Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is one of the most widely cultivated vegetables in the world. High temperature and other stress conditions can affect the growth and development of this plant, even leading to the decreases in yield and quality. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family plays a crucial role in plant stress responses. However, the role of MPK4 in the stress response of cucumber remains to be reported. In this study, we cloned CsMPK4, which encoded 383 amino acid residues. The qRT-PCR results showed that the expression level of CsMPK4 was the highest in leaves and flowers, moderate in roots, and the lowest in stems and tendrils. CsMPK4 was located in the nucleus and cytoplasm, and it had a close relationship with CmMPK4 in muskmelon. The cucumber plants overexpressing CsMPK4 became stronger and shorter, with reduced length and quantity of tendrils. Moreover, the transgenic seedlings were more resistant to high temperatures, with decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content and increased activities of peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in young leaves. Furthermore, the protein-protein interaction between CsMPK4 and CsVQ10, a member of the valine-glutamine family, was confirmed by yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assays. The results suggested that CsVQ10 cooperated with CsMPK4 in response to the high temperature stress in cucumber. This study laid a foundation for the further study on the stress response mechanism of CsMPK4 and the breeding of stress-resistant cucumber varieties.
Cucumis sativus/metabolism* ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/physiology* ; Plant Proteins/metabolism* ; Plants, Genetically Modified/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Stress, Physiological/genetics* ; Cloning, Molecular

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a tumor characterized by immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) and poor prognosis. Its complex immune evasion mechanisms are primarily related to T cell dysfunction and the suppression of anti-tumor immune responses. Immunotherapy aims to modulate the patient’s immune system to recognize and eliminate tumor cells, thereby achieving therapeutic goals. Studies have demonstrated that the TME plays a pivotal role in HNSCC pathogenesis, facilitating tumorigenesis, progression, and therapy resistance, ultimately contributing to adverse clinical outcomes. Advances in technology have deepened understanding of the TME, paving the way for novel therapeutic interventions in HNSCC. This review comprehensively summarizes the efficacy and safety of TME-targeted immunotherapies, integrating evidence from published clinical trials, while proposing insights for future research to develop more effective therapeutic strategies.

Objective To observe the characteristics of patients with extra long-term hospital stays at an infectious dis-eases hospital,formulate corresponding strategies,and effectively control the length of stays so as to improve the efficiency of medical resource utilization.Methods Data of all discharged patients in 2023,including age,gender,disease name,discharge department,and length of stay,were retrieved from the hospital's medical record management system.Statistical analysis was conducted using Excel and SPSS.Results The analysis indicated that the proportion of male patients with excessively long hos-pital stays was significantly higher than that of female patients.Additionally,prolonged hospital stays were correlated with age,and elderly patients exhibited a higher proportion of extended stays.Most patients were covered by employee medical insurance and resident medical insurance,while only a small portion relied on self-funded medical insurance.Over half of the excessively hospitalized patients were affected with specific infectious and parasitic diseases(A00-B99).Controlling the length of these hos-pitalizations could reduce costs and alleviate patient burdens.Conclusion Controlling excessive hospital stays is effective through strengthened medical quality management,enhanced patient management in key departments,and a focus on specific dis-eases.Additional strategies for controlling extended hospital stay include improving doctor-patient communication,increasing comprehensive patient information sharing,reducing medical disputes,attaching importance to information technology,and rea-sonably utilize medical resources.

OBJECTIVE To identify the key genes associated with lymph node metastasis in head and neck squamous carcinoma(HNSCC)and construct a prognostic model based on The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)database.METHODS Differentially expressed genes(DEGs)between tumor tissues and normal tissues in the HNSCC dataset in the TCGA database were screened by R software,and gene modules related to lymph node metastasis were screened by weighted gene co-expression network(weighted gene co-expression network analysis,WGCNA).Prognostic risk models were constructed by univariate cox regression and Lasso regression analyses.Survival analyses and ROC curves were performed to verify the Reliability of prognostic models.CIBERSORT,TIMER and ESTIMATE algorithms analysed the differences in the tumor micro environment(TME)of different risk groups.RESULTS There were 2 565 DEGs screened,and a set of gene modules highly correlated with disease prognosis and lymph node metastasis were obtained by WGCNA analysis,and correlation analysis verified that the expression of genes in this gene module was highly correlated with lymph node metastasis.Univariate cox regression and Lasso regression were used to identify 6 key prognostic genes:CDKN2A,CCNE2,KNSTRN,AURKA,KPNA2,and ORC1.A prognostic model was constructed based on the 6 genes,and survival analysis showed that the prognosis of the high-risk group was significantly worse than that of the low-risk group(P<0.0001).The ROC curves demonstrated the good predictive performance of this prognostic model.CIBERSORT analyses revealed differences in the immune microenvironment of tumors in different risk groups.CONCLUSION The 6 key prognostic genes screened were helpful in predicting the prognosis of HNSCC patients and were closely associated with the immune microenvironment of HNSCC,suggesting that they may serve as potential therapeutic targets.

Objective To observe MRI features of H3K27M mutant type and wild type astrocyte differentiated diffuse midline glioma(DMG)in spinal cord.Methods Totally 91 patients with astrocyte differentiation diffuse midline glioma(DMG)in spinal cord confirmed by pathology were retrospectively enrolled and divided into mutant group(n=44)and wild group(n=47)according to H3K27M status.Clinical and MRI manifestations were compared between groups,and logistic regression analysis was used to screen the impact factors of H3K27M mutation.Results The incidence of peritumoral edema and spinal cord cavity in mutant group were lower than those in wild group(both P＜0.05),while no significant difference of other parameters was found between groups(all P＞0.05).All clinical and MRI parameters were included in logistic regression analysis,and the result showed that they were not influencing factors of H3K27M mutation(all P＞0.05).Conclusion The incidence of peritumoral edema and spinal cord cavity in spinal cord H3K27M mutant type astrocyte differentiated DMG were lower than those of wild type,yet not sufficient to be regarded as impact factors for predicting H3K27M mutation of DMG.

Objective To investigate the current status of liver and gallbladder diseases and analyze the influencing factors of fatty liver based on the ultrasound examination results of officers and soldiers on a certain island.Methods The data of physical examination from 377 officers and soldiers on a certain island in 2021 were retrospectively analyzed.Age,gender,living habits,abdominal ultrasound results,and liver function test results were collected,and the incidence of liver and gallbladder diseases were investigated.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to screen the influencing factors of fatty liver disease.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the predictive value of influencing factors for fatty liver disease.Results A total of 103 officers and soldiers were diagnosed with liver and gallbladder diseases.The top three were fatty liver(63.11%,65/103),gallbladder polyps(19.42%,20/103),and liver hemangioma(8.74%,9/103),accounting for 91.27%(94/103)of the subjects with liver and gallbladder diseases and 24.93%(94/377)of all the subjects undergoing physical examination.There were significant differences in the age,body mass index(BMI),the habit of mid night snacks,liver function indexes(alanine aminotransferase[ALT],aspartate aminotransferase[AST],total bilirubin[T-Bil],direct bilirubin[D-Bil],gamma-glutamyltransferase[γ-GT]),glucose(Glu),and triglyceride(TG)between the officers and soldiers with fatty liver(65 cases)and without fatty liver(312 cases)(all P<0.01).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that ALT,Glu,TG,BMI and the habit of midnight snacks were independent influencing factors of fatty liver(all P<0.05).The area under the ROC curve values of ALT,Glu,TG,BMI,the habit of midnight snacks and their combination in prediction of fatty liver were 0.776,0.621,0.764,0.828,0.637 and 0.866,respectively.Conclusion There is a high prevalence of fatty liver in officers and soldiers on a certain island(17.24%,65/377).ALT,Glu,TG,BMI and the habit of midnight snack can be used as a combined diagnostic model of fatty liver.The diet,exercise and training methods should be systematically and comprehensively managed to control related risk factors.Risk factor intervention and treatment should be carried out for high-risk population to effectively improve the physical and mental health of officers and soldiers on the island.

Existing neuroregulatory techniques can achieve precise stimulation of the whole brain or cortex, but high-focus deep brain stimulation has been a technical bottleneck in this field. In this paper, based on the theory of negative permeability emerged in recent years, a simulation model of magnetic replicator is established to study the distribution of the induced electric field in the deep brain and explore the possibility of deep focusing, which is compared with the traditional magnetic stimulation method. Simulation results show that a single magnetic replicator realized remote magnetic source. Under the condition of the same position and compared with the traditional method of stimulating, the former generated smaller induced electric field which sharply reduced with distance. By superposition of the magnetic field replicator, the induced electric field intensity could be increased and the focus could be improved, reducing the number of peripheral wires while guaranteeing good focus. The magnetic replicator model established in this paper provides a new idea for precise deep brain stimulation, which can be combined with neuroregulatory techniques in the future to lay a foundation for clinical application.
Brain ; Cerebral Cortex ; Computer Simulation ; Electricity ; Magnetic Fields

A 53-year woman and her 18-year daughter presenting with bone pain, bone fractures, bone deformities and short stature were admitted to Gansu Provincial People′s Hospital in March 2021. Laboratory tests showed low blood phosphorus, low renal phosphorus threshold, normal or low blood calcium, and normal or increased PTH. The high-throughput sequencing indicated heterozygous mutations of the PHEX gene (Phosphate-regulating gene with Homology to Endopeptidases on the X chromosome) in two patients, which was not detected in other family members; finally the diagnosis of X-linked dominant hypophosphatemic rickets/osteomalacia(XLH)was confirmed for these two patients. Treated with neutral phosphorus solution and Rocaltrol, bone pain was relieved completely in the younger patient, but not for her mother due to long disease course and severe complications. Because of the large heterogeneity of the disease there are high missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis rates for XLH. In this paper a pedigree of XLH is reported with literature review.

Objective:To analyze the factors influencing prognosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) after surgical resection.Methods:The clinical data of patients diagnosed with ICC and who underwent surgical resection from December 2015 to December 2019 at the Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Of 39 patients who were included in this study, there were 23 males and 16 females, with age of (54.1±7.2) years old. The body mass index, hepatitis B virus infection status, tumor diameter, degree of differentiation, microvascular tumor thrombus, lymph node metastasis, and serum levels of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) were analyzed as risk factors affecting postoperative recurrence and survival.Results:The median times to recurrence were significantly better in patients with a tumour length <5 cm (11 vs. 5 months), patients without microvascular tumor thrombus (54 vs. 6 months) and patients without lymph node metastasis (8 vs. 5 months) (all P<0.05). The median survival of patients with CA19-9≥100 U/ml was significantly shorter than that of patients with CA19-9<100 U/ml, (9 vs. 27 months, P<0.05). Tumor diameter>5 cm, microvascular tumor thrombus, lymph node metastasis, and CA19-9 ≥100 U/ml are risk factors affecting the recurrence time after ICC resection, CA19-9 ≥100 U/ml is a risk factor affecting survival time after ICC resection. Conclusion:Tumor diameter, microvascular tumor thrombus, lymph node metastasis and CA19-9 can be used to estimate the risk of ICC recurrence, and CA19-9 level can be used to estimate postoperative survival of ICC patients after resection.

Electric field stimulation (EFS) can effectively inhibit local Ca ²⁺ influx and secondary injury after spinal cord injury (SCI). However, after the EFS, the Ca ²⁺ in the injured spinal cord restarts and subsequent biochemical reactions are stimulated, which affect the long-term effect of EFS. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a hydrophilic polymer material that can promote cell membrane fusion and repair damaged cell membranes. This article aims to study the combined effects of EFS and PEG on the treatment of SCI. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were subjected to SCI and then divided into control group (no treatment, n = 10), EFS group (EFS for 30 min, n = 10), PEG group (covered with 50% PEG gelatin sponge for 5 min, n = 10) and combination group (combined treatment of EFS and PEG, n = 10). The measurement of motor evoked potential (MEP), the motor behavior score and spinal cord section fast blue staining were performed at different times after SCI. Eight weeks after the operation, the results showed that the latency difference of MEP, the amplitude difference of MEP and the ratio of cavity area of spinal cords in the combination group were significantly lower than those of the control group, EFS group and PEG group. The motor function score and the ratio of residual nerve tissue area in the spinal cords of the combination group were significantly higher than those in the control group, EFS group and PEG group. The results suggest that the combined treatment can reduce the pathological damage and promote the recovery of motor function in rats after SCI, and the therapeutic effects are significantly better than those of EFS and PEG alone.
Animals ; Electric Stimulation ; Polyethylene Glycols/therapeutic use* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Recovery of Function/physiology* ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Injuries/therapy*