Objective To establish an individualized nomogram model and evaluate its efficacy to provide a possible evaluation basis for the prognosis of lower third and abdominal part of oesophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Methods Lower third and abdominal part of EAC patients from 2010 to 2015 were chosen from the SEER Research Plus Database (17 Regs, 2022nov sub). The patients were randomly allocated to the training cohort and the internal validation cohort with a ratio of 7∶3 using bootstrap resampling. The Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to determine significant contributors to overall survival (OS) in EAC patients, which would be elected to construct the nomogram prediction model. C-index, calibration curve and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were performed to evaluate its efficacy. Finally, the efficacy to evaluate the OS of EAC patients was compared between the nomogram prediction model and TNM staging system. Results In total, 3945 patients with lower third and abdominal part of EAC were enrolled, including 3475 males and 470 females with a median age of 65 (57-72) years. The 2761 patients were allocated to the training cohort and the remaining 1184 patients to the internal validation cohort. In the training and the internal validation cohorts, the C-index of the nomogram model was 0.705 and 0.713, respectively. Meanwhile, the calibration curve also suggested that the nomogram model had a strong capability of predicting 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates of EAC patients. The nomogram also had a higher efficacy than the TNM staging system in predicting 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates of EAC patients. Conclusion This nomogram prediction model has a high efficiency for predicting OS in the patients with lower third and abdominal part of EAC, which is higher than that of the current TNM staging system.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is intricately linked to the most severe clinical manifestations of brain damage. It encompasses dynamic pathological mechanisms, including hemodynamic disorders, excitotoxic injury, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, and neuronal death. This review provides a comprehensive analysis and summary of biomaterial-based tissue engineering scaffolds and nano-drug delivery systems. As an example of functionalized biomaterials, nano-drug delivery systems alter the pharmacokinetic properties of drugs. They provide multiple targeting strategies relying on factors such as morphology and scale, magnetic fields, pH, photosensitivity, and enzymes to facilitate the transport of therapeutics across the blood-brain barrier and to promote selective accumulation at the injury site. Furthermore, therapeutic agents can be incorporated into bioscaffolds to interact with the biochemical and biophysical environment of the brain. Bioscaffolds can mimic the extracellular matrix environment, regulate cellular interactions, and increase the effectiveness of local treatments following surgical interventions. Additionally, stem cell-based and exosome-dominated extracellular vesicle carriers exhibit high bioreactivity and low immunogenicity and can be used to design therapeutic agents with high bioactivity. This review also examines the utilization of endogenous bioactive materials in the treatment of TBI.

The protein kinase A/protein kinase G/protein kinase C-family (AGC kinase family) of eukaryotes is involved in regulating numerous biological processes. The 3-phosphoinositide- dependent protein kinase 1 (PDK1), is a conserved serine/threonine kinase in eukaryotes. To understand the roles of PDK1 homologous genes in cell death and immunity in tetraploid Nicotiana tabacum, the previuosly generated transgenic CRISPR/Cas9 lines, in which 5-7 alleles of the 4 homologous PDK1 genes (NtPDK1a/1b/1c/1d homologs) simultaneously knocked out, were used in this study. Our results showed that the hypersensitive response (HR) triggered by transient overexpression of active Pto (Pto^Y207D) or soybean GmMEKK1 was significantly delayed, whereas the resistance to Pseudomonas syrangae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst DC3000) and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) was significantly elevated in these partial knockout lines. The elevated resistance to Pst DC3000 and TMV was correlated with the elevated activation of NtMPK6, NtMPK3, and NtMPK4. Taken together, our results indicated that NtPDK1s play a positive role in cell death but a positive role in disease resistance, likely through negative regulation of the MAPK signaling cascade.
Nicotiana/virology* ; Disease Resistance/genetics* ; Plant Diseases/immunology* ; Plants, Genetically Modified/genetics* ; Gene Knockout Techniques ; Plant Proteins/genetics* ; CRISPR-Cas Systems ; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics* ; 3-Phosphoinositide-Dependent Protein Kinases/genetics* ; Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Acetyl-Transferring Kinase ; Tobacco Mosaic Virus/pathogenicity*

AIM: To identify the primary active components and underlying mechanisms of Yijing Decoction(YJD)in treating early diabetic retinopathy(DR)based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and network pharmacology.METHODS: Active components of YJD were characterized through LC-MS. Components with optimal ADME(absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion)properties were selected as key bioactive candidates. Network pharmacology approaches were employed to predict YJD-DR therapeutic targets. Protein-protein interaction(PPI)networks, gene ontology(GO)enrichment analysis, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway analysis were subsequently conducted to predict core targets and networks. Critical targets and pathways were experimentally validated through Western blot.RESULTS: Ten core therapeutic targets were identified, including TNF, Alb, EGFR, STAT3, PTGS2, ESR1, PPAR, MMP9, TLR4, and MAPK. YJD was related to cancer-related signaling, fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis, and neurodegenerative diseases, encompassing key biological processes such as inflammatory response regulation, programmed cell death activation, and enhanced cell migration. Furthermore, Western blot analysis confirmed that YJD significantly inhibited high glucose-induced phosphorylation of STAT3(P-STAT3/STAT3)and ERK(P-ERK/ERK)in rat retinal microvascular endothelial cells.CONCLUSION: This study revealed YJD's pharmacodynamical basis and its multi-component, multi-target, and multi-paths pharmacology. YJD exerts therapeutic effects on DR by coordinately regulating critical signaling pathways and alleviating intraocular inflammation, thus preserving retinal vascular endothelial cells, maintaining blood-retinal barrier integrity, and facilitating retinal neurovascular repair.

The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in regulating energy metabolism and obesity progression through mechanisms involving short-chain fatty acid and bile acid metabolism pathways. Obese individuals often exhibit gut microbiota dysbiosis, which can influence lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity through microbial metabolites and signaling mechanisms. Dietary, pharmaceutical, and bariatric metabolism surgery can modulate the gut microbial, strongly correlating with weight reduction and metabolic benefits. Emerging microbiome-modulating strategies, such as probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation, can restore microbial homeostasis and improve bile acid processing, but results differ among people. Moreover, the structural specificity of dietary fibers enables targeted microbial modulation, which provide new perspectives for developing anti-obesity therapies. This review summarizes the mechanisms of interaction between gut microbiota and the host and the clinical research progress in obesity intervention.

Obesity has become a major global public health issue,and the situation in China is also becoming increasingly severe.Adipose tissue is categorized into white adipose tissue(WAT)and brown adipose tissue(BAT),which regulates metabolic homeostasis by secreting various adipokines.Mitochondria,as the core organelles of energy metabolism,its dysfunction are closely related to obesity.In the state of obesity,mitochondrial dynamics imbalance,oxidative stress,and metabolic dysfunction can all lead to energy metabolism disorders and adipose tissue dysfunction.Moreover,mitochondrial dysfunction not only affects adipose tissue but also extends to multiple organs such as muscles and livers,thereby exacerbating obesity and related metabolic diseases.In recent years,although numerous therapeutic strategies targeting mitochondrial dysfunction have been actively explored,their clinical translation faces challenges.This review explores the association between mitochondrial dysfunction in adipose tissue and obesity,analyses its mechanism and existing treatment strategies,aiming to provide a new perspective for the diagnosis and treatment of obesity.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effectiveness of three internal fixation methods, namely hollow screw combined with Kirschner wire tension band, hollow screw combined with anchor nail, and modified 1/3 tubular steel plate, in the treatment of avulsion fracture of tibial tubercle (AFTT) in adolescents. METHODS: Between January 2018 and September 2023, 19 adolescent AFTT patients who met the selection criteria were admitted. According to different internal fixation methods, patients were divided into group A (8 cases, hollow screw combined with Kirschner wire tension band), group B (6 cases, hollow screw combined with anchor nail), and group C (5 cases, modified 1/3 tubular steel plate). There was no significant difference in the baseline data of age, gender, side, cause of injury, Ogden classification, and time from injury to operation among the three groups ( P>0.05). The range of motion (ROM), weight-bearing time, normal activity time of knee joint, and the hospital for special surgery (HSS) score at last follow-up were recorded and compared among the three groups. Recorded whether the fracture was displaced, whether the fracture line was blurred at 1 month after operation, whether there was epiphyseal dysplasia, and whether there was incision infection and other complications. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in hospital stay between the groups ( P>0.05). All patients were followed up 10-24 months, with an average of 14.3 months; there was no significant difference between the groups ( P>0.05). All the incisions healed well without soft tissue irritation or fracture nonunion, and no limb shortening deformity or epiphyseal dysplasia was found during follow-up. At 1 month after operation, the knee joint ROM and hospitalization expenses in group A were better than those in groups B and C, the fracture healing time, knee joint weight-bearing time, and normal activity time of knee joint were better than those in group C, and the hospitalization expenses in group C were better than those in group B, with significant differences ( P<0.05); there was no significant difference in the other indicators between the groups ( P>0.05). In group A, the fracture line was blurred 1 month postoperatively, the fracture ends were in close contact, and there was no fracture displacement; in groups B and C, the fracture line was clear in 2 cases, and 1 case in group C had slight fracture displacement; except for 1 case in group B, there was no fracture split in the other two groups. There was no significant difference in the incidences of blur of fracture line, fracture displacement, and intraoperative bone split between the groups at 1 month after operation ( P>0.05). At last follow-up, the HSS scores of knee joints in the three groups were excellent and good, and there was no significant difference between the groups ( P>0.05). CONCLUSION Hollow screw combined with Kirschner wire tension band technique is effective in treating adolescent AFTT, which has the advantages of stabilizing fracture, accelerating fracture healing and rehabilitation, early feasible knee joint functional exercise, and reducing hospitalization expenses.
Humans ; Tibial Fractures/surgery* ; Adolescent ; Male ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/instrumentation* ; Female ; Fractures, Avulsion/surgery* ; Bone Wires ; Bone Screws ; Bone Plates ; Treatment Outcome ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Bone Nails ; Weight-Bearing ; Fracture Healing

OBJECTIVE: To explore effectiveness of intermediate screw assisted reduction and fixation technique in the treatment of Schatzker type Ⅴ and Ⅵ tibial plateau fractures. METHODS: A clinical data of 22 patients with Schatzker type Ⅴ and Ⅵ tibial plateau fractures, who were admitted between June 2022 and December 2023 and met the selection criteria, was retrospectively analyzed. During operation, the intermediate screw assisted reduction and fixation technique was used. There were 14 males and 8 females with an average age of 46.3 years (range, 17-65 years). The fractures were caused by traffic accident in 13 cases, by falls in 5 cases, and by falling from height in 4 cases. According to Schatzker classification criteria, 9 cases were type Ⅴ and 13 cases were type Ⅵ. The interval between injury and operation was 5-12 days (mean, 7.9 days). The operation time, intraoperative fluoroscopy times, and length of hospital stay were recorded. The range of motion of knee joint and Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score were recorded at last follow-up. X-ray films were taken to review the fracture healing. Rasmussen score, tibial plateau varus angle (TPVA), and posterior tibial slope (PTS) were estimated before operation, at immediate after operation, and at last follow-up in order to evaluate the fracture reduction effect and postoperative outcome. RESULTS: The operation time was 85-140 minutes (mean, 103.9 minutes). Intraoperative fluoroscopy was performed 7-15 times (mean, 10.1 times). All incisions healed by first intention after operation, and no complication such as nerve or blood vessel injury occurred. The length of hospital stay ranged from 8 to 17 days (mean, 12.4 days). All patients were followed up 10-22 months (mean, 14.8 months). At last follow-up, the range of motion of knee joint was 110°-140° (mean, 125°). HSS score was rated as excellent in 16 cases, good in 5 cases, and fair in 1 case, with an excellent and good rate of 95.5%. X-ray films reexamination showed that all fractures healed with the healing time of 12-17 weeks (mean, 14.8 weeks). No internal fixation failure occurred. Rasmussen score, TPVA, and PTS at immediate after operation and at last follow-up were significantly superior to those before operation ( P<0.05). And there was no significant difference between immediately after operation and last follow-up ( P>0.05). CONCLUSION The treatment of Schatzker type Ⅴ and Ⅵ tibial plateau fractures with intermediate screw assisted reduction and fixation technique is reliable, which can reduce the difficulty of reduction and fixation, improve the efficiency of reduction and fixation, reduce the operation time, achieve satisfactory reduction and fixation effect and postoperative prognosis, and achieve good recovery of knee joint function.
Humans ; Tibial Fractures/diagnostic imaging* ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Bone Screws ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/instrumentation* ; Retrospective Studies ; Adolescent ; Aged ; Young Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Operative Time ; Length of Stay ; Tibial Plateau Fractures

OBJECTIVE: To review the clinical characteristics of patients with traumatic spinopelvic dissociation (SPD) and explore the diagnostic and therapeutic methods. METHODS: A clinical data of 22 patients with SPD who underwent surgical treatment between March 2019 and August 2024 was retrospectively analyzed. There were 13 males and 9 females, with an average age of 35.5 years (range, 14-61 years). The causes of injury included falling from height in 16 cases, traffic accidents in 5 cases, and compression injury in 1 case. Sacral fractures were classified based on morphology into "U" type (9 cases), "H" type (7 cases), "T" type (4 cases), and "λ" type (2 cases). According to the Roy-Camille classification, there were 4 cases of type Ⅰ, 12 cases of type Ⅱ, 2 cases of type Ⅲ, and 4 cases of type Ⅳ. The Cobb angle was (35.7± 22.0)°. Sixteen patients were accompanied by lumbosacral trunk and cauda equina nerve injury, which was classified as grade Ⅱ in 5 cases, grade Ⅲ in 5 cases, and grade Ⅳ in 6 cases according to the Gibbons grading. The time from injury to operation was 2-17 days (mean, 5.7 days). Based on the type of sacral fracture and sacral nerve injury, 6 cases were treated with closed reduction and minimally invasive percutaneous sacroiliac screw fixation, 16 cases were treated with open reduction and lumbar iliac fixation (8 cases)/triangular fixation (8 cases). Among them, 11 patients with severe fracture displacement and kyphotic deformity leading to sacral canal stenosis or bony impingement within the sacral foramen underwent laminectomy and sacral nerve decompression. X-ray films and CT were reviewed during followed-up. The Matta score was used to evaluate the quality of fracture reduction. At last follow-up, the Majeed score was used to assess the functional recovery, and the Gibbons grading was used to evaluate the nerve function. RESULTS: All operations were successfully completed. All patients were followed up 8-64 months (mean, 20.4 months). Two patients developed deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs, 2 had incision infections, and 1 developed a sacral pressure ulcer; no other complications occurred. Radiological examination showed that the Cobb angle was (12.0±6.8)°, which was significantly different from the preoperative one ( t=6.000, P<0.001). The Cobb angle in 16 patients who underwent open reduction was (14.9±5.5)°, which was significantly different from the preoperative one [(46.8±13.9)° ] ( t=8.684, P<0.001). According to the Matta scoring criteria, the quality of fracture reduction was rated as excellent in 8 cases, good in 7 cases, fair in 5 cases, and poor in 2 cases, with an excellent and good rate of 68.2%. Bone callus formation was observed at the fracture site in all patients at 12 weeks after operation, and bony union achieved in all cases at last follow-up, with a healing time ranging from 12 to 36 weeks (mean, 17.6 weeks). At last follow-up, the Majeed score was rated as excellent in 7 cases, good in 10 cases, fair in 4 cases, and poor in 1 case, with an excellent and good rate of 77.3%. One patient experienced a unilateral iliac screw breakage at 12 months after operation, but the fracture had already healed, and there was no loss of reduction. Among the 16 patients with preoperative sacral nerve injury, 11 cases showed improvement in nerve function (6 cases) or recovery (5 cases). CONCLUSION SPD with low incidence, multiple associated injuries, and high incidence of sacral nerve injury, requires timely decompression of the sacral canal for symptomatic sacral nerve compression, fractures reduction, deformities correction, and stable fixation.
Humans ; Adult ; Female ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Spinal Fractures/diagnostic imaging* ; Adolescent ; Sacrum/diagnostic imaging* ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/methods* ; Young Adult ; Pelvic Bones/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome ; Bone Screws

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of V-shaped stealth decompression technique using ultrasonic bone scalpel in anterior surgery for adjacent two-level cervical spondylosis. METHODS: A clinical data of 41 patients with adjacent two-level cervical spondylosis, who admitted between January 2020 and December 2023 and met the selection criteria, was analyzed retrospectively. Among them, 22 cases were treated with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) assisted by V-shaped stealth decompression technique using ultrasonic bone scalpel (group A) and 19 cases with anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACCF) (group B). There was no significant difference between the two groups in age, gender, disease duration, surgical segment, preoperative Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score, neck dysfunction index (NDI), pain visual analogue scale (VAS) score, and the anteroposterior diameter of the spinal canal in the responsibility space of axial CT ( P>0.05). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, hospital stay, complications during follow-up, JOA score, NDI, and VAS score at last follow-up, and the incidences of intervertebral fusion at 3 months after operation, and cage subsidence at last follow-up were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The operations in the two groups were successfully completed. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, and hospital stay in group A were significantly less than those in group B ( P<0.05). Two cases (9.1%) in group A and 4 cases (21.1%) in group B developed complications, with no significant difference in the incidence between the two groups ( P>0.05). All patients in the two groups were followed up 6-12 months (mean, 9.3 months). There was no significant difference in follow-up time between the two groups ( P>0.05). At last follow-up, the JOA score and VAS score in both groups significantly improved when compared with those before operation ( P<0.05). The change values of VAS score and the improvement rate of JOA score in group A were significantly superior to group B ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the change values of NDI and JOA score between the two group ( P>0.05). Imaging reexamination showed that the rate of intervertebral fusion at 3 months after operation was significantly higher in group A (81.8%) than in group B (52.6%) ( P<0.05), and all patients obtained bony intervertebral fusion at last follow-up. At last follow-up, 2 cases (9.1%) in group A and 11 cases (57.9%) in group B had cage sinking, and the difference in the incidence was significant ( P<0.05). No loosening or fracture of internal fixators occurred in all patients. CONCLUSION Using ultrasonic bone scalpel can transform single vertebral ACCF into two-segment ACDF in anterior cervical spondylosis surgery. The V-shaped stealth decompression technique is safe and efficient, with the advantages of minimal trauma, fewer postoperative complications, and rapid recovery of patients.
Humans ; Spondylosis/surgery* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Decompression, Surgical/instrumentation* ; Retrospective Studies ; Cervical Vertebrae/surgery* ; Spinal Fusion/instrumentation* ; Diskectomy/instrumentation* ; Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; Aged ; Ultrasonic Surgical Procedures/methods* ; Operative Time