OBJECTIVE To study the protective effect and potential mechanism of chikusetsu saponin Ⅳ a （chsⅣ） on renal function in diabetic nephropathy （DN） model rats. METHODS DN rat model was established by high-fat diet combined with streptozotocin injection. Thirty-six model rats were randomly divided into model group （i.g. administration of normal saline， high-fat diet）， chsⅣ low-dose and high-dose groups （i.g. administration of 90， 180 mg/kg chsⅣ， high-fat diet）， with 12 rats in each group. Additionally， 10 normal rats were set as the control group （i.g. administration of normal saline， regular diet）. From the 5th to the 12th week after streptozotocin injection， they were given intragastric administration of relevant drug or normal saline， once a day. After the last medication， the levels of fasting blood glucose， fasting insulin， blood urea nitrogen， serum creatinine and urine protein as well as the levels of reduced glutathione （GSH）， superoxide dismutase （SOD） and malondialdehyde （MDA） in renal tissues were measured. Additionally， the insulin resistance index was calculated. Hematoxylin-eosin， periodic acid-Schiff， and Masson staining techniques were employed to examine the histopathological alterations in the renal tissue. The expressions of Notch signaling pathway-related proteins in renal tissue were detected by immunohistochemical staining and Western blot methods. RESULTS Compared with model group， the histomorphological of renal tissues in the chsⅣ low- and high-dose groups were significantly improved， with significant decreases in renal histological scores， mesangial expansion index， and glomerulosclerosis scores （ P ＜0.05）； the levels of fasting blood glucose， fasting insulin， blood urea nitrogen， serum creatinine， urine protein and homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance， as well as MDA content， the expression levels of Notch1， Notch intracellular domain， hairy and enhancer of Split 1 and Delta-like protein 1 in renal tissue were all significantly decreased （ P ＜0.05）. The levels of GSH and SOD in renal tissue were significantly elevated （ P ＜0.05）. Moreover， the improvement in these indicators was significantly more pronounced in the chsⅣ high-dose group compared to the chsⅣ low-dose group （ P ＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS ChsⅣ can ameliorate renal pathological damage and functional impairment in DN rats. Its underlying mechanisms include restoration of glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity， attenuation of renal oxidative stress， and suppression of aberrant Notch signaling pathway activation.

OBJECTIVE To systematically evaluate the correlation between dynamic changes in inflammatory markers during treatment with epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors （EGFR-TKIs） in non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC） patients and therapeutic efficacy， with the aim of providing evidence-based support for clinical prognosis assessment and treatment strategy adjustment. METHODS Databases including PubMed， Embase， Cochrane Library， CNKI， Wanfang Data， and CBM were searched from the inception to July 20， 2025. Following literature screening， data extraction and quality assessment， descriptive analysis was conducted on the outcomes of included studies. RESULTS A total of eight studies were included to analyze the correlation of 6 inflammatory markers before and after treatment with EGFR-TKIs with therapeutic efficacy. The risk of bias assessment identified six high-quality studies and two moderate-quality studies. Among these studies， seven studies demonstrated that lower levels of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio （NLR）， derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio （dNLR）， platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio （PLR）， and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio （MLR）， higher lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio （LMR） before treatment， as well as decreased NLR and MLR and increased LMR after treatment were associated with longer median progression-free survival. Five studies indicated that lower levels of NLR， dNLR， PLR， and interleukin-6 （IL-6）， higher LMR before treatment as well as decreased NLR and dNLR and increased LMR were associated with longer median overall survival. Three studies indicated that lower levels of IL-6 were associated with a higher objective response rate， while the association of these markers after treatment remained controversial； another study showed that an early decline in NLR， MLR， and PLR after treatment may be associated with objective response benefit. CONCLUSIONS Lower inflammatory levels during EGFR-TKIs therapy correlate with better therapeutic efficacy in NSCLC patients.

ObjectiveTo investigate the expression of C1q tumor necrosis factor-related protein 3 （C1QTNF3） in liver cancer tissue， its association with the clinicopathological features of patients， and its potential value in predicting the prognosis of liver cancer. MethodsRelated data were collected from TIMER， UALCAN， TNMplot， and GEO databases， and the bioinformatics methods were used to measure the expression level of C1QTNF3 in pan-cancer， normal tissue/liver cancer tissue， and cancerous tissue/paracancerous tissue. Cancerous and paracancerous tissue samples were collected from 90 patients with liver cancer， and related clinical data were collected， including age， sex， tumor diameter， and tumor number. The independent-samples t test or the paired t-test was used for comparison of continuous data between groups， and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curves， and the Log-rank test was used to investigate the association between the expression level of C1QTNF3 and the survival of patients with liver cancer. The Cox regression model was used to identify the risk factors for the prognosis of patients with liver cancer， and the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve was used to analyze the ability of C1QTNF3 expression at different time points for predicting the prognosis of patients with liver cancer. ResultsThe bioinformatics analysis showed that the expression of C1QTNF3 was upregulated in various malignant tumors， especially in liver cancer tissue （P<0.001）， and the expression level of C1QTNF3 in liver cancer tissue was significantly higher than that in normal tissue and paracancerous tissues （all P<0.01）. The immunohistochemical staining results of 90 patients with liver cancer showed that C1QTNF3 was mainly expressed in cytoplasm， with a small amount in nucleus， and it had negative expression in paracancerous tissue and positive expression in liver cancer tissue. The positive expression rate and strong positive expression rate of C1QTNF3 protein in liver cancer tissue were significantly higher than those in paracancerous tissue （positive expression rate： 76.67% vs 33.33%， χ²=34.141， P<0.01； strong positive expression rate： 54.44% vs 5.56%， χ²=51.217， P<0.01）. The liver cancer patients with a tumor diameter of ≥5 cm， an advanced stage， the presence of liver cirrhosis， negative HBsAg， and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase （GGT）≥50 U/L had a significantly higher strong positive expression rate of C1QTNF3 protein than those with a tumor diameter of <5 cm， an early stage， the absence of liver cirrhosis， positive HBsAg， and GGT<50 U/L （all P<0.05）. The univariate Cox regression analysis showed that tumor diameter， recurrence， and C1QTNF3 expression were influencing factors for the prognosis of patients with liver cancer （all P<0.05）， and the multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the expression level of C1QTNF3 and recurrence were independent risk factors for the survival of patients with liver cancer （both P<0.05）. The survival curve analysis showed that for all patients with liver cancer， the patients with high （strong positive） expression of C1QTNF3 had significantly lower overall survival rate and disease-free survival rate than those with low expression （χ²=17.010 and 13.647， both P<0.001）； for liver cancer patients with a tumor diameter of ≥5 cm， an early/advanced stage， recurrence， the presence of liver cirrhosis， positive HBsAg， alanine aminotransferase （ALT） <40 U/L， ALT≥40 U/L， and GGT≥50 U/L， the patients with high expression of C1QTNF3 had a significant reduction in overall survival rate （χ²=11.086， 5.578， 5.295， 19.159， 16.391， 13.774， 10.119， 8.152， and 12.035， all P<0.05）. The ROC curve analysis showed that C1QTNF3 expression had the strongest predictive potential at 5 years， with an area under the ROC curve of 0.77. ConclusionC1QTNF3 is highly expressed in liver cancer tissue， and the expression level of C1QTNF3 and recurrence are closely associated with the survival of patients with liver cancer. Patients with high expression of C1QTNF3 protein tend to have a lower survival rate.

Objective Piperazine derivatives are a group of emerging psychoactive substances with excitatory and hallucinogenic effects on the central nervous system.This study established a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS/MS)screening method for the detection of 40 piperazine compounds in urine.Methods A 200 μL urine sample(spiked with an internal standard at 1 ng/mL)was subjected to liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate.After nitrogen evaporation,the residue was redissolved in 200 μL methanol and injected for analysis.Separation was performed on a Waters Acquity UPLC? HSS T3 column(100 mm × 2.1 mm,1.8 μm).The mobile phase consisted of(A)20 mmol/L ammonium acetate buffer containing 0.1％formic acid and 5％acetonitrile,and(B)acetonitrile.Gradient elution was applied,and detection was carried out in multiple reaction monitoring(MRM)mode.Quantification was achieved using an internal standard calibration curve.Results The 40 piperazine substances demonstrated good linearity within the range of 1-50 ng/mL,with correlation coefficients of 0.995-0.998.The extraction recovery ranged from 51.51％to 104.1％.Intra-day precision was below 5％,while inter-day precision ranged from 1.61％to 10.17％.Accuracy was between-7.84％and 8.77％.The limits of detection were 0.2-1 ng/mL,and the limit of quantification was 1 ng/mL.Conclusion The proposed method requires only a small sample volume,exhibits high sensitivity,selectivity,and stability,and offers short run times.It is suitable for the qualitative and quantitative determination of piperazine derivatives in urine in forensic toxicology practice.

Objective:To investigate the impact of hysteroscopic surgery on fresh embryo transfer outcomes in patients with transvaginal ultrasound-diagnosed FIGO Type Ⅱ/Ⅲ uterine fibroids that may affect the uterine cavity morphology, providing a reference for clinical practice.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was performed to analyze the clinical data of 346 patients who visited the Reproductive Medicine Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University Third Hospital between January 2020 and December 2022, with transvaginal ultrasound findings indicating uterine fibroids adjacent to or protruding into the uterine cavity (FIGO Type Ⅱ, Ⅲ) and who underwent fresh embryo transfer. Patients were divided into two groups based on whether hysteroscopic surgery were performed: the hysteroscopic surgery group ( n=237, the group that underwent hysteroscopy before embryo transfer) and the non-surgery group ( n=109, the group that proceeded directly to embryo transfer without hysteroscopy). Basic patient characteristics and pregnancy outcomes were compared between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors influencing clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate. Results:The baseline characteristics showed no statistically significant differences between the two groups. The clinical pregnancy rate [44.3% (105/237)] and the live birth rate [32.5% (77/237)] following fresh embryo transfer in the hysteroscopic surgery group were significantly higher than those in the non-surgery group [31.2% (34/109), P=0.021; 18.3% (20/109), P=0.007], whereas the pregnancy loss rate showed no significant difference. Stratified analysis by age revealed that for patients aged <35 years, the clinical pregnancy rate [62.1% (54/87)] and the live birth rate [51.7% (45/87)] in fresh embryo transfer cycles were significantly higher in the hysteroscopic surgery group compared with the non-surgery group [30.8% (12/39), P=0.001; 25.6% (10/39), P=0.006]. Multivariate logistic regression analysis further confirmed that hysteroscopic surgery was an independent factor influencing live birth rate ( OR=2.128, 95% CI: 1.152-3.930, P=0.016). Among patients aged <35 years, hysteroscopic surgery was an influencing factor of both clinical pregnancy rate ( OR=4.222, 95% CI: 1.745-10.215, P=0.001) and live birth rate ( OR=3.449, 95% CI: 1.436-8.282, P=0.006). Conclusion:For infertile patients with ultrasound findings of uterine fibroids adjacent to or protruding into the uterine cavity, especially younger patients, hysteroscopy is recommended. It can improve pregnancy outcomes of fresh embryo transfer, increasing both the clinical pregnancy rate and the live birth rate.

Objective:To evaluate the value of ultrasound radiomics combined with machine learning for early diagnosis of seronegative Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (SN-HT) .Methods:This retrospective study included 164 patients from Liaoning Provincial People’s Hospital , Lixin County People’s Hospital, Linghai Dalinghe Hospital, Fengcheng Phoenix Hospital, who underwent thyroidectomy for solitary nodules with normal thyroid function between Nov. 2016 and Jan. 2024. Postoperative pathology confirmed Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) in some cases, who were further categorized into antibody-positive and antibody-negative groups based on serum antibody status. Patients without Hashimoto’s thyroiditis served as the control group. A total of 298 ultrasound images were analyzed. Radiomics features were extracted from hypoechoic non-nodular areas within 0.5 cm surrounding the tumor. Two senior pathologists and two senior ultrasound physicians independently assessed lymphocytic infiltration, eosinophilic changes of follicular epithelium, and the proportion of hypoechoic areas in pathology and ultrasound images, respectively. A machine learning model, CCH-NET, was developed using linear regression and t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) techniques. The dataset was divided into a training set (80%) and a validation set (20%) to compare the diagnostic accuracy of CCH-NET with that of senior ultrasound physicians. Results:In internal validation, CCH-NET achieved a diagnostic accuracy of 88.89% for both antibody-positive and antibody-negative groups, significantly higher than the 66.67% accuracy of senior ultrasound physicians ( P<0.01). In external validation, CCH-NET achieved 75.00% and 66.67% accuracy for the two groups, compared to 50.00% by senior ultrasound physicians. For the control group, both methods achieved 93.33% accuracy. The AUC of CCH-NET was 0.848, outperforming senior ultrasound physicians (0.681) ,demonstrating superior diagnostic performance. Conclusion:The radiomics-based CCH-NET model, using non-nodular hypoechoic areas as a specific indicator, can accurately identify early SN-HT in euthyroid patients. It significantly outperforms senior ultrasound physicians, improving diagnostic accuracy and reducing missed diagnoses.

Objective:To investigate the role of rheum tanguticum polysaccharide(RTP)in treating ulcerative colitis(UC)by improving intestinal flora.Methods:UC model was established,rats were divided into normal control group,model group and RTP treatment group.The integrity of colonic mucosa,submucosa and muscularis were observed by HE staining.Expressions of TNF-α,IL-6,IL-8 and IL-1β in serum were assessed by ELISA.16S rRNA sequencing was performed to analyze the composition and differences of intestinal flora in rats.Results:UC rats had symptoms such as loose stools,blood in the stool,anal filth,chills and mental malaise.RTP treatment could significantly improve the symptoms and reduce DAI scores(P<0.05).HE staining showed that the colonic struc-ture of UC rats was necrotic and inflammatory cells infiltrated submucosa.RTP treatment could significantly promote the repair and regeneration of mucosal epithelium.RTP could significantly inhibit inflammatory response and downregulate the expression of inflam-matory factors in UC rats(P<0.05).Composition and abundance of intestinal flora in UC rats were significantly different from that of normal control group.Staphylococcus was significantly increased,while Collinsella,Allobaculum,Chlamydia and Holdemanella were significantly decreased.RTP treatment could improve intestinal flora,reduce the abundance of Staphylococcus,and increase the abundance of Collinsella,Allobaculum,Chlamydia and Holdemanella.Conclusion:RTP can be used to treat UC in rats by inhibiting inflammation and improving intestinal flora.

Objective To establish a method for inducing mouse bone marrow monocytes differentiating into Kupffer cells in vitro,for the study of Kupffer cells.Methods Monocytes were separated from mouse bone marrow and induced by transforming growth factor 1(TGF-β1),macrophage colony-stimulating factor(M-CSF)and delta-like protein 4(DLL4).Induced monocyte-derived Kupffer cells(iMoKCs)were identified by real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qPCR),immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometry.Immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometry were used to evaluate the phagocytic capacity of iMoKCs.Cell counting kit-8(CCK-8)was used to evaluate the proliferation capacity.Results Bone marrow monocytes were isolated,after 24 h combined induction,iMoKCs express C-type lectin domain family 4,member f(CLEC4F),C-type lectin domain family 1,member b(CLEC1B)and V-set and immunoglobulin domain containing 4(VSIG4)at mRNA level,and protein CLEC4F.Phagocytic function of iMoKCs were detected by flow cytometry,and nearly 80% of total iMoKCs show bioparticle acceptance.The number of iMoKCs were detected by CCK-8,the counts were 1.4,2.0 and 2.9 times of the initial number(0 h)at 24,48 and 72 h.Conclusion These cells display the immunophenotype of Kupffer cells and show the ability of phagocytosis and proliferation induction through M-CSF,TGF-β1 and DLL4,which could replace primary Kupffer cells for in vitro research.

Objective To explore the optimisation path of medical resource allocation efficiency improvement in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) hospitals under the synergistic effect of multiple factors,so as to provide powerful support for the balanced development of medical resources in TCM hospitals.Methods The comprehensive efficiency of resource allocation in TCM hospitals in 31 provinces (cities and districts) of China obtained by Data Envelopment Analysis was taken as the outcome variable,and with the help of Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis,it examined the configurations of efficient medical resource allocation,considering the following conditional variables:per capital Regional GDP,the proportion of fiscal allocation revenue to total income,the ratio of TCM practicing (assistant) physicians to all practicing (assistant) physicians,the average length of hospital stay for discharged patients,the number of total diagnosis and treatments per thousand population,and the number of hospital beds per thousand population.Results By analyzing the conditional patterns of efficient allocation of medical resources in TCM hospitals,three equivalent driving paths can be summarized,which are comprehensive service capacity,TCM advantage and hospitalization driving paths.Conclusion The overall level of medical resource allocation efficiency of TCM hospitals in China needs to be improved.In the future,efforts should be made to improve the comprehensive service capacity and operational efficiency of hospitals,give full play to the advantages of TCM,build a high-quality TCM talent team,reasonably shorten the average hospital stay,and improve the utilization efficiency of hospital beds.

BACKGROUND:The blood-brain barrier is an important structure that protects the central nervous system,and the study of the effects of high glucose on the blood-brain barrier is important for the prevention of high glucose-induced damage to the central nervous system.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the potential effect of high glucose on the blood-brain barrier function of hCMEC/D3 human brain microvascular endothelial cells.METHODS:hCMEC/D3 cells were cultured in regular sugar medium(glucose concentration of 25 mmol/L)and high-sugar medium(glucose concentration of 55 mmol/L).The morphology of cells in each group was observed by light microscopy.CCK-8 assay was used to detect changes in cell viability.A monolayer blood-brain barrier model was established using hCMEC/D3 cell line with Transwell chamber device.Changes in cell transmembrane resistance were monitored daily.The permeability of cell monolayers was detected by phenol red permeability.Flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptosis rate of the cells.Western blot assay was used to detect the expression of Bcl-2,Bax,Caspase-3,ZO-1,Occludin,Claudin-1,and histone deacetylase 4.The levels of histone deacetylase in cell supernatant were detected by ELISA.The expression of histone deacetylase 4 in cells was detected by immunofluorescence.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The cell viability of high sugar group was significantly lower than that of control group(P＜0.000 1).(2)The cells of the control group were in a good growth state,interwoven into a dense mesh,with interconnections between synapses.The cell growth of high glucose group was suppressed,and the connection of inter-cellular synapses was reduced.(3)Compared with the control group,the transmembrane resistance value of the high glucose group was reduced(P＜0.05);phenol-red permeability of the monolayer cell membrane was increased(P＜0.05);cell apoptosis rate was increased(P＜0.01);the expression of Bax protein was increased(P＜0.000 1);the expression of Caspase-3 protein had no significant change(P＞0.05);the expression of Bcl-2,ZO-1,Occludin,Claudin-1,and histone deacetylase 4 proteins was decreased(P＜0.01,P＜0.001,P＜0.01,P＜0.000 1,P＜0.01);the fluorescence expression of histone deacetylase 4 was decreased(P＜0.001)in the high glucose group.(4)The level of histone deacetylase 4 in the cell supernatant of the high glucose group was lower than that of the control group(P＜0.05).The results show that high glucose induces the increased apoptosis and enhances permeability of hCEMCE/D3 cells,and its mechanism may be related to the decreased expression level of histone deacetylase 4.