BACKGROUND:Gradient artificial bone repair scaffolds can mimic unique anatomical features in musculoskeletal tissues,showing great potential for repairing injured musculoskeletal tissues. OBJECTIVE:To review the latest research advances in gradient artificial bone repair scaffolds for tissue engineering in the musculoskeletal system and describe their advantages and fabrication strategies. METHODS:The first author of the article searched the Web of Science and PubMed databases for articles published from 2000 to 2023 with search terms"gradient,bone regeneration,scaffold".Finally,76 papers were analyzed and summarized after the screening. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)As an important means of efficient and high-quality repair of skeletal system tissues,gradient artificial bone repair scaffolds are currently designed bionically for the natural gradient characteristics of bone tissue,bone-cartilage,and tendon-bone tissue.These scaffolds can mimic the extracellular matrix of native tissues to a certain extent in terms of structure and composition,thus promoting cell adhesion,migration,proliferation,differentiation,and regenerative recovery of damaged tissues to their native state.(2)Advanced manufacturing technology provides more possibilities for gradient artificial bone repair scaffold preparation:Gradient electrospun fiber scaffolds constructed by spatially differentiated fiber arrangement and loading of biologically active substances have been developed;gradient 3D printed scaffolds fabricated by layered stacking,graded porosity,and bio-3D printing technology;gradient hydrogel scaffolds fabricated by in-situ layered injections,simple layer-by-layer stacking,and freeze-drying method;and in addition,there are also scaffolds made by other modalities or multi-method coupling.These scaffolds have demonstrated good biocompatibility in vitro experiments,were able to accelerate tissue regeneration in small animal tests,and were observed to have significantly improved histological structure.(3)The currently developed gradient artificial bone repair scaffolds have problems such as mismatch of gradient scales,unclear material-tissue interactions,and side effects caused by degradation products,which need to be further optimized by combining the strengths of related disciplines and clinical needs in the future.

Objective To investigate the effectiveness of the integrated schistosomiasis control programme in Sichuan Province during the stage moving from transmission interruption to elimination (2015—2023), so as to provide insights into formulation of the schistosomiasis control measures during the post-elimination stage. Methods Schistosomiasis control data were retrospectively collected from departments of health, agriculture and rural affairs, forestry and grassland, water resources, and natural resources in Sichuan Province from 2015 to 2023, and a database was created to document examinations and treatments of human and livestock schistosomiasis, and snail survey and control, conversion of paddy fields to dry fields, ditch hardening, rivers and lakes management and building of forests for snail control and schistosomiasis prevention. The completion of schistosomiasis control measures was investigated, and the effectiveness was evaluated. Results A total of 20 545 155 person-times received human schistosomiasis examinations in Sichuan Province during the period from 2015 to 2023, and 232 157 person-times were seropositive, with a reduction in the seroprevalence from 2.10% (44 299/2 107 003) in 2015 to 1.12% (9 361/837 896) in 2023 (χ² = 7.68, P < 0.001). The seroprevalence of human schistosomiasis appeared a tendency towards a decline in Sichuan Province over years from 2015 to 2023 (b = −8.375, t = −10.052, P < 0.001); however, no egg positive individuals were identified during the period from 2018 to 2023, with the prevalence of human Schistosoma japonicum infections maintained at 0. Expanded chemotherapy was administered to 2 754 515 person-times, and medical assistance of advanced schistosomiasis was given to 6 436 persontimes, with the treatment coverage increasing from 46.80% (827/1 767) in 2015 to 64.87% (868/1 338) in 2023. Parasitological tests for livestock schistosomiasis were performed in 35 113 herd-times, and expanded chemotherapy was administered to 513 043 herd-times, while the number of fenced livestock decreased from 121 631 in 2015 to 103 489 in 2023, with a reduction of 14.92%. Snail survey covered 433 621.80 hm² in Sichuan Province from 2015 to 2023, with 204 602.81 hm² treated by chemical control and 4 637.74 hm² by environmental modifications. The area of snail habitats decreased from the peak of 5 029.80 hm² in 2016 to 3 709.72 hm² in 2023, and the actual area of snail habitats decreased from the peak of 8 585.48 hm² in 2016 to 473.09 hm² in 2023. The mean density of living snails remained low across the study period except in 2017 (0.62 snails/0.1 m²). Schistosomiasis control efforts by departments of agriculture and rural affairs in Sichuan Province included conversion of paddy fields to dry fields covering 153 346.93 hm², hardening of 6 110.31 km ditches, building of 70 356 biogas digesters, replacement of cattle with 227 161 sets of machines, and captive breeding of 21 161 070 livestock from 2015 to 2023, and the control efforts by departments of water resources included rivers and lakes management measuring 5 676.92 km and renovation of 2 331 irrigation areas, while the control efforts by departments of forestry and grassland included building of forests for snail control and schistosomiasis prevention covering 23 913.33 hm², renovation of snail control forests covering 8 720 hm² and newly building of shelterbelts covering 764 686.67 hm². All 63 endemic counties (cities and districts) had achieved the criterion for schistosomiasis elimination criteria in Sichuan Province by the end of 2023. Conclusion Following the integrated control efforts from 2015 to 2023, remarkable achievements have been obtained in the schistosomiasis control programme in Sichuan Province, with all endemic counties successfully attaining the schistosomiasis elimination target at the county level.

Transcranial temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) is a novel non-invasive neuromodulation technique with the potential to precisely target deep brain structures. This study explores the neural and behavioral effects of tTIS on the superior colliculus (SC), a region involved in eye movement control, in mice. Computational modeling revealed that tTIS delivers more focused stimulation to the SC than traditional transcranial alternating current stimulation. In vivo experiments, including Ca²⁺ signal recordings and eye movement tracking, showed that tTIS effectively modulates SC neural activity and induces eye movements. A significant correlation was found between stimulation frequency and saccade frequency, suggesting direct tTIS-induced modulation of SC activity. These results demonstrate the precision of tTIS in targeting deep brain regions and regulating eye movements, highlighting its potential for neuroscientific research and therapeutic applications.
Animals ; Superior Colliculi/physiology* ; Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation/methods* ; Eye Movements/physiology* ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

Objective:To evaluate the qualitative and quantitative diagnostic value of transvaginal contrast-enhanced ultrasonography for benign and malignant adnexal masses.Methods:Forty-nine patients with adnexal masses detected by routine ultrasound examination at Wenzhou People's Hospital from January 2021 to December 2022 were included in this study. Initially, transvaginal two-dimensional ultrasound, two-dimensional ultrasound integrated with color Doppler, and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography were used to accurately classify the masses as benign or malignant. Using postoperative pathology as the gold standard, the qualitative diagnostic accuracy of various detection methods was compared. Subsequently, the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to assess the quantitative diagnostic accuracy of transvaginal contrast-enhanced ultrasonography-related parameters in distinguishing between benign and malignant adnexal masses.Results:Among the 49 patients, 10 were diagnosed with malignant tumors. The diagnostic accuracy of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography was 93.88% (46/49), with a sensitivity of 90.00% (9/10), a specificity of 94.87% (37/39), a positive predictive value of 81.82% (9/11), and a negative predictive value of 97.37% (37/38). The results of the diagnostic difference assessment (McNemar test) revealed that there was no significant difference between two-dimensional ultrasound ( χ2 = 0.37, P = 0.546), two-dimensional ultrasound combined with color Doppler ( χ2 = 0.17, P = 0.683), and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography ( χ2 = 0.00, P = 1.000), and the gold standard test results. The consistency assessment (Kappa test) revealed that the diagnostic results of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography exhibited the highest concordance with the gold standard, with a Kappa value of 0.82 ( P < 0.001). Furthermore, the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that the initial increase time, peak intensity, and mean transit time in contrast-enhanced ultrasonography demonstrated high quantitative diagnostic accuracy. The areas under the curve were 0.83, 0.82, and 0.84, respectively, and the diagnostic cutoff values were 17.30 s, 21.65 dB, and 92.60 seconds, respectively. Conclusion:Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography exhibits diagnostic value in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant adnexal masses, both qualitatively and quantitatively. This method can provide valuable insights for further treatment.

Objective To investigate the role of autophagy in contrast-induced acute kidney injury(CI-AKI)in rats and to explore its possible mechanism.Methods SD rats were randomly divided into control group,acute kid-ney injury model group(intravenous injection of contrast medium ioversol via tail vein;model),rapamycin(RAPA)group and hydroxychloroquine(HCQ)group.Blood urea nitrogen(BUN)and serum creatinine(Scr)con-tents were measured and the potential change foun in renal pathology was detected by HE staining and microscopy.Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe auto-phagy-related changes in ultrastructure.Western blot was used to observe the expression of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3(LC3)Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ,ubiquitin-binding protein p62 and Histone deacetylase 4(HDAC4).The expression of HDAC4 was also observed by RT-qPCR.Results Compared with control group,the level of BUN,Scr and HDAC4 expression in the model and HCQ group was increased(P＜0.01),the proximal tubules of the kidney were significantly damaged.In the model group,auto-phagososomes and autolysosomes increased,accompanied by an increase of LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ and a decrease in the p62 level(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);Compared with model group,there were more autophagosomes and autolysosomes were found in RAPA group(P＜0.01),accompanied by increased LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰratio and decrease in the p62 and HDAC4(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).In contrast,the number of autophagy related structures decreased in HCQ group(P＜0.01),accompanied by the simultaneous increase of LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ,p62 and the increase of HDAC4(P＜0.01).Conclusions Ioversol may induce autophagy activation,while enhancing autophagy by RAPA alleviates CI-AKI induced renal dysfunction.The mechanism is potentially atributed to the regulation of HDAC4.

Objective: To analyze the safety and effectiveness of different types of stents with the treatment of vertebraebasilar artery dissection aneurysms(VBADA). Methods : The clinical data of 80 patients with VBADA treated by intravascular intervention in the First Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China(Anhui Provincial Hospital) from February 2018 to November 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into laser engraved stent group(n=34) and braided stent group(n=46) based on the type of stent used. O′Kelly-Marotta(OKM) grade was used to evaluate the embolization effect of aneurysms in DSA images, and a modified Rankin Scale(mRS) score was used to evaluate the clinical prognosis of patients. The baseline data, aneurysm characteristics, intraoperative and perioperative treatment details and postoperative follow-up details between the two groups were compared. Results : There was no significant difference in baseline data, mRS score, ischemic and hemorrhage complications and mortality between the two groups(allP>0.05). Compared with the laser engraved stent group, the mean diameter of aneurysms was larger(P<0.000 1) and the proportion of ruptured aneurysm(P<0.01), parent artery stenosis and beaded vascular lesions(P<0.05) and branch artery dissecting aneurysm were higher(P<0.01) in the braided stent group. Conversely, the proportion of coil-assisted embolization(P<0.000 1) and the immediate aneurysm occlusion rate(OKM C and D)(P<0.000 1) were lower. Finally, 21 patients were obtained by controlling for maximum diameter of aneurysms and whether coil-assisted embolization, the aneurysm occlusion rate half a year later in the braided stent group was higher than that in the laser engraved stent group(P<0.05), but the recurrence rate of postoperative aneurysm was lower than that of laser engraved stent group(P<0.05). It was worth noting that the cure rate and vascular remodeling rate of middle-large size VBADA which the maximum diameter being over 15 mm in the braided stent group reached 72.2%, and the whole effect was ideal. Conclusion Braided stents are relatively safe and effective in the treatment of VBADA and are significantly better than laser engraved stents in reducing VBADA recurrence and remodeling lesion vessels without increasing postoperative complication.

Objective We investigated the effects of ICAM5 in the hippocampus on the alcohol drinking preference of mice,and the potential mechanisms.Methods An alcohol two-bottle choice model was developed in 8-week-old male C57BL/6J mice,which were randomly divided to two groups:water group and alcohol group.The protein expression of ICAM5 in the hippocampus,amygdala,and medial prefrontal cortex was detected.An ICAM5-overexpressing adeno-associated virus was constructed and injected into the hippocampus by stereotaxic method.The expression level of ICAM5 protein in the hippocampus was detected by immunofluorescence and Western blot.We then detected the alcohol preference and locomotor activity of mice with a conditioned place preference(CPP)experiment,open field test,and loss-of-righting reflex test.Western blot analysis was used to identify the neuron F-actin/G-actin ratio.Using Golgi staining,the morphology of dendritic spines was identified.Results The expression of ICAM5 in the hippocampus of alcohol two-bottle choice model mice in the alcohol group was considerably lower than that of the water group(P＜0.001).The specific expression of ICAM5 in the hippocampus of mice was observed by fluorescence microscopy.In the open field experiment,the staying time and moving distance of the AAV-ICAM5 group were significantly increased compared with those of the control group(P＜0.01).In the CPP experiment,the residence time of AAV-ICAM5 mice in the alcohol-paired compartment was significantly lower than that of control mice(P＜0.001).In the loss-of-righting reflex experiment,overexpression of ICAM5 significantly reduced sedation latency(P＜0.01),but significantly shortened the duration of sedation(P＜0.001).Compared with AAV-mCherry+Water group,the ratio of F-actin/G-actin in the hippocampus was significantly increased after drinking(P＜0.01),but after ICAM5 overexpression,their F-actin/G-actin ratio was significantly decreased(P＜0.001).Compared with AAV-mCherry+Water group,the density of dendritic spines in the hippocampal CAI region was increased(P＜0.001),but the density of dendritic spines in the AAV-ICAM5+Alcohol group was significantly decreased(P＜0.01).Conclusions ICAM5 modulated the expression of cytoskeleton proteins to change the structural plasticity of dendritic spines,which contributed to alcohol-drinking and locomotor behavioral changes in mice.

Tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis,and the problem of its drug resistance has become increasingly prominent in recent years,attracting widespread attention globally.Currently,the situation of drug-resistant tuberculosis is grim,and effective strategies are urgently needed to deal with it.Understanding the drug resistance mechanism and treatment status of drug-resistant tuberculosis can provide an important basis for clinical prevention and treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis.This paper reviews the progress of drug resistance mechanism and treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis,in order to provide a reference for clinical intervention.

Objective To explore the value of multi-parameter spectral CT for differentiating grade G2-3 pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor(pNET)and pancreatic neuroendocrine carcinoma(pNEC).Methods Preoperative double-layer detector spectral CT(DLCT)data of 35 patients with pNET(pNET group,including 25 cases of G2 grade and 10 cases of G3 grade)and 17 patients with pNEC(pNEC group)were retrospectively analyzed.Conventional CT and spectral CT parameters were compared between groups,and those being significant different between groups according to univariate analysis were respectively incorporated into multivariate logistic regression to select the independent predictors for identifying grade G2-3 pNET and pNEC.Conventional CT model and spectral CT model were constructed,and the combined model was constructed based on the two.The efficacy of each model for distinguishing grade G2-3 pNET and pNEC was evaluated.Results CT values of lesions during venous phase(OR=0.939,P=0.025)and vascular invasion(OR=5.049,P=0.027)shown on conventional CT were both independent predictors,and conventional CT model was constructed,its area under the curve(AUC)for distinguishing grade G2-3 pNET and pNEC was 0.808.Normalized iodine concentration during venous phase(OR=0.603)and normalized effective atomic number during venous phase(OR=0.847)on spectral CT were both independent predictors(both P＜0.05),and spectral CT model was constructed.The AUC of spectral CT model was 0.894,higher than that of conventional CT model(Z=2.127,P=0.033).The AUC of combined model was 0.924,higher than that of conventional CT model(Z=2.302,P=0.021)but not significantly different with that of spectral CT model(Z=0.827,P=0.408).Conclusion Multi-parameter spectral CT could effectively differentiate grade G2-G3 grade pNET and pNEC.

Objective:To investigate the value of multimodal ultrasound features combined with peripheral blood inflammatory cell ratios in evaluating the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer.Methods:A total of 106 breast cancer patients diagnosed and treated with NAC at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from May 2021 to April 2024 were retrospectively collected, resulting in the conclusion of 61 patients (61 masses) in the study. All patients underwent multimodal ultrasound and peripheral blood routine examinations before NAC and after two cycles of NAC treatment. The patients were divided into a major histological response (MHR) group and a non-major histological response (NMHR) group as indicators for evaluating NAC efficacy. The differences in multimodal ultrasound features and inflammatory cell ratios before NAC and after two cycles of NAC treatment between the MHR and NMHR groups were compared. Binary logistic multivariate regression analysis was performed to determine the independent predictors of NAC efficacy in breast cancer. ROC curves were plotted to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of predicting NAC efficacy.Results:Among the 61 breast masses, 25 (40.98%) were in the MHR group, and 36 (59.02%) were in the NMHR group.Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis showed that the change rate of maximum tumor diameter after the second cycle (ΔD 2), change rate of vascular index after the second cycle (ΔVI 2), change rate of elastic strain ratio after the second cycle (ΔE-Strain 2), change rate of reverse imaging score after the second cycle (ΔI-imaging score 2), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) before NAC were independent predictors of NAC efficacy ( OR=1.145, P=0.019; OR=1.055, P=0.016; OR=1.036, P=0.033; OR=1.276, P=0.016; OR=1.054, P=0.047). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for the combined diagnosis of the above parameters was 0.928 (95% CI=0.866~0.990), with a sensitivity of 80.0% and a specificity of 91.7%. Conclusions:The combination of ΔD 2, ΔVI 2, ΔE-Strain 2, ΔI-imaging score 2 and PLR before NAC has high clinical application value for early prediction of NAC efficacy in breast cancer.