ObjectiveTo investigate the diagnostic accuracy and grading capability of ultrasound-derived fat fraction （UDFF）， controlled attenuation parameter （CAP）， and hepatic/renal ratio （HRR） in assessing hepatic steatosis in metabolic associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD） with magnetic resonance imaging-proton density fat fraction （MRI-PDFF） as the gold standard. MethodsA total of 150 patients with MAFLD who attended The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2023 to December 2024 were enrolled， and 148 healthy volunteers were recruited. All subjects underwent MRI-PDFF， UDFF， CAP， and HRR examinations. Hepatic steatosis was graded based on MRI-PDFF （S0：148 cases； S1：92 cases； S2：21 cases； S3：37 cases）， and the MAFLD patients with different grades of hepatic steatosis were compared in terms of UDFF， CAP， HRR， and clinical features. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups and the Tukey HSD test was used for further comparision between two groups； the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups， and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for further comparison between two groups； the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between UDFF， CAP， HRR， and MRI-PDFF in different grades of MAFLD； the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve was used to investigate the efficacy of UDFF， CAP， and HRR in the diagnosis of different degrees of hepatic steatosis in MAFLD； the Bland-Altman difference plot was used to analyze the consistency between UDFF and MRI-PDFF in different degrees of hepatic steatosis in MAFLD. ResultsUDFF measurement gradually increased with the increase in the grade of fatty liver （H=201.52，P0.001）. The Spearman correlation analysis showed that there was a strong correlation between any two indicators of UDFF， CAP， HRR， and MRI-PDFF in S1， S2， and S3 MAFLD （all P0.001）， with the strongest correlation between UDFF and MRI-PDFF （r_s1=0.884，r_s2=0.962，r_s3=0.929， all P0.001）. The ROC curve analysis showed that UDFF had a larger area under the ROC curve （AUC） than CAP and HRR in the graded diagnosis of S1 and S3 （all P0.05）， while in the diagnosis of S2 MAFLD， UDFF had a significantly larger AUC than HRR （P0.05） and a similar AUC to CAP （P0.05）. The Bland-Altman difference plot showed good consistency between UDFF and MRI-PDFF in different degrees of hepatic steatosis in MAFLD. ConclusionCompared with CAP and HRR， UDFF can accurately measure liver fat content and has good efficacy in identifying varying degrees of hepatic steatosis in MAFLD.

Iron metabolism is a critical factor in tumorigenesis and development. Although TP53 mutations are prevalent in glioblastoma (GBM), the mechanisms by which TP53 regulates iron metabolism remain elusive. We reveal an imbalance iron homeostasis in GBM via TCGA database analysis. TP53 mutations disrupted iron homeostasis in GBM, characterized by elevated total iron levels and reduced ferritin (FTH). The gain-of-function effect triggered by TP53 mutations upregulates itchy E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase (ITCH) protein expression in astrocytes, leading to FTH degradation and an increase in free iron levels. TP53-mut astrocytes were more tolerant to the high iron environment induced by exogenous ferric ammonium citrate (FAC), but the increase in intracellular free iron made them more sensitive to Erastin-induced ferroptosis. Interestingly, we found that Erastin combined with FAC treatment significantly increased ferroptosis. These findings provide new insights for drug development and therapeutic modalities for GBM patients with TP53 mutations from iron metabolism perspectives.
Ferroptosis/drug effects* ; Humans ; Iron/metabolism* ; Glioblastoma/metabolism* ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53/metabolism* ; Homeostasis/physiology* ; Ferritins/metabolism* ; Brain Neoplasms/genetics* ; Mutation ; Astrocytes/drug effects* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Piperazines/pharmacology* ; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds/pharmacology* ; Ferric Compounds

Otitis media is an infection of the middle ear mainly caused by bacteria, and current treatments rely heavily on antibiotics. However, the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains seriously affects their efficacy. In our study, we found that extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from human natural killer cells (NKs) inhibit the proliferation of both standard and levofloxacin (LVX)-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, compared to LVX, EVs were more effective at reducing effusion and rescuing hearing thresholds in animal models. For LVX-sensitive strains, EVs were significantly more effective in terms of curative time but not curative rate. For LVX-resistant strains, EVs were significantly more effective in terms of both curative rate and curative time when applied alone or applied jointly with LVX. In summary, we found that NK EVs are highly effective in treating otitis media, providing an alternative approach for treating this common disease.
Killer Cells, Natural/metabolism* ; Exosomes/metabolism* ; Animals ; Humans ; Otitis Media/therapy* ; Staphylococcus aureus/drug effects* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology* ; Levofloxacin/pharmacology*

ObjectiveTo investigate the menstrual conditions of women infected with COVID-19 in Shanghai and analyze the influencing factors. MethodsFrom December 2022 to March 2023， menstrual data from 281 women infected with COVID-19 in Shanghai were collected with a questionnaire survey， including usual menstrual characteristics， the most recent menstrual period post-infection， symptoms of infection， and medication usage. According to the crossover period between the menstrual period and the infection period of the respondents， the samples were divided into two groups for comparative analysis： those whose menstrual and infection periods overlapped （positive group） and those whose menstruation started after conversion to virus-negative （negative conversion group）. ResultsAmong the 281 respondents， 196 （65.8%） experienced menstrual changes. Among them， 145 （51.6%） had changes in menstrual volume， color and texture， and 109 （38.8%） had changes in menstrual duration or cycle. Decreased menstrual volume （22.1%）， darker color （23.49%）， thicker texture （21.0%）， increased blood clots （16.7%）， and prolonged duration （21.8%） were observed in both groups. The rate of changes in menstrual volume， color， and texture was higher in the positive group （56.8%， 69/110） than that in negative group （37.3%， 76/171） （P<0.05）. Regarding the menstrual cycle changes， the rate of early onset was higher in the positive group （14.5%） compared to the negative conversion group （3.5%）（P<0.05）， while the rate of delayed menstruation was higher in the negative conversion group （25.1%） than that in the positive group （5.5%） （P<0.05）. Correlation analysis showed a weak association between sore throat and menstrual changes （r=0.154， P<0.05）. ConclusionSome women infected with COVID-19 experience short-term changes in their menstrual conditions， characterized by reduced volume， darker color， thick texture， increased clots， and prolonged menstrual duration， reflecting a pathogenesis of blood stasis. Menstruation during the infection period tends to occur earlier， while delayed menstruation is more prevalent at post-conversion.

Objective: To explore the feasibility of remotely obtaining complex information on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pulse conditions through voice signals. Methods: We used multi-label pulse conditions as the entry point and modeled and analyzed TCM pulse diagnosis by combining voice analysis and machine learning. Audio features were extracted from voice recordings in the TCM pulse condition dataset. The obtained features were combined with information from tongue and facial diagnoses. A multi-label pulse condition voice classification DNN model was built using 10-fold cross-validation, and the modeling methods were validated using publicly available datasets. Results: The analysis showed that the proposed method achieved an accuracy of 92.59% on the public dataset. The accuracies of the three single-label pulse manifestation models in the test set were 94.27%, 96.35%, and 95.39%. The absolute accuracy of the multi-label model was 92.74%. Conclusion Voice data analysis may serve as a remote adjunct to the TCM diagnostic method for pulse condition assessment.

Objective The MMV-Net,a deep learning framework based on mammogram multiple views,was constructed to evaluate the classification performance of the model for benign and malignant masses.Methods A retrospective analysis was conduc-ted on a dataset of 1 585 breast X-ray images from Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital from 2018 to 2020,including 806 be-nign cases and 779 malignant cases.The dataset was divided into the training set(n=1268)and the test set(n=317)according to an 8∶2 ratios,and the training set was stratified according to the 5-fold cross validation.The integrated DDSM dataset and INBreast dataset were used as external test sets(n=1645)to evaluate the model performance.Each case in the input layer contained 4 views.The MMV-Net model was constructed by removing the last two layers of the ResNet22 network structure and adding an average poo-ling layer as the feature extraction layer,as well as fully connection layer and softmax activation function as the decision layers.Bayes-ian hyperparameter optimization was used.The performance of MMV-Net,MFA Net,and ensemble inception V4 models in AUC val-ues,accuracy,precision,recall and F1 scores were compared.Results The AUC values of MMV-Net model for distinguishing benign and malignant masses on the test set were 0.913,0.882 for MFA-Net,and 0.865 for inception V4.The accuracy and precision evalu-ation metrics of the MMV-Net model were also higher than the other two models.Conclusion The deep learning MMV-Net model based on multiple views of mammogram is helpful for the classification of benign and malignant breast masses.

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of bromodomain-containing protein 2(BRD2)on regulation of antitumor immunity,and to explore a novel target for immunotherapy.Methods The REMBRANDT glioma database and GlioVis and TIMER websites were used to compare the expression levels of BRD2 in tumor tissues and normal ones.The correlations between BRD2 expression levels and the prognosis of patients with glioblastoma multiforme(GBM)and those between BRD2 expression levels and immune cell infiltration in GBM were studied.The interference plasmid targeting the BRD2 gene was constructed.The lentivirus was packaged and used to infect murine glioma cells GL261.The positive cells were screened with blasticidin for 6 days,and the expression level of BRD2 protein was detected by Western blot.The CellTiter-Glo kit was used to detect the cell viability of GL261 cells after BRD2 knockdown,which were transplanted into the subcutaneous tissue of C57BL/6J mice to form subcutaneous tumors.The tumor volume was measured periodically.Twenty-eight days after tumor inoculation,the tumors were removed and tumor cells isolated.The infiltration of CD8+T cells within the subcutaneous tumor tissue was analyzed using flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry.Results BRD2 was highly expressed in a variety of tumor tissues.The prognosis of glioma patients with high BRD2 expressions was poor,and the BRD2 expression level was negatively correlated with CD8+T cell infiltration in the tumor.The growth rate of subcutaneously transplanted GL261 tumor cells after BRD2 knockdown was decelerated,and the infiltration level of CD8+T cells in subcutaneous tumor tissue was increased.Conclusion BRD2 over-expression inhibits the infiltration of CD8+T cells in GBM tumors and promotes the growth of tumors.

Objective:To explore the current situation and influencing factors of health literacy of postoperative lung cancer patients, so as to provide a basis for the development of relevant interventions.Methods:Using the convenient sampling method, a total of 200 postoperative lung cancer patients who came to Shanxi Provincial Cancer Hospital for follow-up from March to November 2023 were selected as the research objects. The survey was conducted using Health Literacy Management Scale (HeLMS), Family APGAR Index and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors.Results:In this study, a total of 200 questionnaires were sent out and 186 were valid, with an effective recovery rate of 93%. The total scores of HeLMS, CD-RISC and Family APGAR Index were (73.11±19.12), (48.46±10.72) and (5.07±2.82) in 186 postoperative lung cancer patients. Age, education level, complicity of other chronic diseases, psychological resilience and family care were the factors influencing health literacy of postoperative lung cancer patients ( P<0.05), which could explain 32.8% of the variation. Conclusions:Clinical medical staff should pay more attention to patients with postoperative lung cancer patients who are older, less educated and not complicated with other chronic diseases, and take certain intervention measures to improve the degree of family care and psychological resilience of patients, so as to improve the health literacy of patients.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of children with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) combined with thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), and clarify the clinical outcomes and related risk factors of pediatric patients through their treatment and follow-up.Methods:This was a single-center retrospective case-control study. Children diagnosed with SLE combined with TMA between January 2017 and January 2023 at Beijing Children′s Hospital, Capital Medical University, were selected as the TMA group, and SLE children without TMA were selected as the control group.According to the prognosis, children in the TMA group were further divided into the good prognosis group and the poor prognosis group.The data of the children were collected, including age, gender, SLE disease activity, clinical presentations at the time of diagnosis and at the time of thrombosis, laboratory examinations, treatment strategies, prognosis, and follow-up results.The chi-square test and Z-test were used for comparison of count data.The t-test was used for comparison of metrological pairing data.The Fisher′s exact test was used to compare the differences between the 2 groups in categorical variables.The univariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of poor prognosis. Results:There were 29 cases in the TMA group, and the incidence of TMA accounted for 2.53% of SLE patients; 33 cases were in the control group.The age at diagnosis of TMA was 13 years and 5 months (ranging from 9 years, 1 month and 5 days to 17 years and 4 months).The common clinical manifestations in order of prevalence were renal involvement (28 cases, 96.55%), hematologic involvement (26 cases, 89.66%), serous effusion (17 cases, 58.62%), rash (13 cases, 44.82%), and neurologic involvement (12 cases, 41.38%).Pleurisy or pericarditis, renal involvement and neurological involvement occurred more often in the TMA group than in the control group (17 cases vs.3 cases, 28 cases vs.10 cases, 12 cases vs.3 cases), and the TMA group showed less facial rash and arthritis than the control group (13 cases vs.25 cases, 4 cases vs.17 cases), and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05).The Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index score in the TMA group [(24.14±9.42) scores] was significantly higher than that in the control group [(10.18±9.42) scores], and the difference was statistically significant ( t=3.233, P<0.05).The hemoglobin level, platelet count, and complement C3 level of the children in the TMA group were significantly lower than those in the control group, whereas the double stranded DNA antibody, lactate dehydrogenase, D-dimer, urea, creatinine, ferritin level, and urine protein quantitation were significantly higher than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05).In the TMA group, 5 cases had decreased ADAMTS13 activity, and 5 cases had significantly increased complement C5b9.A total of 15 cases (51.72%) in the TMA group underwent renal biopsy, and 13 of them had combined renal TMA.In the TMA group, 28 patients (96.6%) received hormone therapy, 17 patients received plasma exchange, and 12 patients were treated with immunosuppressants and biologics; 19 patients (65.5%) improved, and 10 patients (34.5%) gave up the treatment due to deterioration of the disease.The urea level and peripheral blood fragmented erythrocyte rate in the good prognosis group were significantly lower than those in the poor prognosis group [(13.18±4.39) mmol/L vs.(21.16±10.14) mmol/L, t=2.975, P=0.006; 8/17 (47.06%) vs.7/7 (100%), χ2=5.929, P=0.015].The univariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the fragmented erythrocyte, ADAMTS13 activity and urea were the independent risk factors for poor prognosis (all P<0.05). Conclusions:SLE patients with moderate-to-severe disease activity, especially children with hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and renal dysfunction as prominent manifestations, should be alert to the risk of TMA.Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of pediatric patients with Beh?et′s disease.Methods:The clinical characteristics of 86 newly diagnosed children with Beh?et′s disease admitted to the rheumatology department of Beijing Children′s Hospital from July 2015 to December 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. Statistical product and service solutions (SPSS) 26 was used for statistical analysis. The normal distribution of measurement data is expressed in Mean± SD, and the non normaldistribution of measurement data was expressed in median(minimum, maximum). The counting data was expressed in frequency (cases) and percentage. Results:There was no gender difference in the incidence of Beh?et′s disease in 86 children.The age of onset was 0.1~15.9 years, with an average of (7±4) years, and the age of diagnosis was 1.3~16.6 years, with an average of (10±4) years.The course of disease from onset to diagnosis was 0.5~168 months, with a median course of 21 months. Among 86 cases, 52 cases (60.5%) showed the most common oral ulcer at the onset, followed by 19 cases (22.1%) with fever. In terms of clinical manifestations: the most common clinical manifestation was oral ulcer in 82 cases (95.3%), followed by fever in 58 cases (67.4%), and gastrointestinal symptoms in 44 cases (51.2%). The common manifestation of digestive system involvement was abdominal pain and diarrhea. Ten cases (11.6%) had ocular symptoms, 13 cases (15.3%) had vascular involvement, and 3 cases (3.5%) had pulmonary involvement. Fourteen cases (16.2%) had family history. Fourty seven patients (54.7%) had elevated leukocyte, 65 patients (75.6%) had elevated CRP and 72 patients (83.7%) had elevated ESR.Conclusion:Beh?et′s disease in children is usually insidious in onset and infants may suffer from this disease. Oral ulcer is the most common clinical manifestation, followed by fever. For patients with fever of unknown cause, Beh?et′s disease should be noted. In terms of involvement of important organs, digestive tract involvement is more common in childhood, followed by large blood vessels and eyes.