OBJECTIVE To study the improvement effects and mechanism of proanthocyanidins （PACs） on steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head （SONFH） in rabbits based on the receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 （RIPK1）/RIPK3/mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein （MLKL） signaling pathway. METHODS SONFH model in rabbits was induced by injecting Escherichia coli endotoxin+methylprednisolone. The successfully modeled rabbits were randomly divided into Model group （normal saline）， low-dose PACs group （PACs-L group， 11 mg/kg）， high-dose PACs group （PACs-H group， 22 mg/kg）， high-dose PACs+ RIPK1 activator （rRIPK1） group （PACs-H+rRIPK1 group， 22 mg/kg PACs+4 μg/kg rRIPK1）， along with a control group （normal saline）， with 6 rabbits in each group. Each administration group was given relevant medicine once a day intragastrically/via injection， for 4 consecutive weeks. After the last administration， the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interleukin-6 （IL-6） in rabbit serum were measured. The changes in the microstructure of rabbit femurs， including bone mineral density （BMD）， trabecular thickness （Tb.Th）， trabecular number （Tb.N）， and trabecular separation （Tb. Sp） were examined. The histopathological features of rabbit femoral tissues were observed， and the apoptotic status of cells within the rabbit femoral tissues was detected. The mRNA expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） and bone morphogenetic protein 2 （BMP2） in rabbit femoral tissues were determined. The expressions of RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL signaling pathway-related proteins in femoral tissues were detected. RESULTS Compared with the Control group， serum contents of TNF-α and IL-6， Tb.Sp， empty bone cavity rate， cell apoptosis rate， phosphorylation levels of RIPK1， RIPK3 and MLKL in femoral tissue were significantly increased in the Model group （P＜0.05）. BMD， Tb.Th， Tb.N， as well as the mRNA expression of VEGF and BMP2， along with protein expression of caspase-8， in the femoral tissues were all decreased （P＜0.05）. The bone cells in the femoral tissue were unevenly distributed， and the trabeculae were arranged sparsely. Compared with the Model group， the aforementioned quantitative indicators （P＜0.05） and pathological changes in all dosage groups of PACs showed significant improvements. Compared with the PACs-H group， the aforementioned quantitative indicators （P＜0.05） and pathological changes in the PACs-H+rRIPK1 group showed significant reversal. CONCLUSIONS PACs can ameliorate SONFH in rabbits， and its mechanism of action may be related to the inhibition of the activation of the RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL signaling pathway， suppression of apoptosis in femoral tissue cells， and promotion of angiogenesis.

BACKGROUND:With the increasing attention of scholars at home and abroad to children's cervical spine-related diseases,the demand for exploring the anatomical indicators and changes of cervical spine morphology and development in children of different ages is increasing.OBJECTIVE:To explore and analyze the morphological changes of children with different ages and vertebral sequences by measuring the anatomical position indexes of C2-C7 neurocentral synchondrosis in children aged 1-6 years.METHODS:Normal cervical spine CT images were retrospectively collected from 160 children aged 1-6 years at provincial tertiary hospitals.They were divided into six groups according to an age group of 1 year.The raw data of consecutively scanned cervical spine tomography images were imported into Mimics 16.0 software.The positional anatomical indexes of cervical spine segments C2-C7 in coronal and transverse planes were measured and analyzed under the two-dimensional image window by choosing the measurement tools under the toolbar of Measurements.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The distance between the two sides of C2-C7 neurocentral synchondrosis and the distance between the left and right sides of neurocentral synchondrosis and the transverse process gradually increased with age.The overall development of vertebrae in each cervical vertebral segment was faster than the ossification of the neurocentral synchondrosis.(2)The cross-sectional angles on both sides of C2-C7 neurocentral synchondrosis gradually increased with age,and the angles between the left and right sides of neurocentral synchondrosis and the anterior and posterior edges of the vertebral body gradually decreased.Both sides of the neurocentral synchondrosis in cervical vertebral segments tended to grow toward the arch site,which mainly promoted the growth and development of the arch.(3)Except for C7,the angle between the coronal planes on both sides of the cervical spine changed little with the descending neurocentral synchondrosis of the cervical spine,and the neurocentral synchondrosis of the cervical spine was more inclined to longitudinal growth and ossification.(4)The neurocentral synchondrosis position changes in C7 were significantly different from those in the rest of the cervical vertebrae.(5)The anatomical indexes of C2-C7 neurocentral synchondrosis position in children have obvious development rules among different ages and vertebral bodies,and these rules are helpful for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of cervical spine diseases in children.

Li-Fraumeni syndrome(LFS)is a rare autosomal dominant genetic disorder.Patients with LFS tend to develop tumors at a young age and are at risk of multiple types of cancer.The core pathogenic mechanism of LFS is germline mutation of the TP53 gene,which leads to loss of function of the p53 protein and an increase in the risk of tumor development.There are many tumor types closely related to LFS,including soft tissue sarcoma,osteosarcoma,brain tumors,breast cancer,and adrenocortical carcinoma.Although some common mutation sites of the TP53 gene in LFS patients have been identified,there are still differences in mutation sites among different patients,and the type of TP53 gene mutation may affect the clinical manifestations and prognosis of patients.Therefore,genetic testing for LFS patients to determine the specific mutation form of TP53 is of great significance.This article reviews the clinical patho-logical characteristics,treatment methods,and prognosis of LFS-related tumor patients,aiming to provide useful refer-ences for clinical practice.

Purpose To investigate the differential expression of proteins secreted by diffuse-type gastric cancer-associated fibroblasts(DGC-CAFs)and intestinal-type gastric cancer-associated fibroblasts(IGC-CAFs)according to Lauren classification of gastric cancer.Methods Fresh surgery samples were acquired to extract primary cancer-asso-ciated fibroblasts(CAFs)to obtain the conditional medium,including three cases of diffuse-type gastric cancer(DGC)and three cases of intestinal-type gastric cancer(IGC).Then high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS/MS)was used to detect the differences in secreted factors between DGC-CAFs and IGC-CAFs.Additionally,a total of 1 174 cases were collected from the GEO and TCGA databases,and the distribution of stromal cells was assessed via ESTIMATE to derive stromal scores for both DGC and GC.Furthermore,Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between high stromal scores,elevated CAFs proportions,and patient prognosis.Subsequently,GO enrichment analysis was performed to investigate associated genes and their bi-ological functions.Results HPLC-MS/MS analysis showed that only 10 proteins were identified to be expressed in both DGC-CAFs and IGC-CAFs,namely SPARC,COL6A1,COL1A2,COL1A1,COL3A1,FN1,DCN,ACTG1,TIMP1 and SHROOM3.There were 8 proteins expressed higher in DGC-CAFs than IGC-CAFs in all cases with ratio＞2,namely COL3A1(5.28),COL1A2(3.98),DCN(3.71),TIMP1(3.40),COL6A1(3.35),ACTG1(3.13),COL1A1(2.84)and SHROOM3(2.50).Two other proteins,TUBB and BASP1,were identified in all three cases of DGC-CAFs.The former was only identified in one case of IGC-CAFs,while the latter was not identified in all three cases of IGC-CAFs.The results of bioinformatics analysis showed that the stromal score of DGC was higher than IGC,which correlated with poor prognosis.Analysis of cell components revealed that the related genes were more enriched in ECM,collagen-containing extracellular matrix and cell-cell junction.Also,the biological process and molecular function was based on the components,which was consistent with HPLC-MS/MS analysis results.Conclusion There are differ-ences in secreted proteins of DGC-CAFs and IGC-CAFs,both on the types and the content.The differential proteins are mostly enriched in ECM-related signaling pathways.Presumably,the high content of CAFs in the stroma affects the prognosis of gastric cancer patients by influencing the gene expression and the function of receptor pathway of ECM.

Li-Fraumeni syndrome(LFS)is a rare autosomal dominant genetic disorder.Patients with LFS tend to develop tumors at a young age and are at risk of multiple types of cancer.The core pathogenic mechanism of LFS is germline mutation of the TP53 gene,which leads to loss of function of the p53 protein and an increase in the risk of tumor development.There are many tumor types closely related to LFS,including soft tissue sarcoma,osteosarcoma,brain tumors,breast cancer,and adrenocortical carcinoma.Although some common mutation sites of the TP53 gene in LFS patients have been identified,there are still differences in mutation sites among different patients,and the type of TP53 gene mutation may affect the clinical manifestations and prognosis of patients.Therefore,genetic testing for LFS patients to determine the specific mutation form of TP53 is of great significance.This article reviews the clinical patho-logical characteristics,treatment methods,and prognosis of LFS-related tumor patients,aiming to provide useful refer-ences for clinical practice.

Purpose To investigate the differential expression of proteins secreted by diffuse-type gastric cancer-associated fibroblasts(DGC-CAFs)and intestinal-type gastric cancer-associated fibroblasts(IGC-CAFs)according to Lauren classification of gastric cancer.Methods Fresh surgery samples were acquired to extract primary cancer-asso-ciated fibroblasts(CAFs)to obtain the conditional medium,including three cases of diffuse-type gastric cancer(DGC)and three cases of intestinal-type gastric cancer(IGC).Then high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS/MS)was used to detect the differences in secreted factors between DGC-CAFs and IGC-CAFs.Additionally,a total of 1 174 cases were collected from the GEO and TCGA databases,and the distribution of stromal cells was assessed via ESTIMATE to derive stromal scores for both DGC and GC.Furthermore,Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between high stromal scores,elevated CAFs proportions,and patient prognosis.Subsequently,GO enrichment analysis was performed to investigate associated genes and their bi-ological functions.Results HPLC-MS/MS analysis showed that only 10 proteins were identified to be expressed in both DGC-CAFs and IGC-CAFs,namely SPARC,COL6A1,COL1A2,COL1A1,COL3A1,FN1,DCN,ACTG1,TIMP1 and SHROOM3.There were 8 proteins expressed higher in DGC-CAFs than IGC-CAFs in all cases with ratio＞2,namely COL3A1(5.28),COL1A2(3.98),DCN(3.71),TIMP1(3.40),COL6A1(3.35),ACTG1(3.13),COL1A1(2.84)and SHROOM3(2.50).Two other proteins,TUBB and BASP1,were identified in all three cases of DGC-CAFs.The former was only identified in one case of IGC-CAFs,while the latter was not identified in all three cases of IGC-CAFs.The results of bioinformatics analysis showed that the stromal score of DGC was higher than IGC,which correlated with poor prognosis.Analysis of cell components revealed that the related genes were more enriched in ECM,collagen-containing extracellular matrix and cell-cell junction.Also,the biological process and molecular function was based on the components,which was consistent with HPLC-MS/MS analysis results.Conclusion There are differ-ences in secreted proteins of DGC-CAFs and IGC-CAFs,both on the types and the content.The differential proteins are mostly enriched in ECM-related signaling pathways.Presumably,the high content of CAFs in the stroma affects the prognosis of gastric cancer patients by influencing the gene expression and the function of receptor pathway of ECM.

BACKGROUND:With the increasing attention of scholars at home and abroad to children's cervical spine-related diseases,the demand for exploring the anatomical indicators and changes of cervical spine morphology and development in children of different ages is increasing.OBJECTIVE:To explore and analyze the morphological changes of children with different ages and vertebral sequences by measuring the anatomical position indexes of C2-C7 neurocentral synchondrosis in children aged 1-6 years.METHODS:Normal cervical spine CT images were retrospectively collected from 160 children aged 1-6 years at provincial tertiary hospitals.They were divided into six groups according to an age group of 1 year.The raw data of consecutively scanned cervical spine tomography images were imported into Mimics 16.0 software.The positional anatomical indexes of cervical spine segments C2-C7 in coronal and transverse planes were measured and analyzed under the two-dimensional image window by choosing the measurement tools under the toolbar of Measurements.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The distance between the two sides of C2-C7 neurocentral synchondrosis and the distance between the left and right sides of neurocentral synchondrosis and the transverse process gradually increased with age.The overall development of vertebrae in each cervical vertebral segment was faster than the ossification of the neurocentral synchondrosis.(2)The cross-sectional angles on both sides of C2-C7 neurocentral synchondrosis gradually increased with age,and the angles between the left and right sides of neurocentral synchondrosis and the anterior and posterior edges of the vertebral body gradually decreased.Both sides of the neurocentral synchondrosis in cervical vertebral segments tended to grow toward the arch site,which mainly promoted the growth and development of the arch.(3)Except for C7,the angle between the coronal planes on both sides of the cervical spine changed little with the descending neurocentral synchondrosis of the cervical spine,and the neurocentral synchondrosis of the cervical spine was more inclined to longitudinal growth and ossification.(4)The neurocentral synchondrosis position changes in C7 were significantly different from those in the rest of the cervical vertebrae.(5)The anatomical indexes of C2-C7 neurocentral synchondrosis position in children have obvious development rules among different ages and vertebral bodies,and these rules are helpful for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of cervical spine diseases in children.

BACKGROUND:Previous brain studies have mostly focused on adults and fetuses,and the developmental characteristics of young children's brainstems have rarely been studied. OBJECTIVE:To observe the brainstem development characteristics of healthy young children and to explore the age-related differences and their correlation with sex. METHODS:From January 2019 to April 2022,a retrospective study of 3.0T MRI images of 174 children aged 2 to 6 years in the Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University was conducted,and the median sagittal diameter,area and angle of the brainstem(including midbrain,pons and medulla oblongata)were measured. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:There is an age-related increase in the anterior and posterior diameters of the midbrain,pons and medulla oblongata in the 2-5 years old group as well as in the longitudinal diameter and area of the midbrain,pons and medulla oblongata in the 2-6 years old group.Except for the longitudinal diameter of the medulla oblongata,all others show a positive correlation with age(r>0,P<0.05).In the 2-3 years old group and 4-5 years old group,the children are in the rapid growth and development stage,and these two age groups can be used as the key observation indicators for the development of young children.The anterior-posterior diameter,longitudinal diameter,area of the pons and total brainstem area are strongly correlated with age,which can be used as the key observation indicators for the brainstem development in young children.

BACKGROUND:Nowadays,there are increasing reports on the digitization and visualization system of acupuncture points for adults in traditional Chinese medicine,and the digitization and visualization system of acupuncture points for children in traditional Chinese medicine and the simulation system of acupuncture manipulation for Mongolian medicine training have been reported.However,there are no reports on relevant systems for children in Mongolian medicine. OBJECTIVE:To develop a simulation system of acupuncture points for children in Mongolian medicine,in the hope that it can be used for clinical teaching,manipulation practice and research on acupuncture safety. METHODS:Based on the tomographic anatomical dataset of preschool boys,a three-dimensional(3D)digital virtual anatomical model of children with multiple internal organs and tissues was constructed by using PhotoShop.2021 and Digihuman Reconstruction System software.The relevant annotation information database of 27 acupoints such as Dinghui acupoint of Mongolian medicine was compiled by the Unity database language.The Mongolian gold needle and silver needle were selected to record the acupuncture point teaching video on the 3D printed head and neck resin model of children.In Unity3D software,children's anatomical model,acupoint annotation information database and acupuncture operation video were integrated and coded,and a 3D digital children's Mongolian acupuncture acupoint visualization system integrating simulation acupuncture training,clinical teaching and acupuncture safety research was successfully created. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:This study was based on real children's specimens.In order to reduce the error of two-dimensional segmentation,the manual layer-by-layer segmentation section image method was used to ensure the accuracy of the 3D model to the greatest extent.The Digihuman Reconstruction System was used to extract and save the individual segmentation data while maximizing the accuracy of the 3D model.PhotoShop.2021 software was used to complete the 3D reconstruction of the outer skin of the head and neck of children and the internal bony structure,cervical spinal cord,blood vessels and nerves,muscles and ligaments.After 3D reconstruction,the basic morphology of each independent structure and the integrity of the overall contour were verified in MeshLab software and the final fine adjustment and anatomical position confirmation were conducted using 3-matic research 13.0 software.The real anatomical morphology of the head and neck of preschool children was successfully simulated and restored.Unity3D software was used to integrate the 3D model of children,acupuncture operation video and acupoint annotation database,and the 3D digital Mongolian acupuncture acupoint visualization system for children was successfully constructed.Based on the real continuous fault ultra-thin dataset of preschool boys in China,China's first 3D digitization and visualization system of acupuncture points in the head and neck of children in Mongolian medicine was developed.Compared with the previous acupuncture soft works,this system is more suitable for the anatomical morphological development characteristics of Asian children,and has a high value of application in the fields of research on the safety of acupuncture in Mongolian medicine,clinical teaching and acupuncture simulation training.

BACKGROUND:The calcaneus is located in the lower posterior part of the foot and is heavily stressed.Calcaneus is complex and irregular in shape,surrounded by thin cortical bone and filled with a large number of trabeculae.The study of the microstructure,movement,and distribution of trabeculae is helpful to improve the understanding of calcaneus fracture. OBJECTIVE:The image data of calcaneus were obtained by scanning the calcaneus specimens with micro-computed tomography,and the structure of trabecular bone in calcaneus was analyzed to explore the morphology,distribution and structural characteristics of trabecular bone in calcaneus. METHODS:Dry adult calcaneus specimens were continuously scanned by micro-computed tomography,and the images were obtained after scanning and stored in DICOM format.Image data were imported into Hiscan Analyzer software to display clear and complete images of the sagittal plane,coronal plane,and the horizontal plane of the adult calcaneus.The trabecular movement of bone was observed layer by layer.According to the trabecular movement characteristics,the sagittal plane of the calcaneus was divided into six parts.A 49-mm2 region of interest was selected for each part at the same thickness as 7 mm.The three-dimensional microstructure of calcaneus and trabecular bone was obtained after three-dimensional reconstruction.After binarization,the volume fraction,surface density,trabecular thickness,trabecular space,and trabecular number parameters of the trabecular bone in the region of interest were calculated by software. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The cortical layer of the calcaneus was very thin and filled with a large amount of cancellous bone,and the cortical layer of the horn of Gissane was obviously thickened.(2)The trabecular volume fraction in the upper part of the calcaneus was greater than that in the anterior part of the lower part of the calcaneus,the central triangle,the posterior part of the lower part of the calcaneus,and the base of the calcaneus,and the trabecular volume fraction in the tubercle of the calcaneus was greater than that in the anterior part of the lower part of the calcaneus,the central triangle,the posterior part of the lower part of the calcaneus,and the base of the calcaneus.The surface density of the trabecular bone in the tubercle of the calcaneus was higher than that in the front of the lower calcaneus,the middle triangle area,and the bottom of calcaneus,and the surface density of the trabecular bone in the upper part of calcaneal bone,and the lower part of the calcaneus was higher than that in the middle triangle area.The thickness of the trabecular bone in the upper part of the calcaneus was greater than that in the tubercle of the calcaneal bone.The bone trabecular space in the middle triangle was larger than that in the upper part of the calcaneus and calcaneal tubercles.The number of bone trabeculae in the calcaneal tubercles was greater than that in the middle triangle area.(3)These results indicate that the trabeculae of rod bone were mainly distributed in the middle triangle area.The surface density of trabeculae was the smallest,the volume fraction was smaller,and the space between trabeculae was the largest.This part of the bone is relatively loose.The compression resistance is poor when subjected to high impact.The trabecular bone fractures first occur,which is a prone site for fractures.