ObjectiveTo explore the possible mechanisms by which ligustilide （LIG） exerts neuroprotective effects on ischemic stroke （IS） by inhibiting the release of neutrophil extracellular traps （NETs）， promoting blood-brain barrier repair， and alleviating post-ischemic neuroinflammation， thereby providing a new direction for IS treatment. MethodsA middle cerebral artery occlusion （MCAO） model was established in rats. The rats were divided into the sham operation （Sham） group， model （Model） group， low- and high-dose LIG groups （20， 40 mg·kg^-1）， and the NET inhibitor CI-amidine group （CI-amidine， 10 mg·kg^-1）. Drug treatments were administered for 3 days. Neurological injury after ischemia was evaluated by 2，3，5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride （TTC） staining， neurological deficit scoring， and brain index measurement. Flow cytometry and Western blot were used to analyze changes in neutrophil expression. Immunofluorescence was used to observe the fluorescence intensity of the NET marker citrullinated histone H3 （H3Cit）. Western blot was performed to detect the expression of blood-brain barrier tight junction-related proteins and inflammatory factors， including interleukin-18 （IL-18） and interleukin-1β （IL-1β）. ResultsCompared with the Sham group， the Model group exhibited significant brain tissue injury （P<0.05）， significantly increased neutrophil numbers and NET expression （P<0.05）， significantly impaired blood-brain barrier permeability （P<0.05）， and significantly increased expression of inflammatory factors （P<0.05）. Compared with the Model group， both low- and high-dose LIG significantly alleviated brain tissue injury in rats （P<0.01）， inhibited neutrophil numbers and NET expression （P<0.01）， reduced blood-brain barrier damage （P<0.01）， and suppressed the expression of inflammatory factors IL-18 and IL-1β （P<0.01）， thereby ultimately exerting a neuroprotective effect. ConclusionThe neuroprotective effect of LIG in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury may be related to inhibition of neutrophils and the NETs induced by them.

Background Lung cancer, one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide, has long ranked first in cancer incidence and mortality, posing a severe challenge to public health systems. Objective To analyze the trends in incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of lung cancer among residents in Jing'an District, Shanghai, from 2002 to 2021, explore the impacts of population aging, population growth, and age-specific prevalence on disease burden, and provide a scientific basis for optimizing regional lung cancer prevention and control strategies. Methods Based on the cancer registration and cause-of-death surveillance data of registered residents in Jing'an District, Shanghai, from 2002 to 2021, Joinpoint regression models were used to analyze the annual change trends (APC) and average annual change trends (AAPC) of lung cancer incidence, mortality, DALY rate, and their age-standardized rates. Decomposition analysis was applied to quantify the contribution of population aging, population growth, and age-specific prevalence to changes in the number of new cases, deaths, and DALYs. Results From 2002 to 2021, the crude incidence rate of lung cancer in Jing'an District increased from 68.00 per 100000 to 144.36 per 100000 (AAPC=4.86%, P<0.001), and the age-standardized incidence rate rose from 43.09 per 100000 to 61.46 per 100000 (AAPC=2.89%, P<0.001). The growth rate of incidence was significantly higher in females (AAPC=6.73%) than in males (AAPC=3.62%). The crude mortality rate increased from 58.08 per 100000 to 66.11 per 100000 (AAPC=1.10%, P<0.001), while the age-standardized mortality rate decreased (AAPC=−1.54%, P<0.001). The crude DALY rate showed an upward trend (AAPC=0.94%, P=0.002), whereas the age-standardized DALY rate declined (AAPC=−1.63%, P<0.001). Significant differences were observed across genders and age groups: the mortality and DALY rates increased in males aged 60-64 years, while the fastest incidence growth occurred in females aged 45-64 years. The results of decomposition analysis indicated that the increase in new cases was primarily attributed to age-specific incidence (38.15%) and aging (37.31%); the growth in deaths and DALYs was driven by aging, while age-specific mortality and population growth showed offsetting effects. From 2002 to 2021, the probability of premature death from lung cancer among males (2.04%-2.52%) in Jing'an District showed no statistically significant trend (AAPC=−0.28%, P=0.440), while it presented a decreasing trend in the total population (1.37%-1.89%) and females (0.72%-1.26%) (AAPC=−0.80% and −2.23%, respectively; P=0.029 and <0.001, respectively). Conclusion From 2002 to 2021, the risk of lung cancer incidence in Jing’an District, Shanghai, continue to increase, with a disease burden exhibiting significant heterogeneity by gender and age: key features include a rapid increase in new cases and a trend toward younger onset among females, alongside rising mortality risk among males aged 60–64 years. Population aging and increasing age-specific incidence rates are primary drivers of the growing number of cases, while declining age-specific mortality rates mitigate the rise in mortality burden.

ObjectiveTo explore the possible mechanisms by which ligustilide （LIG） exerts neuroprotective effects on ischemic stroke （IS） by inhibiting the release of neutrophil extracellular traps （NETs）， promoting blood-brain barrier repair， and alleviating post-ischemic neuroinflammation， thereby providing a new direction for IS treatment. MethodsA middle cerebral artery occlusion （MCAO） model was established in rats. The rats were divided into the sham operation （Sham） group， model （Model） group， low- and high-dose LIG groups （20， 40 mg·kg^-1）， and the NET inhibitor CI-amidine group （CI-amidine， 10 mg·kg^-1）. Drug treatments were administered for 3 days. Neurological injury after ischemia was evaluated by 2，3，5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride （TTC） staining， neurological deficit scoring， and brain index measurement. Flow cytometry and Western blot were used to analyze changes in neutrophil expression. Immunofluorescence was used to observe the fluorescence intensity of the NET marker citrullinated histone H3 （H3Cit）. Western blot was performed to detect the expression of blood-brain barrier tight junction-related proteins and inflammatory factors， including interleukin-18 （IL-18） and interleukin-1β （IL-1β）. ResultsCompared with the Sham group， the Model group exhibited significant brain tissue injury （P<0.05）， significantly increased neutrophil numbers and NET expression （P<0.05）， significantly impaired blood-brain barrier permeability （P<0.05）， and significantly increased expression of inflammatory factors （P<0.05）. Compared with the Model group， both low- and high-dose LIG significantly alleviated brain tissue injury in rats （P<0.01）， inhibited neutrophil numbers and NET expression （P<0.01）， reduced blood-brain barrier damage （P<0.01）， and suppressed the expression of inflammatory factors IL-18 and IL-1β （P<0.01）， thereby ultimately exerting a neuroprotective effect. ConclusionThe neuroprotective effect of LIG in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury may be related to inhibition of neutrophils and the NETs induced by them.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy of Anshen Buxin Gao in patients with coronary artery disease （CAD） complicated with somatization disorder after percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI）， as well as its effect on heart rate variability （HRV）. MethodsA total of 96 patients with somatization disorder after PCI were selected and randomized into control and treatment groups （48 cases）. On the basis of standardized Western medical treatment for CAD， the control group received Dailixin， while the treatment group received Dailixin combined with Anshen Buxin Gao. The somatic symptom scale （SSS）， generalized anxiety disorder 7-item scale （GAD-7）， patient health questionnaire-9 （PHQ-9）， and self-rating scale of sleep （SRSS） scores in both groups were recorded before and after treatment. The traditional Chinese medicine symptom efficacy， HRV， and incidence of adverse drug reactions were observed. ResultsA total of 90 patients completed the trial， encompassing 45 patients in the control group and 45 patients in the treatment group. Baseline characteristics between the two groups showed no statistically significant differences， indicating comparability. After treatment， both groups exhibited reductions in SSS， GAD-7， and PHQ-9 scores （P<0.05）， and the treatment group outperformed the control group in alleviating somatic symptoms and anxiety-depression symptoms （P<0.05）. The control group did not achieve a significant reduction in SRSS score， whereas the treatment group effectively lowered the SRSS score （P<0.05）. Regarding traditional Chinese medicine symptom efficacy， the total response rate in the treatment group was 91.1% （41/45）， which was higher than that （71.1%， 32/45） in the control group （Z=-2.663， P<0.05）. Both groups improved HRV in patients with somatization disorder， and the treatment group showed greater improvement （P<0.05）. There were no serious clinical adverse events during the study period. The incidence of adverse reactions in the treatment group was 6.7% （3/45）， which was lower than that （14/45， 31.10%） in the control group （χ²=7.252， P<0.05）. ConclusionThe addition of Anshen Buxin Gao to Dailixin therapy significantly alleviates the clinical symptoms and improves the sleep quality， treatment efficacy， and HRV in patients with CAD complicated with somatization disorder after PCI， while reducing the adverse effects associated with Dailixin alone. This approach demonstrates considerable clinical value and warrants further promotion.

Objective To explore a deep learning-based automatic bone age estimation model for elbow joint X-ray images of Chinese Han adolescents and children and evaluate its performance.Methods A total of 943(517 males and 426 females)elbow joint frontal view X-ray images of Chinese Han ado-lescents and children aged 6.00 to<16.00 years were collected from East,South,Central and North-west China.Three experimental schemes were adopted for bone age estimation.Scheme 1:Directly in-put preprocessed images into the regression model;Scheme 2:Train a segmentation network using"key elbow joint bone annotations"as labels,then input segmented images into the regression model;Scheme 3:Train a segmentation network using"full elbow joint bone annotations"as labels,then in-put segmented images into the regression model.For segmentation,the optimal model was selected from U-Net,UNet++and TransUNet.For regression,VGG16,VGG19,InceptionV2,InceptionV3,ResNet34,ResNet50,ResNet101 and DenseNet121 models were selected for bone age estimation.The dataset was randomly split into 80%(754 samples)for training and validation for model fitting and hyperparameter tuning,and 20%(189 samples)as an internal test set to test the performance of the trained model.An additional 104 elbow joint X-ray images from the same demographic and age group were col-lected and used as an external test set.Model performance was evaluated by comparing the mean ab-solute error(MAE),root mean square error(RMSE),accuracies within±0.7 years(P±0.7 years)and±1.0 years(P±1.0 years)between the estimated age and the actual age,and by drawing radar charts,scat-ter plots,and heatmaps.Results When segmented with Scheme 3,the UNet++model achieved good segmentation performance with a segmentation loss of 0.000 4 and an accuracy of 93.8%at a learning rate of 0.000 1.In the internal test set,the DenseNet121 model with Scheme 3 yielded the best results with MAE,P±0.7 years and P±1.0 years being 0.83 years,70.03%,and 84.30%,respectively.In the external test set,the DenseNet121 model with Scheme 3 also performed best,with an average MAE of 0.89 years and an average RMSE of 1.00 years.Conclusion When performing automatic bone age estima-tion using elbow joint X-ray images in Chinese Han adolescents and children,it is recommended to use the UNet++model for segmentation.The DenseNet121 model with Scheme 3 achieves optimal per-formance.Using segmentation networks,especially that trained with annotation areas encompassing the full elbow joint including the distal humerus,proximal radius,and proximal ulna,can improve the ac-curacy of bone age estimation based on elbow joint X-ray images.

Objective To explore a deep learning network model suitable for bone age estimation using shoulder joint X-ray images in Chinese Han adolescents.Methods A retrospective collection of 1 286 shoulder joint X-ray images of Chinese Han adolescents aged 12.0 to<18.0 years(708 males and 578 females)was conducted.Using random sampling,approximately 80%of the samples(1 032 cases)were selected as the training and validation sets for model learning,selection and optimization,and the other 20%samples(254 cases)were used as the test set to evaluate the model's generalization ability.The original single-channel shoulder joint X-ray images and dual-channel inputs combining original images with segmentation labels(manually annotated shoulder joint regions multiplied pixel-by-pixel with original images,followed by segmentation via the U-Net++network to retain only key shoulder joint region information)were respectively input into four network models,namely VGG16,ResNet18,ResNet50 and DenseNet121 for bone age estimation.Additionally,manual bone age estimation was con-ducted on the test set data,and the results were compared with the four network models.The mean absolute error(MAE),root mean square error(RMSE),coefficient of determination(R2),and Pear-son correlation coefficient(PCC)were used as main evaluation indicators.Results In the test set,the bone age estimation results of the four models with dual-channel input of shoulder joint X-ray images outperformed those with single-channel input in all four evaluation indicators.Among them,DenseNet121 with dual-channel input achieved best results with MAE of 0.54 years,RMSE of 0.82 years,R2 of 0.76,and PCC(r)of 0.88.Manual estimation yielded an MAE of 0.82 years,ranking second only to dual-channel DenseNet121.Conclusion The DenseNet121 model with dual-channel input combined with original images and segmentation labels is superior to manual evaluation results,and can effectively estimate the bone age of Chinese Han adolescents.

Objective To explore the relationship between serum levels of glycoprotein fibroglycan(SRGN)and secretory CD146(sCD146)and clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis in elderly pa-tients with breast cancer(BC).Methods A total of 128 elderly BC patients treated in the hospital from April 2019 to April 2021 were retrospectively selected as the BC group,and another 70 healthy elderly women were selected as the control group.The serum SRGN and sCD146 levels in BC group and control group,and patients with different clinical and pathological characteristics in BC group were compared.Kaplan-Meier curve and COX regression were used to analyze the effect of serum levels of SRGN and sCD146 on the prognosis of eld-erly BC patients.Receiver operating characteristic curve was used to analyze the predictive value of serum lev-els of SRGN and sCD146 for the prognosis of elderly BC patients.Results The levels of serum SRGN and sCD146 were(13.17±3.35)μg/L,(118.23±20.51)ng/L in the BC group,which were higher than(2.52±0.41)μg/L,(20.03±4.16)ng/L in the control group(t=26.460,39.572,both P<0.001).Compared with elderly BC patients with TNM stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ and histological grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ,serum SRGN and sCD146 levels in elderly BC patients with TNM stage Ⅲ and histological grade Ⅲ were higher(P<0.05).The 3-year progres-sion free survival rates in SRGN high and low expression groups were 66.13%(41/62)and 92.42%(61/66),respectively,and the 3-year progression free survival rate in SRGN high expression group was lower than that in SRGN low expression group(Log Rank χ2=14.180,P<0.001).The 3-year progression free survival rates in sCD146 high and low expression groups were 68.85%(42/61)and 89.55%(60/67),respectively,and the 3-year progression free survival rate in sCD146 high expression group was lower than that in sCD146 low ex-pression group(Log Rank χ2=8.614,P=0.003).TNM stage Ⅲ,histological grade Ⅲ,serum SRGN and sCD146 were risk factors for the poor prognosis of elderly BC patients.The area under the curve(AUC)of the combination of serum SRGN and sCD146 for predicting the prognosis of elderly BC patients was 0.850,which was larger than that of SRGN(AUC=0.798)and sCD146(AUC=0.771)alone(Z=2.057,2.217,P=0.042,0.029).Conclusion Serum levels of SRGN and sCD146 are elevated in elderly BC patients,and both are in-volved in the disease progression of BC.The combination of the two factors has high predictive value for the prognosis of elderly BC patients.

Objective:To explore the intervention effects of the "four-steps tendon resetting and collaterals dredging manipulation" on the symptoms and muscle status of calf muscle group of patients with chronic ankle sprains.Methods:This study was a prospective self-controlled clinical trial. A total of 39 patients with chronic ankle sprains who sought treatment at the basic units from April to September 2023 and Rehabilitation Medicine Center of Characteristic Medical Center of PLA Rocket Force from February to October 2023 were recruited. The "four-steps tendon resetting and collaterals dredging manipulation" was employed for treatment, with two sessions conducted per patient and one session per week. Pain levels were assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), ankle joint function was evaluated using the Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale and Function Assessment (AOFAS) score, and MyotonPRO digital palpation instrument was used to measure bilateral triceps and peroneal longus muscles and evaluate muscle status.Results:Compared with before treatment, VAS scores decreased ( t values were 5.85, 5.97, respecively, P<0.001) and AOFAS scores increased ( Z values were -4.59, -4.68, respecively, P<0.001). Before the first treatment and after the second treatment, the damping vibration frequency (Freq) of the affected and healthy triceps and peroneal muscles increased ( t values were -3.09,-2.92,-2.97,-2.28, respecively, P<0.05), the muscle stiffness (Stiff) increased ( t values were -3.12, -2.99, -2.88, -2.15, respecively, P<0.05), and the logarithmic attenuation value (Decr) of the damping vibration of the healthy calf triceps muscle decreased ( t=-2.31, P<0.05); Compared before and after the first treatment, the Decr value ( t=-2.51, P<0.05) and Stiff value ( t=-2.05, P<0.05) of the affected fibular longus muscle increased, while the Ferq, Decr, and Stiff values of the healthy calf triceps muscle increased before and after treatment ( t values were -2.92, -2.13, -2.64, respecively, P<0.05); before and after the second treatment, the Freq values of the triceps and peroneal longus muscles on the affected and healthy sides increased ( t values were -4.28, -2.67, -2.69, -2.38, respecively, P<0.05) and Stiff values increased ( t values were -4.24, -3.43, -3.87, -2.33, respecively, P<0.05); there was no statistical significance in Ferq, Decr, and Stiff values between the affected and healthy sides before and after the first and second treatments ( P>0.05). Conclusion:The "four-steps tendon resetting and collaterals dredging manipulation" can improve the symptoms of chronic ankle sprains and significantly change the muscle condition of the affected and healthy sides of the calf. The mechanism may be related to the neuromuscular control mechanism.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of Xiaoyu Sanjie Prescription,which is derived from classical prescriptions Chaihu Guizhi Ganjiang Tang and Huoluo Xiaoling Dan,in treating middle-risk lung nodules of phlegm blended with blood stasis type.Methods A total of 104 cases of patients with middle-risk lung nodules of phlegm blended with blood stasis type who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into the trial group and the control group,with 52 cases in each group.Eventually,a total of 97 cases completed the trial for epidemic outbreak,of which 48 cases were in the trial group and 49 cases were in the control group.Both groups received health training,and then the control group was only given regular follow-up,while the trial group was treated with Xiaoyu Sanjie Prescription orally.The course of treatment covered three months.The changes in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome scores and the area of maximum lung nodule of patients in the two groups before and after treatment were observed.After treatment,overall TCM syndrome efficacy and overall western medicine efficacy as well as their efficacies for various nodules types in the two groups were assessed.Results(1)After treatment,the distribution of the grade of TCM syndrome scores in the trial group was improved significantly when compared with that before treatment(P<0.01),while that in the control group showed no significant improvement(P>0.05),and the intergroup comparison after treatment showed that the improvement in the trial group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P<0.01).(2)The total effective rate of overall TCM syndrome efficacy in the trial group was 81.25%(39/48),and that in the control group was 20.41%(10/49);the intergroup comparison(tested by rank sum test)showed that the overall TCM syndrome efficacy in the trial group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P<0.01).In terms of the efficacy for various nodule types,the trial group had stronger TCM syndrome efficacy for multiple nodules,mixed solid nodules,pure ground glass nodules and solid nodules than the control group,in particular the efficacy for multiple nodules and mixed solid nodules,and the differences were all statistically significant(P<0.05 or P<0.01).(3)After treatment,the area of the maximum lung nodule in the trial group was significantly reduced(P<0.01),whereas there was no significant reduction in the control group compared with that before treatment(P>0.05).Statistically significant difference was shown in the post-treatment area between the two groups and in the pre-and post-treatment difference of the area between the two groups(P<0.05 or P<0.01),which suggested that the trial group's effect on the reduction of maximum lung nodule area was significantly superior to that of the control group.(4)With regard to the efficacy of western medicine,on the whole,the total effective rate of overall western medicine efficacy in the trial group was 45.83%(22/48),while that in the control group was 6.12%(3/49),and the intergroup comparison(tested by rank sum test)showed that the overall western medicine efficacy in the trial group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P<0.01).The western medicine efficacy for multiple nodules in the trial group was superior to that in the control group(P<0.01),while no statistically significant difference was presented in western medicine efficacy for mixed solid nodules,solid nodules,and pure ground glass nodules between the two groups(P>0.05).Conclusion Xiaoyu Sanjie Prescription is effective on relieving the clinical symptoms of patients with middle-risk lung nodules of phlegm blended with blood stasis type,and is effective on stabilizing,reducing or even eliminating some of the lung nodules.The compatibility principle of the formula deserves further discussion.

Background: In acute and chronic renal inflammatory diseases, the activation of inflammatory cells is involved in the defect of erythropoietin (EPO) production. Ras guanine nucleotide-releasing protein-4 (RasGRP4) promotes renal inflammatory injury in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Our study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of RasGRP4 in the production of renal EPO in diabetes. Methods: The degree of tissue injury was observed by pathological staining. Inflammatory cell infiltration was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining. Serum EPO levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and EPO production and renal interstitial fibrosis were analyzed by immunofluorescence. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of key inflammatory factors and the activation of signaling pathways. In vitro, the interaction between peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and C3H10T1/2 cells was investigated via cell coculture experiments. Results: RasGRP4 decreased the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 2-alpha (HIF2A) via the ubiquitination–proteasome degradation pathway and promoted myofibroblastic transformation by activating critical inflammatory pathways, consequently reducing the production of EPO in T2DM mice. Conclusion RasGRP4 participates in the production of renal EPO in diabetic mice by affecting the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines in PBMCs, degrading HIF2A, and promoting the myofibroblastic transformation of C3H10T1/2 cells.