Objective To reveal the scientific output and trends in pulmonary nodules/early-stage lung cancer prediction models. Methods Publications on predictive models of pulmonary nodules/early lung cancer between January 1, 2002 and June 3, 2023 were retrieved and extracted from CNKI, Wanfang, VIP and Web of Science database. CiteSpace 6.1.R3 and VOSviewer 1.6.18 were used to analyze the hotspots and theme trends. Results A marked increase in the number of publications related to pulmonary nodules/early-stage lung cancer prediction models was observed. A total of 12581 authors from 2711 institutions in 64 countries/regions published 2139 documents in 566 academic journals in English. A total of 282 articles from 1256 authors were published in 176 journals in Chinese. The Chinese and English journals which published the most pulmonary nodules/early-stage lung cancer prediction model-related papers were Journal of Clinical Radiology and Frontiers in Oncology, respectively. Chest was the most frequently cited journal. China and the United States were the leading countries in the field of pulmonary nodules/early-stage lung cancer prediction models. The institutions represented by Fudan University had significant academic influence in the field. Analysis of keywords revealed that multi-omics, nomogram, machine learning and artificial intelligence were the current focus of research. Conclusion Over the last two decades, research on risk-prediction models for pulmonary nodules/early-stage lung cancer has attracted increasing attention. Prognosis, machine learning, artificial intelligence, nomogram, and multi-omics technologies are both current hotspots and future trends in this field. In the future, in-depth explorations using different omics should increase the sensitivity and accuracy of pulmonary nodules/early-stage lung cancer prediction models. More high-quality future studies should be conducted to validate the efficacy and safety of pulmonary nodules/early-stage lung cancer prediction models further and reduce the global burden of lung cancer.

Objective To analyze the differences in distribution of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome elements and salivary microbiota between the individuals with pulmonary nodules and those without, and to explore the potential correlation between the distribution of TCM syndrome elements and salivary microbiota in patients with pulmonary nodules. Methods We retrospectively recruited 173 patients with pulmonary nodules (PN) and 40 healthy controls (HC). The four diagnostic information was collected from all participants, and syndrome differentiation method was used to analyze the distribution of TCM syndrome elements in both groups. Saliva samples were obtained from the subjects for 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing to obtain differential microbiota and to explore the correlation between TCM syndrome elements and salivary microbiota in the evolution of the pulmonary nodule disease. Results The study found that in the PN group, the primary TCM syndrome elements related to disease location were the lung and liver, and the primary TCM syndrome elements related to disease nature were yin deficiency and phlegm. In the HC group, the primary TCM syndrome elements related to disease location were the lung and spleen, and the primary TCM syndrome elements related to disease nature were dampness and qi deficiency. There were differences between the two groups in the distribution of TCM syndrome elements related to disease location (lung, liver, kidney, exterior, heart) and disease nature (yin deficiency, phlegm, qi stagnation, qi deficiency, dampness, blood deficiency, heat, blood stasis) (P<0.05). The species abundance of the salivary microbiota was higher in the PN group than that in the HC group (P<0.05), and there was significant difference in community composition between the two groups (P<0.05). Correlation analysis using multiple methods, including Mantel test network heatmap analysis and Spearman correlation analysis and so on, the results showed that in the PN group, Prevotella and Porphyromonas were positively correlated with disease location in the lung, and Porphyromonas and Granulicatella were positively correlated with disease nature in yin deficiency (P<0.05). Conclusion The study concludes that there are notable differences in the distribution of TCM syndrome elements and the species abundance and composition of salivary microbiota between the patients with pulmonary nodules and the healthy individuals. The distinct external syndrome manifestations in patients with pulmonary nodules, compared to healthy individuals, may be a cascade event triggered by changes in the salivary microbiota. The dual correlation of Porphyromonas with both disease location and nature suggests that changes in its abundance may serve as an objective indicator for the improvement of symptoms in patients with yin deficiency-type pulmonary nodules.

Objective To construct a "disease-syndrome combination" mathematical representation model for pulmonary nodules based on oral microbiome data, utilizing a multimodal data algorithm framework centered on dynamic systems theory. Furthermore, to compare predictive models under various algorithmic frameworks and validate the efficacy of the optimal model in predicting the presence of pulmonary nodules. Methods A total of 213 subjects were prospectively enrolled from July 2022 to March 2023 at the Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan Cancer Hospital, and the Chengdu Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital. This cohort included 173 patients with pulmonary nodules and 40 healthy subjects. A novel multimodal data algorithm framework centered on dynamic systems theory, termed VAEGANTF (Variational Auto Encoder-Generative Adversarial Network-Transformer), was proposed. Subsequently, based on a multi-dimensional integrated dataset of “clinical features-syndrome elements-microorganisms”, all subjects were divided into training (70%) and testing (30%) sets for model construction and efficacy testing, respectively. Using pulmonary nodules as dependent variables, and combining candidate markers such as clinical features, lesion location, disease nature, and microbial genera, the independent variables were screened based on variable importance ranking after identifying and addressing multicollinearity. Missing values were then imputed, and data were standardized. Eight machine learning algorithms were then employed to construct pulmonary nodule risk prediction models: random forest, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression, support vector machine, multilayer perceptron, eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), VAE-ViT (Vision Transformer), GAN-ViT, and VAEGANTF. K-fold cross-validation was used for model parameter tuning and optimization. The efficacy of the eight predictive models was evaluated using confusion matrices and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and the optimal model was selected. Finally, goodness-of-fit testing and decision curve analysis (DCA) were performed to evaluate the optimal model. Results There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in demographic characteristics such as age and sex. The 213 subjects were randomly divided into training and testing sets (7 : 3), and prediction models were constructed using the eight machine learning algorithms. After excluding potential problems such as multicollinearity, a total of 301 clinical feature information, syndrome elements, and microbial genera markers were included for model construction. The area under the curve (AUC) values of the random forest, LASSO regression, support vector machine, multilayer perceptron, and VAE-ViT models did not reach 0.85, indicating poor efficacy. The AUC values of the XGBoost, GAN-ViT, and VAEGANTF models all reached above 0.85, with the VAEGANTF model exhibiting the highest AUC value (AUC=0.923). Goodness-of-fit testing indicated good calibration ability of the VAEGANTF model, and decision curve analysis showed a high degree of clinical benefit. The nomogram results showed that age, sex, heart, lung, Qixu, blood stasis, dampness, Porphyromonas genus, Granulicatella genus, Neisseria genus, Haemophilus genus, and Actinobacillus genus could be used as predictors. Conclusion The “disease-syndrome combination” risk prediction model for pulmonary nodules based on the VAEGANTF algorithm framework, which incorporates multi-dimensional data features of “clinical features-syndrome elements-microorganisms”, demonstrates better performance compared to other machine learning algorithms and has certain reference value for early non-invasive diagnosis of pulmonary nodules.

Objective:To construct a thyroid nodule segmentation model using ultrasound dynamic images and explore its potential for assisting in the screening of thyroid nodules.Methods:A total of 126 patients with thyroid nodules（comprising 150 nodules）who were diagnosed and treated at Xuzhou Cancer Hospital from April 2024 to December 2024 were prospectively enrolled. Two-dimensional ultrasound was performed to capture short-axis and long-axis video images of thyroid nodules，forming a dynamic ultrasound image dataset. The dataset was divided into training，validation，and test sets in a ratio of 6∶1∶3. After the training loss curve converged，the model that performed well on the validation set was selected for testing. Three-fold cross-validation was employed for training and testing. All 300 ultrasound videos were divided into three subsets. In each experiment，two subsets were used as the training set，and one subset was used as the test set to evaluate the model's generalization ability. A collaborative spatiotemporal diffusion model was established based on the dynamic trends and tissue texture details of thyroid nodules. Six widely used segmentation metrics were employed to evaluate the model's application capabilities.Results:The study included 126 patients with 150 thyroid nodules，300 dynamic ultrasound images，and video lengths of 3-4 seconds per nodule，resulting in 12 312 segmented images. The size of the thyroid nodules was（10.7 ± 10.6）mm（transverse diameter）×（8.4 ± 6.3）mm（anteroposterior diameter）. Among the nodules，62（41.3%）had clear boundaries，while 88（58.7%）had indistinct boundaries；61（40.7%）exhibited regular shapes，while 89（59.3%）were irregular；66（44.0%）had a taller-than-wide aspect ratio；and 70（46.7%）showed microcalcifications. The collaborative diffusion model based on dynamic ultrasound image segmentation achieved the following scores：a Jaccard score of（69.22 ± 0.03）%，a Dice score of（79.16 ± 0.18）%，a Precision score of（86.70 ± 0.17）%，a Recall score of（77.82 ± 0.04）%，an Sα score of（85.26 ± 0.01）%，and an Eθmn score of（90.58 ± 0.17）%. Compared to other models，this model demonstrated significant improvements across all evaluation metrics，achieving the highest values in each metric with increments of over 8% and 1%，respectively. Conclusions:The collaborative diffusion model with a dynamic controller，constructed based on dynamic ultrasound images of thyroid nodules，demonstrates excellent performance in ultrasound image segmentation. It improves the accuracy of thyroid nodule screening，thereby providing a valuable auxiliary diagnostic tool for clinical practice.

Objective To explore the clinical effects and influencing factors of recombinant human growth hormone(rhGH)treatment in pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency.Methods The study subjects were pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency,all of whom received a combination therapy of stanozolol tablets 2 mg(qd)and 0.1 U·kg-1·d-1 of recombinant human growth hormone injection for a continuous period of one year.After one year,the patients were divided into active group and invalid group based on clinical outcomes.Comparisons were made between the two groups in terms of height,annual growth velocity(GV)and height standard deviation score(HtSDS)before and after treatment,and safety evaluations were conducted.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors that influenced the treatment outcomes in pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency.Results After one year of treatment,a total of 93 cases pediatric patients were included in the analysis,with 62 cases in the active group and 31 cases in the invalid group.The heights of the patients before and after treatment were(119.40±2.48)and(129.08±2.37)cm,respectively;the GV were(3.08±0.39)and(7.34±1.02)cm·year-1,respectively;the HtSDS were-2.45±0.49 and-1.68±0.35,respectively,with statistically significant differences observed for all comparisons(all P＜0.05).In the active and invalid groups,the proportions of patients with GV＜3.0 cm·year-1 before treatment were 32.26％and 58.06％,respectively;the proportions of patients with peak growth hormone(GH)levels＜5.0 ng·mL-1 before treatment were 30.65％and 54.84％,respectively;the average maternal heights were(158.83±5.76)and(155.48±6.58)cm,respectively,with statistically significant differences observed for all comparisons(all P＜0.05).The results of the Logistic regression model showed that GV＜3.0 cm·year-1 before treatment,peak GH levels＜5.0 ng·mL-1 before treatment,and a shorter maternal height were independent risk factors for poor treatment outcomes with rhGH in pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency(all P＜0.05).No severe adverse reactions occurred during the treatment of any patient;seven patients experienced pain at the injection site,one patient had a slight increase in blood glucose,and five patients had mild decreased appetite.The total incidence of adverse drug reactions were 13.98％(13 cases/93 cases).Conclusion Treatment with rhGH for pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency can significantly improve height development and has good safety,but it is influenced by factors such as growth velocity,peak GH levels,and maternal height.

Objective To study the change of common bile duct pressure after laparoscopic common bile duct exploration in patients with common bile duct stones.Methods Clinical data of 17 patients with common bile duct stones treated in our hospital from January 2022 to December 2022 were collected.All patients underwent laparoscopic common bile duct exploration and common bile duct pressure measurement.The patients were followed up for 8 weeks after operation,and the common bile duct pressure was measured by indwelling T tube at 2,3,4 and 8 weeks.Results Among the 17 patients,1 patient showed persistent high common bile duct pressure due to residual common bile duct stones.In the remaining 16 patients,there were no significant difference between the initial common bile duct pressure(19.7 cm H2O)and the common bile duct pressure at postoperative(17.0 cm H2O)and week 1(15.5cmH2O)(P＞0.05).There were significant differences between the initial common bile duct pressure and the common bile duct pressure at week 2(13.5 cm H2O),3(12.2 cm H2O),4(11.1 cm H2O)and 8(10.0cmH2O)(P＜0.05).Conclusion Compared to initial common bile duct pressure,the pressure of common bile duct began to decrease significantly from 2 weeks after laparoscopic common bile duct exploration in patients with common bile duct stones.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between different states of cardiac function and their changes during the course of diabetic foot ulcers(DFU), and to evaluate their impact on patient prognosis.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 194 DFU patients who were rehospitalized at approximately 3-month intervals. Basic clinical data and cardiac function-related indicators were collected at baseline and follow-up. Patients were followed until death or until November 10, 2024. Outcomes including ulcer healing, recurrence, minor amputation, and death were recorded. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the effects of cardiac function status and its changes on these four outcomes. Results:After treatment, the proportion of patients with NYHA class Ⅱ-Ⅲ decreased significantly from 33.5% at baseline to 21.6%( P=0.009). Serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP) level also decreased after treatment compared with baseline [635.85(59.83, 453.28) pg/mL vs 728.67(81.48, 696.15) pg/mL, P=0.055]. Serum NT-proBNP level was significantly higher in the death group compared to the survival group( P=0.002). The proportion of DFU patients with baseline NYHA class Ⅱ-Ⅲ was significantly higher than that in those with class Ⅰ( P=0.012). Regression analysis showed that an improvement in NT-proBNP levels was associated with a lower risk of DFU recurrence( OR=0.378, 95% CI 0.183-0.779, P=0.008), and improvement in NYHA class was associated with a lower mortality risk( OR=0.074, 95% CI 0.020-0.275, P<0.001). Conclusion:Cardiac function status and its changes during the treatment of DFU patients have strong prognostic implications, particularly in predicting the risk of recurrence and death outcomes.

This study investigated the effects and action mechanism of tannins from Galla chinensis cream(TGCC) on the skin wound of rat tail. Male Sprague Dawley(SD) rats were randomly divided into a control group, model group, model+low-dose TGCC(50 mg per rat) group, model+high-dose TGCC group(100 mg per rat), and model+TGC+FAK inhibitor(Y15) cream(100 mg+10 mg per rat) group, with 10 rats in each group. After the rat tail skin injury model was successfully constructed, in the treatment group, corresponding drugs were applied to the wound surface, while in the control and model groups, the same amount of cream base as the TGCC group was applied by the same method. Then, sterile gauze was wrapped around the wound edge, and these operations were performed three times a day for 28 consecutive days. The wound healing status at the third, seventh, eleventh, fourteenth, twenty-first, and twenty-eighth days was recorded, and the wound healing rate and healing time were calculated. On the day after the last dose of medication, rat serum and tail skin wound tissue were collected for analyzing the activities of serum alanine aminotransferase(ALT), aspartate aminotransferase(AST), creatinine(CREA), urea, reactive oxygen species(ROS), interferon gamma(IFN-γ), interleukin(IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-4, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α, as well as catalase(CAT), glutathione(GSH), lactate dehydrogenase(LDH), malondialdehyde(MDA), myeloperoxidase(MPO), superoxide dismutase(SOD), total antioxidant capacity(T-AOC), platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1(CD31), and leukocyte differentiation antigen 34(CD34) in the wound tissue of rat tail skin. Hematoxylin-eosin, Masson, and sirius red staining were used to observe the morphological changes in the wound tissue of rat tail skin. The thickness of the epidermis, the number of fibroblasts and blood vessels, and the contents of collagen fibers, typeⅠ collagen(COLⅠ), and COLⅢ were calculated. The mRNA expressions of keratin 10(KRT10), KRT14, vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF), fibroblast growth factor(FGF), epidermal growth factor(EGF), CD31, CD34, matrix metallopeptidase-2(MMP-2), MMP-9, COLⅠ, COLⅢ, desmin, fibroblast specific protein 1(FSP1), IFN-γ, IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10 in skin wound tissue were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(PCR). Western blot was utilized to detect the protein expressions of KRT10, KRT14, VEGF, FGF, EGF, MMP-2, MMP-9, COLⅠ, COLⅢ, desmin, FSP1, focal adhesion kinase(FAK), phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase(p-FAK), phosphatidylin-ositol-3-kinase(PI3K), phosphorylated phosphatidylin-ositol-3-kinase(p-PI3K), protein kinase B(Akt), phosphorylated protein kinase B(p-Akt), mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR), and phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin(p-mTOR). The results manifest that TGCC can dramatically elevate the healing rate of rat tail wounds and shorten wound healing time. Besides, it can reduce serum ROS levels, the contents of MDA, MPO, and LDH in the rat skin wound tissue, as well as the serum IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α levels and the mRNA expression levels of IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in the skin wound tissue. It can elevate the activities of CAT, GSH, SOD, and T-AOC in wound tissue, the IL-4 and IL-10 contents in serum, and the mRNA expressions of IL-4 and IL-10 in the wound tissue. In addition, TGGC can inhibit inflammatory cell infiltration and increase the epidermal thickness, counts of fibroblasts and blood vessels, and contents of collagen fibers, COLⅠ, and COLⅢ. Besides, TGCC can elevate the mRNA and protein expressions of epidermal differentiation markers(KRT10 and KRT14), endothelial cell markers(CD31 and CD34), angiogenesis and fibroblast proliferation, differentiation markers(VEGF, FGF, EGF, COLⅠ, COLⅢ, desmin, and FSP1), reduce the mRNA and protein expressions of gelatinases(MMP-2 and MMP-9), and increase protein expressions of p-FAK, p-PI3K, p-Akt, p-mTOR, as well as ratios of p-FAK/FAK, p-PI3K/PI3K, p-Akt/Akt, and p-mTOR/mTOR. These results suggest that TGCC can significantly facilitate skin wound healing, and its mechanism may be related to the activation of the FAK/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, inhibition of inflammatory cell infiltration in skin wound tissue, elevation of epidermal thickness, counts of fibroblasts and vessels, and contents of collagen fiber, COLⅠ, and COLⅢ, and reduction of MMP-2 and MMP-9 expressions, thus accelerating wound healing.
Animals ; Male ; Wound Healing/drug effects* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics* ; Skin/metabolism* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics* ; Tannins/pharmacology* ; Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Focal Adhesion Kinase 1/genetics*

This study aims to explore the mechanism of lung and gut protection by Tanreqing Capsules on the mice infected with influenza virus based on "the lung-gut axis". A total of 110 C57BL/6J mice were randomized into control group, model group, oseltamivir group, and low-and high-dose Tanreqing Capsules groups. Ten mice in each group underwent body weight protection experiments, and the remaining 12 mice underwent experiments for mechanism exploration. Mice were infected with influenza virus A/Puerto Rico/08/1934(PR8) via nasal inhalation for the modeling. The lung tissue was collected on day 3 after gavage, and the lung tissue, colon tissue, and feces were collected on day 7 after gavage for subsequent testing. The results showed that Tanreqing Capsules alleviated the body weight reduction and increased the survival rate caused by PR8 infection. Compared with model group, Tanreqing Capsules can alleviate the lung injury by reducing the lung index, alleviating inflammation and edema in the lung tissue, down-regulating viral gene expression at the late stage of infection, reducing the percentage of neutrophils, and increasing the percentage of T cells. Tanreqing Capsules relieved the gut injury by restoring the colon length, increasing intestinal lumen mucin secretion, alleviating intestinal inflammation, and reducing goblet cell destruction. The gut microbiota analysis showed that Tanreqing Capsules increased species diversity compared with model group. At the phylum level, Tanreqing Capsules significantly increased the abundance of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, while reducing the abundance of Bacteroidota and Proteobacteria to maintain gut microbiota balance. At the genus level, Tanreqing Capsules significantly increased the abundance of unclassified＿f＿Lachnospiraceae while reducing the abundance of Bacteroides, Eubacterium, and Phocaeicola to maintain gut microbiota balance. In conclusion, Tanreqing Capsules can alleviate mouse lung and gut injury caused by influenza virus infection and restore the balance of gut microbiota. Treating influenza from the lung and gut can provide new ideas for clinical practice.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Mice ; Lung/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Capsules ; Orthomyxoviridae Infections/virology* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Male ; Humans ; Female ; Influenza A virus/physiology* ; Influenza, Human/virology*

Objective To explore the clinical effects and influencing factors of recombinant human growth hormone(rhGH)treatment in pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency.Methods The study subjects were pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency,all of whom received a combination therapy of stanozolol tablets 2 mg(qd)and 0.1 U·kg-1·d-1 of recombinant human growth hormone injection for a continuous period of one year.After one year,the patients were divided into active group and invalid group based on clinical outcomes.Comparisons were made between the two groups in terms of height,annual growth velocity(GV)and height standard deviation score(HtSDS)before and after treatment,and safety evaluations were conducted.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors that influenced the treatment outcomes in pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency.Results After one year of treatment,a total of 93 cases pediatric patients were included in the analysis,with 62 cases in the active group and 31 cases in the invalid group.The heights of the patients before and after treatment were(119.40±2.48)and(129.08±2.37)cm,respectively;the GV were(3.08±0.39)and(7.34±1.02)cm·year-1,respectively;the HtSDS were-2.45±0.49 and-1.68±0.35,respectively,with statistically significant differences observed for all comparisons(all P＜0.05).In the active and invalid groups,the proportions of patients with GV＜3.0 cm·year-1 before treatment were 32.26％and 58.06％,respectively;the proportions of patients with peak growth hormone(GH)levels＜5.0 ng·mL-1 before treatment were 30.65％and 54.84％,respectively;the average maternal heights were(158.83±5.76)and(155.48±6.58)cm,respectively,with statistically significant differences observed for all comparisons(all P＜0.05).The results of the Logistic regression model showed that GV＜3.0 cm·year-1 before treatment,peak GH levels＜5.0 ng·mL-1 before treatment,and a shorter maternal height were independent risk factors for poor treatment outcomes with rhGH in pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency(all P＜0.05).No severe adverse reactions occurred during the treatment of any patient;seven patients experienced pain at the injection site,one patient had a slight increase in blood glucose,and five patients had mild decreased appetite.The total incidence of adverse drug reactions were 13.98％(13 cases/93 cases).Conclusion Treatment with rhGH for pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency can significantly improve height development and has good safety,but it is influenced by factors such as growth velocity,peak GH levels,and maternal height.