Objective To investigate the prevalence of thyroid nodules in the physical examination population in Mianyang region and analyze its association with metabolic syndrome. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 9 978 individuals who underwent health examinations at our hospital from January 2024 to May 2025. Thyroid examinations were performed using color Doppler ultrasound to analyze the prevalence of thyroid nodules in this population. Clinical data of all subjects were collected, and logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the association between metabolic syndrome and the risk of thyroid nodule development. Results The prevalence of thyroid nodules in the physical examination population of Mianyang region was 17.98% (1 794/9 978). The logistic regression results showed that after adjusting for gender, age, BMI, occupation, consumption of non-iodized salt, staying up late, daily sleep duration, anxiety, and depression, metabolic syndrome (OR=6.593, 95% CI: 3.961-10.975) was associated with thyroid nodules (P<0.05). Conclusion The prevalence of thyroid nodules among the physical examination population in the Mianyang area is 17.98%, and metabolic syndrome remains associated with the risk of thyroid nodules after effectively controlling for confounding factors.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in discriminating fumarate hydratase-deficient (FH-d) uterine leiomyomas (ULs) from FH-preserved ULs. Materials and Methods: This study consisted of three stages, with independent cohorts recruited for each stage: 1) sample-size estimation was retrospectively performed on UL specimens (diameter ≥3 cm; age, 20–40 years) from our database with immunohistochemistry (IHC) for 2-succinocysteine (2-SC) as the reference, without genetic testing, 2) MRS sequence optimization in confirmed FH germline mutation participants with ultrasound-detected ULs (diameter ≥3 cm), without IHC analysis, and 3) prospective diagnostic test accuracy was evaluated in consecutive participants with ultrasound-detected ULs (diameter ≥3 cm;age, 20–40 years), using IHC for 2-SC for determining the FH status and subsequent genetic testing in those with positive 2-SC results to identify whether FH mutations were germline or somatic in origin. The choline and fumarate peaks in MRS were classified as positive, negative, or technical failure (TF). TFs were analyzed separately and excluded from the primary diagnostic accuracy calculations. T1-, T2-, and diffusion-weighted images were interpreted as hyperintense or hypointense. The enhancement rate and apparent diffusion coefficient were also acquired. Diagnostic performance was compared between MRS and various magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features. Results: The optimal MRS parameters for the fumarate peak were echo time (TE) = 140 ms and an average of 256. Among the 360 prospective participants, 37 were confirmed to have FH-dULs. MRS showed positive fumarate peaks in 35 of 37 FH-dULs.After excluding six TFs, the positive fumarate peak on MRS showed 94.6% (35/37) sensitivity, 99.7% (316/317) specificity, and 99.2% (351/354) accuracy, all of which were significantly superior to those of other MRI features (P ≤ 0.002). Conclusion A positive fumarate peak on MRS may be a useful imaging biomarker for diagnosing FH-dULs.

Objective To evaluate the effect of health education based on the transtheoretical model on pulmonary rehabilitation exercise in elderly outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD).Methods From January 2022 to April 2023,118 COPD patients from the internal medicine outpatient clinic of Beijing Tongren Hospital,Capital Medical University,were selected as study subjects and randomly divided in-to a control group and observation group using a random number table,with 59 patients in each group;the control group received routine health education,while the intervention group received health education guided by the transtheoretical model on top of the control group's regimen,with different health education strategies provided according to the patients'behavioral stages,and comparisons were made between the two groups be-fore and after the intervention in terms of quality of life,pulmonary function,blood gas analysis,inflammatory factors,modified Medical Research Council(mMRC)dyspnea scale,and 6-minute walk test(6MWD).Results After the intervention,there were statistically significant differences between the two groups in scores on the Short Form-36 Health Survey(SF-36),forced expiratory volume in one second(FEV1),percent-age of predicted forced expiratory volume in one second(FEV1%pred),partial pressure of oxygen(PaO2),levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α),C-reactive protein(CRP),interleukin-6(IL-6),mMRC score,and 6MWD(P<0.05).Conclusion Health education guided by the transtheoretical model has significant ap-plication value in elderly outpatients with COPD and is worthy of further promotion in clinical practice.

Objective To investigate the correlations of serum stromal cell-derived factor-1(SDF-1),chemokine receptor 7(CXCR7)and vascular density in the optic disc area with clinical stages in patients with normal-tension glaucoma(NTG).Methods A total of 157 patients with NTG were included in the NTG group and divided into stage Ⅰ group(n=29),stage Ⅱ group(n=88),and stage Ⅲ group(n=40)based on different clinical stages;additionally,56 healthy individuals with physical examinations in the same period were selected as control group.Serum SDF-1 and CXCR7 levels were compared between the NTG group and the control group;changes in vascular den-sity in the optic disc area among patients with different clinical stages were analyzed;the multivariate Logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore the risk factors for NTG.Results Compared with the control group,the NTG group had significantly increased serum levels of SDF-1 and CXCR7(P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,patients in the NTG group showed significantly decreased densities of large vessels,capillaries,and the entire area,as well as significantly increased density of avascular areas(P＜0.05).The densities of capillaries and the entire area were significantly lower in the stage Ⅱ group and stage Ⅲ group than the stage Ⅰ group,while the density of avascu-lar areas was significantly higher(P＜0.05).The densities of large vessels(r=-0.503,P=0.006),capillaries(r=-0.546,P＜0.001),and the entire area(r=-0.553,P＜0.001)were negatively significantly correlated with clinical stages,while the density of avascular area was positively significantly correlated with clinical stages(r=0.521,P=0.002).The proportions of patients with hypertension,history of alcohol consumption,family history of glaucoma,and high ser-um levels of SDF-1 and CXCR7 in the NTG group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that hypertension,family histo-ry of glaucoma,history of alcohol consumption,and high serum levels of SDF-1 and CXCR7 were risk factors for NTG(P＜0.05).Conclusion Patients with NTG have significantly increased ser-um levels of SDF-1 and CXCR7.The densities of large vessels,capillaries,and the entire area are negatively correlated with clinical stages,while the density of avascular areas is positively correlated with clinical stages.Serum levels of SDF-1 and CXCR7 can serve as effective reference indicators for the diagnosis and clinical staging of NTG.

Objective:To investigate the effects of psychological state on the setup errors of radiotherapy for breast cancer patients.Methods:A prospective cohort study was conducted. A total of 193 breast cancer patients in Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College from October 2022 to May 2023 were selected. Radiotherapy was performed after fixation with an integrated multi-functional device for the head, chest and abdomen. Psychological status of patients was assessed by using 9-item health questionnaire (PHQ-9) and generalized anxiety disorder 7 self-rating scale (GAD-7) before first radiotherapy, the 10th radiotherapy and the last radiotherapy. Based on the results of the questionnaires, patients were divided into psychological problem (anxiety or depression) group and non-psychological problem group. The general data and setup errors of radiotherapy in both groups were compared.Results:All the 193 patients were female, with a median age of 47 years. There were 53 patients in psychological problem group and they underwent a total of 507 image-guided procedures, with setup errors [ M ( Q1, Q3)] of 0.18 (0.07, 0.33), 0.20 (0.10, 0.33) and 0.19 (0.09, 0.30) in the left-right (X), superior-inferior (Y), and anterior-posterior (Z) directions, respectively; the remaining 140 patients in non-psychological problem group underwent 1 240 image-guided procedures, with setup errors [ M ( Q1, Q3)]of 0.17 (0.08, 0.30), 0.20 (0.10, 0.30) and 0.18 (0.09, 0.28) in the X, Y, and Z directions, respectively, and the differences were statistically significant ( Z values were -3.78, -2.00; P < 0.001, P = 0.046). Conclusions:Anxiety and depression have an influence on the setup errors of radiotherapy in patients with breast cancer. In the processs of radiotherapy for breast cancer, it is important to pay attention to the psychological status of patients.

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are being widely applied in radiotherapy. However, the integration of AI into clinical workflows of radiotherapy faces a series of challenges, such as poor model interpretability, domain shifts between clinical application and training data, and the inherent model uncertainties. Therefore, case-specific quality assurance (QA) is essential before deploying AI models in clinical practice. This paper reviews and summarizes QA methodologies for the application of AI models in radiotherapy across four key areas: image registration, image generation, region of interest segmentation, and treatment planning.

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Reducing intraocular pressure through surgical interventions is a crucial approach for managing open-angle glaucoma(OAG). In recent years, minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries(MIGS)have gained prominence, providing a lot of options for the treatment of glaucoma. MIGS that target the trabecular meshwork-Schlemm's canal pathway act on the main pathway of aqueous humor outflow with less damage to the normal anatomical structures of the eye, and are gradually becoming the mainstream procedures. These surgeries can be categorized into three main types based on their mechanisms of action: trabeculotomy, trabecular meshwork bypass, and Schlemm's canal dilation. Representative procedures and devices include gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy(GATT), microcatheter-assisted trabeculotomy(MAT), Trabectome, kahook dual blade(KDB), tanito microhook(TMH), excimer laser trabeculotomy(ELT), iStent series, Hydrus, ABiC, PCP and 3T procedures. This article reviews the current literature on the application of MIGS targeting the trabecular meshwork-Schlemm's canal pathway in OAG. It aims to discuss the principles, efficacy and safety of such MIGS for the treatment of OAG, and to summarize the advantages and disadvantages of each procedure, with a view to informing the choice of surgical treatment and clinical research for OAG.

Infectious chronic refractory wounds are common in the department of dermatology,and have a great influence on the quality of life of patients.Their incidence is increasing year by year.The pathogensis of infectious chronic refractory wounds is due to the exuberance of pathogenic heat and toxin,disharmony between nutritive qi and defensive qi,and imbalance of zang-fu organs,which is related with the theory of qi-fluid and sweat pores.Therefore,it is proposed that stagnation and obstruction of sweat pores contribute to the pathological basis for the onset of infectious chronic refractory wounds,and therapeutic principle of opening sweat pores was presented.In the medication view of treating the skin diseases with the skin-related Chinese medicinals,skin-related Chinese medicinals are good at treating skin diseases,and consequently the application of skin-related Chinese medicinals to open sweat in treating infectious chronic refractory wounds was discussed.It is suggested that for the treatment of infectious chronic refractory wounds due to pathogenic fire-toxin accumulation in sweat pores,therapy of clearing heat and expelling fire to open sweat pores should be exployed,and skin-related Chinese medicinals such as Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex,Dictamni Cortex and Fraxini Cortex can be selected;for the treatment of infectious chronic refractory wounds due to blood-stasis stagnation in sweat pores,therapy of cooling and activating blood to open sweat pores should be exployed,and skin-related Chinese medicinals such as Moutan Cortex and Lycii Cortex can be selected;for the treatment of infectious chronic refractory wounds due to wind and dampness obstructing sweat pores,therapy of expelling wind and eliminating dampness to unblock sweat pores should be exployed,and skin-related Chinese medicinals such as Acanthopanacis Cortex,Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium,and Poriae Cutis can be selected;for the treatment of infectious chronic refractory wounds due to healthy qi deficiency resulting in the obstruction of sweat pores,therapy of invigorating spleen and tonifying kidney to nourish sweat pores should be exployed,and skin-related Chinese medicinals such as Cinnamomi Cortex,Eucommiae Cortex,and black soybean testa(Testa Glycinea Macids)can be chosen.Guided by the theory of qi-fluid and sweat pores,this paper explored the application of skin-related Chinese medicinals in the treating infectious chronic refractory wounds,which provides theoretical basis for such an approach,enriches the theory of traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of infectious chronic refractory wounds,and expands the clinical application of the theory of sweat pores.

Natural killer cells(NK)are important innate immune cells that do not require prior antigen exposure and can directly recognize and attack virus-infected cells and tumor cells.The activation and effector functions of NK cells are regulated by a balance of signals delivered through their surface activating receptors and inhibitory re-ceptors,which bind to ligands on target cells to achieve cytotoxicity via"induced self"and"missing self"recogni-tion models.The killing mechanisms of NK cells primarily include release of cytotoxic granules such as perforin and granzymes to induce target cell lysis,death receptor-mediated apoptosis,secretion of various cytokines,chemokines and growth factors to coordinate with other immune cells in killing tumor cells,thereby generating secondary im-mune responses and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity(ADCC).

BACKGROUND: Primary pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma (PMEC) is an exceedingly rare malignancy originating from bronchial submucosal glands, accounting for <0.2% of lung cancers. Histologically characterized by a triphasic composition of mucinous, epidermoid, and intermediate cells, PMEC is classified into low-grade (favorable prognosis) and high-grade (aggressive behavior) subtypes. This study aimed to investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic indicators of PMEC. METHODS: Clinicopathological, radiological, molecular, and survival data from 26 PMEC patients were retrospectively analyzed, including immunohistochemical profiles and MAML2 rearrangement status, supplemented by literature review. RESULTS: The cohort comprised 14 males and 12 females (mean age: 55.6 years). Eight patients (30.8%) were smokers, and 19 (73.1%) presented with symptoms. Central tumors predominated (n=19, 73.1%) versus peripheral lesions (n=7, 26.9%). Computed tomography (CT) imaging consistently revealed hypo-to-isodense masses/nodules. Pathologically, 19 cases were low-grade and 7 high-grade. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were positive for CK7, P40, P63 and CK5/6, and the Ki-67 index ranged from 2% to 70%. MAML2 rearrangement was detected in 52.4% (11/21) of tested cases. Clinical staging distribution: stage I (n=14), stage II (n=8), stage III (n=3), stage IV (n=1). Treatment modalities: radical surgery alone (n=13), surgery with adjuvant chemotherapy (n=11), chemoradiotherapy (n=1), and conservative management (n=1). With a median follow-up of 57 months, 6 patients (23.1%) died. Prognostic analysis demonstrated: (1) Significantly inferior survival in high-grade versus low-grade groups (P<0.05); (2) Lymph node metastasis, advanced stage, Ki-67>20%, and high-grade histology significantly correlated with reduced overall survival (P<0.05); (3) Lymph node metastasis constituted an independent poor prognostic factor (HR=12.73, 95%CI: 1.22-132.96). CONCLUSIONS PMEC exhibits distinct clinicopathological features, with MAML2 rearrangement present in approximately half of cases. Lymph node metastasis, advanced stage, high Ki-67 proliferation index, and high-grade histology are key determinants of poor prognosis, with lymph node metastasis serving as an independent risk factor.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Carcinoma, Mucoepidermoid/mortality* ; Lung Neoplasms/mortality* ; Trans-Activators/genetics* ; Prognosis ; Adult ; Gene Rearrangement ; Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Transcription Factors/genetics* ; DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics*