ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the effect of Liuwei Dihuangwan on the autophagy function in the hippocampus of senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 （SAMP8） by regulating the expression of glycoprotein non-metastatic melanoma protein B （GPNMB）. Furthermore， it is designed to explore the mechanism of the method of tonifying the kidneys and replenishing essence in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease （AD）. MethodsIn experiment 1， 24 5-month-old SAMP8 mice were randomly and equally divided into the model group， and the low-， middle- and high-dose（0.59，1.18，2.36 g·kg^-1） Liuwei Dihuangwan groups. At the same time， six 5-month-old senescence accelerated mouse resistant 1 （SAMR1） mice were used as the control group. The learning and memory ability was evaluated through novel object recognition experiment. Serum cortisol （Cort）， adrenocorticotropic hormone （ACTH） and urine 17-hydroxycorticosteroid （17-OHCS） levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The ultrastructure of hippocampal neurons was observed by transmission electron microscope （TEM）， and the expression levels of hippocampal GPNMB， a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 10 （ADAM10） and autophagy-related proteins were detected by Western blot. In experiment 2， 18 SAMP8 mice were randomly and equally divided into the model group， vector control group （Vector）， and GPNMB overexpression group （GPNMB^OE）. Lentiviral vectors were stereotactically injected into the brain （2 μL per side in the GPNMB^OE group）. Western blot was used to detect the expression of the above target proteins in the hippocampus； In Experiment 3， 24 SAMP8 mice were randomly and equally divided into the model group， Liuwei Dihuangwan group， Liuwei Dihuangwan+negative control （NC） group， and Liuwei Dihuangwan+GPNMB silencing group （shGPNMB）. Before drug treatment， the Liuwei Dihuangwan+NC group and the Liuwei Dihuangwan+shGPNMB group were injected with negative control and GPNMB silencing lentivirus， respectively. Western blot was used to detect the expression of the above target proteins in the hippocampus. ResultsThe novel object discrimination index of mice in the model group was significantly lower than that of mice in the control group （P<0.01）. The novel object discrimination index of mice in the medium- and high-dose Liuwei Dihuangwan groups was significantly higher than that of mice in the model group （P<0.01）. Aggregated autolysosomes were observed in the normal hippocampus tissue by TEM. In the model group， mitochondria were dominant， and no typical characteristic autophagosomes were observed. In the low- and medium-dose Liuwei Dihuangwan groups， a small number of autolysosomes and autophagosomes with double-membrane structures were observed. In the high-dose Liuwei Dihuangwan group， the number of autophagosomes and autolysosomes was greater than that in the low- and medium-dose groups. The results of ELISA and Western blot showed that compared with the control group， the levels of serum Cort， ACTH， and urine 17-OHCS in the model group were substantially increased， while the expression of hippocampal ADAM10， Beclin1， and microtubule associated-protein light chain 3-Ⅱ/Ⅰ （LC3 Ⅱ/Ⅰ） was significantly decreased. The expression of GPNMB and ubiquitin binding protein p62 was significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the serum Cort and ACTH levels in the low-， medium-， and high-dose Liuwei Dihuangwan groups were significantly reduced， while only the urine 17-OHCS level in the high-dose group was significantly reduced. The hippocampal GPNMB， ADAM10， Beclin1， and LC3 Ⅱ/Ⅰ expression levels in the medium-， and high-dose groups of Liuwei Dihuangwan were significantly increased compared to the model group， whereas the expression of p62 was significantly reduced （P<0.01）. The above indicators showed a progressive trend among the three groups. Compared with the model group， the GPNMB^OE group showed a significant increase in GPNMB， ADAM10， Beclin1， LC3 Ⅱ/Ⅰ expression， and a significant decrease in p62 expression （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the expression of GPNMB， ADAM10， Beclin1， and LC3 Ⅱ/Ⅰ in the hippocampus of the Liuwei Dihuangwan group significantly increased， while the expression of p62 significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with the Liuwei Dihuangwan group， the Liuwei Dihuangwan+shGPNMB group showed a significant decrease in GPNMB， ADAM10， Beclin1， LC3 Ⅱ/Ⅰ， and a significant increase in p62 expression （P<0.01）. ConclusionLiuwei Dihuangwan can enhance hippocampal autophagy function and improve AD by upregulating GPNMB expression.

Objective Based on the"preventive treatment of disease"theory and real-world data,this study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of Yangyin Shugan Formula in patients with ovarian dysfunction characterized by the syndrome of kidney deficiency and liver depression at different stages and to provide evidence for optimizing the timing of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)in premature ovarian insufficiency(POI)management.Methods Ovarian dysfunction patients under 40 years old characterized by syndrome of kidney deficiency and liver depression,registered in the outpatient electronic medical records of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine from January 2020 to December 2023,were stratified into three groups:subclinical POI,POI,and premature ovarian failure(POF)groups.The therapeutic outcomes of the three groups of patients were compared,including TCM syndrome total response rates,menstrual total response rates/normalization(cured)rates,base follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH)total response rate/normalization rates and anti-Müllerian hormone(AMH)levels.Results A total of 307 patients meeting the research criteria were included(97 cases in subclinical POI group,112 cases in POI group,and 98 cases in POF group).The TCM syndrome total response rates ranked as subclinical POI group(98.97%,96/97)>POI group(95.54%,107/112)>POF group(83.67%,82/98),with the POF group was lower than that of the subclinical POI and POI groups(P<0.017);while the difference of the subclinical POI group with the POI group was not significant.Menstrual total response rates ranked as subclinical POI group(97.22%,70/72)>POI group(72.32%,81/112)>POF group(51.02%,50/98),the differences among the three groups and in the post-hoc comparisons were significant(P<0.01,P<0.017);normalization rates ranked as subclinical POI group(90.28%,65/72)>POI group(54.46%,61/112)>POF group(26.53%,26/98),the differences among the three groups and in the post-hoc comparisons were significant(P<0.01,P<0.017).FSH total response rates ranked as subclinical POI group(89.69%,87/97)>POI group(81.25%,91/112)>POF group(60.20%,59/98),while POF group was lower than that of the other two groups(P<0.017),and the difference of the subclinical POI group with the POI group was not significant.Normalization FSH rates ranked as subclinical POI group(71.13%,69/97)>POI group(53.57%,60/112)>POF group(16.33%,16/98),the differences among the three groups and in the post-hoc comparisons were significant(P<0.01,P<0.017).Compared with before treatment,the FSH levels in all three groups decreased after treatment(P<0.01).The reduction of FSH in the POF and POI groups were better than that in the subclinical P OI group(P<0.017).No significant difference was observed in the reduction of FSH between the POI and POF groups.Post-treatment AMH elevation observed in the subclinical POI and POI groups(P<0.01).Conclusion Yangyin Shugan Formula improves the menstrual conditions and TCM syndromes across all the stages.It also improves elevated FSH levels across all the stages and has a specific effect on normalizing FSH and menstruation.Yangyin Shugan Formula increases the AMH levels of patients with subclinical POI and POI,highlighting the applicability of TCM in staged preventive management.

Objective:To investigate the preventive and therapeutic effects and mechanisms of Dachaihu decoction(DCD)on dextran sodium sulfate(DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis(UC)and liver injury in mice,as well as the association between DCD benefits and gut microbiota modulation.Methods:Mice were treated with DCD(20.10 and 10.05 g/kg)for 2 weeks,with free access to drinking water containing 3%DSS in the second week to induce UC.Histopathological examination,RT-qPCR and 16S rRNA sequencing were used to investigate the effect of DCD on UC mice.Results:DCD pretreatment significantly alleviated weight loss,bloody diarrhea with mucus,histopathological abnormalities of the colon,and colon shortening in mice with DSS-induced UC.In addition,DCD pretreat-ment significantly upregulated the levels of Occludin,ZO-1,and MUC-2 in the colon and protected the intestinal barrier of mice.DCD pretreatment also alleviated inflammatory cell infiltration in the colon and the liver and significantly reduced the expression levels of the proinflammatory factors such as IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α,iNOS,COX-2,and NLRP3,thereby exerting a protective effect against UC and liver injury.It should be noted that DCD corrected gut micro-biota imbalance in UC mice by enriching probiotic bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium and reducing harmful bacteria such as Norank_f_Desulfovibrionaceae and Escherichia-Shigella.Conclusion:DCD can alleviate DSS-induced UC and exert a liver-protecting effect by protecting intestinal barrier,inhibiting inflam-mation,and regulating gut microbiota.

Social robots play an important role in the field of medical companionship， providing services such as companion communication， drug monitoring， and rehabilitation guidance for the elderly and other subjects. However， social robots also pose the risk of deceiving medical users. Although certain forms of social robots’ deception can be used for therapeutic purposes， unethical deception can have adverse consequences for patients， doctors， and even society. These risks include causing patients to develop attachment disorders， violating their privacy， endangering their health， and even undermining the credibility of the healthcare system. Faced with the deception problem of social robots， starting from relational theory， medical artificial intelligence developers can conduct ethical regulation from the following two paths. First， social robots should be ethically programmed， including embedding programs for limiting benevolent lies， implementing informed consent principles， and ensuring information accuracy. Second， the deceptive behaviors of social robots should be controlled， requiring developers to take full-process supervision responsibility， design medical social robots that can supervise each other， and participate in formulating quality standards and evidence mechanisms for deception issues.

Objective:To understand the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcome in HIV-infected pregnant women and influencing factors in China and provide reference for the improvement of the health status of HIV-infected pregnant women and their newborns.Methods:Based on a mother-child cohort of HIV-infected pregnant women and children (PMTCT-MC-2005) established in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Yunnan Province and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, this study enrolled pregnant women with or without HIV infection as study subjects from January 2017 to June 2023, a total of 1 646 pregnant women (558 HIV-infected and 1 088 HIV-uninfected) were included, and 34 cases with missing data were excluded. The χ2 test was used to analyze the difference in the incidence adverse pregnancy outcome between two groups, and used logistic regression model to identify the influencing factors of adverse pregnancy outcome in HIV-infected pregnant women. Results:A total of 1 612 pregnant women were included in the study, in whom 541 were infected with HIV and 1 071 were not infected with HIV. The incidence of adverse pregnancy outcome was 18.8% (303/1 612), the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcome was 33.1% (179/541) in the HIV-infected pregnant women and 11.6% (124/1 071) in the pregnant women without HIV infection. The results of multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the influencing factors of adverse pregnancy outcome were age <35 years at delivery (a OR=0.64, 95% CI: 0.43-0.95) compared with the age ≥35 years and the duration of antiviral treatment over 10 years (a OR=0.43, 95% CI: 0.23-0.79) compared with less than one year. Conclusions:The incidence of adverse pregnancy outcome in HIV-infected pregnant women was high in some regions of China during 2017-2023. It is necessary for HIV-infected women to get pregnancy at appropriate time based on antiretroviral treatment effect and strengthen self-care to reduce the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcome.

Objective:Explore the clinical diagnosis and treatment strategies of recurrent multiple chondritis in children with airway involvement as the main cause. Methods:From June 2021 to May 2023, five children with relapsing polychondritis were admitted to our department, all of whom met the Damiani criteria. Tracheotomy was performed in all five patients. Endoscopy indicated subglottic stenosis, with one case classified as grade Ⅲ and four cases as grade Ⅳ according to the Myer-Cotton classification. Enhanced CT scans of the head and neck showed fixed lumen narrowing and stenosis, including thickening of the soft tissue in the laryngeal cavity and partial absorption of the laryngotracheal cartilage anterior wall. In one patient, tracheal wall thickening and deformation with stenosis and calcification involved the posterior tracheal wall. One patient underwent "laryngeal tracheal reconstruction with hyoid graft, T-tube implantation, and bioabsorbable corticosteroid-eluting stent implantation", while three patients underwent "balloon dilatation, T-tube implantation, and bioabsorbable corticosteroid-eluting stent implantation" . Follow-up was performed every two months after the initial surgery, and three bioabsorbable corticosteroid-eluting stents were placed on the upper left, upper right, and lower T-tube, respectively, during this time. The entire follow-up period was six months. Results:All the 5 cases were in the outpatient department, of which 1 case had been extubation, 3 cases were still in the outpatient follow-up, and the remaining 1 case was still being treated in the rheumatology and immunology department due to poor control of the primary disease. Conclusion:In relapsing polychondritis children with airway involvement, tracheotomy could be used to quickly improve the symptoms of dyspnea in the disease progression. In the stable stage of the disease, the surgical method of 'Balloon dilatation + T-tube implantation + Bioabsorbable corticosteroid-eluting stents implantation' was adopted to reduce the secondary injury caused by surgical trauma as much as possible and improve the survival and quality of life of the children.
Humans ; Polychondritis, Relapsing/surgery* ; Child ; Male ; Female ; Tracheotomy ; Laryngostenosis ; Child, Preschool ; Trachea/surgery* ; Adolescent ; Stents

Objective:To explore the clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, pathological types and prognosis of primary cervical neuroblastoma in children. Methods:The clinical data of 11 children with primary cervical neuroblastoma admitted to the Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery at Shanghai Children's Hospital from April 2015 to April 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical characteristics, imaging findings, pathological types, treatment methods, and outcomes of these 11 patients were examined in conjunction with a review of the literature. Results:The cohort of 11 neuroblastoma patients ranged in age from 28 days to 88 months （median age: 24 months）, including 3 males and 8 females. Among the 11 patients, 4 had tumors located in the carotid sheath area, 4 in the cervical space, and 3 in the parapharyngeal and retropharyngeal spaces. The clinical manifestations primarily included painless cervical masses and laryngeal stridor. There were 3 cases of primary cervical tumors with cervical lymph node metastasis and 1 case with bone marrow metastasis. Pathological findings revealed neuroblastoma in 8 cases and ganglionic neuroblastoma in 3 cases. In this group, 7 patients underwent surgery combined with chemotherapy, 2 patients received surgery combined with chemoradiotherapy, and 2 patients underwent surgery alone. Surgical resection was performed via a cervical approach in 7 cases, while 3 cases were treated using a transoral endoscopic approach. Additionally, one patient underwent a transoral endoscopic approach initially and a cervical approach subsequently. All patients completed their treatment and were followed up regularly, with follow-up durations ranging from 6 to 79 months （median: 34 months）. Nine patients achieved complete remission, 2 patients achieved partial remission, and none experienced disease progression. Conclusion:Primary cervical neuroblastoma exhibits a high degree of heterogeneity and presents at a younger age, primarily with cervical masses. Compared to external approaches, endoscopy-assisted transoral resection of parapharyngeal tumors offers advantages such as reduced damage to surrounding tissue and no visible neck scars, providing a new method for clinical treatment. Regular follow-up is essential for children with neuroblastoma, along with the establishment of specific disease management protocols and comprehensive care to improve survival quality.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Neuroblastoma/surgery* ; Child, Preschool ; Infant ; Retrospective Studies ; Child ; Head and Neck Neoplasms/pathology* ; Prognosis

Objective:This aims to investigate the diagnostic and evaluative value of MRI for lymphatic malformations in the head, neck, and facial regions of children. Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the MRI imaging data of 31 cases of head, neck, and facial lymphatic malformations in children admitted to the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, from January 2022 to January 2024. Results:The MRI images of this group of cases primarily displayed irregular morphology（80.6%, 25/31）, thin-walled cysts（80.6%, 25/31）, and compression of surrounding tissues. The boundaries were clear（100%, 31/31）, with characteristics of invasive and drill-like growth（93.5%）. The cyst walls or internal septa exhibited high signal intensity on T1WI, low signal intensity on T2WI, and mild to moderate enhancement（100%）. The contents of the cysts showed low signal intensity on T1WI, high signal intensity on T2WI, and no enhancement（35.5%, 11/31）. Mixed signals with varying degrees of enhancement were observed in 20 cases（64.5%）. There were 29 cases of multilocular cysts（93.5%, 29/31）, and 11 cases of fluid-fluid levels（35.5%）. The MRI diagnostic accuracy for this group of cases was 100%. Conclusion:Lymphatic Malformations of head, neck and facial region in children have very characteristic features on MRI, such as typical thin wall, clear boundaries, irregular shapes, invasive growth, no enhancement, multilocular cystic masses, fluid-fluid level, etc. Furthermore, it is more appropriate for children with lymphatic malformations owing to its non-radiation and non-invasive benefits. Diagnosing lymphatic malformations in the head, neck, and facial region in children should begin with this.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Lymphatic Abnormalities/diagnostic imaging* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neck/diagnostic imaging* ; Head/diagnostic imaging* ; Face/diagnostic imaging* ; Child ; Male ; Female ; Child, Preschool ; Adolescent ; Infant

Objective:To evaluate the performance of the neural network model in segmenting gout tophus in the first metatarsophalangeal（MTP1）joint ultrasound images.Methods:A total of 1 218 tophus images from 381 patients who underwent MTP1 ultrasound examinations in the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University between May 2023 and December 2024 were prospectively collected. The images were divided into training，validation，and test sets in a ratio of 7∶2∶1. Multiple neural network models were trained to automatically identify and segment tophus in the images，with physician-annotated tophus regions serving as the reference standard. Model performance was evaluated in the test set，and the impact of tophus characteristics（e.g.，echogenicity，size，and presence of bone erosion）on segmentation efficacy was analyzed.Results:In the test set，CMUNeXt demonstrated superior tophus segmentation performance versus Unet，Unet++，TransUnet，and CMU-Net，achieving an accuracy of 99.1%，precision of 79.1%，recall of 84.6%，intersection over union of 68.8%，and Dice similarity coefficient of 80.2%. Logistic regression identified tophus echogenicity，size，and bone erosion as independent efficacy factors OR（95% CI）=7.275（1.598-33.129），21.303（4.282-105.985），13.520（3.617-50.530），0.076（0.007-0.823）（all P<0.05）. Hypoechoic tophus demonstrated significantly superior segmentation performance compared to mixed-echoic and isoechoic tophus（all P<0.05），and lesions with larger maximum diameters（>10 mm）were segmented more effectively than smaller tophus（ P<0.05）. Conclusions:The CMUNeXt model enables accurate identification and segmentation of tophus in MTP1 ultrasound images，particularly excelling for larger and hypoechoic lesions. This approach holds significant promise for AI-assisted diagnosis of MTP1 gouty arthritis.