Objective To explore the biological mechanism of radiation resistance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)and search for effective sensitization targets.Methods We retrieved 186 signaling pathways and related gene information from the MSigDB database.We also obtained RNA transcriptome data of ESCC patients using the Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)and Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)databases.We collected clinical pathological characteristics and tissue samples of 97 ESCC patients in our hospital from 2013 to 2020.Gene set variation analysis(GSVA)was made to calculate KEGG signaling pathway score,radiotherapy resistance related signaling pathways were screened through random forest algorithm,key genes in the pathway were screened using DESeq2,and a radiotherapy efficacy prediction model was constructed based on support vector machine-recursive feature elimination(SVM-RFE).The results were validated through experiments such as Western blotting and clonogenic assay.Results Based on the KEGG signaling pathway and GSVA enrichment score,random forest analysis showed that in the TCGA and GSE45670 cohorts,the contribution of tryptophan metabolism pathway enrichment values to radiation resistance in ESCC was significantly better than that of the other pathways.DESeq2 analysis revealed that key molecules in the tryptophan metabolism pathway,namely,IDO1,ALDH1B1,AOC1,INMT,AFMID and ALDH7A1,were significantly differentially expressed in the resistant and sensitive groups of ESCC.Based on the SVM-RFE algorithm,the AUC was 0.77,which could accurately predict the radiotherapy efficacy of ESCC.Western blotting experiments showed that IDO1 was highly expressed in ESCC cells,and IDO1 inhibitor treatment significantly inhibited the survival ability and radiosensitivity of KYSE-410 cells.In the enrolled patients of our hospital,immunohistochemical studies showed that IDO1 was highly expressed in the radiotherapy resistant group of ESCC and was associated with poor radiotherapy prognosis in ESCC patients.In addition,further testing showed that the expression of IDO1 in patient samples from our hospital was positively correlated with its PD-L1 expression,but negatively correlated with the infiltration ratio of CD3/CD8 immune cells.Conclusion Tryptophan catabolism is associated with radiation resistance in ESCC,and the key enzyme IDO1 in tryptophan metabolism can be used as a therapeutic target for radiosensitization in ESCC.

Objective:To investigate the effects of target-oriented liquid therapy on the treatment outcomes of skin grafting in patients with severe burns.Methods:A total of 60 patients with severe burns (total burn area over 20%, and deep second-degree burn area ≥ 10%) who were scheduled for skin graft surgery at the Marine Police Corps Hospital of Chinese People's Armed Police Force from January 2019 to January 2022 were included in this cohort study. The patients were randomly divided into a control group (conventional fluid therapy) and an observation group (target-oriented fluid therapy) using a random number table method, with 30 patients in each group.The levels of lactate (Lac) and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (cTnI) were compared between the two groups. The usage of colloid and crystalloid fluids, urine output, length of hospital stay, and the incidence of complications were compared between the two groups.Results:At the end of the surgery, the levels of Lac and cTnI in the observation group were (1.13 ± 0.22) mmol/L and (0.95 ± 0.25) μg/L, respectively, both of which were significantly lower than those in the control group [(1.52 ± 0.34) mmol/L, (1.10 ± 0.31) μg/L; t = 5.24, 0.83, P < 0.001, P = 0.044]. The differences in Lac and cTnI levels in the observation group were (0.53 ± 0.36) and (0.13 ± 0.07), respectively, which were significantly greater than those in the control group [(0.23 ± 0.16), (0.02 ± 0.01), t = -4.17 and -3.45, P < 0.001, P = 0.001]. The volumes of colloid and crystalloid fluids and the length of hospital stay in the observation group were (960.25 ± 153.32) mL, (1 680.52 ± 253.08) mL, and (51.36 ± 17.25) days, respectively. These values were significantly lower or shorter than those in the control group [(1 459.73 ± 203.41) mL, (2 401.89 ± 301.23) mL, (81.05 ± 25.08) days, t = 10.74, 10.04, 5.34,all P < 0.001]. The incidences of postoperative infection, pneumonia, and arrhythmia in the observation group were 33.33% (10/30), 16.67% (5/30), and 16.67% (5/30), respectively, which were significantly lower than those in the control group [63.33% (19/30), 46.67% (14/30), 30.00% (15/30); χ2 = 5.41, 6.24, 7.50, P = 0.020, P = 0.013, P = 0.006]. However, there was no statistically significant difference in acute lung injury, heart failure, and myocardial injury between the two groups ( χ2 = 1.36, 1.92, 0.29; P = 0.243, 0.166, 0.592). Conclusions:Compared with traditional fluid replacement therapy, target-oriented fluid therapy has a more significant therapeutic effect on patients with severe burns. It not only reduces fluid usage and the length of hospital stay but also decreases the incidence of infection, pneumonia, and arrhythmia in these patients.

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy of retrograde tibial intramedullary nail (RTN) combined with less invasive stabilization system (LISS) in the treatment of distal femoral fractures.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of 11 patients with distal femoral fractures who underwent RTN combined with LISS locking plate treatment at the 909th Hospital from June 2021 to December 2022. There were 5 males and 6 females, with an average age of 56.5±17.5 years. The fracture types were AO/OTA 33A2 in 2 cases, A3 in 2 cases, C1 in 2 cases, and C2 in 2 cases. There were 3 cases of periprosthetic femoral fractures after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), all classified as Rorabeck type Ⅱ. They were treated with retrograde intramedullary nailing of the tibia combined with a minimally invasive lateral internal fixation system. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, fracture healing time, full weight-bearing time, femorotibial angle, range of motion (ROM) of the knee joint, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score, visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, and complications were recorded.Results:The operation was successfully completed in all 11 cases. The operation time was 98.3±9.0 min (range 83-115 min), and the intraoperative blood loss was 167.8±24.3 ml (range 120-210 ml). All 11 cases were followed up for 11.0±1.9 months (range 9-15 months). The healing time of 11 cases was 5.3±0.8 months (range 4-6 months) after operation. The time of complete weight-bearing activity after operation was 55.7±6.5 d (range 46-67 d). At the last follow-up, the femoral-tibial angle of 11 cases was 171.2°±1.8° (range 169°-174°), the ROM of knee joint was 129.5°±4.7° (range 120°-135°), and the HSS score was 86.8±6.9 points (range 69-95 points). There were no major complications except for one case of superficial infection of surgical incision after operation.Conclusion:RTN combined with lateral LISS locking plate showed good clinical effect with the advantages of less trauma, reliable fixation, rapid recovery, less postoperative complications.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of a novel surgical approach of debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention (DAIR) with flap transfer, for treating chronic implant infections in bone tumor patients.Methods:A retrospective review was conducted on nine consecutive patients [6 males, 3 females; median age 35(27, 51) years, range 9-71] who underwent a modified procedure of DAIR plus flap transfer between November 2022 and January 2024. The cohort included six cases of chronic periprosthetic joint infection and three cases of chronic plate and screw infection. Tumor diagnoses included seven primary malignant tumors (osteosarcoma=5, undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma of bone=1, synovial sarcoma=1) and two bone metastasis of renal cell carcinoma. The procedure involved wide, radical debridement, meticulous removal of biofilm from implants and surrounding soft tissue, followed by the transfer of a well vascularized musculocutaneous flap to fully envelope the contaminated interface. Pre-operative clinicopathological data, surgical details, postoperative complications and infection recurrence were analyzed.Results:The median interval between initial implantation and debridement was 10.0(3.3, 14.8) months. Median follow-up after debridement was 15.9(15.4, 18.2) months. All nine surgeries were completed as planned: six musculocutaneous flaps, two fasciocutaneous flaps and one muscle-only flap. Implants were preserved in six patients; two required subsequent removal for recurrent infection, and one patient later underwent amputation for tumor recurrence. Infection-free implant survival at 3, 6 and 12 months was 88.9%, 87.5% and 87.5%, respectively. Major complications included one donor-site hematoma, one donor-site sensory deficit and one wound healing delay. All the complications were well management. Both reinfections occurred in proximal tibial prostheses, likely due to limited flap coverage options and local anatomical constraints.Conclusion:Although reinfections happened in two cases DAIR with flap transfer provides promising short-term infection control in patients with chronic implant-associated infections following bone tumor surgery.

BACKGROUND:The repair process of myocardial injury involves complex cellular and molecular mechanisms,especially mitochondrial calcium homeostasis,macrophage autophagy and pyroptosis pathways.Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has shown significant clinical efficacy in improving myocardial injury,but its mechanism of action needs to be thoroughly investigated. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the role of mitochondrial calcium homeostasis-mediated macrophage autophagy and pyroptosis pathways in myocardial injury,and to summarize the progress of TCM in this field. METHODS:A computerized search was performed for relevant literature from the database inception to March 2024 in the Web of Science,PubMed and CNKI.The search terms were"mitochondrial calcium homeostasis,macrophage autophagy,macrophage pyroptosis,traditional Chinese medicine,myocardial injury,myocardial injury reperfusion"in Chinese and English.Through literature review,we analyzed the relationship between mitochondrial calcium homeostasis and macrophage autophagy and pyroptosis,explored the mechanism of their roles in myocardial injury,and summarized the pathways of multi-targeted,multi-pathway effects of TCM. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The maintenance of mitochondrial calcium homeostasis has been found to be closely related to the normal function of cardiomyocytes.Macrophages can participate in the repair process of myocardial injury through autophagy and pyroptosis pathways.Autophagy contributes to cell clearance and regulation of inflammatory response,while pyroptosis affects myocardial repair by releasing inflammatory factors.TCM regulates mitochondrial calcium homeostasis and macrophage function through multiple mechanisms.For example,astragalosid regulates calcium homeostasis by lowering mitochondrial membrane potential and inhibiting cytochrome C,and epimedium glycoside plays a role in reducing β-amyloid deposition.In addition,herbal compounds and single drugs promote myocardial repair by activating or inhibiting specific signaling pathways,such as PI3K/AKT and nuclear factor-κB signaling pathways.Future studies should focus on the interactions between mitochondrial calcium homeostasis,autophagy and pyroptosis pathways,as well as how TCM can exert therapeutic effects through these pathways to provide new strategies and drugs for the treatment of myocardial injury.

Objective: To investigate the effects of polydatin on a high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) mouse model and hepatoma G2(HepG2) cell model, and to reveal its potential molecular mechanisms. Methods: Thirty 6-week-old male SPF C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into a normal diet group and a high-fat diet group. After the NAFLD mouse model was established in the high-fat diet group, they were further divided into a model group and a polydatin treatment group. The polydatin treatment group was administered polydatin by gavage at a dose of 250 mg/(kg·d) for 10 weeks, during which body weight was monitored and oral glucose and insulin tolerance tests were performed. At the end of the experiment, a series of tests to evaluate the effects of polydatin on mouse liver weight, blood lipids, liver lipid accumulation, and liver injury markers were performed. The expression of G0/G1 switch gene 2(G0S2) and adipose triglyceride lipase(ATGL) was measured by qRT-PCR and Western blot, and gene expression was further verified using immunohistochemical staining. The effects of polydatin on HepG2 cell activity was assessed by CCK-8 assay, lipid accumulation was observed by oil red O staining, and the expression of G0S2 and ATGL was detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Results: Polydatin significantly reduced the body weight, liver weight, and serum and liver tissue levels of aspartate aminotransferase(AST), alanine aminotransferase(ALT), triglyceride(TG), and total cholesterol (TC) in mice (P < 0. 05) , al⁃leviated pathological liver damage , decreased G0S2 expression (P < 0. 05) , and increased ATGL expression (P <0. 05) . At the cellular level , polydatin reduced lipid droplet accumulation , improved lipid metabolism , decreased G0S2 expression ( P < 0. 05 ) , and increased ATGL expression ( P < 0. 05 ) . Even in cells with knockdown of G0S2 , polydatin still promoted fat decomposition (P < 0. 01) . Conclusion Polydatin promotes hepatic fat break⁃down by regulating the expression of G0S2 and ATGL , helping to alleviate metabolic disorders and liver damage in the NAFLD mouse model caused by a high⁃fat diet , offering a new strategy for treating NAFLD.

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy of retrograde tibial intramedullary nail (RTN) combined with less invasive stabilization system (LISS) in the treatment of distal femoral fractures.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of 11 patients with distal femoral fractures who underwent RTN combined with LISS locking plate treatment at the 909th Hospital from June 2021 to December 2022. There were 5 males and 6 females, with an average age of 56.5±17.5 years. The fracture types were AO/OTA 33A2 in 2 cases, A3 in 2 cases, C1 in 2 cases, and C2 in 2 cases. There were 3 cases of periprosthetic femoral fractures after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), all classified as Rorabeck type Ⅱ. They were treated with retrograde intramedullary nailing of the tibia combined with a minimally invasive lateral internal fixation system. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, fracture healing time, full weight-bearing time, femorotibial angle, range of motion (ROM) of the knee joint, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score, visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, and complications were recorded.Results:The operation was successfully completed in all 11 cases. The operation time was 98.3±9.0 min (range 83-115 min), and the intraoperative blood loss was 167.8±24.3 ml (range 120-210 ml). All 11 cases were followed up for 11.0±1.9 months (range 9-15 months). The healing time of 11 cases was 5.3±0.8 months (range 4-6 months) after operation. The time of complete weight-bearing activity after operation was 55.7±6.5 d (range 46-67 d). At the last follow-up, the femoral-tibial angle of 11 cases was 171.2°±1.8° (range 169°-174°), the ROM of knee joint was 129.5°±4.7° (range 120°-135°), and the HSS score was 86.8±6.9 points (range 69-95 points). There were no major complications except for one case of superficial infection of surgical incision after operation.Conclusion:RTN combined with lateral LISS locking plate showed good clinical effect with the advantages of less trauma, reliable fixation, rapid recovery, less postoperative complications.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of a novel surgical approach of debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention (DAIR) with flap transfer, for treating chronic implant infections in bone tumor patients.Methods:A retrospective review was conducted on nine consecutive patients [6 males, 3 females; median age 35(27, 51) years, range 9-71] who underwent a modified procedure of DAIR plus flap transfer between November 2022 and January 2024. The cohort included six cases of chronic periprosthetic joint infection and three cases of chronic plate and screw infection. Tumor diagnoses included seven primary malignant tumors (osteosarcoma=5, undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma of bone=1, synovial sarcoma=1) and two bone metastasis of renal cell carcinoma. The procedure involved wide, radical debridement, meticulous removal of biofilm from implants and surrounding soft tissue, followed by the transfer of a well vascularized musculocutaneous flap to fully envelope the contaminated interface. Pre-operative clinicopathological data, surgical details, postoperative complications and infection recurrence were analyzed.Results:The median interval between initial implantation and debridement was 10.0(3.3, 14.8) months. Median follow-up after debridement was 15.9(15.4, 18.2) months. All nine surgeries were completed as planned: six musculocutaneous flaps, two fasciocutaneous flaps and one muscle-only flap. Implants were preserved in six patients; two required subsequent removal for recurrent infection, and one patient later underwent amputation for tumor recurrence. Infection-free implant survival at 3, 6 and 12 months was 88.9%, 87.5% and 87.5%, respectively. Major complications included one donor-site hematoma, one donor-site sensory deficit and one wound healing delay. All the complications were well management. Both reinfections occurred in proximal tibial prostheses, likely due to limited flap coverage options and local anatomical constraints.Conclusion:Although reinfections happened in two cases DAIR with flap transfer provides promising short-term infection control in patients with chronic implant-associated infections following bone tumor surgery.

Objective To explore the efficacy and mechanism of the aqueous extract of Sauropus spatulifolius in treating constipation based on network pharmacology analysis and experiments.Meth-ods Network pharmacology analysis was conducted using an online platform to investigate the molec-ular mechanism of Sauropus spatulifolius in treating constipation.Loperamide-induced mouse consti-pation models and intestinal epithelial cell(IEC)injury models were constructed.Therapeutic effects were evaluated using indicators such as the time to the first black stool,fecal water content,and gas-trointestinal transit rate.Annexin V-FITC staining was used to assess apoptosis,JC-1 staining was used to detect mitochondrial membrane potential,chemiluminescence was used to measure adenosine triphosphate(ATP)levels,and western blotting was used to detect the expression of relevant proteins.Results Network pharmacology analysis revealed that 29 active components in Sauropus spatulifolius targeted 19 genes associated with constipation,with AKT1 identified as one of the key genes.Exper-imental results demonstrated that the aqueous extract of Sauropus spatulifolius effectively alleviated loperamide-induced constipation symptoms in mice,including weight loss,reduced intestinal motili-ty,prolonged defecation time,and decreased fecal water content.Additionally,the aqueous extract of Sauropus spatulifolius inhibited IEC-6 cell apoptosis,restored mitochondrial membrane potential,and maintained intracellular ATP levels.The therapeutic mechanism involved downregulating the ex-pression of Bel-2-associated X protein(Bax),cytochrome C,Cleaved-Caspase3,and aquaporin 3(AQP3),as well as enhancing protein kinase B(Akt)phosphorylation.Conclusion The aque-ous extract of Sauropus spatulifolius effectively ameliorates constipation symptoms in mouse models,and its mechanism may be related to improving intestinal cell energy metabolism,inhibiting IEC ap-optosis,and reducing AQP3 expression,suggesting that Sauropus spatulifolius could serve as a po-tential drug for the clinical treatment of constipation.

Objective To explore the biological mechanism of radiation resistance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)and search for effective sensitization targets.Methods We retrieved 186 signaling pathways and related gene information from the MSigDB database.We also obtained RNA transcriptome data of ESCC patients using the Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)and Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)databases.We collected clinical pathological characteristics and tissue samples of 97 ESCC patients in our hospital from 2013 to 2020.Gene set variation analysis(GSVA)was made to calculate KEGG signaling pathway score,radiotherapy resistance related signaling pathways were screened through random forest algorithm,key genes in the pathway were screened using DESeq2,and a radiotherapy efficacy prediction model was constructed based on support vector machine-recursive feature elimination(SVM-RFE).The results were validated through experiments such as Western blotting and clonogenic assay.Results Based on the KEGG signaling pathway and GSVA enrichment score,random forest analysis showed that in the TCGA and GSE45670 cohorts,the contribution of tryptophan metabolism pathway enrichment values to radiation resistance in ESCC was significantly better than that of the other pathways.DESeq2 analysis revealed that key molecules in the tryptophan metabolism pathway,namely,IDO1,ALDH1B1,AOC1,INMT,AFMID and ALDH7A1,were significantly differentially expressed in the resistant and sensitive groups of ESCC.Based on the SVM-RFE algorithm,the AUC was 0.77,which could accurately predict the radiotherapy efficacy of ESCC.Western blotting experiments showed that IDO1 was highly expressed in ESCC cells,and IDO1 inhibitor treatment significantly inhibited the survival ability and radiosensitivity of KYSE-410 cells.In the enrolled patients of our hospital,immunohistochemical studies showed that IDO1 was highly expressed in the radiotherapy resistant group of ESCC and was associated with poor radiotherapy prognosis in ESCC patients.In addition,further testing showed that the expression of IDO1 in patient samples from our hospital was positively correlated with its PD-L1 expression,but negatively correlated with the infiltration ratio of CD3/CD8 immune cells.Conclusion Tryptophan catabolism is associated with radiation resistance in ESCC,and the key enzyme IDO1 in tryptophan metabolism can be used as a therapeutic target for radiosensitization in ESCC.