Objective To explore the impact of number of positive regional lymph nodes (nPRLN) in N1 stage on the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Methods Patients with TxN1M0 stage NSCLC who underwent lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node dissection from 2010 to 2015 were screened from SEER database (17 Regs, 2022nov sub). The optimal cutoff value of nPRLN was determined using X-tile software, and patients were divided into 2 groups according to the cutoff value: a nPRLN≤optimal cutoff group and a nPRLN>optimal cutoff group. The influence of confounding factors was minimized by propensity score matching (PSM) at a ratio of 1 : 1. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate overall survival (OS) and lung cancer-specific survival (LCSS) of patients. Results A total of 1316 patients with TxN1M0 stage NSCLC were included, including 662 males and 654 females, with a median age of 67 (60, 73) years. The optimal cutoff value of nPRLN was 3, with 1165 patients in the nPRLN≤3 group and 151 patients in the nPRLN>3 group. After PSM, there were 138 patients in each group. Regardless of before or after PSM, OS and LCSS of patients in the nPRLN≤3 group were superior to those in the nPRLN>3 group (P<0.001). N1 stage nPRLN>3 was an independent prognostic risk factor for OS [HR=1.52, 95%CI (1.22, 1.89), P<0.001] and LCSS [HR=1.72, 95%CI (1.36, 2.18), P<0.001]. Conclusion N1 stage nPRLN>3 is an independent prognostic risk factor for NSCLC patients in TxN1M0 stage, which may provide new evidence for future revision of TNM staging N1 stage subclassification.

Objective:To investigate the change trend in the burden of 5 common malignant tumors of digestive system (esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer and liver cancer) in the Chinese population from 1990 to 2021.Methods:The descriptive epidemio-logic method was conducted. The number of new cases, crude incidence rate, age-standardized incidence rate, the number of deaths, crude mortality rate and age-standardized mortality rate of 5 common malignant tumors of digestive system in the Chinese population from 1990 to 2021 of the Global Burden of Disease were collected. The age-standardized rate was calculated based on the standardized demographics of the whole world in the Global Burden of Disease for the year 2021. Observation indicators: (1) The incidence of 5 common malignant tumors of digestive system in the Chinese population from 1990 to 2021; (2) the mortality of 5 common malignant tumors of digestive system in the Chinese population from 1990 to 2021; (3) the change trend of age-standardized incidence rate of 5 common malignant tumors of digestive system in the Chinese population from 1990 to 2021; (4) the change trend of age-standardized mortality rate of 5 common malignant tumors of digestive system in the Chinese population from 1990 to 2021. The Joinpoint regression model was constructed for trend analysis, specifically to calculate the annual percentage change, average annual percentage change (AAPC), and their 95% confidence interval ( CI) for age-standardized incidence and mortality rates for each cancer type at different time periods. Results:(1) The incidence of 5 common malignant tumors of digestive system in the Chinese population from 1990 to 2021. The number of new cases of esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer and liver cancer in the Chinese population changed from 207 495, 407 471, 158 389, 37 818 and 96 434 in 1990 to 320 805, 611 799, 658 321, 118 665 and 196 637 in 2021. The crude incidence rates of the above cancer types changed from 17.64/100 000, 34.64/100 000, 13.46/100 000, 3.21/100 000, 8.20/100 000 in 1990 to 22.55/100 000, 43.00/100 000, 46.27/100 000, 8.34/100 000, 13.82/100 000 in 2021. The new cases of esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and liver cancer all showed an increasing trend, with absolute changes of 54.61%, 50.15%, 315.64%, 213.78%, and 103.91%, respectively. (2) The mortality of 5 common malignant tumors of digestive system in the Chinese population from 1990 to 2021. The number of deaths of esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer and liver cancer in the Chinese population changed from 210 821, 374 066, 119 303, 38 883 and 94 937 in 1990 to 296 443, 445 013, 275 129, 119 602 and 172 068 in 2021. The crude death rates of the above cancer types changed from 17.92/100 000, 31.80/100 000, 10.14/100 000, 3.31/100 000, 8.07/100 000 in 1990 to 20.84/100 000, 31.28/100 000, 19.34/100 000, 8.41/100 000, 12.09/100 000 in 2021. Death cases of esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and liver cancer all showed an increa-sing trend, with absolute changes of 40.61%, 18.97%, 130.61%,207.59%, and 81.24%, respectively. (3) The change trend of age-standardized incidence rate of 5 common malignant tumors of digestive system in the Chinese population from 1990 to 2021. The change trends of age-standardized incidence rates of esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and liver cancer in the Chinese population were divided into 5, 5, 4, 5, and 5 periods, respectively, and the AAPCs of age-standardized incidence rates of the above cancer types were -1.60% (95% CI as -1.78% to -1.42%), -1.60% (95% CI as -1.78% to -1.43%), 1.66% (95% CI as 1.39% to 1.94%), 0.72% (95% CI as 0.36% to 1.08%), and -0.31% (95% CI as -0.39% to -0.23%). (4) The change trend of age-standardized mortality rate of 5 common malignant tumors of digestive system in the Chinese population from 1990 to 2021. The change trend of age-standardized mortality rates of esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and liver cancer in the Chinese population were divided into 5, 5, 4, 5, and 4 periods, respectively, and the AAPC of age-standardized mortality rates for each of the above mentioned cancer types were -1.96% (95% CI as -2.03% to -1.90%), -2.44% (95% CI as -2.50% to -2.38%), -0.49% (95% CI as -0.58% to -0.41%), 0.56% (95% CI as 0.48% to 0.63%), and -0.68% (95% CI as -0.89% to -0.52%). Conclusions:From 1990 to 2021, the disease burden of esophageal cancer, gastric cancer and liver cancer in the Chinese population show a downward trend. The standardized incidence of colorectal cancer shows an upward trend, and the standardized mortality rate shows a downward trend. The disease burden of pancreatic cancer shows an upward trend.

Objective:To compare the enrichment effects of ultrafiltration, polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation, aluminum salt precipitation, and anionic membrane adsorption-elution on viruses in drinking water.Methods:Using phage MS2 as the target virus, three different concentrations of drinking water samples were prepared, and the samples were enriched by ultrafiltration 1, ultrafiltration 2, PEG precipitation, aluminum salt precipitation, and anionic membrane adsorption-elution method, respectively. Real-time fluorescence quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to quantify MS2 nucleic acid in pre and post concentrated samples and the recovery rates of MS2 in samples with high, medium and low concentrations were compared among the five methods.Results:Comparing the MS2 enrichment recovery rates of individual enrichment method in water samples of different concentrations, ultrafiltration method 1, PEG precipitation method, aluminum salt precipitation method, and membrane adsorption-elution method were not affected by the sample concentration, and the differences of the recovery rates for the three concentration water samples among the four methods were not statistically significant ( P>0.05). The MS2 enrichment recovery rates of the five enrichment methods were significantly different in all concentration samples ( P<0.05). The recovery rates of ultrafiltration method 1 were higher in all three concentration samples, followed by aluminum salt precipitation and anionic membrane adsorption-elution, PEG precipitation were higher in high concentration samples, but lower in low and medium concentration samples, and the recovery rates of ultrafiltration method 2 were the lowest in all three concentration samples. Comparing the Ct values of MS2 in the enriched samples by five methods, the Ct values of ultrafiltration method 1 were the smallest in the three concentration water samples. There was no statistically significant difference in MS2 Ct values among the five enrichment methods in the medium and high concentration water samples ( P>0.05). In low concentration simulated water samples, only the difference of MS2 Ct value between ultrafiltration method 1 and ultrafiltration method 2 was statistically significant ( Z=16.000, P=0.016). Conclusions:Considering the operation simplicity, operation time and virus recovery rate after enrichment, ultrafiltration was the most effective method for virus enrichment in drinking water.

Objective:To evaluate the preservation efficacy of 7 non-inactivating virus preservation solutions.Methods:Equal amounts of H1N1 virus were added to 7 commercially available non-inactivating virus preservation solutions, and the samples were stored at -20 ℃, 4 ℃, 25 ℃ and 37 ℃ for 1 hour, 6 hours, 1 day, 3 days, and 5 days. The viral nucleic acid in each simulated sample under different storage conditions was measured using real-time quantitative PCR. The hemagglutination (HA) titer was determined through viral isolation culture and hemagglutination assay, comparing the differences in viral growth activity across different storage solutions and conditions.Results:Except for solution E, the other solutions effectively protected viral nucleic acid at the 4 storage temperatures. In terms of viral activity, solutions A, B, C, and D effectively maintained viral viability. A and B showing the best performance, E and F showed poorer performance, and G performed the worst.Conclusions:Most non-inactivating virus preservation solutions effectively protect viral nucleic acid, but there are significant differences in their ability to maintain viral viability. To ensure optimal virus preservation, it is recommended that medical institutions evaluate the effectiveness of preservation solutions before use.

AIM:To elucidate the mechanism by which Polygonatum sibiricum polysaccharides(PSP)miti-gate high-sugar diet-induced neuroinflammation through the gut microbiota-serum metabolome axis.METHODS:Fifty male ICR mice were divided into 5 groups:control group,model group,low-dose(250 mg/kg)PSP group,high-dose(500 mg/kg)PSP group,and donepezil hydrochloride(3 mg/kg)group.The neuroinflammation model was established through administration of high-sugar chow and 10%sucrose water for 12 weeks.Cognitive function assessment was per-formed utilizing the Morris water maze.Hippocampal histopathology was examined by hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining,activated microglia were assessed via immunofluorescence,and neuronal apoptosis was evaluated by TUNEL assay.Serum and hippocampal levels of interleukin-6(IL-6),IL-1β,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and nitric oxide(NO)were quantified using ELISA and Western blot.Gut microbiota diversity and serum untargeted metabolomics analyses were car-ried out employing 16S rRNA sequencing and LC-MS/GC-MS,respectively.Differential metabolites were screened,and key metabolic pathways were enriched using MetaboAnalyst 6.0.Spearman correlation analysis established relationships between gut microbiota,metabolites,and inflammatory factors.RESULTS:Model mice demonstrated increased escape latency(P<0.05 or P<0.01)and decreased platform crossings(P<0.01)compared with controls,which were reversed by PSP treatment(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Treatment with PSP substantially reduced IL-6,IL-1β,TNF-α and NO levels in se-rum and hippocampus(P<0.05 or P<0.01),diminished inflammatory infiltration,inhibited microglial activation,and re-duced neuronal damage.Gut microbiota analysis demonstrated that PSP increased Lactobacillus and Bacteroides abun-dance while reducing Alistipes(P<0.05).Metabolomics identified 15 differential metabolites(including betaine,kyotor-phin and ε-caprolactam)and highlighted the significance of alanine,aspartate and glutamate metabolism pathways.Spear-man analysis revealed that abundance of Alistipes and Bacteroides were positively correlated with IL-1β(P<0.05),while abundance of Lactobacillus was negatively correlated with inflammatory factors(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Key metabolites(be-taine,kyotorphin,ε-caprolactam,trans-cinnamate,cis-zeatin and galactitol)showed strong associations with inflamma-tion factors(P<0.05 or P<0.01).CONCLUSION:Treatment with PSP attenuates neuroinflammation through modula-tion of gut microbiota(Lactobacillus,Bacteroides and Alistipes),regulation of metabolites(betaine,kyotorphin and so on),and targeting amino acid metabolism pathways.

Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP), a bone metabolic imbalance disorder induced by estrogen deficiency, necessitates novel prevention and treatment strategies that transcend the constraints of conventional therapeutic approaches. Melatonin, a signaling molecule secreted by the pineal gland, plays a key role in maintaining circadian rhythms and regulating bone metabolism. In recent years, numerous studies both domestically and internationally have demonstrated that melatonin can promote the generation of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, thereby increasing bone density and improving symptoms of osteoporosis. This article reviews the role of melatonin in the prevention of PMOP, aiming to provide new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of PMOP.

[Purpose]To analyze the trends of disease burden for lung cancer worldwide and in China from 1990 to 2021.[Methods]Data of the disease burden of lung cancer and population demographics in 1990 and 2021 stratified by sex and age groups for global,five SDI quintiles re-gions,and eight countries including China,Japan,Republic of Korea,United Kingdom,France,United States,Canada,and Australia were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021(GBD 2021)database.The age-standardized mortality rate(ASMR)and age-standard-ized disability-adjusted life year rate(ASDR)of lung cancer attributable to 7 level-3 risk factors in China for 1990 and 2021 were also extracted.Counterfactual analysis was used to decompose changes in lung cancer deaths and DALY from 1990 to 2021 into four contributing factors:popu-lation size,population structure,age-standardized incidence or prevalence,and lung cancer case fatality or disease severity.The percentage changes in lung cancer deaths and DALY attributed to these four factors were calculated respectively.[Results]In 2021,there were 934 704 new cases and 814 364 deaths of lung cancer in China.From 1990 to 2021,the incidence,preva-lence,mortality,and DALY rates of lung cancer in China increased faster than those worldwide and in high-middle SDI regions,which was similar to Japan and Republic of Korea.In contrast,the mortality rates of lung cancer decreased in United States and United Kingdom;and the DALY rates of lung cancer decreased in United States,United Kingdom,Canada and Australia.From 1990 to 2021,the age-related lung cancer deaths and DALY in China increased by 193.91％and 146.20％,respectively.The primary contributor to the increase in lung cancer deaths was population aging(102.82％)among men and rising age-standardized incidence(119.00％)among women,while the primary contributor to the increase in DALY was rising age-standardized prevalence for both men(153.12％)and women(218.77％).In 2021,the top three risk factors contributing to lung cancer ASMR and ASDR in China were smoking,particulate matter pollution and occupational carcinogen exposure.Compared with 1990,the ASMR of lung cancer and its proportion at-tributable to particulate matter pollution and low dietary fruits were decreased,while the propor-tions in ASDR of lung cancer attributable to smoking and secondhand smoke increased.[Conclu-sion]Lung cancer is a major public health challenge in China.Compared with worldwide,high-middle SDI regions and certain developed countries,China has experienced faster growth in the incidence,prevalence,mortality and DALY of lung cancer,especially among women.To reduce disease burden,sustained efforts on lung cancer prevention and control are urgently required in China.

[Purpose]To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of esophageal cancer world-wide and in China.[Methods]Data were extracted from the GLOBOCAN 2022 database.The in-cidence and mortality of esophageal cancer worldwide and in China were analyzed,stratified by sex,age group,and human development index(HDI).Spearman correlation analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between the HDI and the mortality-to-incidence ratio(MIR)of esophageal cancer.[Results]In 2022,there were an estimated 511 054 new cases and 445 391 deaths from esophageal cancer globally,with age-standardized incidence and mortality rates(ASIR and ASMR)of 5.0/105 and 4.3/105,respectively.In China,there were an estimated 224 012 new cases and 187 467 deaths accounting for 43.8％and 42.1％of global totals,respectively.Both the new cases and deaths of esophageal cancer in China ranked the first worldwide.The ASIR and ASMR in China were 8.3/105 and 6.7/105,both were as twice as the global average.The ASIR and ASMR for males were higher than those for females.The incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer increased with age,and more than 50％of global cases and deaths in individuals aged over 70 years old occurred in China.Additionally,a significantly negative correlation was ob-served between HDI and MIR of esophageal cancer(ρ=-0.67,P＜0.001),and MIR in China(0.81)was comparable to that of countries or regions with a very high HDI.[Conclusion]The burden of esophageal cancer remains significant worldwide and in China,particularly among males and the elderly.The MIR of esophageal cancer in China is still relatively high.The primary and secondary prevention measures should be strengthened to reduce the incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer.

[Purpose]To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of esophageal cancer world-wide and in China.[Methods]Data were extracted from the GLOBOCAN 2022 database.The in-cidence and mortality of esophageal cancer worldwide and in China were analyzed,stratified by sex,age group,and human development index(HDI).Spearman correlation analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between the HDI and the mortality-to-incidence ratio(MIR)of esophageal cancer.[Results]In 2022,there were an estimated 511 054 new cases and 445 391 deaths from esophageal cancer globally,with age-standardized incidence and mortality rates(ASIR and ASMR)of 5.0/105 and 4.3/105,respectively.In China,there were an estimated 224 012 new cases and 187 467 deaths accounting for 43.8％and 42.1％of global totals,respectively.Both the new cases and deaths of esophageal cancer in China ranked the first worldwide.The ASIR and ASMR in China were 8.3/105 and 6.7/105,both were as twice as the global average.The ASIR and ASMR for males were higher than those for females.The incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer increased with age,and more than 50％of global cases and deaths in individuals aged over 70 years old occurred in China.Additionally,a significantly negative correlation was ob-served between HDI and MIR of esophageal cancer(ρ=-0.67,P＜0.001),and MIR in China(0.81)was comparable to that of countries or regions with a very high HDI.[Conclusion]The burden of esophageal cancer remains significant worldwide and in China,particularly among males and the elderly.The MIR of esophageal cancer in China is still relatively high.The primary and secondary prevention measures should be strengthened to reduce the incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer.

Objective To analyze the current status of medical services in secondary and tertiary hospitals in Shandong Province based on DRG,and to provide effective support for the implementation strategies of bidirectional referral.Methods The DRG group was used to analyze 42.348 3 million cases from 75 secondary hospitals and 69 tertiary hospitals in Shandong Province from 2019 to 2023.Experts were organized to establish standards for bidirectional referral of diseases.Results(1)35 high-frequency DRG disease groups with diagnosis,treatment ability and medical resources in secondary hospitals were selected,(2)The medical expenses and medical quality in the high-frequency DRG disease groups within secondary hospitals were lower than those in tertiary hospitals,(3)To develop standardized referral standards and programs with esophageal cancer as an example.Conclusion It is urgent to triage patients gradually and accurately through disease classification management,and formulate disease diagnosis and treatment plans and bidirectional referral standards to improve the medical quality of secondary hospitals.