Objective To explore whether there is a causal relationship between intestinal flora and esophageal cancer. Methods Summary statistics of intestinal flora and esophageal cancer were obtained from the Genome-wide Association Studies (GWAS) database. Five methods, including inverse variance weighted (IVW), weighted median estimation, Mendelian randomization (MR)-Egger regression, single mode, and weighted mode, were used for analysis, with IVW as the main analysis method. Sensitivity analysis was used to evaluate the reliability of MR results. Results In the IVW method, Oxalobacteraceae [OR=1.001, 95%CI (1.000, 1.002), P=0.023], Faecalibacterium [OR=1.001, 95%CI (1.000, 1.002), P=0.028], Senegalimassilia [OR=1.002, 95%CI (1.000, 1.003), P=0.006] and Veillonella [OR=1.001, 95%CI (1.000, 1.002), P=0.018] were positively correlated with esophageal cancer, while Burkholderiales [OR=0.999, 95%CI (0.998, 1.000), P=0.002], Eubacterium oxidoreducens [OR=0.998, 95%CI (0.997, 0.999), P=0.038], Romboutsia [OR=0.999, 95%CI (0.998, 1.000), P=0.048] and Turicibacter [OR=0.998, 95%CI (0.997, 0.999), P=0.013] were negatively correlated with esophageal cancer. Sensitivity analysis showed no evidence of heterogeneity, horizontal pleiotropy and reverse causality. Conclusion Oxalobacteraceae, Faecalibacterium, Senegalimassilia and Veillonella increase the risk of esophageal cancer, while Burkholderiales, Eubacterium oxidoreducens, Romboutsia and Turicibacter decrease the risk of esophageal cancer. Further studies are needed to explore how these bacteria affect the progression of esophageal cancer.

Albert Schweitzer’s ethical thought of “reverence for life” breaks the limitation of traditional ethics that only focuses on human beings. It extends the scope of care to all living beings and provides important ideas for resolving problems concerning the relationship between humans and nature. However， this thought lacks a clear definition of “who is the ethical subject，” which leads to divergent interpretations and applications within academic circles. In fact， the core of this ethical framework lies in “asymmetric intersubjectivity.” That is， humans possess unique capacities for moral reflection， moral action， and moral responsiveness， making them the only complete ethical subjects and bearing the obligation to actively care for non-human lives. Meanwhile， non-human lives carry intrinsic life value and merit respect， yet they cannot bear moral responsibilities and merely serve as ethical objects receiving care. After sorting out this core logic， the concept of “moral agent” was introduced to provide an analytic method with both theoretical rigor and practical operability for real-world issues such as ethical decision-making in medicine and the application of life technologies.

Objective To explore the role and molecular mechanism of major vault protein (MVP) in tumor-associated macrophages in the occurrence and development of liver cancer. Methods The expression of MVP in macrophages was analyzed by bioinformatics method and multi-fluorescent immunohistochemical staining. Mice with MVP deficiency in macrophages were constructed by Cre/LoxP recombinant enzyme system. The proliferation and migration abilities of tumor cells were detected by cloning formation and Transwell migration assays. The effect of MVP in macrophages on tumorigenesis and development was investigated by mouse primary liver cancer model and subcutaneous tumor transplantation model. The effect of MVP on the tumor microenvironment was investigated by multi-fluorescent immunohistochemical staining. The effect of MVP on CD8⁺ T cells was detected by cell co-culture, flow cytometry, qPCR, and ELISA. Results The high expression of MVP in tumor-associated macrophages. The downregulation of the expression of MVP in tumor-associated macrophages compared with para-carcinoma tissues. MVP deficiency in macrophages promoted the proliferation and migration of tumor cells (P<0.05), promoted the development of tumor in vivo (P<0.05), formed an immunosuppressive microenvironment and weakened CD8⁺ T cell-mediated anti-tumor immunity (P<0.05). Conclusion MVP deficiency in macrophages can promote the occurrence and development of liver cancer by suppressing the function of CD8⁺ T cells.

Objective To investigate the correlation of plasma homocysteine(Hcy)level and the polymorphisms of its key metabolic enzymes methylenetetrahy-drofolate reductase(MTHFR)gene with ischemic stroke(IS).Methods A total of 310 patients with IS were enrolled as the case group and 330 healthy subjects during the same period were selected as the control group.Plasma Hcy concentration was detected by enzyme cycling method,and the real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)was used to detecte the genotypes of MTHFR C677T.Results The frequencies of TT genotype(36.13%),CT genotype(10.00%)and T allele(28.06%)of MTHFR gene C677T locus in stroke patients were significantly higher than that in control group(P＜0.05).The frequency of the TT genotype was significantly higher in IS group compared to control group,indicating a recessive mode of inheritance(P＜0.05);In the dominant mode of inheritance,the frequency of CT+TT genotype in IS group was also significantly higher than that in control group(P＜0.05);The plasma Hay concentration of MTHFR C677T genotype TT,CT and CC patients was statistically different(P＜0.05),which were(20.91±6.78)μmol/L(17.20±5.39)μmol/L,(14.35±4.32)μmol/L,respectively;The area under the ROC curve(AUC)of plas-ma total Hcy level was 0.610(95%CI:0.566～0.653,P＜0.001).It indicated that it might play an impor-tant role in predicting the risk of suffering from IS.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that plasma Hcy level and MTHFR C677T gene polymorphism were important risk factors of IS.Conclusions Elevated plasma Hcy level is associated with IS,and the synergistic effect of elevated Hcy level and MTHFR C677T gene mutation may increase the risk of IS.

Objective To investigate the relationship between methylenetetra-hydrofolatereductase(MTHFR)gene polymorphism and serum homocysteine(Hcy)level and subtypes of ischemic stroke(IS).Methods The study was conducted according to the matched principle of case-control design,310 patients with IS and 330 healthy people during the same period were selected as the case group and the control group.Recycling enzyme method and the real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)method were used to detect the level of serum Hcy and the genotypes of MTHFR C677T,respectively.Results There was a significantly difference in MTHFR C677T genotype and allele frequency between the case and control groups(P＜0.05).The correlation analysis with different subtypes indicated that the frequencies of CT genotype(38.02%),TT genotype(10.74%),and T allele(29.75%)were significantly different in the LAA group(OR=1.662,95%CI:1.058-2.608,P＜0.05;OR=2.373,95%CI:1.110-5.073,P＜0.05;OR=1.663,95%CI:1.190-2.323,P＜0.05);The frequencies of TT genotype(10.53%)and T allele(27.30%)in SAO group were also significantly different(OR=2.130,95%CI:1.046-4.336,P＜0.05;OR=1.474,95%CI:1.075-2.021,P＜0.05).Further analysis of serum Hcy level showed that LAA group(19.55±5.61)μmol/L and SAO group(16.37±5.20)μmol/L were significantly higher than the control group(14.46±4.61)μmol/L(P＜0.001);Among the patients of both subtypes the serum Hcy levels in those with CT genotypes and TT genotypes were significantly higher than those in patients of CC genotypes(P＜0.001).Conclusions The gene polymorphism of MTHFR C677T has a significant effect on Hcy level in pa-tients with LAA and SAO stroke.

Objective To identify causal effects and potential mechanisms of oxidative stress (OS)-related genes in lung cancer. Methods OS-related genes were extracted from the GeneCards database. Integration analysis of genome-wide association study (GWAS) data for lung cancer with gene expression and DNA methylation quantitative trait locus (QTL), including eQTL and mQTL in blood was performed using the summary data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR) approach to determine the causal relationship between OS-related genes and lung cancer risk. Colocalization analysis of OS-related gene QTL and lung cancer risk locus was performed to gain insight into the potential regulatory mechanisms of lung cancer risk. Results A total of 1 188 OS-related genes were obtained from the GeneCards database. A potential causal relationship between OS-related genes and lung cancer was identified by SMR analysis. AGER expression level [OR=1.944, 95%CI (1.431, 2.640), P<0.001], and ATF6B expression level [OR=1.508, 95%CI (1.287, 1.767), P<0.001] were associated with lung cancer risk. Meanwhile, ATF6B methylation level was also associated with lung cancer risk. Conclusion OS-related genes are associated with lung cancer, which may be a potential target of anti-cancer drugs.

Objective To analyze the relationship between neuroticism and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) using the Mendelian randomization (MR) method. Methods Exposure and outcome data were downloaded from the Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU) database in August 2023, including summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for neuroticism (n=374 323) and GERD (n=602 604). MR was conducted using the weighted median method, MR-Egger method, inverse variance weighted method, weighted mode method, and simple mode method. The causal relationship between the two was assessed using odds ratio (OR), and sensitivity analyses were performed to ensure the accuracy of the results. Results Neuroticism was associated with an increased risk of GERD [OR=1.229, 95%CI (1.186, 1.274), P<0.001]. Similarly, GERD was associated with an increased risk of neuroticism [OR=1.786, 95%CI (1.623, 1.965), P<0.001]. Conclusion There is a bidirectional causal relationship between neuroticism and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Objective:To analyze the current status of global clinical trial for botulinum toxin (BTX) drugs, and to provide a reference for BTX drug research priorities and trends.Methods:All registered BTX drug-related clinical trials from the inception of the platforms until December 2024 were retrieved from the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) and the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) Clinical Trial Registration and Information Disclosure Platform of the National Medical Products Administration of China (referred to as the CDE Platform). The data were statistically analyzed using Excel 2021. The analysis was conducted from aspects such as registration volume and annual trend, distribution of conducting countries, drug type, study type and recruitment situation, and indications.Results:A total of 2 053 clinical trials related to BTX were included. The total number of registered trials showed an increasing trend year by year. The country with the largest number of clinical trials was the United States, with 571 trials, while China ranked third with 190 trials. Among the drug formulations, the injection form accounted for the highest proportion (99.02%, 2 033/2 053). A few new formulations included topical ointments, nasal sprays, and eye drops. In terms of drug serotypes and sources, the wild-type BTX-A projects accounted for a relatively high proportion (97.86%, 2 009/2 053), and also included a few wild-type BTX-B, wild-type BTX-E, recombinant BTX-AB, and recombinant BTX-A projects. In terms of research types, 90.4% (1 856/2 053) were intervention studies, 87.5% (1 796/2 053) of the clinical trials did not restrict gender, 90.7% (1 862/2 053) of the clinical trials recruited subjects covering adults, and 9.3% (191/2 053) of the clinical trials only recruited minors. The research indications covered various disciplines, such as skin beauty, neurology, urology, orthopedics, and ophthalmology. In recent years, the types of diseases registered for clinical trials had expanded significantly on the basis of the originally approved indications.Conclusion:Innovative directions in BTX drug research, including BTX drugs of different serotypes, recombinant BTX based on recombinant gene technology, BTX formulations for non-injectable delivery, and innovative areas of clinical application, are driving its continued clinical research.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of preoperative prediction of regional lymph node (RLN) metastasis in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) using a machine learning model based on habitat imaging radiomics from renal MRI.Methods:This cross-sectional study retrospectively analyzed 220 patients with RCC who underwent nephrectomy and RLN dissection at four medical centers of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2010 to August 2023. The cohort included 65 patients with RLN metastasis and 155 without. A stratified random sampling method was used to divide 175 patients from the first medical center into a training set ( n=140) and an internal test set ( n=35) in an 8∶2 ratio, while 45 patients from the third, fourth, and fifth medical centers constituted the external test set. The primary RCC lesions were categorized into 15 habitat subregions based on corticomedullary-phase enhancement and T 2WI signal intensity on MRI, and the volume fractions of different subregions were analyzed. In the training cohort, radiomics features derived from the habitat subregions were used to construct a radiomics model employing various machine learning algorithms, including extremely random trees (ET), gradient boosting decision trees (GBDT), random forest (RF), and support vector machine (SVM). The optimal model was selected and combined with RLN short-axis diameter to develop a combined model. The efficacy of each model in predicting RLN metastasis was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results:The volume fraction of hyper-enhanced hyper-intense regions in the non-metastatic group was significantly higher than that in the metastatic group (0.05±0.09 vs. 0.02±0.03; t=3.00, P=0.003). Among the machine learning models constructed using 15 optimal habitat radiomics features, the SVM model demonstrated the best performance, with area under the ROC curve (AUC) values of 0.85 (95% CI 0.72-0.98) in the internal test set and 0.82 (95% CI 0.67-0.98) in the external test set, surpassing those of the ET, GBDT, and RF models. The combined model, integrating the SVM model with RLN short-axis diameter, achieved AUC values of 0.94 (95% CI 0.85-1.00) in the internal test set and 0.89 (95% CI 0.78-1.00) in the external test set, with RLN short-axis diameter contributing AUC values of 0.81 (95% CI 0.66-0.96) and 0.81 (95% CI 0.68-0.94), respectively. The diagnostic sensitivity of the combined model was 91.7% in the internal test set and 85.7% in the external test set, with specificities of 78.3% and 67.7%, respectively. Conclusion:The combined model based on MRI habitat imaging radiomics and RLN short-axis diameter demonstrates excellent preoperative assessment capability for RLN metastasis in RCC.

Objective To analyze the risk factors for adverse drug reactions(ADRs)caused by montelukast sodium in the treatment of children with community-acquired pneumonia(CAP),and to construct and verify prediction model for ADRs.Methods The clinical data of CAP children who received montelukast sodium treatment in Suzhou Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University from April 2023 to June 2024 were retrospectively collected.The patients were randomly divided into modeling group and verification group according to the 3∶2 ratio,and the modeling group were divided into the ADR subgroup and non-ADR subgroup based on the presence or absence of ADR.The modeling group data was used for model construction,and multivariate Logistic analysis were used to analyze the influencing factors of ADR and establish a predictive model.The verification group data was used for model validation.The model's predictive ability,calibration,and clinical net benefits were evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)analysis,calibration curves,and decision curves.Results A total of 241 pediatric patients were included,including 144 in the modeling group and 97 in the validation group.A total of 50 children in the modeling group developed ADR,with an incidence rate of 34.72％.Multivariate Logistic regression results indicated that nebulized inhalation[OR=2.370,95％CI(1.099,5.111),P=0.028],use of methylprednisolone[OR=2.481,95％CI(1.057,5.824),P=0.037],and extrapulmonary complications[OR=7.411,95％CI(1.382,39.738),P=0.019]were independent risk factors for montelukast sodium related ADRs in children with CAP.The areas under the curve of the modeling group and validation group were 0.964 and 0.869,respectively.The calibration curve and decision curve showed good consistency between the predicted and actual values of the model,indicating good clinical net benefits.Conclusions Aerosol inhalation,methylprednisolone use,and extrapulmonary complications were independent risk factors for the occurrence of montelukast sodium-related adverse reactions in children with CAP.This model could help screen and identify ADR high-risk children.