In recent years, the study of single-cell transcriptome sequencing technology in the heterogeneity of astrocytes (astrocytes) after spinal cord injury (SCI) has provided new perspectives on post-traumatic nerve regeneration and repair. To provide a review on the research progress of single-cell sequencing technology in astrocytes after spinal cord injury (SCI), and to more comprehensively and deeply elaborate the application of single-cell sequencing technology in the field of astrocytes after SCI. Single-cell sequencing technology can analyse the transcriptomes of individual cells in a high-throughput manner, thus revealing fine differences in cell types and states. By using single-cell sequencing technology, the heterogeneity of astrocytes after SCI and their association with nerve regeneration and repair were revealed. In conclusion, the application of single-cell sequencing technology provides an important tool to reveal the heterogeneity of astrocytes after SCI, to further explore the mechanisms of astrocytes in SCI, and to develop intervention strategies targeting their regulatory mechanisms in order to improve the therapeutic efficacy of SCI. The discovery of changes in astrocyte transcriptome dynamics has improved researchers' understanding of spinal cord injury lesion progression and provided new insights into the treatment of spinal cord injury at different time points. To date, all of these findings need to be validated by more basic research and sufficient clinical trials. In the future, single-cell sequencing technology, through interdisciplinary collaboration with bioinformatics, computer science, tissue engineering, and clinical medicine, is expected to open a new window for the treatment of spinal cord injury.
Spinal Cord Injuries/metabolism* ; Astrocytes/cytology* ; Single-Cell Analysis/methods* ; Humans ; Animals ; Transcriptome ; Nerve Regeneration

Cemental tear is a rare and indetectable condition unless obvious clinical signs present with the involvement of surrounding periodontal and periapical tissues. Due to its clinical manifestations similar to common dental issues, such as vertical root fracture, primary endodontic diseases, and periodontal diseases, as well as the low awareness of cemental tear for clinicians, misdiagnosis often occurs. The critical principle for cemental tear treatment is to remove torn fragments, and overlooking fragments leads to futile therapy, which could deteriorate the conditions of the affected teeth. Therefore, accurate diagnosis and subsequent appropriate interventions are vital for managing cemental tear. Novel diagnostic tools, including cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), microscopes, and enamel matrix derivatives, have improved early detection and management, enhancing tooth retention. The implementation of standardized diagnostic criteria and treatment protocols, combined with improved clinical awareness among dental professionals, serves to mitigate risks of diagnostic errors and suboptimal therapeutic interventions. This expert consensus reviewed the epidemiology, pathogenesis, potential predisposing factors, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of cemental tear, aiming to provide a clinical guideline and facilitate clinicians to have a better understanding of cemental tear.
Humans ; Dental Cementum/injuries* ; Consensus ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Tooth Fractures/therapy*

Glutamine provides carbon and nitrogen to support the proliferation of cancer cells. However, the precise reason why cancer cells are particularly dependent on glutamine remains unclear. In this study, we report that glutamine modulates the tumor suppressor F-box and WD repeat domain-containing 7 (FBW7) to promote cancer cell proliferation and survival. Specifically, lysine 604 (K604) in the sixth of the 7 substrate-recruiting WD repeats of FBW7 undergoes glutaminylation (Gln-K604) by glutaminyl tRNA synthetase. Gln-K604 inhibits SCFFBW7-mediated degradation of c-Myc and Mcl-1, enhances glutamine utilization, and stimulates nucleotide and DNA biosynthesis through the activation of c-Myc. Additionally, Gln-K604 promotes resistance to apoptosis by activating Mcl-1. In contrast, SIRT1 deglutaminylates Gln-K604, thereby reversing its effects. Cancer cells lacking Gln-K604 exhibit overexpression of c-Myc and Mcl-1 and display resistance to chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. Silencing both c-MYC and MCL-1 in these cells sensitizes them to chemotherapy. These findings indicate that the glutamine-mediated signal via Gln-K604 is a key driver of cancer progression and suggest potential strategies for targeted cancer therapies based on varying Gln-K604 status.
Glutamine/metabolism* ; Myeloid Cell Leukemia Sequence 1 Protein/genetics* ; Humans ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc/genetics* ; Cell Proliferation ; Signal Transduction ; Neoplasms/pathology* ; F-Box-WD Repeat-Containing Protein 7/genetics* ; Cell Survival ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Apoptosis

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical effectiveness of veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) in rescuing children with severe pulmonary contusion. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of four children with severe pulmonary contusion who were treated with VV-ECMO in the pediatric intensive care unit of Xi'an Children's Hospital from April 2021 to December 2024. The general data, laboratory indicators within 24 hours after admission, imaging features, bronchoscopic findings, diagnostic and treatment processes, as well as therapeutic outcomes of the children were analyzed. RESULTS: All four pediatric cases were male, aged 4 years and 9 months, 6 years and 5 months, 8 years and 10 months, and 9 years and 7 months, respectively. One case resulted from a high-altitude fall and three from traffic accidents, all presenting with multiple fractures. All four cases progressed to dyspnea within 1-4 hours post-injury and received endotracheal intubation with invasive ventilator support within 2-5 hours. Three cases exhibited tachycardia upon admission and were treated with norepinephrine, all four cases presented with fine moist rales in the lungs. Imaging studies revealed diffuse exudative changes in all four cases. Bronchoscopy identified diffuse pulmonary hemorrhage, with one case additionally showing rupture of the right intermediate bronchus. Conventional mechanical ventilation failed to correct oxygenation in all cases, prompting initiation of VV-ECMO therapy within 8-22 hours post-injury. One case underwent right thoracic exploration under ECMO support. Following treatment, all four cases demonstrated gradual reduction in bloody airway secretions, resolution of pulmonary exudative changes on imaging, and absence of hemorrhage on bronchoscopy. They were successfully weaned off ECMO and ultimately discharged as cured. CONCLUSIONS Severe pulmonary contusion rapidly leads to respiratory distress, requiring ventilator-assisted ventilation within hours of injury. When conventional ventilator support is ineffective, ECMO can be life-saving, with timely intervention yielding favorable prognosis.
Humans ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation/methods* ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Contusions/therapy* ; Lung Injury/therapy* ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality based on the 10-year population-based multicenter prospective study. METHODS: A general population-based multicenter prospective study was conducted at four sites in rural China between 2013 and 2023. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic spline analyses were used to assess the association between BMI and mortality. Stratified analyses were performed based on the individual characteristics of the participants. RESULTS: Overall, 19,107 participants with a sum of 163,095 person-years were included and 1,910 participants died. The underweight (< 18.5 kg/m ²) presented an increase in all-cause mortality (adjusted hazards ratio [ aHR] = 2.00, 95% confidence interval [ CI]: 1.66-2.41), while overweight (≥ 24.0 to < 28.0 kg/m ²) and obesity (≥ 28.0 kg/m ²) presented a decrease with an aHR of 0.61 (95% CI: 0.52-0.73) and 0.51 (95% CI: 0.37-0.70), respectively. Overweight ( aHR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.67-0.86) and mild obesity ( aHR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.59-0.87) had a positive impact on mortality in people older than 60 years. All-cause mortality decreased rapidly until reaching a BMI of 25.7 kg/m ² ( aHR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.98) and increased slightly above that value, indicating a U-shaped association. The beneficial impact of being overweight on mortality was robust in most subgroups and sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION This study provides additional evidence that overweight and mild obesity may be inversely related to the risk of death in individuals older than 60 years. Therefore, it is essential to consider age differences when formulating health and weight management strategies.
Humans ; Body Mass Index ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Aged ; Follow-Up Studies ; Adult ; Mortality ; Cause of Death ; Obesity/mortality* ; Overweight/mortality*

Plutonium isotopes(238Pu,239Pu,240Pu and 241Pu)in the environment are important"fingerprint"nuclides in the study of nuclear activity traceability.The content of plutonium isotopes in the environmental metrics is usually very low,and the measurement of these isotopes,especially 238Pu,using mass spectrometry is seriously interfered with by the coexisting 238U.The analysis of several plutonium isotopes in soil usually requires combination of multiple measurement techniques,which leads to a long analysis time and large uncertainty in the isotope ratio.In this work,the hydrous titanium oxide(HTiO)precipitated by the hydrolysis of titanium oxydichloride(TiOCl2)under near-neutral condition was used to preconcentrate plutonium from the soil digestion solution,and the highly efficient decontamination of 238U in the sample was achieved by TK200 resin column chromatography with a decontamination factor of 108.Simulation resuts of density functional theory(DFT)showed that NH3 was considered as a promising reaction gas to eliminate the interference of 238U from 238Pu measurement using mass spectrometry due to the significant discrepancy of the chemical reactivity of U+and Pu+with the reactive gas NH3.Experiments confirmed that by optimizing the flow rates of collision gas(He)and reaction gas(NH3),the interference of 238U could be effectively suppressed,and the decontamination factor of 238U was 104.Combined with chemical separation,the overall decontamination factor of 238U could reach 1012 by using the developed method.By combining chemical separation and tandem quadrupole inductively coupled plasmon-mass spectrometry(ICP-MS/MS)measurement,the simultaneous determination of four ultra-trace plutonium isotopes in soil was realized,and the detection limit of plutonium isotopes was at the femtogram level.Analysis of the international standard reference materials(NIST-SRM-4357 and IAEA-384)showed that the established method could be successfully used for the accurate analysis of ultra-trace four plutonium isotopes(238Pu,239Pu,240Pu and 241Pu)in soil samples.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of neutrophil elastase inhibitor in children with acute respiratory distress syndrome（ARDS）.Methods:A total of 168 children with moderate to severe ARDS who were hospitalized in the Department of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit，the Affiliated Children′s Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University and Children's Emergency Center of Gansu Provincial Central Hospital from January 2022 to December 2023 were selected. Eighty-seven children receiving neutrophil elastase inhibitors were treated as the treatment group and 81 children receiving conventional treatment as the control group. The dynamic changes of general data，clinical indicators and ventilator parameters at 24 h，48 h and 72 h were compared between the two groups. Mortality at 28 days was the primary endpoint. Kaplan-Meier curve and Log-Rank test were used to evaluate cumulative survival.Results:There was no significant difference in general information and clinical characteristics between the two groups.Compared with the control group，arterial partial pressure of oxygen（PaO 2）/fraction of inspired oxygen（FiO 2）in the treatment group increased significantly at 48 h［（160.28±5.90）mmHg（1 mmHg=0.133 kPa）vs（141.04±4.01）mmHg， P<0.05］and 72 h［（227.58±6.85）mmHg vs（180.86±4.08）mmHg， P<0.05］，and the differences were statistically significant.The platform pressure in the treatment group were lower than that of the control group at 24 h［（28.18±3.95）cmH 2O（1cmH 2O=0.098 kPa）vs（30.15±7.75）cmH 2O， P<0.05］，48 h［（25.56±4.06）cmH 2O vs（29.07±5.01）cmH 2O， P<0.05］，72 h［（24.95±2.82）cmH 2O vs（27.12±6.51）cmH 2O， P<0.05］，and the differences were statistically significant. IL-8 in the treatment group were lower than that of the control group at 48 h［（78.26±14.05）ng/L vs（86.02±15.01）ng/L， P<0.05］and 72 h［（58.38±15.56）ng/L vs（68.68±18.05）ng/L， P<0.05］，and the differences were statistically significant.The survival curve showed that the cumulative survival rate of the treatment group was higher than that of the control group，the difference between the two groups was statistically significant（ χ2=4.549， P=0.033）. Conclusion:Neutrophil elastase inhibitors can reduce the lung injury of ARDS patients by inhibiting the inflammatory response induced by neutrophils，and ultimately improve the prognosis of the disease.

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with clinical and subclinical Cushing's syndrome caused by primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia(PBMAH).Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 198 patients with Cushing's syndrome caused by PBMAH diagnosed in the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2004 to October 2024.According to clinical manifestations,the patients were classified into clinical type Cushing's syndrome(n=61)and subclinical type Cushing's syndrome(n=137),and the clinical characteristics of the two types were compared.Results The mean age at diagnosis of patients with PBMAH-induced Cushing's syndrome was(53.5±10.4)years,including 118 males and 80 females,with a male-to-female ratio of 1.475:1.Compared with the subclinical type,the clinical type had a higher proportion of females,higher levels of serum cortisol,24-hour urine free cortisol(24 h UFC),and inhibited serum cortisol after low-dose dexamethasone suppression.Additionally,the clinical type had lower plasma ACTH,larger adrenal nodules and a higher risk of surgery(P<0.05)compared with those in subclinical type.The incidences of hypertension,dyslipidemia,obesity,diabetes mellitus,hypokalemia,vitamin D deficiency,osteoporosis,coronary heart disease,and cerebrovascular disease in patients with Cushing's syndrome caused by PBMAH were 87.9%,50.5%,37.1%,36.9%,27.8%,25.9%,18.7%,18.7%and 12.1%,respectively.Among them,compared with subclinical type patients,clinical type patients had higher incidence of hypokalaemia,vitamin D deficiency and osteoporosis(P<0.05),while there were no statistically significant differences in the incidences of other comorbidities between the two types(P>0.05).The results of postoperative follow-up for PBMAH patients showed that the short-term biochemical remission rate of unilateral total adrenalectomy was 41.5%(22/53)and the long-term biochemical remission rate was 32.0%(8/25).The short-term biochemical remission rate of unilateral partial(or nodular)adrenalectomy was 52.9%(9/17),and the long-term biochemical remission rate was 14.3%(1/7).All patients who underwent unilateral total adrenalectomy plus contralateral partial resection developed adrenal insufficiency(3/3),and 1 patient(1/3)relapsed 3.4 years after surgery.Conclusion Clinical and subclinical types of Cushing's syndrome caused by PBMAH have their distinct clinical characteristics.Surgery is an effective treatment for PBMAH,but a certain proportion of patients fail to achieve biochemical remission after non-bilateral total adrenalectomy.