OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of orexin-A-mediated regulation of ionotropic glutamate receptors for promoting motor function recovery in rats with spinal cord injury (SCI). METHODS: Thirty-six newborn SD rats (aged 7-14 days) were randomized into 6 groups (n=6), including a normal control group, a sham-operated group, and 4 SCI groups with daily intrathecal injection of saline, DNQX, orexin-A, or orexin-A+DNQX for 3 consecutive days after PCI. Motor function of the rats were evaluated using blood-brain barrier (BBB) score and inclined plane test 1 day before and at 1, 3, and 7 days after SCI. For patch-clamp experiment, spinal cord slices from newborn rats in the control, sham-operated, SCI, and SCI+orexin groups were prepared, and ventral horn neurons were acutely isolated to determine the reversal potential and dynamic indicators of glutamate receptor-mediated currents under glutamate perfusion. RESULTS: At 3 and 7 days after SCI, the orexin-A-treated rats showed significantly higher BBB scores and grip tilt angles than those with other interventions. Compared with those treated with DNQX alone, the rats receiving the combined treatment with orexin and DNQX had significantly higher BBB scores and grip tilt angles on day 7 after PCI. In the patch-clamp experiment, the ventral horn neurons from SCI rat models exhibited obviously higher reversal potential and greater rise slope of glutamate current with shorter decay time than those from sham-operated and orexin-treated rats. CONCLUSIONS Orexin-A promotes motor function recovery in rats after SCI possibly by improving the function of the ionotropic glutamate receptors.
Animals ; Spinal Cord Injuries/drug therapy* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Ionotropic Glutamate/metabolism* ; Recovery of Function/drug effects* ; Orexins/pharmacology* ; Male ; Female ; Animals, Newborn ; Neuropeptides/pharmacology* ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/pharmacology*

Purpose To investigate the value of radiomics nomogram for the prediction of p53 abnormal in patient with endometrial carcinoma based on intratumoral and peritumoral MRI.Materials and Methods A total of 145 female patients were pathologically confirmed endometrial carcinoma who underwent pelvic MRI before treatment in Baoding First Central Hospital from January 2020 to April 2024,including 96 patients with p53 wild type and 49 with p53 abnormal.Radiomics features were extracted from both intratumoral and peritumoral regions(2 mm)in diffusion weighted imaging and equilibrium phase of dynamic contrast enhanced MRI,which were selected using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator.Three machine learning algorithms of random forest,K-nearest neighbors and extra trees were conducted to develop the intratumoral,peritumoral and intratumoral combined peritumoral radiomics models.Multivariate Logistic regression was used to constitute the clinical model and nomogram.The performance of these models was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curve,decision curve analysis and calibration curve.Results The K-nearest neighbors model of the intratumoral combined peritumoral regions performed the best in all radiomics models,the area under the curve were 0.921 and 0.773 in the training cohorts and test cohorts.The radiomics nomogram,which was composed of age,apparent diffusion coefficient and radiomics signatures,achieved the best performance with area under the curve of 0.970 and 0.777 in the training cohorts and test cohorts,respectively.Calibration curve analysis and decision curve analysis demonstrated favorable calibration and clinical utility of the nomogram model.Conclusion The nomogram based on intratumoral and peritumoral MRI radiomics yields a favorable diagnostic value for predicting p53 abnormal in patient with endometrial carcinoma.

Objective:To comprehensively assess the nutritional literacy among family caregivers of elderly patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), so as to provide reference for developing clinical nutrition management strategies for elderly CHF patients.Methods:This study was a descriptive qualitative research. From February to March 2025, purposive sampling was used to select 17 family caregivers of elderly CHF patients at Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University as research subjects for semi-structured interviews. The data was analysed using a directed content analysis approach.Results:Three themes and nine subthemes were identified, including functional nutrition literacy (lack of disease-related nutrition knowledge, difficulty in knowledge transformation and utilization, and barriers to voluntary nutritional adherence), interactive functional literacy (limited channels for accessing nutrition information, broken healthcare services, insufficient motivation for proactive communication, and demand for professional dietary guidance), and critical nutrition literacy (challenges in distinguishing information authenticity, reliance on inherent cognition for evaluation) .Conclusions:Family caregivers of elderly patients with CHF commonly lack relevant nutritional knowledge. Healthcare providers should attach importance to the education of nutrition knowledge and skills for family caregivers, establish a multidimensional nutrition education system, develop personalized nutrition guidance plans, and integrate the family-community-medical collaborative support network to systematically strengthen caregivers' understanding of disease nutrition management for elderly CHF patients and enhance their compliance with nutrition care practices.

Objective To identify candidate compounds that activate thermogenesis during cold exposure by integrating the Library of Integrated Network-Based Cellular Signatures(LINCS)with RNA expression profiles specific to cold-induced thermogenesis.Methods Gene expression profiles of interscapular brown adipose tissue(BAT)and inguinal white adipose tissue(iWAT)were generated from 8-week-old C57BL/6J mice which were housed at 5 ℃ or room temperature(23 ℃)for 7 days.The gene expression signatures of the cold-induced BAT and iWAT were compared to the LINCS dataset to predict potential candidates for testing in a cold challenge model that was intended to assess thermogenesis activation.The pharmacological potential of the identified compounds was evaluated in a cold-exposed mouse model.The core body temperature and infrared thermal imaging were collected to monitor physiological responses during cold exposure.Additionally,hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining was used to assess morphological changes of fat cells of BAT,iWAT,and epididymal white adipose tissue(eWAT).Results The transcriptomic signatures related to cold-induced thermogenesis were obtained and the top 20 candidate compounds were identified by comparison with the LINCS dataset.Mice treated with withaferin A(WA)during the cold challenge exhibited elevated rectal temperatures and smaller adipocyte sizes compared to controls.Conclusion Our drug repurposing strategy,which connects transcriptional profiles with LINCS data,identifies potential compounds.WA enhances thermogenesis and metabolic activity in adipose tissue,which helps maintain body temperature,and improves cold tolerance during exposure to low temperatures.

ObjectiveTo investigate the safety and feasibility of intra-biliary drainage tube placement after laparoscopic common bile duct exploration in elderly patients with choledocholithiasis， and to provide more options for surgical procedures in the clinical management of elderly patients with choledocholithiasis. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 52 elderly patients with choledocholithiasis who were admitted to Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery， Affiliated Dalian Friendship Hospital of Dalian Medical University， from November 2021 to October 2024. According to the biliary drainage method after surgery， the patients were divided into internal drainage group with 24 patients and T-tube drainage group with 28 patients， and there were 19 patients in each group after propensity score matching. The two groups were compared in terms of perioperative parameters and postoperative complications. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups， and the chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. ResultsCompared with the T-tube drainage group， the internal drainage group had a significantly shorter length of postoperative hospital stay and a significantly lower volume of postoperative bile loss （Z=-2.845 and -5.633， both P<0.05）， while there were no significant differences between the two groups in time of operation， intraoperative blood loss， and drainage tube indwelling time （all P>0.05）. There were no significant differences between the two groups in postoperative bile leak， stone recurrence， biliary stricture， and drainage tube-related complications， and the internal drainage group had a significantly lower total complication rate than the T-tube drainage group ［1 （5.3%） vs 7 （36.8%）， P<0.05］. ConclusionFor elderly patients with choledocholithiasis， intra-biliary drainage tube placement after laparoscopic common bile duct exploration can shorten the length of postoperative hospital stay， reduce bile loss， and lower the incidence rate of postoperative complications， thereby helping to accelerate postoperative recovery.

Laparoscopic common bile duct exploration(LCBDE), as a safe and feasible surgical procedure for the treatment of choledocholithiasis, has been widely applied in clinical practice.However, due to the generally declined organ function, comorbidities, and polypharmacy associated with elderly patients, there is currently no unified consensus on the application of LCBDE in elderly patients with choledocholithiasis.This review aims to summarize the current status of LCBDE for the treatment of choledocholithiasis in the elderly patients, in order to provide reference for clinicians to select appropriate treatment strategies.

AIM:This study aims to investigate the role of histone methyltransferase SET and MYND domain containing 2(SMYD2)in facilitating renal fibrosis through the macrophage-myofibroblast transition in diabetic kidney dis-ease(DKD).METHODS:(1)C57BL/6J mice were intraperitoneally administered 55 mg/kg of streptozotocin to induce diabetes mellitus(DM).The experimental groups were categorized as follows:normal control,DM(20 weeks),DM(28 weeks),and DM(36 weeks).Blood glucose(BG),serum creatinine(SCr)and blood urea nitrogen(BUN)levels were determined using a biochemical analyzer.Hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining and Masson staining were performed to assess morphological and fibrotic changes in renal tissues.Western blot analysis was used to measure the protein levels of SMYD2,histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation(H3K4me3),arginase-1,matrix metalloproteinase 9(MMP9),collagen type Ⅰ(Col Ⅰ)and α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA).Immunofluorescence staining was conducted to examine the localization and expression of F4/80,α-SMA,SMYD2,CD86,CD206 and CD163.(2)Mouse monocyte/macrophage RAW264.7 cells were cultured in vitro and assigned to groups as follows:normal glucose(NG)+negative control siRNA(siNC),high glucose(HG)+siNC,NG+SMYD2 siRNA(siSMYD2),and HG+siSMYD2.Western blot analysis was used to assess the expression of relevant proteins.RESULTS:(1)Compared with normal control group,the levels of BG,SCr and BUN were significantly elevated in DM(28 weeks)and DM(36 weeks)groups(P＜0.05).Renal tissue exhibited tubular atro-phy,dilation,and collagen fiber deposition.The levels of H3K4me3,arginase-1,MMP9,Col Ⅰ and α-SMA proteins were up-regulated(P＜0.05).The CD86,CD206,CD163 and F4/80 were primarily localized in the interstitial macrophages of the renal tubules,α-SMA was predominantly detected in the renal interstitium,and SMYD2 was mainly expressed in renal tubular epithelial cells and the renal interstitium.(2)Compared with NG+siNC group,the protein levels of SMYD2,H3K4me3,arginase-1,CD163,Col Ⅰ,α-SMA,transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1)and p-Smad3 in the cells of HG+siNC group were significantly increased(P＜0.05).Knockdown of SMYD2 resulted in a reduction of these indicators(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION:The SMYD2 protein appears to facilitate renal fibrosis in DKD by promoting the macrophage-myofibroblast transition,potentially through the modulation of TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway.

Objective:To evaluate the stability of percutaneous screw fixation for minimally invasive treatment of intra-articular calcaneal fractures using three-dimensional finite element analysis.Methods:CT scan was performed on the calcaneus of a normal adult for three-dimensional reconstruction. The DICOM data were imported into Mimics software to establish a model of a Sanders type IIB intra-articular calcaneal fracture. Based on the Essex-Lopresti classification of posterior facet morphology, the model was subdivided into two subtypes: tongue-type and depression-type. The calcaneus was divided into four fragments: sustentaculum tali, posterior tuberosity, anterior process (three points), and posterior articular surface (one surface). Two types of fixation methods, classical lateral anatomical plates and combinations of percutaneous screws, were simulated and performed. A three-dimensional finite element analysis was conducted by applying a stress combination of 420 N on the posterior subtalar articular surface, 200 N on the middle subtalar articular surface, and 300 N at the Achilles tendon insertion point. The maximum displacement and von Mises stress values of each bone fragment and implant were recorded to evaluate the biomechanical stability. For clinical validation, 34 patients with Sanders type IIB calcaneal fractures from Orthopedics Department of the Sixth Affiliated People's Hospital of Shanghai Jiao Tong University were treated with percutaneous reduction and screw fixation using the following configurations.Results:Under simulated stress, the A4 group with medial support screws in the tongue-type fracture subgroup demonstrated minimal overall calcaneal displacement (0.22 mm) and internal fixation displacement (0.14 mm). For the depression-type, the B2 group with medial support screws showed lower maximum stress in the calcaneus and internal fixation, at 22.04 MPa and 41.14 MPa, respectively, along with the lowest overall displacement (0.14 mm). The peak stress of all groups of implants remained below the material yield strength. The A4 and B2 protocols were applied to 15 cases of tongue-type calcaneal fractures and 19 cases of collapse-type calcaneal fractures. At the final follow-up The American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society ankle-hindfoot score scale was 86.1±5.82 and 87.2±5.18, respectively, while the visual analog scale for pain was 1.60±1.24 and 1.58±1.02, respectively.Conclusions:Percutaneous screw fixation provided reliable stability for Sanders type IIB calcaneal fractures. The fixation configuration incorporating a medial support screw offers superior biomechanical performance in both tongue-type and depression-type fractures, representing an optimized minimally invasive technique with strong clinical applicability.

Objective:To evaluate the role of necroptosis in paclitaxel-induced cognitive dysfunction in mice.Methods:Thirty SPF healthy male C57BL/6N mice, aged 6-8 weeks, weighing 20-25 g, were divided into 3 groups ( n=10 each) using a random number table method: vehicle control group (Veh group), paclitaxel group (PTX group), and paclitaxel+ a specific inhibitor of necroptosis Necrostatin-1 group (P+ N group). In PTX group and P+ N group, paclitaxel 10 mg/kg (diluted to 5 mg/ml in anhydrous ethanol and castor oil [1∶1], and further diluted to 1 mg/ml in 0.9% normal saline before use) was intraperitoneally injected daily for 7 consecutive days to induce cognitive dysfunction. P+ N group received an intraperitoneal injection of Necrostatin-1 6.5 mg/kg (diluted to 10 mg/ml in dimethyl sulfoxide, and further diluted to 1 mg/ml in 0.9% normal saline before use) at 2 h before paclitaxel administration every other day, 4 times in total. Veh group received the equal volume of solvent at the matched time points as previously described in P+ N group. After establishment of the model, spontaneous locomotor activity was assessed using the open field test, followed by the novel object recognition test and the Morris water maze to evaluate the cognitive function. The animals were sacrificed after the end of the Morris water maze test, and the hippocampal tissues were collected for determination of the expression of necroptosis-related proteins receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 1 (RIPK1), RIPK3, mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL), and phospho-MLKL (p-MLKL) (by Western blot analysis) and contents of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) (double immunofluorescence staining) and for observation of the localization of programmed necrosis cells (using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). Results:There were no significant differences in the total distance traveled and mean movement speed in the open field test or swimming speed in the Morris water maze test among the three groups ( P>0.05). Compared to Veh group, the time spent in the central zone in the open field and time spent in the original platform quadrant were significantly shortened, the discrimination index was decreased, the escape latency was prolonged, the number of crossing the original platform was reduced, the expression of RIPK1, RIPK3, MLKL and p-MLKL was up-regulated, the contents of TNF-α and IL-1β were increased, and the number of RIPK1-positive neurons was increased in PTX group ( P<0.05). Compared to PTX group, the time spent in the central zone in the open field test and time spent in the original platform quadrant were significantly prolonged, the discrimination index was increased, the escape latency was shortened, the number of crossing the original platform was increased, the expression of RIPK1, RIPK3, MLKL and p-MLKL was down-regulated, the contents of TNF-α and IL-1β were decreased, and the number of RIPK1-positive neurons was decreased in P+ N group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Necroptosis in hippocampal neurons can lead to neuroinflammation, thus contributeing to paclitaxel-induced cognitive dysfunction in mice.

[Purpose]To evaluate the liver and kidney safety of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)compounds in the treatment of gastric cancer.[Methods]The clinical data of gastric cancer patients who attended in Longhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2012 to February 2022 were collected.The results of liver and renal func-tion tests were rated according to National Cancer Institute-Common Terminology Criteria for Ad-verse Events(NCI-CTCAE)V5.0.The patients were divided into 4 groups:TCM group,TCM+chemotherapy/targeted/antivascular therapy group,TCM+TCM preparation group and TCM+chemotherapy/targeted/antivascular therapy+TCM preparation group,and the effects of TCM on liver and renal functions were analyzed.[Results]A total of 7 943 patients were included in the analysis,of which 2 941 cases receiving TCM ≥12 months,1 468 months ≥36 months,and 687 months≥60 months.The highest incidence rate of liver function abnormality was 13.71％,the highest in-cidence rate of grade 3/4 abnormality was 2.58％;the highest incidence of creatinine abnormality was 2.32％,the highest incidence rate of grade 3/4 abnormality was 0.37％in patients with differ-ent duration of taking TCM.Most of liver and renal function abnormalities occurred in the early stage of drug taking.The incidence of liver and renal function abnormalities in the TCM group was lower than that of the other three groups.The incidence of grade 3/4 abnormality for direct biliru-bin(DBIL)in the TCM group was 0.14％,for aspartate transaminase(AST)was 0.11％,for alka-line phosphatase(ALP)was 0.16％,for alanine aminotransferase(ALT)was 0.06％and for total bilirubin(TBIL)was 0.07％,and there was no grade 3/4 creatinine abnormality observed.The ab-normal liver and renal function indexes were not increased with the increase of the length of herbal medicine taking.[Conclusion]The study shows that long term taking TCM drugs and stan-dardized prescriptions for gastric cancer patients are safe.