To evaluate the therapeutic effect of a modified Devine procedure with a subcutaneous sliding fixation method for the treatment of congenital concealed penis, we retrospectively selected 45 patients with congenital concealed penises who were admitted to General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University (Yinchuan, China) between September 2020 and November 2023. In all cases, the penis was observed to be short, and retracting the skin at the base revealed a normal penile body, which immediately returned to its original position upon release. All patients underwent the modified Devine procedure with subcutaneous sliding fixation and completed a 12-week postoperative follow-up. A statistically significant increase in penile length was observed postoperatively, with the median length increasing from 4.0 (interquartile range [IQR]: 3.5-4.8; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.9-4.4) cm to 8.0 (IQR: 7.8-8.0; 95% CI: 7.7-7.9) cm, with P < 0.001. The parents were satisfied with the outcomes, including increased penile length, improved hygiene, and enhanced esthetics. Except for mild foreskin edema in all cases, no complications (such as infections, skin necrosis, or penile retraction) were observed. The edema was resolved within 4 weeks after the operation. This study demonstrates that the modified Devine procedure utilizing the subcutaneous sliding fixation method yields excellent outcomes with minimal postoperative complications, reduced penile retraction, and high satisfaction rates among patients and their families.
Humans ; Male ; Penis/abnormalities* ; Retrospective Studies ; Urologic Surgical Procedures, Male/methods* ; Treatment Outcome ; Child ; Plastic Surgery Procedures/methods*

Objective:To investigate the regulatory effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on functional connectivity (FC) of thalamic subregions in patients with premenstrual syndrome (PMS).Methods:This study was a cross-sectional investigation. Clinical, laboratory, and imaging data were retrospectively collected from 56 PMS patients (PMS group) and 66 healthy controls (control group) recruited from various universities and hospitals in Nanning between November 2021 and June 2024. Resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) data and fMRI data during taVNS immediate stimulation (2 Hz, 25 Hz) were acquired from subjects during their late luteal phase. Using thalamic subregions (anterior thalamic nucleus, lateral nucleus, ventral nucleus, medial nucleus, central nucleus, posterior nucleus) as seeds, two-sample t-tests or paired t-tests were employed to analyze alterations in thalamic subregion FC in PMS patients and the regulatory effects of taVNS on these changes. Independent samples t-test were used to compare the differences in clinical and laboratory indicators between the PMS group and the control group. The relationship between taVNS regulation of thalamic subregion FC in PMS patients and thalamic internal functional connectivity were analyzed using mediation effect analysis. Results:Compared to the control group, patients in the PMS group showed increased scores on the Daily Record of Severity of Problems, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, Self-Rating Depression Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale 17, and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale 14 during the late luteal phase ( P<0.05). At baseline, PMS patients exhibited higher FC between the left thalamic lateral nucleus and the left insula, and lower FC between the left medial nucleus, posterior nucleus, and ventral nucleus of the thalamus and the right middle frontal gyrus (MFG) compared to the control group (GRF corrected, voxel-level P<0.001, cluster-level P<0.05). During 2 Hz taVNS immediate stimulation in PMS group, FC between the left thalamic medial nucleus, posterior nucleus, ventral nucleus and the right MFG, as well as the FC between the left thalamic ventral nucleu and the left MFG increased compared to baseline levels; meanwhile, FC between the left thalamic posterior nucleus, ventral nucleus and the left insula decreased compared to baseline levels (GRF corrected, voxel-level P<0.001, cluster-level P<0.05). During 25 Hz taVNS immediate stimulation, the FC between the left thalamic ventral nucleus and the right MFG decreased compared to the baseline level (GRF corrected, voxel-level P<0.001, cluster-level P<0.05). Mediation effect analysis showed that the FC between the left thalamic posterior nucleus and the left lateral nucleus mediated part of the association between the FC of the left lateral thalamic nucleus-left insula and the FC of the left ventral thalamic nucleus-left putamen/insula; there were significant direct effects between the FC of the left lateral thalamic nucleus-the left posterior nucleus and FC of the left lateral thalamic nucleus-the left insula, as well as between the FC of the left ventral thalamic nucleus-the left MFG and FC of the left ventral thalamic nucleus-the right MFG. Conclusions:taVNS can modulate abnormal FC of the left thalamic subregions in PMS patients, restoring it toward normalization. The regulatory effects of 2 Hz stimulation are more pronounced than those of 25 Hz stimulation. This modulation primarily operates through two pathways: the left thalamic lateral nucleus-left insula-left thalamic ventral nucleus pathway and the left MFG-left thalamic ventral nucleus-right MFG.

Objective To investigate the drivers,stakeholders,core tasks,and differentiated development models of digital transformation in Chinese hospitals,develop a hospital digital transformation model,and propose advancement pathways.Methods Leveraging ROCCIPI theory,socio-technical systems theory,and social network theory,a multiple case study approach was employed to analyze four representative Chinese hospitals,examining the driving factors,social network relationship,and core tasks of digital transformation.Results Hospital digital transformation is a complex process driven by regulations,opportunities,and capabilities,requiring efficient collaboration among stakeholders focused on patient services,clinical operations,hospital management,and security.It identified three development models-ecology-oriented,regional integration,and grassroots enhancement—based on the distinct characteristics of the hospitals.A theoretical model for digital transformation in four Chinese hospitals was developed,along with proposed pathways and strategies.Conclusion It presents a digital transformation model and advancement pathways for hospitals through multiple case analyses,addressing the limited perspectives of existing research and providing a reference for practice.

AIM To evaluate the quality of benchmark sample of Zexie Decoction.METHODS HPLC fingerprints were established,after which the content determination of epoxy alisma ene,23-acetyl alisol B,23-acetyl alisol C,alisol A,alisol B,atractylenolide Ⅰ,atractylenolide Ⅱ and atractylenolide Ⅲ was performed,and the transfer rate and paste yield were calculated.RESULTS There were 20 common peaks in the fingerprints for 15 batches of benchmark samples with the similarities of more than 0.95.The average contents of various effective constituents were 180.86 μg/g for alisol B 23-acetate,18.65 μg/g for alisol C 23-acetate,34.74 μg/g for alismoxide,17.65 μg/g for alisol A,238.19 μg/g for alisol B,2.85 μg/g for atractylenolide Ⅰ,6.38 μg/g for atractylenolide Ⅱ,and 15.42 μg/g for atractylenolide Ⅲ,respectively.In the decoction piece-benchmark sample,alisol B 23-acetate,alisol C 23-acetate,atractylenolide Ⅰ,atractylenolide Ⅱ and atractylenolide Ⅲ demonstrated the average transfer rates of 12.09％,16.45％,3.93％,12.17％and 34.37％respectively.The paste yields in various batches of benchmark samples were 15.2％-20.2％.CONCLUSION HPLC fingerprints combined with content determination can be used for the quality control of benchmark sample of Zexie Decoction,thus provides a reference for the development of its compound preparations.

Objective:To investigate the mechanism by which histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) exerts immune protective effects in Chlamydia trachomatis respiratory tract infection. Methods:Wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice and HDAC6 gene knockout (HDAC6 -/-) mice were used to establish mouse models of Chlamydia muridarum ( Cm) respiratory infection by nasal inhalation of Cm. qPCR and Western blot were used to detect the relative expression of HDAC6 in lung tissues of WT mice after Cm infection. Intracellular factor staining was used to detect the percentages and absolute numbers of CD4 + T cell subsets (Th1, Th17 and Th2 cells)in mouse lung tissues after infection. The levels of IL-4 in spleen cell culture supernatants were measured by ELISA. One-way or two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for statistical analysis. Results:Cm respiratory tract infection significantly promoted the expression of HDAC6 at both mRNA and protein levels in lung tissues of WT mice ( P<0.001). HDAC6 -/- mice lost more weight than WT mice and took longer to recover to the normal level. Chlamydia load ( P<0.001 and P<0.05) and pathological damage ( P<0.05 and P<0.000 1) in lung tissues were more serious in HDAC6 -/- mice than in WT mice at 7 and 14 d after infection. Neither the percentage nor the absolute number of Th1 (CD4 + IFN-γ + T) and Th17 (CD4 + IL-17 + T) cells showed significant differences between WT and HDAC6 -/- mice, while the percentage and absolute number of Th2 (CD4 + IL-4 + T) cells increased in HDAC6 -/- mice ( P<0.05 and P<0.01). Moreover, in HDAC6 -/- mice, the expression of IL-4 mRNA increased ( P<0.000 1) and the level of IL-4 in the splenic cell culture supernatants increased ( P<0.01). Conclusions:HDAC6 plays an immune protective role in Cm infection. It can reduce the susceptibility of host to Cm respiratory tract infection and alleviates the pathological damage in lung tissues by inhibiting the immune response of Th2 cells.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between lean lipid accumulation product (LAP) and metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD).Methods:This cross-sectional study consecutively enrolled 1 990 adult subjects who underwent health examinations at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University between June 2021 and May 2023. All recruited participants had a body mass index (BMI)<23 kg/m2. Data collection included general information, physical examination, serum biochemical parameter measurements, and liver ultrasonography. Participants were divided into four groups (Q1-Q4) according to quartiles value of LAP from low to high. The differences of biochemical parameters and the prevalence of lean MAFLD were compared among the groups. Logistic regression, restricted cubic spline (RCS) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were used to explore the relationship between LAP and lean MAFLD and assess the diagnostic predictive value of LAP for lean MAFLD.Results:A total of 1990 participants were selected, and the detection rate of lean MAFLD was 4.97% (99 cases). The detection rate of lean MAFLD showed a significant increasing trend from Q1 to Q4 groups ( P<0.001) and respectively was 0.40%, 0.81%, 4.01% and 14.70%. The average age, male proportion, BMI and waist circumference significantly increased in a dose-response manner from Q1 to Q4 (all P<0.001). Indirect bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, γ-glutamyltranspeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, serum uric acid, fasting blood glucose, fatty liver index, fibrosis-4 index and every metabolic syndrome component in groups Q2 to Q4 were significantly higher than in the Q1 group, while high-density lipoprotein levels gradually decreased (all P<0.05). RCS showed that the risk of lean MAFLD rose significantly with the increase of LAP ( P<0.005), presenting a nonlinear relationship between them ( P for nonlinear<0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that after adjusting other confounding factors, the risk of lean MAFLD in the Q4 group remained 4.75 times higher than that in the Q1 group (95% CI: 11.22-31.69, P<0.05). ROC curve demonstrated that LAP had a better predictive value for lean MAFLD than BMI and waist circumference, with area under the curve of 0.839, critical value of 19.59, diagnostic sensitivity of 82.8% and specificity of 75.1%. Conclusions:Elevated LAP is independently and positively correlated with the risk of lean MAFLD, and its predictive efficacy is significant superior to traditional obesity indicators.

Objective To analyze the abnormal individual dose monitoring results in 206 medical institutions in a selected region in 2024, and to propose improvement measures. Methods Individuals with monitoring results exceeding the investigation level were subjected to high-dose investigation, and the results were statistically analyzed. Results In 2024, the individual dose monitoring of 206 medical institutions in a selected region showed 1.04% abnormal results. The proportions of abnormal results from primary, secondary, and tertiary medical institutions were 12.22%, 3.33%, and 84.45%, respectively. In analysis of the causes of abnormal results, 52.53% of the cases were due to personal dosimeters left in the radiation workplace, and 20.20% were due to the confusion in wearing personal dosimeters inside and outside the lead apron. In analysis of the occupational distribution of the radiation workers with abnormal monitoring results, interventional radiology and diagnostic radiology accounted for 73.34% and 24.44%, respectively. Statistical analysis of the dose range showed that doses in the ranges of 1.25-2.0 mSv and 2.0-5.0 mSv accounted for 42.22% and 33.33%, respectively. In the report of abnormal monitoring results, the proportions of reporting notional dose and reporting measured results accounted for 88.89% and 11.11%, respectively. Among institutions with consecutive abnormal results, primary, secondary, and tertiary medical institutions accounted for 15.39%, 7.69%, and 76.92%, respectively. Conclusion The level of the hospital, occupational type, the perceived importance of the hospital to the management of radiation protection, and the perceived importance and compliance of the radiation workers with the individual dose monitoring are potential causes of abnormal results. It is recommended that employers should enhance radiation protection training for their radiation workers to ensure proper wearing and storage of dosimeters, and progressively improve the standardization and effectiveness of individual dose monitoring practice.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the key features of facial and tongue images associated with anemia in female populations, establish anemia risk-screening models, and evaluate their performance. METHODS: A total of 533 female participants (anemic and healthy) were recruited from Shuguang Hospital. Facial and tongue images were collected using the TFDA-1 tongue and face diagnosis instrument. Color and texture features from various parts of facial and tongue images were extracted using Face Diagnosis Analysis System (FDAS) and Tongue Diagnosis Analysis System version 2.0 (TDAS v2.0). Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression was used for feature selection. Ten machine learning models and one deep learning model (ResNet50V2 + Conv1D) were developed and evaluated. RESULTS: Anemic women showed lower a-values, higher L- and b-values across all age groups. Texture features analysis showed that women aged 30-39 with anemia had higher angular second moment (ASM)and lower entropy (ENT) values in facial images, while those aged 40-49 had lower contrast (CON), ENT, and MEAN values in tongue images but higher ASM. Anemic women exhibited age-related trends similar to healthy women, with decreasing L-values and increasing a-, b-, and ASM-values. LASSO identified 19 key features from 62. Among classifiers, the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model achieved the best performance [area under the curve (AUC): 0.849, accuracy: 0.781]. The ResNet50V2 model achieved comparable results [AUC: 0.846, accuracy: 0.818]. CONCLUSION Differences in facial and tongue images suggest that color and texture features can serve as potential TCM phenotype and auxiliary diagnostic indicators for female anemia.
Humans ; Female ; Tongue/diagnostic imaging* ; Adult ; Anemia/diagnosis* ; Middle Aged ; Face/diagnostic imaging* ; Young Adult ; Machine Learning

The efficient production of L-glutamate is dependent on the product's rapid efflux, hence researchers have recently concentrated on artificially modifying its transport system and cell membrane wall structure. Considering the unique composition and structure of the cell wall of Corynebacterium glutamicum, we investigated the effects of CmpLs on L-glutamate synthesis and transport in SCgGC7, a constitutive L-glutamate efflux strain. First, the knockout strains of CmpLs were constructed, and it was confirmed that the deletion of CmpL1 and CmpL4 significantly improved the performance of L-glutamate producers. Next, temperature-sensitive L-glutamate fermentation with the CmpL1 and CmpL4 knockout strains were carried out in 5 L bioreactors, where the knockout strains showcased temperature-sensitive characteristics and enhanced capacities for L-glutamate production under high temperatures. Notably, the CmpL1 knockout strain outperformed the control strain in terms of L-glutamate production, showing production and yield increases of 69.2% and 55.3%, respectively. Finally, the intracellular and extracellular metabolites collected at the end of the fermentation process were analyzed. The modification of CmpLs greatly improved the L-glutamate excretion and metabolic flux for both L-glutamate production and transport. Additionally, the CmpL1 knockout strain showed decreased accumulation of downstream metabolites of L-glutamate and intermediate metabolites of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, which were consistent with its high L-glutamate biosynthesis capacity. In addition to offering an ideal target for improving the stability and performance of the industrial strains for L-glutamate production, the functional complementarity and redundancy of CmpLs provide a novel target and method for improving the transport of other metabolites by modification of the cell membrane and cell wall structures in C. glutamicum.
Corynebacterium glutamicum/genetics* ; Glutamic Acid/biosynthesis* ; Fermentation ; Metabolic Engineering ; Bacterial Proteins/metabolism* ; Bioreactors/microbiology* ; Gene Knockout Techniques