Objective To investigate the effects of long-term radiofrequency(RF)radiation at 2.65 GHz on behavior,inflammatory response,and intestinal microecology in mice in order to provide a basis for the safety assessment of long-term RF exposure.Methods One hundred and eight male C57BL/6N mice(17～21 g,6～8 weeks old)were randomly assigned to a control group(Con)and a RF exposure group.The mice of the RF exposure group were subjected to whole-body uniform exposure to 2.65 GHz RF radiation in an electromagnetic reverberation chamber for 3 h/day for 28 consecutive days.RF field distribution and changes in core body temperature were monitored using an electromagnetic radiation analyzer and a fiber-optic temperature probe,respectively.Cognitive function was assessed using the Y-maze and novel object recognition(NOR)test.Anxiety-like behaviors were evaluated through open field test(OFT)and elevated plus maze(EPM),while depressive-like behaviors were examined with sucrose preference test(SPT)and tail suspension test(TST).HE staining was used to observe the histopathological changes in mouse tissues.Radioimmunoassay(RIA)was employed to detect the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines,TNF-α and IL-1 β,as well as anti-inflammatory cytokines,IL-4 and IL-10 in the serum,brain,jejunum,and spleen samples.Additionally,metagenomic sequencing was performed to assess alterations in the gut microbiota composition.Results Long-term RF radiation led to a maximal increase of 0.59℃in the core body temperature,but had no significant effects on cognitive function,anxiety-like behaviors,or depressive-like behaviors,or apparent damage of the hippocampal or jejunal tissues in the exposed mice.However,RF exposure significantly up-regulated the expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α in serum(P<0.05),and did not significantly alter the concentrations of other cytokines(IL-1β,IL-4,IL-10),caused significant decrease in α-diversity of the intestinal microbiota(P<0.01),with reduced relative abundances of Ligilactobacillus murinus and Acetatifactor muris(P<0.05),while elevated abundances of Lachnospiraceae bacterium(P<0.01).Conclusion Long-term exposure to 2.65 GHz RF radiation induces systemic inflammatory responses and disrupts gut microbiota homeostasis in mice.

Objective:To apply statistical process control (SPC) techniques to the quality assurance of non-normal radiotherapy plans through Johnson transformation, establishing patient-specific tolerance and action limits based on treatment sites and dose/distance assessment criteria, thereby enhancing the intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) verification accuracy and dose delivery precision.Methods:In this study, 951 gamma analysis data of patient-specific quality assurance (PSQA) executed on the Halcyon accelerator platform were selected and categorized into six groups based on treatment sites, including brain (102 cases), head and neck (100 cases), breast (229 cases), lung (154 cases), esophagus (223 cases), and pelvic (143 cases) groups. The six groups of data were statistically analyzed through Anderson-Darling normality tests ( α = 0.05) using Minitab 21 software. Non-normal data were transformed into normal data through Johnson transformation and then were used to establish treatment site-specific tolerance and action limits, which were compared with the Shewhart control charts based on normal distributions. Results:The PSQA result of the six groups all exhibited non-normal distributions ( P < 0.05). Through Johnson transformation, the tolerance and action limits for the head and neck, breast, lung, esophagus, and pelvic areas under the 3%/2 mm criterion ranged from 95.13% to 96.16% and 94.19% to 95.91%, respectively. In contrast, the tolerance and action limits ranged from 91.15% to 94.86% and 89.94% to 94.78% under the 2%/2 mm criterion. Directly applying Shewhart control charts without normality assumptions yielded higher tolerance limits compared to the application of Johnson transformation, increasing the false positive rate in the non-normal PSQA process. Conclusions:Applying the SPC techniques directly to a non-normal process can lead to an increased false alarm rate and wrong process interpretation. The SPC techniques combined with Johnson transformation enable more effective monitoring of a non-normal PSQA process, facilitating timely identification of potential factors that may lead to an out-of-control process based on the treatment site-specific limits.

With the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence(GAI)technologies,their widespread application in academic research and writing is continuously expanding the boundaries of sci-entific inquiry.However,this trend has also raised a series of ethical and regulatory challenges,inclu-ding issues related to authorship,content authenticity,citation accuracy,and accountability.In light of the growing involvement of AI in generating academic content,establishing an open,controllable,and trustworthy ethical governance framework has become a key task for safeguarding research integrity and maintaining trust within the academic community.This expert consensus outlines ethical requirements across key stages of AI-assisted academic writing-including topic selection,data management,citation practices,and authorship attribution.It aims to clarify the boundaries and ethical obligations surrounding AI use in academic writing,ensuring that technological tools enhance efficiency without compromising in-tegrity.The goal is to provide guidance and institutional support for building a responsible and sustainable research ecosystem.

Ovarian tumor (OT) is the most lethal form of gynecologic malignancy, with minimal improvements in patient outcomes over the past several decades. Metastasis is the leading cause of ovarian cancer-related deaths, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Psychological stress is known to activate the glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1), a factor associated with poor prognosis in OT patients. However, the precise mechanisms linking NR3C1 signaling and metastasis have yet to be fully elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that chronic restraint stress accelerates epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis in OT through an NR3C1-dependent mechanism involving nuclear protein 1 (NUPR1). Mechanistically, NR3C1 directly regulates the transcription of NUPR1, which in turn increases the expression of snail family transcriptional repressor 2 (SNAI2), a key driver of EMT. Clinically, elevated NR3C1 positively correlates with NUPR1 expression in OT patients, and both are positively associated with poorer prognosis. Overall, our study identified the NR3C1/NUPR1 axis as a critical regulatory pathway in psychological stress-induced OT metastasis, suggesting a potential therapeutic target for intervention in OT metastasis.

Aim To explore the mechanism of the syn-ergistic effect of the ferroptosis inducer erastin com-bined with shikonin in promoting ferroptosis in human hypertrophic scar fibroblasts(HSFBs).Methods Hypertrophic scar tissues provided by the General Hos-pital of Ningxia Medical University were collected,and HSFBs were extracted.HSFBs were identified by HE staining and immunofluorescence.The inhibitory rates of Era and SHK on HSFBs at different concentrations were detected by CCK-8 assay,and the IC50 value was calculated.CompuSyn software was used to calculate the co-use index(CI).Control group,Erastin(Era)group,shikonin(SHK)group and Era+SHK group were set up,and the number and morphological chan-ges of cells were observed after 24 hours of interven-tion.The ability of cell migration and invasion was de-tected by scratch test and Transwell test.The changes of malondialdehyde(MDA),total iron ion and reactive oxygen species(ROS)were detected by corresponding biochemical kits.The expressions of collagen I,α-SMA and GOT1,SLC7A11,GPX4 and FTH1 were detected by Western blot.Results The IC50 value of Era and SHK of primary HSFBs was 2.22 μmol·L-1 and 3.94μmol·L-1 respectively,which was used as the single drug concentration for subsequent experiments.The CompuSyn software was employed to calculate the CI value when the two drugs were used in combination,and the concentrations corresponding to CI=0.39597(Era:1.2 μmol·L-1+SHK:1.5 μmol·L-1)were selected as subsequent combination concentrations(Because when CI was equal to 0.395 97,the concen-tration of each drug was lower than the concentration of single drug,and the inhibition rate of combined drug was greater than 50％).Compared with the monother-apy group,the number of HSFBs in the SHK+Era group was significantly reduced,cell membrane showed breakage and vesiculation,cell wrinkling became smal-ler,and cytoplasm was concentrated.The migration and invasion ability of HSFBs in the SHK+Era group were obviously weakened(P＜0.05),and the expres-sion of fibrosis-related proteins collagen Ⅰ and α-SMA was reduced(P＜0.05);the contents of MDA,total i-ron ions,and ROS in HSFBs of the SHK+Era group increased(P＜0.05),and the protein expression lev-els of SLC7A11,GOT1,GPX4,and FTH1 further de-creased(P＜0.05).Conclusions Erastin in combi-nation with shikonin can synergistically inhibit the pro-liferation,migration and fibrosis levels of HSFBs.The mechanism may be that erastin enhances the inhibition of shikotin on GOT1,increases the levels of cellular i-ron ions,ROS,and lipid peroxides,thereby promoting ferroptosis in HSFBs.

Objective:To apply statistical process control (SPC) techniques to the quality assurance of non-normal radiotherapy plans through Johnson transformation, establishing patient-specific tolerance and action limits based on treatment sites and dose/distance assessment criteria, thereby enhancing the intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) verification accuracy and dose delivery precision.Methods:In this study, 951 gamma analysis data of patient-specific quality assurance (PSQA) executed on the Halcyon accelerator platform were selected and categorized into six groups based on treatment sites, including brain (102 cases), head and neck (100 cases), breast (229 cases), lung (154 cases), esophagus (223 cases), and pelvic (143 cases) groups. The six groups of data were statistically analyzed through Anderson-Darling normality tests ( α = 0.05) using Minitab 21 software. Non-normal data were transformed into normal data through Johnson transformation and then were used to establish treatment site-specific tolerance and action limits, which were compared with the Shewhart control charts based on normal distributions. Results:The PSQA result of the six groups all exhibited non-normal distributions ( P < 0.05). Through Johnson transformation, the tolerance and action limits for the head and neck, breast, lung, esophagus, and pelvic areas under the 3%/2 mm criterion ranged from 95.13% to 96.16% and 94.19% to 95.91%, respectively. In contrast, the tolerance and action limits ranged from 91.15% to 94.86% and 89.94% to 94.78% under the 2%/2 mm criterion. Directly applying Shewhart control charts without normality assumptions yielded higher tolerance limits compared to the application of Johnson transformation, increasing the false positive rate in the non-normal PSQA process. Conclusions:Applying the SPC techniques directly to a non-normal process can lead to an increased false alarm rate and wrong process interpretation. The SPC techniques combined with Johnson transformation enable more effective monitoring of a non-normal PSQA process, facilitating timely identification of potential factors that may lead to an out-of-control process based on the treatment site-specific limits.

Objective To investigate the effect and safety of esketamine combined with general anesthesia and ultrasound-guided cervical plexus block in axillary endoscopic thyroidectomy.Methods The subjects of this study,112 female patients who underwent axillary endoscopic thyroidectomy in our hospital from January 2022 to October 2024,were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group,each with 56 cases.All patients were administered with ultrasound-guided cervical plexus block followed by general anesthesia.The observation group was injected with 0.1 mg/kg of esketamine prior to anesthesia induction and continuously pumped with esketamine at a rate of 0.1 mg/(kg·h)during the operation until sutures were completed,while the control group was administered with an equal volume of normal saline following the same procedure.The vital sign indicators[mean arterial pressure(MAP),heart rate(HR)and percutaneous arterial oxygen saturation(SpO2)]immediately after establishing electrocardiogram monitoring(T0),immediately before tracheal intubation(T1),immediately after tracheal intubation(T2),immediately after skin incision(T3)and immediately after the operation(T4)were compared between the two groups.Surgical related indicators such as propofol dosage,remifentanil dosage,and extubation time were also compared between them.Pain visual analogue scale(VAS)scores were performed on patients from the two groups at 1,6,12,and 24 h postoperatively.The 40-item quality of recovery score(QoR-40)was used before the surgeries and 1 d after surgeries to assess the patients.Adverse reactions were also compared.Results The difference was significant in terms of MAP,HR time effect in the two groups(F=24.63,F=20.11,P<0.05)and inter-group MAP,HR values(F=13.54,F=11.49,P<0.05).There were statistically significant differences in the interaction effects of MAP and HR between the two groups(F=4.10,F=3.46,P<0.05).The difference was not statistically significant in time,inter group,and interaction effects of SpO2(P>0.05).The dosage of propofol,remifentanil,and postoperative 1 d drainage in the observation group were less than those in the control group,the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).The differences were not statistically signiciant in extubation time and awakening time between the two groups(P>0.05).The VAS scores at 1,6,12,and 24 h after operation in the observation groups were lower than those in the control group,the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).Physical comfort,pain dimension ratings,and total score of the QoR-40 scale:1)those 1 d after operation were lower than those before operation in both groups(P<0.05);2)1 d after operation:those in the control group were lower than those in the observation group(P<0.05).The control group witnessed a remarkable decrease in QoR-40 emotional state rating 1 d after operation than it did before operation(P<0.05),while no significant change was seen by the observation group in this regard(P>0.05).The incidence of coughing after extubation in the observation group was lower than that in the control group(14.29%and 37.50%),the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The differences were not statistically signiciant in the incidence of other adverse reactions such as nausea,vomiting,dizziness,headache,respiratory depression,awakening restlessness and awakening delirium between the two groups(P>0.05).The total incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group(25.00%and 66.07%,P<0.05).Conclusion The application of esketamine combined with general anesthesia and ultrasound-guided cervical plexus block in axillary endoscopic thyroidectomy can significantly stabilize hemodynamics in patients,reduce postoperative pain,and promote postoperative recovery.It is worthy clinical application.

In view of the characteristics of H5N6 subtype avian influenza virus(AIV)that it has both high pathogenicity and the risk of cross-species transmission,posing a serious threat to the poultry farming industry and public health security,in order to effectively prevent and control the spread of H5N6 avian influenza,a rapid,sensitive and specific detection technolo-gy was established in this study.The specific monoclonal antibodies against the neuraminidase N6 protein of avian influenza A virus subtype H5N6 were obtained through hybridoma and monoclonal antibody technology.These antibodies were coupled and labeled with carboxyl-functionalized fluorescent quantum dots,along with previously prepared specific antibodies against the hemagglutinin H5 protein.A rapid fluorescence immunochromatographic detection method for the H5N6 subtype of avian influ-enza virus was established according to the principle of double-antibody sandwich immunochromatography.This method a-chieved a detection sensitivity of 1 ng/mL for recombinant hemagglutinin H5 subtype protein and 0.1 ng/mL for recombinant neuraminidase N6 subtype protein.Moreover,the method exhibited no cross-reactivity with other influenza subtypes or patho-gens,such as Newcastle disease(ND),infectious bronchitis(IB),and infectious laryngotracheitis(ILT),thus demonstrating good specificity.The method effectively identified the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5 subtype and directly distin-guished the H5N6 subtype with good accuracy.The fluorescent quantum dot immunochromatographic typing detection method established herein met the sensitivity,specificity,and accuracy requirements for H5N6 subtype detection,and can be further used for rapid detection of the H5 and H5N6 subtypes of avian influenza virus.

Testicular histology based on testicular biopsy is an important factor for determining appropriate testicular sperm extraction surgery and predicting sperm retrieval outcomes in patients with azoospermia. Therefore, we developed a deep learning (DL) model to establish the associations between testicular grayscale ultrasound images and testicular histology. We retrospectively included two-dimensional testicular grayscale ultrasound from patients with azoospermia (353 men with 4357 images between July 2017 and December 2021 in The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China) to develop a DL model. We obtained testicular histology during conventional testicular sperm extraction. Our DL model was trained based on ultrasound images or fusion data (ultrasound images fused with the corresponding testicular volume) to distinguish spermatozoa presence in pathology (SPP) and spermatozoa absence in pathology (SAP) and to classify maturation arrest (MA) and Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS) in patients with SAP. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were used to analyze model performance. DL based on images achieved an AUC of 0.922 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.908-0.935), a sensitivity of 80.9%, a specificity of 84.6%, and an accuracy of 83.5% in predicting SPP (including normal spermatogenesis and hypospermatogenesis) and SAP (including MA and SCOS). In the identification of SCOS and MA, DL on fusion data yielded better diagnostic performance with an AUC of 0.979 (95% CI: 0.969-0.989), a sensitivity of 89.7%, a specificity of 97.1%, and an accuracy of 92.1%. Our study provides a noninvasive method to predict testicular histology for patients with azoospermia, which would avoid unnecessary testicular biopsy.
Humans ; Male ; Azoospermia/diagnostic imaging* ; Deep Learning ; Testis/pathology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult ; Ultrasonography/methods* ; Sperm Retrieval ; Sertoli Cell-Only Syndrome/diagnostic imaging*

Nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA), one of the most severe types of male infertility, etiology often remains unclear in most cases. Therefore, this study aimed to detect four biallelic detrimental variants (0.5%) in the minichromosome maintenance domain containing 2 ( MCMDC2 ) genes in 768 NOA patients by whole-exome sequencing (WES). Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) demonstrated that MCMDC2 deleterious variants caused meiotic arrest in three patients (c.1360G>T, c.1956G>T, and c.685C>T) and hypospermatogenesis in one patient (c.94G>T), as further confirmed through immunofluorescence (IF) staining. The single-cell RNA sequencing data indicated that MCMDC2 was substantially expressed during spermatogenesis. The variants were confirmed as deleterious and responsible for patient infertility through bioinformatics and in vitro experimental analyses. The results revealed four MCMDC2 variants related to NOA, which contributes to the current perception of the function of MCMDC2 in male fertility and presents new perspectives on the genetic etiology of NOA.
Humans ; Male ; Azoospermia/genetics* ; Meiosis/genetics* ; Spermatogenesis/genetics* ; Adult ; Exome Sequencing ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins/genetics* ; Alleles ; Infertility, Male/genetics*