by qRT-PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) was determined by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Results: We found that the proportion of Th17 cells was negatively associated with let-7g-5p expression in CIA mice. In in vitro experiments, CAT suppressed traditional differentiation of Th17 cells. Simultaneously, CAT significantly decreased Tregs-to-Th17 cells transdifferentiation. Our results demonstrated that CAT inhibited Tregs-to-Th17 cells transdifferentiation by up-regulating let-7g-5p and that the suppressive effect of CAT on traditional differentiation of Th17 cells is not related with let-7-5p. Conclusion Our data indicate that CAT may be a potential modulator of Tregs-to-Th17 cells transdifferentiation by up-regulating let-7g-5p to reduce the expression of STAT3. These results provide new directions for research into RA treatment.

Objective To introduce a new method for preparation of bioactive β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) by rapid stem cell screen-and-enrich-and-combine circulating system (SECCS) and evaluate its efficacy in the treatment of fresh fractures and bone defects.Methods Twenty-two patients with fresh fracture and bone defects were treated with SECCS from July 2013 to April 2016.They were 16 males and 6 females with an average age of 52.2 years (from 27 to 81 years).There were 15 tibial plateau fractures and 7 calcaneal fractures.The average size of bone defects was 12.5 mL.Bioactive β-TCP was prepared by SECCS intraoperatively and implanted back immediately into the bone defects.Radiographic examination,Lysholm knee scoring and Maryland foot scoring were used for assessment of curative efficacy.Results The 22 patients were followed up for an average of 25.7 months (from 12 to 46 months).By SECCS,the enrichment efficiency of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) reached up to 82.4％ and the cell viability was not affected.The tibial plateau fractures were re-transplanted with 13,381.3 BMSCs on average and healed after an average of 8.9 weeks (from 6 to 15 weeks).The Lysholm knee scores at one year postoperatively averaged 93.6 points (from 84 to 100 points),yielding 10 excellent cases,4 good cases and one fair case.The calcaneal fractures were implanted back with 16,677.7 BMSCs on average and healed after an average of 9.4 weeks (from 8 to 13 weeks).The average Maryland foot score at one year after operation was 93.6 points (from 85 to 98 points),yielding 6 excellent cases and one good case.Conclusion Bioactive materials prepared by SECCS are good bone grafts for fresh fractures and bone defects.

Objective To investigate the difference of target volumes and dosimetric parameters between supine and prone positions for external-beam partial breast irradiation (EB-PBI) after breastconserving surgery (BCS).Methods Thirty breast cancer patients with T1N0M0 stage who underwent three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) EB-PBI after BCS were enrolled from July 2016 to April 2017.Supine and prone scan sets were acquired during free breathing for all patients.Target volumes and organs at risk (OARs) including heart,ipsilateral lung and bilateral breast were contoured by the same radiation oncologist.The tumor bed (TB) was determined based on surgical clips.The clinical target volume (CTV) consisted of the TB plus 1.0 cm margin and the planning target volume (PTV) was CTV plus 0.5 cm.Dosimetric parameters for target volumes and OARs were compared between supine and prone positions.Results The median volumes of the TB,the CTV and the PTV in supine were 14.40 cm3,57.35 cm3,108.85 cm3 and 14.10 cm3,62.60 cm3,113.70 cm3 for prone positions,respectively.The CTV and PTV in prone position were significantly greater than those in supine position,respectively (Z=-3.01,-2.87,P ＜0.05),but the TBs were not statistically different (P ＞0.05).The median homogeneity indexs (HI) in supine position was less than those in prone position (Z =-3.137,P ＜0.05),while the mean conformal indexs (CI) was increased with prone positioning (t =9.034,P ＜ 0.05).The mean dose (D) to the heart in the supine position was significantly lower than that in prone (0.34 and 1.19 Gy,Z =-4.12,P ＜0.05).The D to the ipsilateral lung in the prone position was significantly lower than that in supine (1.59 and 1.72 Gy,Z =-2.18,P ＜ 0.05).There was not significantly statistical difference for the D to the ipsilateral breast between two positionings (10.01 and 10.40 Gy,P ＞0.05).Conclusions It was feasible to carry out 3D-CRT EB-PBI in prone position in free breathing for Chinese breast cancer patient,with primary advantages of better CI and the significantly lower radiation dose to the ipsilateral lung.