Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that severely affects the health of the elderly, marked by its incurability, high prevalence, and extended latency period. The current approach to AD prevention and treatment emphasizes early detection and intervention, particularly during the pre-AD stage of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which provides an optimal “window of opportunity” for intervention. Clinical detection methods for MCI, such as cerebrospinal fluid monitoring, genetic testing, and imaging diagnostics, are invasive and costly, limiting their broad clinical application. Speech, as a vital cognitive output, offers a new perspective and tool for computer-assisted analysis and screening of cognitive decline. This is because elderly individuals with cognitive decline exhibit distinct characteristics in semantic and audio information, such as reduced lexical richness, decreased speech coherence and conciseness, and declines in speech rate, voice rhythm, and hesitation rates. The objective presence of these semantic and audio characteristics lays the groundwork for computer-based screening of cognitive decline. Speech information is primarily sourced from databases or collected through tasks involving spontaneous speech, semantic fluency, and reading, followed by analysis using computer models. Spontaneous language tasks include dialogues/interviews, event descriptions, narrative recall, and picture descriptions. Semantic fluency tasks assess controlled retrieval of vocabulary items, requiring participants to extract information at the word level during lexical search. Reading tasks involve participants reading a passage aloud. Summarizing past research, the speech characteristics of the elderly can be divided into two major categories: semantic information and audio information. Semantic information focuses on the meaning of speech across different tasks, highlighting differences in vocabulary and text content in cognitive impairment. Overall, discourse pragmatic disorders in AD can be studied along three dimensions: cohesion, coherence, and conciseness. Cohesion mainly examines the use of vocabulary by participants, with a reduction in the use of nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adjectives in AD patients. Coherence assesses the ability of participants to maintain topics, with a decrease in the number of subordinate clauses in AD patients. Conciseness evaluates the information density of participants, with AD patients producing shorter texts with less information compared to normal elderly individuals. Audio information focuses on acoustic features that are difficult for the human ear to detect. There is a significant degradation in temporal parameters in the later stages of cognitive impairment; AD patients require more time to read the same paragraph, have longer vocalization times, and produce more pauses or silent parts in their spontaneous speech signals compared to normal individuals. Researchers have extracted audio and speech features, developing independent systems for each set of features, achieving an accuracy rate of 82% for both, which increases to 86% when both types of features are combined, demonstrating the advantage of integrating audio and speech information. Currently, deep learning and machine learning are the main methods used for information analysis. The overall diagnostic accuracy rate for AD exceeds 80%, and the diagnostic accuracy rate for MCI also exceeds 80%, indicating significant potential. Deep learning techniques require substantial data support, necessitating future expansion of database scale and continuous algorithm upgrades to transition from laboratory research to practical product implementation.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy of Oxalicao Formula combined　with transacupuncture in the treatment of chronic nonbacterial prostatitis （CNP）characterized by dampness-heat stasis. METHODS: A total of 70 patients diagnosed with CNP and characterized by dampness-heat stasis were randomly divided into control group and treatment group, with 35 cases in each group. The patients in control group received Qianlie Beixi capsules． Ｗhile the patients in　treatment group were administered with oxalis decoction in conjunction with acupuncture therapy　which lasted for 8 weeks. Pre- and post-treatment evaluations for NIH-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI), Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) symptom scores, urodynamic parameters, immune cell subsets and inflammatory factors were performed. RESULTS: Ultimately, 65 patients completed the study　with 33 in the treatment group and 32 in the control group. After 8 weeks of intervention, The patients in both of groups demonstrated significant improvements (P<0.05). Specifically, remarkable reductions in the NIH-CPSI total score　including pain score, urination score, quality of life impact score, TCM symptom score and inflammatory cytokine levels　were observed. Additionally, there were upward trend　in maximum and average urinary flow rates as well as the CD4+/CD8+ ratio of immune cells(P<0.05). Compared to the control group, the treatment group exhibited superior outcomes in reducing the NIH-CPSI total score, pain score, urination score, quality of life impact score, TCM symptom score, and inflammatory cytokine levels, and increasing in　CD4+/CD8+ ratios， maximum and average urine flow rates(P<0.05). CONCLUSION The combination of Oxalicao Formula and transacupuncture for treating CNP characterized by dampness-heat stasis demonstrates significant therapeutic benefits, which has considerable clinical application value.
Humans ; Male ; Prostatitis/therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Chronic Disease ; Treatment Outcome ; Adult

Miao medicine is guided by the medical theories of the Miao ethnic group, and the drugs used by the Miao people are derived from natural plants and animals for the prevention and treatment of diseases and protection of health. In recent years, a large number of clinical studies have shown good clinical efficacy of traditional Miao medicine in the treatment of prostatic diseases, with the advantages of easy availability, low price, and minimal adverse reactions. However, currently no systematic literature review has been reported on the treatment of prostatic diseases with Miao medicine. This article focuses on the commonly used Miao drugs recorded in the Chinese Materia Medica－Miao Medicine, with a systematic review of relevant literature retrieved on the treatment of prostate diseases with Miao medicine in recent years and a summarization of the advances in the studies of its pharmacological effects, mechanisms of action and clinical application, aiming to provide some new perspectives and ideas for further academic research and clinical development of Miao medicine.
Humans ; Male ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Phytotherapy ; Prostatic Diseases/drug therapy*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of denosumab in the treatment of prostate cancer with bone metastases. METHODS: Relevant studies were retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, Web of Science, Sinomed , CNKI and Wanfang databases. The Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool was used to evaluate the quality of included studies, and relevant data were extracted. meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 and RStudio software, and forest plots were generated. RESULTS: Six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included. Compared with the control group, denosumab significantly reduced the risk of skeletal-related events (HR=0.78, 95% CI: 0.62-0.93). In terms of safety, denosumab did not increase the risk of total adverse events, severe adverse events and the adverse events higher than CTC grade 3. CONCLUSION Denosumab can delay the time to first skeletal-related event with good safety. However, due to the limitations of this study, further high-quality, large-sample, multicenter RCTs are needed to confirm these findings.
Humans ; Denosumab/therapeutic use* ; Bone Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Prostatic Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Male ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Bone Density Conservation Agents/therapeutic use*

Recent data suggest that vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inhibitor (VEGFRi) can enhance the anti-tumor activity of the anti-programmed cell death-1 (anti-PD-1) antibody in colorectal cancer (CRC) with microsatellite stability (MSS). However, the comparison between this combination and standard third-line VEGFRi treatment is not performed, and reliable biomarkers are still lacking. We retrospectively enrolled MSS CRC patients receiving anti-PD-1 antibody plus VEGFRi (combination group, n=54) or VEGFRi alone (VEGFRi group, n=32), and their efficacy and safety were evaluated. We additionally examined the immune characteristics of the MSS CRC tumor microenvironment (TME) through single-cell and spatial transcriptomic data, and an MSS CRC immune cell-related signature (MCICRS) that can be used to predict the clinical outcomes of MSS CRC patients receiving immunotherapy was developed and validated in our in-house cohort. Compared with VEGFRi alone, the combination of anti-PD-1 antibody and VEGFRi exhibited a prolonged survival benefit (median progression-free survival: 4.4 vs. 2.0 months, P=0.0024; median overall survival: 10.2 vs. 5.2 months, P=0.0038) and a similar adverse event incidence. Through single-cell and spatial transcriptomic analysis, we determined ten MSS CRC-enriched immune cell types and their spatial distribution, including naive CD4⁺ T, regulatory CD4⁺ T, CD4⁺ Th17, exhausted CD8⁺ T, cytotoxic CD8⁺ T, proliferated CD8⁺ T, natural killer (NK) cells, plasma, and classical and intermediate monocytes. Based on a systemic meta-analysis and ten machine learning algorithms, we obtained MCICRS, an independent risk factor for the prognosis of MSS CRC patients. Further analyses demonstrated that the low-MCICRS group presented a higher immune cell infiltration and immune-related pathway activation, and hence a significant relation with the superior efficacy of pan-cancer immunotherapy. More importantly, the predictive value of MCICRS in MSS CRC patients receiving immunotherapy was also validated with an in-house cohort. Anti-PD-1 antibody combined with VEGFRi presented an improved clinical benefit in MSS CRC with manageable toxicity. MCICRS could serve as a robust and promising tool to predict clinical outcomes for individual MSS CRC patients receiving immunotherapy.
Humans ; Colorectal Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Male ; Female ; Immunotherapy ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Tumor Microenvironment/immunology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Microsatellite Instability ; Transcriptome ; Single-Cell Analysis ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/immunology* ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Adult ; Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor/antagonists & inhibitors*

【Objective】 To investigate the clinical efficacy and significance of percutaneous cement discoplasty (PCD) in treating elderly patients with spinal instability and vacuum phenomenon on imaging. 【Methods】 We retrospectively analyzed 27 patients with spinal instability and vacuum phenomenon on imaging who underwent PVABC between June 2019 and September 2022. We recorded the surgery duration, bone cement usage, intraoperative bleeding, and total hospitalization time. We evaluated the improvement in pain and lumbar function by comparing pre- and postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) scores, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores, and lumbar Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scores. We also compared the change in intervertebral height and the distribution rate of bone cement in the intervertebral space by pre- and postoperative imaging data. 【Results】 All the 27 patients who underwent PCD had effective follow-up. The mean hospitalization time was (4.2±1.85) days, and the mean surgery duration was (32.3±4.51), (53.6±12.17), (74.4±6.33), and (90.0±10.36) minutes for single-, double-, triple-, and quadruple-level procedures, respectively. The intraoperative bleeding volume ranged from 2 to 13 mL, which was significantly lower than that of traditional intervertebral fusion surgery. Postoperative VAS pain scores, ODI scores, and JOA scores were significantly improved compared to those before surgery. In terms of imaging, the intervertebral height of the patients improved after surgery, and the distribution of bone cement in the intervertebral space was relatively good in the operated segments. Mechanical stability of the spine was restored. 【Conclusion】 For patients who are not suitable for open surgery due to severe complications, PCD is a feasible treatment option.

Background ¹³⁷Cs in atmospheric aerosol is the product of past nuclear weapon tests and nuclear accidents. When ¹³⁷Cs is released into the atmosphere, it will deposit in dry land and marine environment, causing pollution of soil surface, water, agricultural products, and animal byproducts, and affecting public health. Objective To identify the variation pattern of ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration in aerosol and its correlation with dust concentration in Beijing area from 2017 to 2020. Methods A total of 958 aerosol samples were collected from November 1, 2017 to June 30, 2020 in Beijing with a high volume air sampler at a sampling flow rate about 600 m³·h⁻¹ and a collection time for each sample about 24 h. The activity concentration of ¹³⁷Cs in the aerosol samples was determined with a low-background high-purity germanium γ spectrometer. The dust concentration was calculated using the difference in the mass of the aerosol filter before and after sampling. The detection rate of ¹³⁷Cs and dust concentration in different seasons were compared. Spearman rank correlation test was used to analyze the correlation between ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration and dust concentration. Results From 2017 to 2020, the ¹³⁷Cs activity concentrations of 33 from 958 aerosol samples in Beijing were above the minimum detectable activityconcentration, the overall detection rate of ¹³⁷Cs was 3.4%, and the activity concentration ranged from 1.86 to 45.53 μBq·m⁻³, with a median value of 4.85 μBq·m⁻³. The detection rate of ¹³⁷Cs was highest in spring, followed by autumn, and lowest in winter and summer (8.4%, 3.0%, 1.1%, and 0.5%, respectively). The dust concentration ranged from 0.03 to 1.55 mg·m⁻³, with an average value of 0.18 mg·m⁻³. There was a statistically significant difference in the dust concentrations in spring, summer, autumn, and winter (F=45.51, P<0.05), and the highest value was 0.24 mg·m⁻³ in spring (P<0.05). The ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration was positively correlated with the dust concentration (P<0.05). Conclusion The ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration in aerosol in Beijing from 2017 to 2020 fluctuates within the range of background level, and its activity concentration is highest in spring, followed autumn, and lowest in summer and winter.

PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway plays a crucial role in cell proliferation, survival, differentiation, motility and intracellular transport. PI3Kδ, an isoform of PI3K, is highly expressed in B lymphocytes and is involved in the malignant progression of B-cell lymphoma. Thus, PI3Kδ has emerged as an attractive target for the development of anti-B-cell lymphoma drugs. Currently, there are several PI3Kδ inhibitors approved by the FDA for the treatment of B-cell lymphoma, each with its own characteristics, but also with varying degrees of adverse effects in clinical practice. Due to the complexity and diversity of the pathogenesis of B-cell lymphoma, single-target PI3Kδ inhibitors often have limited efficacy and are prone to drug resistance, and need to be combined with chemotherapy or other targeted drugs to enhance their efficacy. The future trend is to design novel inhibitors with higher efficacy and lower toxicity or to develop novel combination regimens with other chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and target drugs to acquire better anti-tumor effects with reduced adverse effects. This review summarizes the PI3Kδ inhibitors that have been approved for the treatment of B-cell lymphoma or are still in clinical trials, mainly focusing on their characteristics, adverse effects and combination regimens.

Objective To investigate the effects of different doses of atorvastatin calcium on carotid intima-media thickness(CIMT)and serum lipoprotein associated phospholipase A2(Lp-PLA2),oxidized low-density lipoprotein(ox-LDL)and homocysteine(Hey)levels in patients with atherosclerosis.Methods Patients with atherosclerosis were divided into low-dose group(atorvastatin calcium tablets,20 mg·d-1)and high-dose group(atorvastatin calcium tablets,40 mg·d-1)according to the treatment scheme.The levels of blood lipids[triglyceride(TG),total cholesterol(TC),high-density lipoprotein(HDL)and low-density lipoprotein(LDL)],carotid atherosclerotic plaque characteristics(CIMT and plaque area),serum Lp-PLA2,ox-LDL and Hcy levels were compared between groups.Adverse drug reactions in two groups were recorded.Results There were 98 cases in low-dose group,102 cases in high-dose group.After treatment,the levels of TG in high-dose group and low-dose group were(3.75±0.59)and(5.36±0.83)mmol·L 1;the levels of TC were(4.07±0.98)and(4.52±1.02)mmol·L-1;the levels of LDL were(1.89±0.58)and(1.49±0.42)mmol·L-1;the levels of and HDL were(1.85±0.58)and(2.67±0.73)mmol·L-1;CIMT were(1.14±0.18)and(1.30±0.20)mm;plaque areas were(18.59±2.17)and(22.72±2.81)mm2;the levels of Lp-PLA2 were(116.27±28.46)and(135.74±25.03)μg·L-1;the levels of ox-LDL were(12.07±2.59)and(13.42±2.25)μg·L-1;the levels of Hcy were(11.92±3.12)and(15.21±3.06)μmol·L-1.The above indexes were significantly different between high-dose group and low-dose group(all P＜0.05).The total incidence rates of adverse drug reactions in high-dose group and low-dose group were 22.55％and 14.29％(P＞0.05).Conclusion Compared with low-dose atorvastatin calcium,high-dose atorvastatin calcium can better improve blood lipid level of patients with atherosclerosis,reduce plaques,inhibit inflammatory reaction and reduce the formation of atherosclerosis.The two are comparably safe.