Objective:The differentially expressed genes(DEGs)and activated signaling pathways in systemic sclerosis(SSc)were screened by bioinformatics methods,and Chinese medicines for potential treatment of SSc were explored,providing a new theoretical basis for the study of SSc and the screening of potential markers.Methods:The data sets GSE58095,GSE130953,GSE33463 and GSE58613 were selected from GEO database and divided into skin group and peripheral blood group according to the sample source.The DEGs of SSc patients was analyzed by R language,and the Wayne diagram was drawn to take the intersection of the two groups.Metascape was used for GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis,and STRING and Cytoscape were used for protein interaction network analysis to find key pathways and hub genes.The core genes were mapped to the medical on-tology information retrieval platform,and related Chinese medicines for SSc treatment were screened.The effective components of Chi-nese medicines were obtained through TCMSP and HERB databases,and the target letters of active ingredients were obtained through swiss database.The"drug-active ingredient-target"network was constructed by Cytoscape.Results:Total 218 DEGs were identified from the skin group of patients with SSc,and 283 DEGs were screened from peripheral blood of patients with SSc.Among them,there were 7 DEGs co-upregulated in skin and peripheral blood,namely ISG15,LGALS3BP,BST2,C1QB,IFI27,CEACAM1 and FBP1.CAMK2N1 was up-regulated in skin but down-regulated in peripheral blood,ARG1 was down-regulated in skin but up-regulated in pe-ripheral blood.GO and KEGG analysis of SSc DEGs showed that these genes were significantly enriched in inflammatory response,he-moglobin complex,immune receptor activity and extracellular matrix.The results of protein interaction network suggest that more than 10 genes such as COL1A1,CTGF12,IL1B,IFNG and JUN may be potential markers of SSc and core genes of therapeutic targets.The potential Chinese medicines screened for SSc treatment include ginseng,sanguisorba,convolvula,wolfberry,safflower,etc.The main components of these herbs were β-sitosterol,quercetin,kaempferol,stigmasterol,luteolin,sitosterol,Spinasterol,and the target were AKR1B1,AR,CYP1B1,XDH,etc.Conclusion:This study uses bioinformatics to screen out core genes that may be potential markers and therapeutic targets for SSc,which is expected to be a new target for the early diagnosis and mechanism research of SSc.Meanwhile,the mapped Chinese medicine and its effective components can provide ideas for the research and development of Chinese medicine compounds for the treatment of SSc.

Objective:To explore the correlation between weekend moderate-to-vigorous physical activity(MVPA), weekday sedentary behavior(SB)and the risk of frailty in the elderly population monitored by wearable devices, and to provide a scientific basis for lifestyle interventions for frailty in the elderly.Methods:This study was based on the data of the UK Biobank from 2013 to 2015.A cross-sectional study design was adopted, and 33, 212 elderly people aged 60 and above with complete physical activity monitoring data were selected.The Frailty Index(FI)constructed by the deficit accumulation method was used to assess the frailty status.The correlation between the combined effect of weekday SB and weekend MVPA and the frailty status was analyzed, and the differences between genders were explored.Results:There were significant differences in physical activity indicators among the elderly with different frailty statuses.As the degree of frailty increased, the MVPA-related indicators showed a downward trend, while the weekday SB time gradually increased.There were sex differences in physical activity patterns and frailties.Compared with women, men had longer SB time on weekdays, lower metabolic equivalent of weekly MVPA consumption, and higher MVPA time on weekends, but the frailties index of women was slightly higher than that of men.After adjusting for confounding factors, the frailty risks for men and women in the subgroup with the lowest weekday SB and the highest weekend MVPA duration decreased by 46.9% and 59.8%, respectively( P<0.001)when compared to the highest-risk group. Conclusions:Based on the monitoring data from wearable devices, elderly individuals who reduced their SB time during weekdays and increased their MVPA time on weekends were associated with a lower risk of frailty, especially among women; which providing a new perspective for lifestyle-based intervention strategies for frailty among the elderly.

Objective:To explore the correlation between weekend moderate-to-vigorous physical activity(MVPA), weekday sedentary behavior(SB)and the risk of frailty in the elderly population monitored by wearable devices, and to provide a scientific basis for lifestyle interventions for frailty in the elderly.Methods:This study was based on the data of the UK Biobank from 2013 to 2015.A cross-sectional study design was adopted, and 33, 212 elderly people aged 60 and above with complete physical activity monitoring data were selected.The Frailty Index(FI)constructed by the deficit accumulation method was used to assess the frailty status.The correlation between the combined effect of weekday SB and weekend MVPA and the frailty status was analyzed, and the differences between genders were explored.Results:There were significant differences in physical activity indicators among the elderly with different frailty statuses.As the degree of frailty increased, the MVPA-related indicators showed a downward trend, while the weekday SB time gradually increased.There were sex differences in physical activity patterns and frailties.Compared with women, men had longer SB time on weekdays, lower metabolic equivalent of weekly MVPA consumption, and higher MVPA time on weekends, but the frailties index of women was slightly higher than that of men.After adjusting for confounding factors, the frailty risks for men and women in the subgroup with the lowest weekday SB and the highest weekend MVPA duration decreased by 46.9% and 59.8%, respectively( P<0.001)when compared to the highest-risk group. Conclusions:Based on the monitoring data from wearable devices, elderly individuals who reduced their SB time during weekdays and increased their MVPA time on weekends were associated with a lower risk of frailty, especially among women; which providing a new perspective for lifestyle-based intervention strategies for frailty among the elderly.

BACKGROUND:Osteosarcoma has a complex pathogenesis and a poor prognosis.While advancements in medical technology have led to some improvements in the 5-year survival rate,substantial progress in its treatment has not yet been achieved. OBJECTIVE:To screen key molecular markers in osteosarcoma,analyze their relationship with osteosarcoma treatment drugs,and explore the potential disease mechanisms of osteosarcoma at the molecular level. METHODS:GSE99671 and GSE284259(miRNA)datasets were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database.Differential gene expression analysis and Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis(WGCNA)on GSE99671 were performed.Functional enrichment analysis was conducted using Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes separately for the differentially expressed genes and the module genes with the highest positive correlation to the disease.The intersection of these module genes and differentially expressed genes was taken as key genes.A Protein-Protein Interaction network was constructed,and correlation analysis on the key genes was performed using CytoScape software,and hub genes were identified.Hub genes were externally validated using the GSE28425 dataset and text validation was conducted.The drug sensitivity of hub genes was analyzed using the CellMiner database,with a threshold of absolute value of correlation coefficient|R|>0.3 and P<0.05. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Differential gene expression analysis identified 529 differentially expressed genes,comprising 177 upregulated and 352 downregulated genes.WGCNA analysis yielded a total of 592 genes with the highest correlation to osteosarcoma.(2)Gene Ontology enrichment results indicated that the development of osteosarcoma may be associated with extracellular matrix,bone cell differentiation and development,human immune regulation,and collagen synthesis and degradation.Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment results showed the involvement of pathways such as PI3K-Akt signaling pathway,focal adhesion signaling pathway,and immune response in the onset of osteosarcoma.(3)The intersection analysis revealed a total of 59 key genes.Through Protein-Protein Interaction network analysis,8 hub genes were selected,which were LUM,PLOD1,PLOD2,MMP14,COL11A1,THBS2,LEPRE1,and TGFB1,all of which were upregulated.(4)External validation revealed significantly downregulated miRNAs that regulate the hub genes,with hsa-miR-144-3p and hsa-miR-150-5p showing the most significant downregulation.Text validation results demonstrated that the expression of hub genes was consistent with previous research.(5)Drug sensitivity analysis indicated a negative correlation between the activity of methotrexate,6-mercaptopurine,and pazopanib with the mRNA expression of PLOD1,PLOD2,and MMP14.Moreover,zoledronic acid and lapatinib showed a positive correlation with the mRNA expression of PLOD1,LUM,MMP14,PLOD2,and TGFB1.This suggests that zoledronic acid and lapatinib may be potential therapeutic drugs for osteosarcoma,but further validation is required through additional basic experiments and clinical studies.

Objective:To evaluate the causal relationship between IL-7 and IL-7Rα and ankylosing spondylitis(AS)using the Mendelian randomization(MR)method.Methods:This study was based on gene-wide association study(GWAS)summary data,con-structing instrumental variables(IV)using single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs).We respectively adopt Inverse variance weighted(IVW),MR-Egger mode and Weighted median(WM)mode to assess the causal relation between IL-7/IL-7Rα and AS.In addition,we also conducted sensitivity tests,including the heterogeneity test,the pleiotropy test,the leave-one-out approach and the MR-PRESSO test.Results:IL-7 and IL-7Rα were respectively included in 9 and 5 IVs that could be used for MR analysis.Results of IVW analysis revealed a reliable causal relationship between IL-7 and IL-7Rα and AS[IL-7:P=0.025 2,OR(95%CI)=0.999 4(0.989 1～0.999 9);IL-7Rα:P=0.008 3,OR(95%CI)=1.000 6(1.000 2～1.001 0)].Cochranes Q test(IL-7:P=0.999 7;IL-7Rα:P=0.946 9)showed that all studies had good homogeneity.The results of a leave-one-out sensitivity analysis suggested that causal associations were not strongly influenced by any selected IVs.The intercept of the MR-Egger regression further showed that pleiotropy did not bias the causal effect in this study.Conclusion:Both IL-7 and IL-7Rα have a strong causal relationship with AS,among which IL-7 is a protec-tive factor for AS,and IL-7Rα is a risk factor for AS.

Objective:To evaluate the causal relationship between IL-7 and IL-7Rα and ankylosing spondylitis(AS)using the Mendelian randomization(MR)method.Methods:This study was based on gene-wide association study(GWAS)summary data,con-structing instrumental variables(IV)using single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs).We respectively adopt Inverse variance weighted(IVW),MR-Egger mode and Weighted median(WM)mode to assess the causal relation between IL-7/IL-7Rα and AS.In addition,we also conducted sensitivity tests,including the heterogeneity test,the pleiotropy test,the leave-one-out approach and the MR-PRESSO test.Results:IL-7 and IL-7Rα were respectively included in 9 and 5 IVs that could be used for MR analysis.Results of IVW analysis revealed a reliable causal relationship between IL-7 and IL-7Rα and AS[IL-7:P=0.025 2,OR(95%CI)=0.999 4(0.989 1～0.999 9);IL-7Rα:P=0.008 3,OR(95%CI)=1.000 6(1.000 2～1.001 0)].Cochranes Q test(IL-7:P=0.999 7;IL-7Rα:P=0.946 9)showed that all studies had good homogeneity.The results of a leave-one-out sensitivity analysis suggested that causal associations were not strongly influenced by any selected IVs.The intercept of the MR-Egger regression further showed that pleiotropy did not bias the causal effect in this study.Conclusion:Both IL-7 and IL-7Rα have a strong causal relationship with AS,among which IL-7 is a protec-tive factor for AS,and IL-7Rα is a risk factor for AS.

Objective:The differentially expressed genes(DEGs)and activated signaling pathways in systemic sclerosis(SSc)were screened by bioinformatics methods,and Chinese medicines for potential treatment of SSc were explored,providing a new theoretical basis for the study of SSc and the screening of potential markers.Methods:The data sets GSE58095,GSE130953,GSE33463 and GSE58613 were selected from GEO database and divided into skin group and peripheral blood group according to the sample source.The DEGs of SSc patients was analyzed by R language,and the Wayne diagram was drawn to take the intersection of the two groups.Metascape was used for GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis,and STRING and Cytoscape were used for protein interaction network analysis to find key pathways and hub genes.The core genes were mapped to the medical on-tology information retrieval platform,and related Chinese medicines for SSc treatment were screened.The effective components of Chi-nese medicines were obtained through TCMSP and HERB databases,and the target letters of active ingredients were obtained through swiss database.The"drug-active ingredient-target"network was constructed by Cytoscape.Results:Total 218 DEGs were identified from the skin group of patients with SSc,and 283 DEGs were screened from peripheral blood of patients with SSc.Among them,there were 7 DEGs co-upregulated in skin and peripheral blood,namely ISG15,LGALS3BP,BST2,C1QB,IFI27,CEACAM1 and FBP1.CAMK2N1 was up-regulated in skin but down-regulated in peripheral blood,ARG1 was down-regulated in skin but up-regulated in pe-ripheral blood.GO and KEGG analysis of SSc DEGs showed that these genes were significantly enriched in inflammatory response,he-moglobin complex,immune receptor activity and extracellular matrix.The results of protein interaction network suggest that more than 10 genes such as COL1A1,CTGF12,IL1B,IFNG and JUN may be potential markers of SSc and core genes of therapeutic targets.The potential Chinese medicines screened for SSc treatment include ginseng,sanguisorba,convolvula,wolfberry,safflower,etc.The main components of these herbs were β-sitosterol,quercetin,kaempferol,stigmasterol,luteolin,sitosterol,Spinasterol,and the target were AKR1B1,AR,CYP1B1,XDH,etc.Conclusion:This study uses bioinformatics to screen out core genes that may be potential markers and therapeutic targets for SSc,which is expected to be a new target for the early diagnosis and mechanism research of SSc.Meanwhile,the mapped Chinese medicine and its effective components can provide ideas for the research and development of Chinese medicine compounds for the treatment of SSc.

Objective:To investigate the feasibility and safety of endoscopic surgery for the treatment of primary hyperthyroidism with goiter.Methods:A total of 140 patients with primary hyperthyroidism and different degrees of thyroid enlargements were included who underwent endoscopic surgeries via a trans breast approach in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from 2013 to 2023, including 137 females and 3 males, aged from 16 to 49 years old. Thirty-one cases had normal thyroid size, 25 cases had Grade Ⅰ enlargement, 56 cases had Grade Ⅱ enlargement, and 28 cases had Grade Ⅲ enlargement. Demographic characteristics, operative time, intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative complications were described, analyzed, and compared among groups. Student′s t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, Fisher exact test or one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used for statistical analyses. Results:The patients with Grade Ⅲ enlargement were younger compared to other groups ( F=5.58, P<0.01), and also had significantly longer operative time ( F=2.81, P=0.04). The probability of conversion to open surgery in the Grade Ⅲ enlargement group was 10.7% (3/28), significantly higher than other groups (0/31, 0/25, 1/56, χ2=8.11, P=0.04). There were no significant differences among the four groups in terms of other demographic indicators and the incidences of postoperative complications (including recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, hypocalcemia, and surgical site infection). There was no significant difference in the probability of temporary hypoparathyroidism among the 4 groups. One patient with permanent hypoparathyroidism appeared respectively in the normal size group and Grade Ⅱ enlargement group. The average follow-up time was 4.2±3.7 years and 14 cases were lost to follow-up, and the patients had high satisfaction with"no neck scar"but with mild chest discomfort. Conclusion:The risk of endoscopic thyroid surgery in the treatment of primary hyperthyroidism with goiter is controllable, and patients with hyperthyroidism combined with Grade Ⅲ enlargement should be especially vigilant against the risk of conversion to open surgery.

Background:The diversity and function of gut microbiota have been regarded as crucial factors affecting human health.With the advances in genetics and epidemiology,especially the application of Mendelian randomization analysis,a novel perspective has been provided for profoundly uncovering the causal relationship between gut microbiota and duodenal ulcer.Aims:To investigate the causal relationship between gut microbiota and duodenal ulcer through two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis.Methods:Genetic variation samples of the gut microbiota were screened from the MiBioGen database.Genetic loci related to duodenal ulcer were selected as instrumental variables from genome-wide association study.The inverse-variance weighted method,weighted median method,and MR-Egger regression analysis were used to assess the causal relationship between gut microbiota and duodenal ulcer.Tests for heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy were conducted to ensure the stability of the results.Results:Bacteroides(OR=0.998,95%CI:0.996-1.000,P=0.014),Prevotella_7(OR=0.999,95%CI:0.998-1.000,P=0.043)and Terrisporobacter(OR=0.998,95%CI:0.997-1.000,P=0.029)exhibited negative causal relationship with duodenal ulcer,while Bifidobacterium(OR=1.001,95%CI:1.000-1.003,P=0.046),Lachnoclostridium(OR=1.002,95%CI:1.001-1.004,P=0.007)and Olsenella(OR=1.001,95%CI:1.000-1.002,P=0.018)presented positive causal relationship with duodenal ulcer.The sensitivity analysis indicated that the influences of heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy on the causal relationship could be excluded.Conclusions:The two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis revealed that Bacteroides,Prevotella_7 and Terrisporobacter were protective factors for duodenal ulcer,while Bifidobacterium,Lachnoclostridium and Olsenella were risk factors.

【Objective】 To construct a prognostic model of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) based on endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)-related long non-coding ribonucleotides (lncRNA),so as to explore the correlation between immune cell infiltration and prognosis of ccRCC patients,and to search for new drugs for the treatment of ccRCC. 【Methods】 The transcriptome and clinical data of cancerous and paracancerous tissues of ccRCC were obtained from the TCGA database.The ERS-associated gene set was obtained from the MSigDB database.ERS co-expressed lncRNAs were screened with Pearson correlation analysis.ERS-related lncRNA (ERSRL) with prognostic significance were screened with Lasso regression,univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses,and a prognostic model was constructed.The risk value of each sample was calculated according to the prognostic model formula.The patients were divided into high- risk and low- risk groups for survival difference analysis.The predictive performance of the prognostic model was evaluated with survival curve,receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and calibration curve.The infiltration of immune cells in high-and low-risk groups was analyzed with CIBERSORT database.The relationship between ERSRL and drug sensitivity was analyzed with GDSC database to identify drugs with potential efficacy against ccRCC. 【Results】 A total of 9 lncRNAs with independent prognostic significance were screened to construct the prognostic model.Kaplan-Meier analysis showed significant survival differences between the high- and low-risk groups.Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that age,grade,stage and risk score could be used as independent prognostic factors.The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the 1-,3-,and 5-year survival rates of the training set were 0.754 (95%CI:0.659-0.848),0.744 (95%CI:0.667-0.815),and 0.759 (95%CI:0.662-0.820),respectively,and the C-index was 0.777 (95%CI:0.759-0.796).Immune infiltration results showed that plasma cells,activated memory CD4⁺T cells,regulatory T cells,M0 macrophages,and activated mast cell infiltration levels were higher in the high-risk group than those in the low-risk group.Drug susceptibility analysis identified 12 drugs with potential curative effects on ccRCC,including AZD8055. 【Conclusion】 Based on 9 ERSRLs,a prognostic model for ccRCC patients was constructed,and 12 drugs with potential therapeutic effects were screened,including AZD8055.